We want to provide lots of opportunities to hear from you — so we’ve gone ahead and set the PAC general meetings for the rest of this school year! Please mark your calendars now for these dates:
Weds Oct 30
Tues Nov 26
Weds Jan 29
Tues Feb 25
Weds Apr 30
Tues May 27
Weds Jun 18
We’ve alternated between Tuesdays and Wednesdays to try and make the dates as accessible as possible (we know extracurricular schedules get locked down pretty early.)
For now, we are testing out holding meetings at 630 pm in the library and will advise if that changes. Please make sure to subscribe to the newsletter through info@hastingspac.ca to make sure you’re always into the loop!
It’s that time of year again — where Hastings PAC launches some of our most well-loved fundraising initiatives to help guide our programming through the rest of the year!
The annual poinsettia sale is back in a big way. This year, choose from red or white poinsettias in a 6″ pot, measuring a sumptuous 16″ x 16 each. These gorgeous holiday plants add a festive touch to any classroom, office, or home, and are priced at $12.50 each. We’ve tried to make ordering easy by setting up payment through the existing SchoolCash system for VSB families, but if that isn’t your jam, please feel free instead to fill out a paper order form at the office and submit payment there. We are also happy to help facilitate orders — especially if you are not a current Hastings family — if you email info@hastingspac.ca. Sales close Fri. Dec. 6th and unfortunately, we are unable to accommodate late orders.
Pick up will take place after school Thurs Dec 12 at the undercover area from 3 – 5 pm, or at the Winter Warm Up taking place on the same day in the school gym from 5 – 7 pm.
New this year is an expansion of our Hastings Merch offerings! We are delighted to help you show off your school spirit in tuqueriffic fashion. Check out the fine embroidery of the classic Hastings Howlin’ Wolf on the rolled cuff of these tuques — they’ll keep you warm and stylish at all times. Perfect for tucking under your holiday tree or stuffing into a stocking, the Merch tuques are available in white, black, and lime green. Best of all, we’ve been able to negotiate a bigger price savings from our supplier than originally anticipated, so we are now dropping the price per tuque from $28 to $25 each! Get ’em while you can, by ordering through SchoolCash. Orders also close Fri. Dec. 6th, although we will be selling a limited number of additional tuques at the Winter Warm Up. Your pre-order will be available at the PAC table Thurs. Dec 12 from 5 – 7, and if you can’t make it, we’re happy to do classroom delivery the following day on Fri. Dec. 13th.
That’s also the day we’ll be distributing the sweet treats from Purdy’s! Ordering from the beloved local chocolatier is a holiday Hastings habit — please make sure to get your order in through this link (campaign 75090) by Tue Dec 3. Volunteers will be helping to organize the mountain of delicious boxes and then getting them to you on Fri. Dec 13 from 2:45 – 4 pm in front of the school (or if the weather is Grinchy, in the undercover area.)
Finally, for those heading to the Winter Warm Up, we are also bringing back the amazing merino wool socks we first brought in last year as a pilot project! When they were so well received, we knew we had created a new Hastings holiday tradition. We figure part of the fun is feeling the socks and then picking out which colour suits you best, so we are not actually doing any pre-orders for this item. They are only available in limited quantities, so make sure you don’t miss out — come see us at the PAC table at the Winter Warm Up. These socks will have you literally feeling as though you’re walking on a cozy warm cloud for just $10 a pair.
We are very grateful whenever Hastings families and community members choose to support our fundraisers. The funds raised are an integral foundation for the various programs we run in conjunction with the school to enhance the lives and experiences of Hastings students. That said, we understand that sometimes the budget just doesn’t feel as though it’s going to stretch far enough. If that’s the case, please don’t hesitate to either reach out to our principal or to PAC through info@hastingspac.ca, and we will definitely be able to figure something out.
Wishing you all the very best of the holiday season!
Hastings PAC is excited to announce we are ready to move forward with our new monthly hot lunch fundraiser! It will typically take place on the last Friday of the month, except if there is a day off from school or holiday break impending.
As of this week, you can take one thing off your to-do list and support Hastings PAC initiatives by ordering lunch through our provider C’est Mon Cafe (CMC). Funds raised go into supporting programs and initiatives for Hastings students like enhanced learning opportunities, food security in a variety of different forms, and classroom supplies.
-click ‘order’ for the correct time period (CMC splits the year up into Sept-Jan, and then Feb-June.)
-check out the menu first (it’s not this old-timey one in the illustration!), consider whether you want any add-ons like sides or beverages for your child(ren), and when you’re ready, click through to the order form itself (a Google form.) Please make sure you include your child(ren)’s first and last name, grade, and correct division number (check it here if you’re not sure what it is.) Meals are delivered on the day based on the division number, so having correct information ensures children get to eat their meals as quickly as possible. Don’t worry too much about the ‘odd’ and ‘even’ calendar day menus; the Google form only allows you to select from available options.
IMPORTANT – ORDERS AND PAYMENT MUST BE IN BY 6 PM the day before the hot lunch fundraiser occurs. For example, for the hot lunch fundraiser occurring Fri Oct 18th, orders must be received by CMC before 6 pm on Thurs Oct 17. If the order is not sent in on time, your child(ren) will not receive a meal. This is at CMC’s discretion, and is outside the control of Hastings PAC.
ALSO IMPORTANT – CMC allows you to specify in the form whether your child(ren) has/have specific dietary needs, such as gluten-free, vegetarian, or halal meals. However, if you have specific allergy or other concerns, it is best to email CMC directly to see what they can accommodate properly and safely. These requests and requirements must also be received by CMC in advance.
At the moment, the Hot Lunch Committee has set four dates for this fundraiser (Oct, Nov, Dec, and Jan) and if you would like to participate in all four days, you can go ahead and order those meals now in advance for convenience’s sake. However, there is no obligation to order more than once (or at all, this is completely voluntary!) You can also choose to order just one meal, and then play it by ear from there as to whether you would like to order again, as long as you order before 6 pm the day before the hot lunch fundraiser is next scheduled to take place.
Ordering and payment goes directly through the provider, but all communications about the hot lunch fundraising days will come through the PAC email newsletter, so if you are not already signed up for that, please do so now through the embed form here, on the right hand side of the website page.
If you are on the regular daily hot lunch program, you are certainly welcome to take part in the fundraising hot lunch! Any extra meals from daily hot lunch will be distributed to those who would like to have them or take them home. If you would like to participate in the hot lunch fundraiser but it feels outside your current budget, please email Trevor and we would be delighted to coordinate.
This is a new adventure for Hastings PAC, so if you have any thoughts or feedback as we go along — or perhaps have an idea for a meal you’d like to have brought in for a special occasion — please absolutely get in touch!
Image description: cover of the book Robes of Power, by Doreen Jensen and Polly Sargent.
We were honoured to receive a Placemaking grant from the City of Vancouver to help activate the public plaza at Kamloops and Hastings (400 Kamloops St.) Please join us for the event Fri Oct 11 from 3-6 pm, starting from the front doors of the school and leading to the plaza itself.
Indigenous parents first shared this idea for cultural sharing in the spring, and we are grateful to extend this conversation about Reconciliation through this event. Everyone is invited to come to the plaza to use the materials traditionally associated with Coast Salish button blankets — felt/wool melton, suede, buttons, etc. — to create a mini-textile art piece that reflects your heritage or culture. Haida artist Clarence Mills (Gah Ghin Skuss) has also granted us the right for attendees to use his art in the creation of your pieces. If you aren’t sure of your sewing abilities, that’s okay — we’ll also have glue and tape on hand for people who are more comfortable using those.
We will have some textile art on display co-created with Indigenous Hastings parents, as well as materials explaining the history of button blankets and the multilayered ways we are connecting through this project. We were guided very much in this project by the book Robes of Power, referenced above, as well as a number of Indigenous elders, scholars, and experts.
We will be serving light refreshments, including bannock, and hope you’re available to join us!
Enterprising Hastings student S.T. is trying to get a Rubik’s cube club going at lunchtime, but he needs your help. If you have any cubes languishing at home without anyone to pay attention to them, please drop them off to the office attention to Hastings PAC. We’ll get these over to S.T. and the staff member sponsoring this club so that kids can start getting their cube on as soon as possible.
Both standard Rubik’s cubes and speed cubes would be welcome. They are hoping to get the club going after Thanksgiving, so please start sorting through your toy boxes now if you get the chance! This will give the kids some lunchtime options for activities when the weather starts getting a little more dreary.
While you’re at it, we’re also passing along a request from teachers and staff for gently used puzzles, toys, and arts and craft supplies that you may no longer need. Donating these items clears out your home, allows these items to be enjoyed by others, and most importantly, sustainably fills up the cupboards at school. Hastings PAC is proud to support our teachers and staff by supplementing their classroom budgets, but getting these donations allows the funds to stretch even farther — while preventing usable items from going into the landfill. We call that a win-win-win for our kids!
Please feel free to also drop these items off to the office c/o Hastings PAC, we will take it from there.
