Please find below the meeting minutes from the January 2026 AES PAC meeting.
Meeting info
January 27th 2026
5:30pm AES Library
1. Call to order, acknowledgment, and welcome
Call to order @ 5:37 pm.
We respectfully acknowledge that we are grateful to live, work, and play within the beautiful ancestral, traditional, and unceded territory of the Syilx Okanagan people, Secwepemc Nation and acknowledges the Métis people who reside here.
Attendance: Aislinn Harmston, Nicole Shore, Teresa Cauley, Michelle Reinhart, Megan Weir (principal), Nadine Zakoski, Pia Pechtel, Nanae Phung
2. Approve December’s meeting minutes
Approve December’s meeting minutes (all in favour) 1st Teresa Cauley 2nd Nadine Zakoski
3. Additions to January agenda
Additions to January’s meeting agenda: none
4. Adopt January agenda
Adopt January’s meeting agenda (approve amendments/ all in favour) 1st Nadine Zakoski 2nd Pia Pechtel
5. Reports
Principal: Megan Weir
School Learning report: Wellness surveys were done in the fall; ‘When something is hard, I will try a different way; responses were all within expected maturity level.
Our literacy the goal is to improve student writing.
Indigenous Family Night was held at PVSS; it was well attended (Armstrong and Falkland families); 12-15 AES families attended.
Winter Rec: school skating and grade 4/5 field trips to Larch Hills continues. An upcoming Pirate Loppet for the grade 4/5 (Mr Weeks is taking them). There are 36 kids attending this year from AES; highest turn out!
Come Read With Me workshop (Literacy Alliance of the Shuswap Society-LASS); 25 AES families attended from grade 1. Parents and kids appreciated the games.
Willing to Ninja is coming to AES on February 26 & 27th; each class will get 1x 45min session around the course. Total cost $2573.81
Soupermeal taster bowls (soup Monday); everything is always eaten. There is none left for seconds. Megan may request more.
Unplug Play was held at AES on January 29th from 5:30-6:30pm. Students also brought home a week long tracking brochure to return to office for a chance to win a prize.
Grade 5 variety show in leu of School Wide Talent Show; more details to come (last week before Spring Break). It was been reduced this year due to the limited space and rearrangement of classroom due to the painting.
Parents expressed disappointment in the change as many students look forward to the opportunity to participate in the talent show. Suggestions to host a talent show outside instead. Megan agreed to speak to staff about the parents feedback and suggestions.
Speech & Language CEA is providing practice support for AES students Monday/Wednesday/Friday mornings until recess, in addition to ongoing support from SLP teacher.
Indigenous groups with Mrs Martin will start up again in February; specifically targeting student who haven’t been connected yet (in the Wellness or Beading groups).
Update regarding the 2x 4hr CEA positions; one of those positions has now become a 5.5 hr position.
There will be a district wide Art Fair display at Picadilly Mall in Salmon Arm February 7-12. This includes art workshops for a limited number of students from across our school district. AES has 17 students who were offered the opportunity.
New Psychologist has been hired for the school district. They will be working alternating on site for one week and remotely for one week as they start in this position. Schools have priorities students who need PsychEds completed sooner.
Teacher: not in attendance
President: Nadine Zakoski
Nothing to report
Treasurer: Alex Crowie (not in attendance; reported given by Nadine Zakoski)
As of December 31st 2025
Operating Account $22,101.34
Gaming Account $6,282.50
Table a discussion to set a minimum balance accounts can not go below; will discuss again at AGM and next years budget meeting.
Request for Treasurer to produce updated budget numbers once designated money has been spent (if there is any money left over to rollover to cover something else).
6. Old business
Teachers ‘wish-list’ revisit & budget revisit.
Teacher request for kindie pinnies? Megan will look into this as kindie pinnies were ordered last year.
$100 LRT request: Nadine will connect with Heather is see if this is still needed after $100 was given out to all divisions.
Michelle will ask SD83 for funds for the literacy books teachers have prioritized.
PAC will revisit wish-list again next month.
PAC will revisit budget as the year passes and will reassess management of budget now that money is being spent; budget next year based on what we fundraise that year?
Willing to Ninja: grants? Michelle reports that the grants that would cover this cost are not doing a cycle this year; she also hasn’t looked into it further.
Parent Connect: December 18th at PV Blvd coffee shop. PAC mom’s showed up. Aislinn will create a Facebook post asking parents if this is still a need or if parents are looking for a different format.
Fundraising updates:
Wrapping Paper: raised $196.80
West Coast Seed Sales: raised $767.70
Natures Fair 3% rebate from receipts; Nanea, Michelle and Megan will collaborate to get it up and running.
Food Box Fundraiser cant run at this time as there are no parent volunteers available to run it.
Hot Dog Friday (idea) won’t run at this time, but Freezie Friday can start up in March. We need a deep freeze to store frozen freezies (original one was taken away and disposed off when it shouldn’t have been, when stand up freezer was brought in).
Aislinn will created posts on Facebook requesting a small deep freezer donation.
Aislinn will create a post on the Facebook PAC page requesting parent volunteers to help with fundraising efforts; we need new recruits so we don’t burn out the regular ones.
DPAC and SD83 advocacy updates:
Pam attended January 15th 2026 DPAC meeting. It was well attended by Salmon Arm parents; expressing concerns regarding pushing inclusiveness but not managing disruptions in class room; follow through of consequences.
DPAC would like to host a district wide event; announcement in February 19th 2026.
CUPI is running a piolet project where there will be a floating CEA for the schools. If no one calls to use it, they will go to AES.
SD83 meeting January 20th 2026: Michelle will watch recording as she was unable to attend.
SD83 meeting December 16th 2025: board was discussing ways to spend the $300,000. They prioritized funding to increase all schools with one administrator to be full time. They also decided to fund re-increasing the library teaching time but not back to the original amount.
Chelsea Prince also indicated they could really use 15 more CEAs but they were worried about over-spending and not keeping enough funds in reserve so they agreed to add 10 for now and review again in the future.
There was no discussion addressing Trustees.
Discussion around considering a follow-up letter to the board of trustees first and then approaching the Ministry. Michelle will create the letter.
It is also noted that trustees aren’t in touch with other parents of the districts.
Jeremy has a new updated report and wants to meet to double check this is what we are wanting to see reported.
7. New business
None
Next meeting
Next meeting date: February 25th 2026
Megan will create a Teams link for parents to attend virtually as PAC would like to recruit new parents to participate.
Megan is not available to attend the AGM in June so Jen Finlay from SD83 will attended on her behalf.
Motion to adjourn @ 7:21pm
Respectfully submitted by Aislinn Harmston, Secretary