Current news

Bob Moore and Alex Grant updated PAC at the end of May that the VSB has approved the recommendations from the consultants.
Copy of the report and recommendations sent from the consultants to the VSB. This document includes an Appendix of the transcripts of our open house comment forms. (The pages conatining the Open House boards were deleted to reduce the file size - separate link for them below).
The full report (large file) is posted at:
http://www.vsb.bc.ca/sites/default/files/10Jan19_commII_item3_GordonNCLD...

Recommendation by the NCLD Steering Committee for the VSB to accept the recommendations in the consultant's report.

Comments on the report from the Gordon PAC School Renewal Committee:

The School Renewal Committee does not support the recommendations in the report in their current form:
Letter written in response to the consultants report

The recommendations appear to ignore the very clear feedback from parents and the community provided through the Open House and Visioning sessions. The space allocated for General Gordon remains inadequate to the needs of the school, especially for childcare. In addition, the recommendations for General Gordon are notably different than for Lord Strathcona and the space allocation for Gordon and Queen Mary are the same despite differences in population and programming. Examples of these issues include: both of the other pilot schools additional childcare space is being made available and Queen Mary is receiving the same library top-up despite not having a French immersion program and needing a two language library collection.

Other documents for reference:

Boards from the Open House.
Presentation at the Information night on Nov 12th, by Bill Uhrich.
Part 1 and Part 2 of a Visioning session booklet produced by Brook and Associates. A Newsletter, by Brook and Associates, summarizing the common themes for a renewed school that have came out of the NoL meetings leading up to the visioning session.

Background summary

Due to the current area standards for schools, and the availability of funds only for seismic upgrades but not for other, much needed school building upgrades, the seismic upgrading of our schools is resulting in a downgrading of our facilities.

Schools across the city are losing lunchrooms, space for after school care, auditoriums, covered outdoor play areas, music rooms, stages, and basement areas used on rainy days and for after school care. Many people are also concerned about the loss of our community heritage buildings.

After meetings with the VSB and Gordon Campbell, Gordon Elementary is part of the Neighbourhoods of Learning project. A consulting group is working with Gordon staff, parents and community members to plan how during the seismic upgrade of Gordon the building can maintain it's status as a community resource as well as a school. Strathcona Elementary and Queen Mary Elementary are going through a similar process.

History of meetings and document exchanges between Gordon parents and other groups

Complete list of documents

Seismic mailing list - updates and discussions by e-mail