Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2011-10-06, Page 27The Avon Maitland District School Board (AMDSB) has launched a new website for the parents of AMDSB students. A project of the board’s Parent Involvement Committee (PIC), parentvoice.ca will be a resource centre and a way for parents to communicate with the PIC. Presenting the website at the AMDSB’s Sept. 27 meeting, manager of communications Steve Howe told trustees that the website will list meetings and other events as well as allowing parents to receive updates from the PIC, including through Twitter. Parents will also be able to post comments on the site. “We think it’s a better way for everybody to communicate,” Howe said. Although it probably won’t be completed until early to mid- October, the website already has several resources available online. These include video tutorials for school councils on constitutions, meetings, recruiting and fundraising as well as links to Ministry of Education information on grants and parent involvement. Although the AMDSB will support the project “from the background”, Howe said that the contributors will all be PIC members. To promote parent engagement, the Ministry of Education required all school boards to have a PIC established by February of 2011. The PIC serves as an advisory body to the board with a focus on all schools in the board, making the group different from a school council. At the same time, the PIC does share information with the different school councils. The group meets four times a year and has parent members from across the AMDSB area. Members include chair Tracy Bachellier from Stratford, vice chair Brad Lucas from South Huron and parent members Roseann Chute from Stratford, Angela Hunt and Heidi Shtovba from North Perth, Jennifer Schroter from Mitchell and Becky Ingham from Goderich. The three positions for community representatives, who are also voting members, are currently vacant. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, OCTOBER 6, 2011. PAGE 27. Community thrift storemarks 20 years business Board launches new website for parents Nearly 20 years ago a group of citizens and some churches in Brussels came together and became aware that something was missing from the community. Noticing a need for a meeting place, somewhere for people to work and socialize together, and a place for the community to recycle their resources, a group of citizens created the Five R’s Community Thrift Store. With a plan to reduce waste, reuse, recycle and reclaim what they could and rejoice in their work and in the community, a board of directors was established to guide the store. The board consisted of Linda Garland, Betty Graber, Julie Harrison, Nancy Exel, Sharon Freeman, Caroline Kernaghan and Mary Lou Ruttan. Three staff members were also named; Wendy Martin, the store manager and Joan Jacobs and Brenda Gilkes, the recycling co-ordinators. While the existing board doesn’t much resemble the original board, with Linda Garland being the only one on the current board, and Sharon Freeman now working in the store, the store has kept to its goal of providing a meeting place and a location to buy and donate gently used items, despite having moved. Joan Jacobs is also still involved, joining Freeman as an employee. Originally located on the corner of King and Turnberry Street, the store has since moved down the road, closer to the corner of Turnberry and Mill Street at 453 Turnberry Street. The current board is Garland, Val Nagle, Cookie Morton, Judy Hahn, Melody White, Ruth Lowe and Elsie Carter. Jacobs and Freeman recently explained why the store has been successful and is still working, 20 years after inception. “We owe the longevity to the volunteers and staff,” Freeman said. “It’s a lot of hard work and we couldn’t do it without them.” “Sometimes, we’ve thought it might not last,” Jacobs said. “But then we rally together and find new life.” Everything at the store is community driven, according to Freeman and Jacobs, who said that the original paint job was even a community ‘potluck’. “Everyone brought paint and we mixed it together, added some blue and painted the store,” Freeman said. “It really matched how the company was created.” The store has been many things to many people in the community, according to Freeman and Jacobs. “We used to be a location for people to quilt, and we used to have more recycling,” Jacobs said. “But we just don’t have the volunteer- base anymore and our storefront is smaller.” While the store originally dealt in many things, they’ve tightened their focus according to Jacobs and Freeman, however they have many memories of what once was at the store. “We had live mannequins at the front of the store for the grand opening,” she said. “People could buy what they were modelling.” “Now we deal mostly in clothes, dishes and small houseware,” Freeman said. “We don’t have room for bigger furniture, but we find room for smaller things.” The store also sells seasonal goods, like Halloween costumes for the upcoming spooky celebration, as well as Christmas and Easter goods. They also have silent auctions twice a year. The store welcomes between 250 and 300 customers annually, with higher traffic during cottage season. “We have a lot of cottagers come in to look, they enjoy going through thrift stores,” Jacobs said. “Books and magazines are big sellers with that crowd, since they’re trying to get away from television and the internet.” While the store is partly volunteer- run, it seems to have avoided the problem that many volunteer-based organizations have had, according to Freeman, who says that the store actually has more volunteers than they need. “We have a volunteer for each half-day,” she said. “People are always saying they would be more than happy to help us.” The store is always looking for good quality items, as anything that is not used is donated to the Canadian Diabetes Association. To celebrate 20 years in business, the Five R’s Community Thrift Store will be having refreshments and celebrations at the store on Oct. 21 and 22. We are the champions Les Cook and Anne Elliott took top prize at the Huron Victim Services’ Dancing with the Stars fundraiser on Oct. 1. The duo, both from Blyth, danced a tango and salsa dance to capture the first place finish. (Denny Scott photo) BIG BOPPER’SBIG BOPPER’STHETHE BIGBIGBOPPERBOPPER JOHNNYJOHNNY CASHCASH JERRY LEEJERRY LEE LEWISLEWIS CONNIECONNIE FRANCISFRANCISBUDDYBUDDYHOLLYHOLLY Jeff GilesJeff Giles Maggie MaeMaggie Mae Bill CulpBill Culp Jim Yorfi doJim Yorfi do Bruce TournayBruce Tournay SUNDAY OCTOBER 16 - 3:00 PMSUNDAY OCTOBER 16 - 3:00 PM BLYTH MEMORIAL HALLBLYTH MEMORIAL HALL 423 QUEEN STREET423 QUEEN STREET CALL 519-523-9300 or 1-877-862-5984CALL 519-523-9300 or 1-877-862-5984 www.BlythFestival.comwww.BlythFestival.comONLY $25 Graduation On June 13, 2011 Laura Richards received her Bachelor of Science, Honours degree (with Distinction), majoring in Computing and Information Science, from the University of Guelph. She received the Dr. Charles Capstick Graduation Prize for the highest cumulative average at graduation in the School of Computer Science, and the Sandbox Software Solutions Scholarship awarded to the female student with the highest cumulative average in the School of Computer Science. In her final year, she also received: the Microsoft Scholarship for Academic Achievement and Leadership, the Undergraduate Student Research Award, and the Dean’s Scholarship for excellent academic achievement. Laura is currently pursuing her Master of Science in Computer Science at the University of Guelph. She is a graduate of North Middlesex District High Shool and McGillivray Central Public School. Laura is the daughter of Jane Sadler Richards and Douglas Richards of Ailsa Craig, and the granddaughter of the late Sheila and Wendall Richards of Brussels. Congratulations on your 65th Wedding Anniversary Mom & Dad Jean & Howard Walker October 12, 2011 Love from your family By Denny Scott The Citizen Get wedding advice and tips, see a case study and read about local brides on the Brides in Huron section of our website www.northhuron.on.ca ON $6.00 THURSDAYS Drop into either of our offices any Thursday with your word classified (maximum 20 words) and pay only $6.00 + HST (paid in advance). That’s $1.00 off regular rates. The Citizen By Rita Marshall Special to The Citizen