HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2008-10-30, Page 1Welcoming committee?
These witches (Joan Jacobs, left, and Sheron Stadelmann) and friends hosted their annual
event in Blyth this past Saturday night. The Witches Walk featured a series of frightening and
eerie scenes along the Greenway Trail that sent chills along young and old spines. (Vicky Bremner
photo)
A continued commitment to
publicly-funded education was the
message brought by Ontario
education minister to Brussels
Thursday night.
Kathleen Wynne spoke at a
Huron-Bruce Liberal Association
fundraising dinner at the BMG
Community Centre. She stressed
that despite economic challenges,
the provincial government was
going to maintain its plans for
education.
“I am visiting boards across the
province, coming out to see what’s
happening in the schools.”
Wynne, who was sworn in as
Minister of Education first in
September of 2006, then again in the
fall of 2007, is an advocate of a
strong publicly-funded school
system.
The funding deferral in the fall
economic statement, which has
scaled the $300 million budget to
$240 million, is in response to the
economic situation, said Wynne. But
it does not affect current
commitments.
“We will be asking boards to look
at non-urgent repairs. They are being
asked to find projects they can put
off to try and help bridge us through
this. We are facing some challenges,
but not changing our commitments.”
Since 2002-03 government
spending in education has increased
significantly said Wynne, up 21 per
cent to $28.1 million in the Avon
Maitland District School Board and
approximately the same in the
separate school board.
Wynne said another priority is to
see continued improvements in
student achievement. “And we are.
Test scores are up and group rates
have gone from 68 per cent to 75 per
cent now.”
The target, she said, is 85 per cent.
“Our push is to close that gap
between those who are achievers
and those who are not.”
Wynne said the province is also
doing what it can to address the
issue of declining enrollment,
beginning with the formation of a
working group to look specifically
the the problem. She said there are
currently 90,000 fewer students than
in 2003, so it is important for the
government to improve public
confidence.
“I want to make sure the public
understands the money is there to
build new schools, to renovate, there
for those things that have been put
on hold.”
With 10,500 projects completed in
the province’s 5,000 schools, “pretty
much every school has been touched
and we continue to invest.”
“If people don’t believe we can
invest in our schools we will have
more leaving for private education,
so it’s very important that we
continue our support.”
Keeping students in school and
encouraging training in skilled
trades is equally important.
Programs, she said, are geared to
helping students “bundle courses” so
that they leave school with a set of
skills in such areas as agriculture,
culinary arts and information
technology, to name a few. “It is
very much directed at helping kids
develop those skills.”
“A lot has been done to open the
door to expose kids to
opportunities.”
Safety is always paramount when
Halloween rolls around. While area
children are focused on knocking on
doors, parents, teachers and other
community leaders are dedicating
most of the week to ensuring the
safety of Huron County’s ghosts and
goblins.
Kim Walker, the Grade 2/3 teacher
at East Wawanosh Public School took
time throughout the whole week to go
over Halloween safety one unit at a
time. First she discussed costume
safety with her students, then she
discussed candy safety and manners
that the students should demonstrate
when out on Halloween night.
Jenn Cook, Grade 3 teacher at
Blyth Public School has been
working on a Halloween rotation
where students each take a turn at a
Halloween-themed school activity.
There is math, creative writing,
reading and writing and art, where the
students had to draw a Halloween
safety poster.
Ontario Provincial Police annually
beef up their presence on Halloween
and this year will be no different.
However, police presence in Huron
County is often restricted to urban
centres. OPP Const. Joanna Van
Mierlo has released tips for motorists,
parents and children this Halloween
to keep everyone safe, happy and on
their toes.
Van Mierlo reminds parents to
ensure kids have eaten before they go
out trick-or-treating. This way they
aren’t hungry and tempted to dig into
their candy before parents have had a
chance to bring it home and check it.
When checking candy, parents
should be looking for wrappers that
have been tampered with, pinholes in
packages and loose or torn packaging.
Parents should be skeptical of
homemade treats unless they know
the person who was giving them out.
And if at all suspicious, don’t take the
chance, throw the treat away.
Even when the children are in a
group, they should be accompanied
by an adult at all times. Children
should also always be equipped with
a flashlight or a glowstick. Other tips
to brighten up dark costumes are
reflective tape and flashing buttons to
increase their visibility.
Fire retardant costumes are
recommended. This is important with
loose-fitting costumes and candle-lit
jack-o-lanterns sitting at doorfronts. It
is also suggested that costumes aren’t
too long for that very reason.
Oversized shoes and heels are also a
bad idea.
If possible, costumes should use
facepaint, and not masks to increase a
child’s visibility.
If a child’s costume requires a prop,
such as a sword or a knife, parents are
encouraged to ensure the prop is
made out of cardboard and not rigid
material or even the real thing. This
ensures that children will not hurt
themselves if they are to fall.
Children are encouraged to never
go into a house and to only trick-or-
treat in neighbourhoods they know.
When travelling, children are
encouraged to not talk to strangers
and to trick-or-treat in a group of
friends.
Motorists are being told to be
especially vigilant on Halloween and
Devil’s Night, to keep an eye out for
children darting out from in between
parked cars and to exit driveways and
alleyways carefully.
CitizenTh
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$1.25 GST included Serving the communities of Blyth and Brussels and northern Huron County Thursday, Oct. 30, 2008
Volume 24 No. 43EDUCATION- Pg. 11First ARC meetingheld THEATRE - Pg. 23 Blyth playwright up forawardGOODWORKS- Pg. 2Kids Care out to help otherson HalloweenPublications Mail Agreement No. 40050141 PAP Registration No. 09244 Return Undeliverable Items to North Huron Publishing Company Inc., P.O. Box 152, BRUSSELS, ON N0G 1H0INSIDE THIS WEEK:
Minister says gov’t.
still committed to
public education
By Bonnie Gropp
The Citizen
Sunday morning will look a little
brighter when you rise, provided you
remembered to fall back before you went
to bed.
Eastern Standard Time returns at 2 a.m. Nov. 2,
meaning as you turn the clocks back one hour, a
little extra time for sleeping in and an earlier sunrise.
Time to fall back
Kids reminded to play it safe this Halloween