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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Brussels Post, 1975-04-30, Page 4Huron (Continued from Page 1) area of health services than the present county health units. Reeve Stan Profit of Goderich said his greatest fear wassthat the Ministry of Health would not accept the persons recommended by the steering committee to a health council for Huron and Perth. Reeve Profit expressed further apprehension by reviewing some of the points in the controversial Mustard Report, adding that health councils could be the first step toward implementing the Mustard Report. Dr. Mills indicated that by studying the possibility of a Health Council for the district, there was no reason to assume the rest of the Mustard Report would also be implemented. In " fact, Dr. Mills said that the concept of a Health Council for Huron-Perth was envisioned by Huron's county representatives prior to the Mustard Report. Dr. Mills said it was still not clear how members of future health councils would be !lathed, but he suggested their' representatives' could be elected. He said Health Connells could function similarly to County school boards, fot instance. New philosophy Emphasizes child development New curriculum guidelilnes from the Ministry of Education from Grade 1 - 6 don't seem to differ much in emphasis from the student centred philosophy now being stressed in the schools, but the Ministry wants to make sure that parents and teachers understand that philosophy and help to get it implemented in the schools, Superintendent Joseph Tokar told trustees of the Huron Perth Roman Catholic separate school board Monday night. Mr. Tokar, who attended a Ministry presentation on the new guidelines in Stratford last Tuesday, said the emphasis is on "providing a meaningful learning experience to all the children in a ' given teacher's charge." Stress is , away from content or course emphasis in favour of the growth and development of a child as a person, he-said. The Ministry wants to make sure, he said, that the guidelines are not just handeout but that their intent is transmitted to the ]earning activities in the classroom. The' Ministry think that six to ten years would be a realistic time limit for the guidelines to be implemented. The' guidelines stress continuous progress and teacher v(Continued from Page 1) Trustee Hbward Shantz of Stratford told the board that he had contacted the separate school representative on the Perth county Board of Education about the HPRCSS board's suggestion that a joint metric committee be established. At the last meeting trustees learned that the Perth board was setting up its own committee on the metric system rather than working with the HPRCSS board. The matter was .being discussed by the Perth board in committee of the whole and he had had no answer yet, Mr. Shantz said, but he will follow it up.. The Huron Perth business administrator Jack Lane commented that a' policy on the use of schools by board meeting passed two weeks ago should be brought together with a previous school use policy, "so that principals have only one policy to look at." The board's policy and bylaw committee will look into this. Huron Perth's attendance , counsellor, representatives on the public school boards and Stratford Library representatives will be invited to report at the May 26 meeting, the board d'ecidea. Trustees voted to discuss a letter from the Ontario Separate School Trustees' Association on a proposal from the Ontario School trustees council to replace local bargaining by boards with regional or . cientral bargaining, in .committee of the Whole, In camera. The OSSTA letter pointed out that the new bargaining model "Features a profound and centralized restrUctuting of local boards' roles in negotiations and presents the model in an: entirely compulsive and unilateral manner." The OSSTA, says the proposed central bargaining has not been approved 'by their association and would, reduce local boards "to therole of building Managers." The new model also fails to see that the dominant element in negotiations between boards and teachers is the relationship to the local eleetOrate, the HPRCSS 4—THE BRUSSELS POST' made , decision's, with some student participation. Student evaluation would be on-going, a co-operative effort between teacher and student. Individual and group work would evenly share the school day and the system would be evenly subject and process centred, Mr. Tokar said. Learning will involve going out from the school into the community. The grogram will be evaluated by supervisory officials and school staffs, he said. Mr. Tokar said the guidelines are not a radical departure but do make a concerted effort to make people aware of the philosophy behind 'what is going on in the schools and to show teachers how they can implement it. The Ministry provides a broad set of objectives, he said. Boards can make these more specific and individual schoolsoan flesh these out. "What happens in two•Grade 5 classes may be very different, for example". But with the extensive exposure to parent groups of the philosophy behind this kind of education, parents may accept these differences, Mr. Tokar said. "I thought there was going to be a return 'to the basics", trustees were informed of the Canadian Under board policy, three trustees and one administrator can attend the. ' Canadian Catholic School Trustees convention in St. John's, Newfoundland, from June 25-27, the board heard. Trustees were asked to' decide if- they want to attend by the next board meeting. Director of Education John Vintar read a letter from the Holy Name of Mary School PTA in. SC Marys expressing encouragement and support for the board's Family Life Education program. The PTA, who heard a presentation on the program by Sister Mary St. Louis, principal of St. James School, Seaforth, said they support extending the program into earlier grades. Mr. Vintar said 11 teachers from the system have applied to take a family life course this summer and recommended that the board pay the $200 fee for each teacher in the six week course. Last year the board paid for six teachers to take the course, Mr. Vintar said. and "the increase in numbers,- is encouraging." He said a good cross section of the schools in the two counties would have teachers taking the ,course. • The board approved a request from the deputy police chief in Stratfor d to send a letter promoting the department's bike rodeo, which emphasizes safety through Grades 3 - 8 in the Stratford separate schools. Somebody Wants What You Don't Need! SELL ThroUgh Brussels Post Classified Want Ads APRIL 30, 1975 Stratford, trustee Ron Marcy, a secondary school teacher said. "And there's nothing about that in this philosophy." A survey of the province has proved that there has not been a departure from the basics, Mr. Tokar replied.There will be more focus on communication and on making the goals of the program clearly understood, he said. There is a need, Mr. Tokar said, -for a fourth basis, the social emotional growth of the child, Too often in the past a focus on content has ignored this and "zero has happened to him as a person." Mr. Tokar said the main document on ' the junior curriculum will 'be presented at a conference at Talisman Lodge in Flesherton, June 3 - 6. School boards are invited to send consultants' to the meeting, but since the HPRCSS has no generalist consultant, .it will send two principals, Mr. Tokar said. Gary Birmingham of St. Aloysius, Stratford and Larry t Cook of St. Marys, Goderich, will attend. Board Chairman David Teahen of Stratford wondered why principals and not administrators would attend the conference. The Ministry prefers that people who' will be involved in the day to day implementing of the program, consultants or principals, attend, Mr. Tokar replied. The HPRCSS rep. on the province's Education Week committee, Sam Alberico, principal of St. Michael's School,. Stratford reported on the Ontario wide planning for Education Week. Trustees though were more interested in the local picture. "Do all schools (in the system) participate or is it hit and miss?", trustee Howard Shantz of Stratford wanted to know. . Director ofEducation John Vintar said that Mr. Alberico keeps the principals informed and their own Education Week Activities are up to them. A questionnaire is going out to all the schools to find out what' went on in Education Week here, he said. Mr. Alberico said that the Kiwanis Music Festival cuts into Education Week festivities in 'the Stratford schools. In spite of a suggestion from trustee Shantz that the motion was premature, board members approved the use of St. Ambroge School in Wingham' for a summer school on religion from July 21 - 25. Father Nolan of Wingham is organizing the school. ' Mr. Shantz suggested waiting until Trustee Vince Young, who was not at the meeting, could report on his talk with Father. Nolan before approving the use of the'school. He wondered about 25 - 30 pupils needing the whole school and said a change in dates could conflict with the caretaker's plans for cleaning the school.. St. Columban area trustee Francis Hicknell reported on a (Continued from Page 1) Kinahan, asked. There is a lot of complaining in Wingham about children not being able to attend the Teeswater Fall Fair, he said, arid suggested that perhaps the board should take a look at a list of area fairs. The PD day is on the Stratford Fall Fair day so that children won't have to miss any more school than necessary, Stratford trustee Ron Marcy said. Stratford pupils already get a half day off to attend the fair. Mr.Vintar said the Ministry allows a maximum of 12 PD days. He said the two adjacent public boards are still working on their dates, so the days couldn't be co-ordinated. "Sometimes I feel we should go where we're going and not always look to the other boards," he said. "When trustees raised the question of savings in busing and crossing guard costs if the PD days were the same in all three systems, Mr. Vintar said "We're flexible enough that we can make changes if there's a saving to the public." "Do you see a need for an 'increase of four days over last year?" Trustee Ted Geoffrey of Zurich ',asked Mr. Vintar. Mr. Vintar said he did. PD days are held at the county, zone and school levels. Trustee Francis Hicknell asked if there wasn't a need for more county wide, days. Not really,' Mr.Vintar replied. "Specific areas, like the metric system, are better treated in small groups." Trustee Shantz suggested that the first Pd day,. scheduled for- Sept. 8, be held the first day of school, Sept. 2 and "let the kids stay home another day." "We get a lot of flack on these professional development days", he said, and suggested the flack would increase if children were only in school four days and then were off for a PD day. The September 8 P4) day' is to organize the school placement of children and trustee. Ron Marcy suggested that teachers wouldn't know the problems of individual students on the first day of school. Mr. Vintar said the first day of school had been suggested as a PD day last year, and the board had voted it down. Another PD day, for reporting it parents, is scheduled for November 28. "The majority of parents work and can't get to school in mid afternoon. Teachers will have to come out at night even if it means more work. We have to get more communi- cation between teachers, parents and the board." Mr. Shantz said. Trustee John O'Drowsky said there are both afternoon and evening, appointments for parents. Sonie Can attend during seminar on Grades 9 and separate schools that he attended at the recent OSSTA conventio There are fewer pupils Pe teacher in the public than in the Separate Grades 9 and 10,11' said. Experts report no difference ia pupils who leave a separate school, after Grade 8 or Grade It "We don't have enough students to run Grades 9 and 10 feasibly here, I don't think," he said "But the ones that have it ate happy with it." Mr. Vintar commented Al while Grades 9 and 10 in th public school system gal secondary school grants, the twd grades in the separate system go elementary level grants. the day and some at night, giviel more time to both groups, the director of education suggested, Mr. Shantz' motion to limit the PD days to 6 was defeated by a vote of 7 - 5. A new motion by trustee Marcy to accept the tea days as presented was passed 61 a vote of six to five, with frusta Hicknell abstaining. The vote wan recorded and for the ten days were trustees O'Drowsil, Kinahan, Connolly, Crowley, March and Haid. Voting againd were trustees Geoffrey, Looby, Vere, Shantz and Fleming. Review Wingharn flospital sterilizatia committe Women under 25 years of al+ With less than three chilthet might soon have to apply fai review 'to a sterilization committee to perform a tubal ligation at the Wingham and District Hospital. Dr. J. C. McKim told the boa recently that this possibility wb under consideration by the Medical Advisory Committee de to an upswing in cases of youl married women requesting reversal several years 31 having first requested 161 operation. He said that more and morel oung women who had requestel tubal ligation when they were 1 or 21 years old were now asking to have theit tubes opened ago He said a sterilization commitlie would provide "protection foci doctor, but especially for the patient". Dr. B. A. Hanlon explained that the procedure and reversal was "not as easy as tio and untying your shoelaces,' said that the sterilizatio committee could be beneficial "It's mostly gOnd medicine, The Medical Adv'0 Committee also proposed thatit hospital board consider if possibility of retaining ntirsd records on microfilm. Dr, said this proposal might even become mandatory in the 10 for insurance purposes with new changes in malpractice s 'legalities. Under the 111a legislation, a Malpractice 0 may be brought against a do0 or a hospital within one yep( after a patient become aware the possibility of malpratticq his or her case. Nurses' roe! may then become hivatuabie! proving disproving the OHO the claims, , i a S s, r. si gl ii: th ini sh I'i li The annua Canal night attend fte leAasi p i (Co f1 hie i 1a4v,e i72 re ca nereas Trail Gard' elative 341,SC cludt th 70,000 xpe eltie ebt ed nds kes i Trustees HP board