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.
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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, ,
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