HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2004-09-02, Page 13A GLOWING CONCERN
Keep candles out of the
reach of children and pets.
Remember to snuff out your
candles if you are
leaving the room
or going to bed.
sAFE-0
1. THE BUS DRIVER IS ALWAYS IN CHARGE!
2. Arrive at Your pick UP point on time. Bus scheduling is such
that the drivers cannot wait for pupils who are late.
3. Take your seat as directed by the driver and remain in your
seat throughout the trip.
4. You must follow the driver's directions the first time they are
given.
5. The aisle, front door, and emergency door must be kept clear
at all times.
6. Unnecessary disturbances (opening of windows. wrestling.
eating, smoking, obscene language or any other form of misbe-
havior) will not be tolerated at any time.
7. Stay seated at all times, keeping your hands, feet and nasty
or abusive comments to yourself.
8. Keep the noise level down to a level where the driver can
hear his/her two way radio.
9. Never leave the bus at any stop other than that predeter-
mined by school or parental permission.
10. Riding a school bus is a privilege! This privilege can be with-
drawn.
Notice to all
Bused Students
from
01. BUS
The Main Rules of the Bus:
•
•
When you meet a stopped school bus that has its red signal-lights flashing and stop
arm extended, you MUST stop 20 metres before reaching the school bus, and shall
not proceed until the school bus moves or the signal-lights have stopped flashing.
THAT'S THE LAW!
Also, when You are following a school bus that is approaching a railway crossing, the
bus is required by law to STOP. Be prepared.
Remember, by slowing down and STOPPING, you could save the life of someone you
love or the life that someone else loves. What cost do YOU put on a late arrival to
work?
NOTE TO ALL DRIVERS
Gordon T. Montgomery Limited
Serving Your Community with a Full Line of School and Chartered Buses
Lucknow 519-528-2813 Toll Free 1-800-567-2012
y Get Around vii
THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2, 2004. PAGE 13.
It's never too early to start children reading
By Elyse DeBruyn
Citizen staff
As back-to-school time quickly
approaches, children's literacy skills
will be put to the test.
A good way to help is make sure
your child will be up to the challenge
is to form their reading habits from
birth.
According to an article from
Metro Graphics, reading to your
children from birth is the best way to
make he or she a successful reader
when the time comes to start school.
Debbie Budna, acting director of
Permission slips to sign,
backpacks to organize, lunches to
make — it's no surprise that you are
always running late in the morning.
But getting ready for school
doesn't have to be stressful. By
maintaining a routine. and doing
some prep work, you can make any
weekday morning flow smoothly.
• prepare lunches, backpacks and
diaper bags the night before school.
When you get home from work, get
your briefcase ready for the next
day, filling it with your gas money,
train pass or dry cleaning to be
dropped off and anything else you
will need. Set the breakfast table the
night before with dishes and non-
perishables like cereal or bread to
shave precious minutes off your
morning routine.
• You and the kids should
consistently stash briefcases,
backpacks and keys at a designated
spot near the door. Make sure all
permission slips, report cards and
homework are loaded into bags at
night to avoid squabbles in the
morning.
• It's okay to let your kids show
some independence. Let them pick
out their own outfits. Sure, the kids
might lack some matching expertise,
but eventually they'll figure it out.
As a compromise, hang a week's
worth of clothes in your children's
closets, and let them pick outfits
from your selection each morning.
You can also let the kids choose
their breakfast or lunch meals.
Giving them some control will keep
them upbeat, and in turn, ready on
time.
• If you find that you often forget
about the cupcakes for the class
picnic or the cleats for soccer
practice, invest in a big calendar.
Walton Little School, said the earlier
you start to read to your children the
better.
"They pick up reading skills such
as the rhyme of the story, what a
book actually is and the direction a
book can go," said Budna. "The
sooner they learn the more eager
they'll be to learn about books."
When an infant shows excitement
over pictures or a toddler turns the
pages of a board book or a
preschooler recognizes the first letter
of his or her name on a cereal box,
each is demonstrating emerging
literacy skills.
Mount it on the fridge or a wall. List
events and appointments, colour
coding by child or activity (red for
Billy and blue for Sally).
If it seems like you never get out
"Reading early gives the child a
better opportunity to beccime a better
reader," said Budna..
''She said depending on the child's
age, a range of books is a good way
to go.
"Younger children like big, bright
pictures and they like stories they
can relate to."
She said the parent should know
what their child's interest are and
buy books based around those
interests. That way both reading and
the child's interest in that on that
topic are being encouraged.
Budna said it is also important to
the door on time, tell your kids to be
ready 15 minutes before you
actually need to leave the house.
That way, if you are running late,
you will still be ahead of the game.
buy books that are an even mix of
both stories and pictures.
,"That way you can introduce them
to all types of books, even
magazines."
She said magazines are a different
type of reading material which show
children what they can get out of
each. For example, novels,
magazines, story books and picture
books.
When reading to your child from
the time he or she is born, parents
should provide him or her with a rich
language environment. Let them
hear words that may not occur
during a normal day, increasing the
exposure to a variety of speech
sounds.
For infants being cuddled and read
to helps them associate reading with
love, comfort and pleasure.
Since toddlers are notorious for
being constantly on the go, parents
tend to get discouraged in attempts
to read to their children at that stage.
But toddlers learn important
things from reading.
Toddlers like books that have
photographs of objects and text that
names the pictures. Nursery rhymes
and books with rhyming text are
important because rhyming
promotes the awareness of letter
sounds, which is necessary for
reading.
Budna said when children read
rhyming books, it makes spelling
easier when they get into older
grades.
As children grow older and enter
into the preschool years they
develop ,an appreciation of the plot
and characters of a story. / •
More complex stories build a
child's comprehension skills and
provide a knowledge base from
which they can understand concepts
and new ideas. Skills such as
identifying the title of a book,
tracing text with a finger while
reading, talking about pictures and
speculating about where the plot is
going set the stage for learning to
read in the early years of school.
Reading to your children each day,
no matter how young they are, will
give them just the right experiences
they need to become good readers in
the future.
Some management tips
for smoother mornings