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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Goderich Signal-Star, 2009-05-27, Page 19Decision to If there is one word that I could use to describe the future for the students attend- ing AMDSB Goderich schools it's CHANGE. Change for incoming and receiving students for next year at. Victoria and at Goderich District Collegiate Institute is the result of the board's ac- commodation review that took place over the last school year. This year the school princi- pals headed the appointed transi- tion team which has been meeting throughout the year to prepare for the Grade 7 and 8 students from Victoria and Robertson to transition to the high school. The board also voted to close Vic- toria and move those students into a newly designed Goderich Public School, with transitional work con- tinuing on that front. Minutes of the transition meet- ings can be viewed at the board's website - www.amdsb.ca -where the last minutes available are those from the March 3 meeting. There are many adults and stu- dents working hard to ensure that the changes facing students are pos- itive and work always with the best interest of the students in mind. For parents of those students in Grades 7 and 8 who will be seeing their children off to be accommo- dated at GDCI sometimes all of the goodwill and preparation for a posi- tive transition still doesn't settle the feeling of unease as we move into a totally new experience. That's en- tirely normal. If, at this point, parents still have Goderich Signal -Star, Wednesday, May 27, 2009 - Page A19 put elementary students in high school debated questions left unan- swered or concerns not raised, I should hope that the door isn't closed to the transition representatives and that many opportuni- ties to voice personal concerns given at school level, or school council representative still exist., When all is said and done though, there will still be those not convinced that moving the 7s and 8s into GDCI was the right one. If it's any consolation to those par- ents, there are currently two accom- modation reviews going on in other parts of the board and the whole 7 and 8 move to the high school sce- nario isn't being well received in South Huron or North Huron by those communities either. I believe that once the Victoria prohibitive to repair decision was made by the govemment, all the school community could do was watch the changes happen, with little left to do but make the best of things. The effects of moving the 7 and 8s into GDCI will not be known immediately. That will take some time. While we can't control human nature or force relationships to de- velop between individuals where none has existed before the Goder- ichAMDSB community should be applauded for their efforts to keep the tra,nsition relatively seamless. The responsibility of a success- ful transition rests not only with the efforts of adults but also on the willingness and spirit of excitement as students pioneer something very new to this community. The decision of the Avon Mai- tland board to move the Grade 7 and 8 students has actually created something more that will benefit parents looking to enrol their child into school in Goderich next year and into the future. Moving the AMDSB students to GDCI has narrowed the choices of its own elementary schools, while creating more choice elements for parents between Goderich Public School and St. Mary's Catholic El- ementary School. Parents with children approach- ing school age in Goderich can now choose between the elementary school that offers JK -8 students, traditional, block -scheduled school timetable (one lunch and two re- cesses), or an elementary school of- fering JK -6 and the balanced school day schedule. I'm sure that both the Avon Mai- tland and Huron -Perth Catholic school boards and principals would be happy to answer any questions about their respective schools and how they meet the needs of their students. Recently, the provincial govern- ment has provided parents and the public with a new feature on the Ministry of Education website: www.edu.gov.on.ca called School Finder. School Finder offers v; -itors a wealth of infor- mation including progress . report updates, the lat- est EQAO results and essentially offers informa- Unemployed get a lift with meds From PFIZER'S Page 17 their resumes and scanning the employ- ment ads, I just assumed the unemployed puttered around the house doing odd jobs and crossword puzzles. "Honey! Three words for a formal mili- tary stance?" "Standing at attention." "Oh boy, here we go again." What economist could ever predict that unemployed auto workers would one day refer to "The Big Three" as Friday, Satur- day and Sunday evening. Let's see, Bus' , roposed handouts to homeowners, Obat. gave billions to an insurance company and Pfizer is now of- fering relief for the horny. It's a triple - threat recovery package. I don't know about this. Millions of un- employed at home all day with free bottles full of the blue pills - that's going to put Oprah out of work. I'm not sure that free Viagra for the •un- employed is such a good idea. Manager: "So Phil, that's a pretty im- pressive resume. , What have you been doing with yourself since you were laid off?" Phil: "Ah, I can't actually tell you." Manager: "Out there, bangin' on doors were you?" Phil: "Yeah, there was a fair bit of that going on." Manager: "You look kind of exhausted. Stress of being out of work, is it?" Phil: "Not exactly." Manager: "Was it hard being home with the wife, twenty-four seven?" Phil: "Yeah, pretty much." Manager: "One last question. Is that a gun in your pocket or are you on that free Viagra for the jobless drug plan?" Phil: "Actually, I'm just happy to see you." Manager: "Next!" A little advice to the unemployed bene- factors of Pfizer's benevolence - if you ex- perience an interview that lasts longer than four hours, it's time to find real work. And let's hope Viagra -pumping unem- ployed are also using protection. The last thing we need to follow a housing crisis is a population explosion. Only in America- could a bailout be structured so as to assist the erectile dys- functional. 'As they say. getting their pri- orities straight is the first step to recovery. tion that helps educate parents as to how their local schools are doing. The addition of School Finder is one supported by parents as it adds one more resource in helping par- ents make educated decisions about their child's educational future. Used responsibly School Finder makes sense as the school land- scapes across the province change and people explore their changing educational options. 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