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HomeMy WebLinkAboutTimes Advocate, 1991-02-20, Page 24Page 24 Times -Advocate, February 20, 1991 COMM1JW[TY ) • �Ea 0 Digging out - Exeter was hit with a lot of snow which began falling early Friday morning. Dave Wolfe wasted little time in getting out the big shovel and clearing the sidewalk in front of the Big V. Huron -Perth Separate Schools ready for 2 -year kindergarten this fall By Adrian Harte EXETER - While the Huron Board of Education have yet to de- cide when junior kindergarten will come to this area, the Huron -Perth Separate School Board are going ahead with its introduction next fall. An information meeting at Pre- cious Blood School last Tuesday evening was offered to parents of children considering enrolling their children kinderi n, and much of the mt..;ting wa. rected at ex- plaining the role of the program that will extend kindergarten access to children one year younger than before. Principal Marg Nelson explained that the Huron -Perth board has de- cided to integrate both four and five-year olds into the one class- room, and simply refer to it as "kin- dergarten". She said the program will be aimed at allowing children to learn through their play, and will foster the development of different levels of play from solitary play through to full cooperation with other students. Language development is also important, said kindergarten teach- er Chris McClure, noting that virtu- ally the entire classroom is set up to inspire those skills. The creation of a two-year kindergarten program should not be boring to students who will eventually enter their sec- ond year, because they still have a lot of skills to develop. "I'm really exited about the pro- gram, and I'd love to be the first one to give them that start," said McClure. The Huron -Perth Separate School Board has stated that the maximum kindergarten class size will be 24 students. If a 25th student is regis- tered, then the class will be split in two. However, said board repre- sentative Gaetan Blanchette, the av- erage class size in the area should be about 18 students. Blanchette warned non-Catholic parents not to simply consider the separate schools as merely an "al- ternate" system, but as a system that continues to stress Catholic re- ligious values. Non-Catholic par - ents may apply for admission and would have to pay tuition fees, which have yet to be determined. Nelson also pointed out that while junior kindergarten will even- tually become mandatory for school -boards, it is by no means mandatory for students. Kinder- garten is still optional, and students do not have to be legally enrolled in school, until they are six and of grade one age. Some questions from parents at the meeting addressed concerns' about how well four and five-yeatl olds would play together in one kindergarten classroom, but Nelson said there is every indication they will develop well together. "There is no logical reason to say why four-year olds should not be together with five-year olds," said Nelson, adding that rigid concepts of separating students by year have gone by the wayside. "There used to be a time when a teacher would say 'a double grade, how terrible'. I don't think anyone would say that anymore," said Nel- son. Blanchette told parents that jun- ior kindergarten, while new to this area, is quite common elsewhere in Ontario. He said there are only 16 school boards in the province which do no yet offer ie three of which are the Huron -Perth Separate Board, the Huron public board, and the Perth public board. Precious Blood will be register- ing students for the fall session of kindergarten on February 28. Geo. A. Godbott, MBA, CLU. Godbolt Insurance Agency Ltd., 476 Main St., Exeter 235-2740 441 First collections - As the Heart and Stroke Campaign continues in Huron County this month, some of the first donations to be received came from the student council canvassers from Centralia College of Agricultural Technolozr. They canvassed three concessions of Ste phen Township and raised $273. In the front row we Mamie Brum- well (left), Vicki Boogemans, Cathy Dakin, and Sheik Swift. 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