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HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News-Record, 1987-04-01, Page 25EDUCATION NEWS ,S Is there a budding astronaut in our midst? CLINTON Astronaut Roberta Bondar at- tributes much of her success to her par- ticipation in regional science fairs. And it's possible another astronaut is among the newest generation of young scientists preparing for the Huron County Regional Science Fair, April 10 and 11 at the Clinton Public School. Prizes to be won include cash awards, trips to the Canada Wide Science Fair in May and a trip to the Suncor Youth Sym- posium on Artificial Intelligence in June. Projects will be on display for public view- ing'from 12 until 4 p.m. Students in Grades 7 to 12 from local schools will be competing in the fair, organized by local volunteers and sanction- ed by the Youth Science Foundation. The Foundation, a charitable nonprofit organization, sponsors more than 80 regional science fairs that stretches from Wabush, Labrador to Victoria, British Columbia. One of the most coveted prizes is the Sun- cor Energy Award, which entitles the win- ner to travel all -expenses paid to a weeklong national symposium on artificial in- telligence I AI) in Toronto. The program combines challenging ideas, "hands on" science and an opportunity to meet like- minded students from all over the country. • "Many scientists and futurists believe Al will transform our thinking, our jobs and our society," said Tom Thomson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Suncor Inc. "International researchers will help the students explore these issues. "Experts from Xerox Canada and the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research will also help the students solve a `hands on' problem — the design of a simple AI pro- gram," said Mr. Thomson. Xerox is pro- viding AI workstations for the hands on part of the symposium. Mr. Thomson said that "the era of in- telligent machines is still in the future, but the time to begin preparing is now. We believe that the Suncor Youth Symposium will help make young people more aware of the challenges they will face. And we hope it will help stimulate debate on the benefits as well as the risks of AI." Suncor is one of Canada's major in- tegrated oil and gas companies. This is the seventh year that Suncor has sponsored the Youth Symposium Program. Each sym- posium topics include toxic waste manage- ment, energy planning for developing coun- tries, laser applications, satellite design and water management. Great beginnings 1987 for people who deal with youth Parenting and dealing with small children will be the focus of a special conference be- ing held in London on Saturday, April 11. "Great Beginnings 1987" is a conference that caters to parents and others dealing with young children. The event is being organized by the Association of Parent Par- ticipating Schools for London and District. This umbrella organization includes 32 co- operative nursery schools in the London area. The Clinton Co-operative Nursery, Hensall and District Early Childhood Cen- tre, Seaforth and District Preschool Learn- ing Centre, and Mitchell Co-operative Nursery School and the Sunshine Kids Inc., in Exeter are among the 30 member schools. The Great Beginnings conference will be held at Fanshawe College. The keynote speaker for the event is Michele Landsberg, noted author of the recent, popular "Michele Landsberg's Guide to Children's Books" and "Women and Children First." Ms. Landsberg is an award-winning col- umnist with the Globe and Mail and has also written for the Toronto Star, Reader's Digest and Chatelaine. She was consultant to the recent TVO program "Hooked on Reading" and has reviewed children's books on CTV's "Lifetime" and CBC Radio with Peter Growski. She lives in New York with her husband, Canada's Ambassador to the United Nations, Stephen Lewis. She is the mother of three children. The day long conference will also feature a widely -diversified range of workshop topics and each participant may choose from 12 morning and 12 afternoon sessions, to addition to hearing Ms. Landsberg's mor- ning address. Among the workshop presenters will 'he Marlon Doucette of Clinton who will speak on "Puppet Power". Well known locally for her puppetry magic, Marion will give "hands-on" con- struction of puppets, as well as instruction on how to use the finished product for story telling and creative drama. Rev. Duke Vipperman, of Trivitt Memorial Church in Exeter and St. John's by the Lake in Grand Bend and Debbie Vip- perman, a Parent Infant Therapist, will be presenting a workshop entitled "Faith in the Formative Years: Spirituality in the Very Young." Their presentation will consider how a child's spirituality develops. Nutrition and food allergies in children will he examined by Lise Colley, a nutrition consultant in Kitchener and Milverton. The owner of a chain of natural food stores, she has also written a cookbook for people on restricted diets. "Television: What's It Doing To bur Kids?" will be studies in a workshop led by Donald W. Santor, history and contem- porary studies head at Clarke Road Secon- dary School in London. Dr. Richard and Jan Lubell of London will look at sibling rivalry in their presentation "Growing Up Friends." Dr. Marvin Simper, an associate pro- fessor with the University of Western On- tario, specializing in psychology in young children will talk on "Why Preschoolers Draw The Way They Do." This workshop will provide an overview of recent findings that are helping to give better understan- ding of the meaning of children's art. "Motherhood in Style" will b ' presented by Marilyn Dietrich a Personal Image Con- sultant in Stratford. Other workshops will look at time management, avoiding parent burnout, sex- uality and the young child, streetproofing, effective discipline, music, dance and drama for the young child. The conference gets underway at 8:30 a.m. and concludes by 4 p.m. Lunch is in- cluded in the package. Registrations must be made by April 3. For more information call - Registrar: Gayle Frisa 666-0332; Chairperson: Catherine Shaver 595-8151 or the association office at 673-4070. Board unhappy with present restrictions Recently the Huron District of the Ontario Public School Teachers' Federation made a presentation to the Executive Committee of the Huron County Board of Education. As a result of that, the board passed the following resolution noting its dissatisfaction with the current inadequate educational ceilings on ordinary expenditures. The Ontario Public School Teachers' Federation i OPSTF i, in conjunction with local districts, has made presentations to MPPs and other elected officials across the province. It is anticipated by OPSTF that, after reviewing and discussing the relevant data on the issue. boards of education, parents and teachers will join together to present the issue of underfunding of public elementary education to provincial politicians. Additional funding from the provincial government is being sought for the elemen- tary school programs. Special Education services, individualized programming, computer education, new curriculum and the new Ministry Science thrust have stret- ched the resources available to the public elementary school system to the limit. At the same time the OPSTF belie%e t'lat the provincial government has made education a lesser priority during the last 10 years. Ten years ago 23% of the Ontario expen- ditures were made on education; today education is projected to account for 18% of the provfnce's total spending. The Ontario Liberal Party, during the last provincial election, is on record for suppor- ting the restoration of the level of provincial funding for education to at least 60% of ap- provdd costs and individual boards would be responsible for the remainder. Presently the Government only pays 45.5% of the total education costs. Ten years ago it was 60%. Doug Yeo president of the Huron OPSTF CLINTON NEWS -RECORD, WEDNESDAY, APRIL 1, 1987 - I �A says, this lack of financial support has been a burden to boards of education. As the cost of education goods and services has risen with inflation, many schools have been in- adequately supplied. The cost of textbooks, for instance, has risen dramatically. In ad- dition, recent legislation mandates that school boards must now pay sales tax, a cost from which they were previously exempt. There are needs in Huron County. For in- stance, with greater funding at the elemen- tary level - computers could be put in every classroom for story writing, data base use, and review activities; hands-on materials, trade books for reading programs and resource support could be provided for the primary grades; science equipment and resources could be obtained for the new Ministry Science guidelines; resources to implement the changes and direction sug- gested for the Junior grades; eliminate door-to-door fund-raising at the elementary level; provide additional secretarial help, for the schools; and purchase or rent music instruments. An encouraging sign has been provided by the government. In a recent statement the Hon. Sean Conway, Minister of Education, released the 1987 ceiling figures. It was significant that the gap between the elemen- tary and secondary ceiling remained at $911. He later addressed the fact that the government was cognizant of the possible inadequacy of the elementary ceiling and of the findings in the MacDonald Commission on funding elementary and secondary education and would study the issue. Finally there is acknowledgement of the "gap" ex- -isting and that this gap will not increase this year! This Federation speaks for 140 teachers in the Huron District and is represented pro- vincially by the 17,000 Member Ontario Public School Teachers' Federation. The Clinton Pubic Hospital will be holding its Annual Corporation Meeting on Monday, June 8, 1987 at 8:00 p.m. (2000 hours) at the St. Paul's Parish Holl, Rattenbury Street, Clinton, pntario. The meeting is open to all Corporation Members and guests. The meeting will be preceded by a dinner with Guest'Speaker, Mr. 8111 Brady, a renowned individual, know for his wit and humour. Admission to the dinner is by pre -purchased tickets only, which are available at the hospital for $8.50 per person. Elections of Governors will be held at this meeting and anyone wishing to present their name as Governor, for election must do sous per Section 3 of the Corporation's By-laws which reads: - "Subject to Section 4 and all other provisions of these BY -laws, nominations for election as Governor of the Annual Meeting of the Corporation may be made only by; (a) the Nominating Committee of the Board, or (b) members of the Corporation provided that each nomination by members: (i) is in writing and signed by at least two members in good standing; and (ii) is accompanied by o written declaration signed by the nominee that he will serve as a Governor in actor• dance with these By-laws if elected; and (iii) is submitted to and received by the Secretary at least thirty (30) days before the date of the Annual Meeting." • To be able to vote at the meeting, you must be a Corporation Member. To be a Corporation Member you must: (a) Pay an annual membership fee of $5.00, sixty (60) days prior to the meeting date. (b) Be a Life Member, which prior to April 1, 1985 was alloted to individuals who donated $100.00 or more to the hospital in any one (1) year. After April 1, 1985, any individual who donated $500.00 or more to the hospital in any one (1) year. A list of all members is maintained by the hospital at all times. SPECIAL NOTICE At this year's Annual Meeting, the'members will be asked to pass revisions to the hospital By•lows. A list of such revisions has been approved by the Board of Governors and is available to any Corporation Member of the hospital Administrator's Office. D.C. Steyn Secretary to the Board r.. l PUBLIC NOTIC MARTEN'S FURNITURE (EXETER) Has Retained FEDERAL CLOSE-OUT LIQUIDATORStINC. tThe Complete and Total LIQUIDATION of Marten's Entire EXETER Showroom LEASE NAS EXPIRED! Brand name living room suites, bedroom suites, dining room suites, mattresses and box springs, occasional chairs, dinet- tes, wall units, lamps, pictures, accessories, including office furniture and fixtures $180,000 Furniture Inventory (Supplemented) TERMS OF SALE Cash cheque, VISA, Mastercard, on the spot credit Delivery available Everything is disposal priced, but is strictly being offered on a 1st come, 1st serve basis. LIQUIDATION SALE HOURS: DAILYAOON.:.9 P.M. 63 MAIN ST. EXETER PHONE 235-1964 SALE CONDUCTEDAT MARTEN'S FURNITURE EXETER„ ONLY m