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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-02-18, Page 66 Exeter Times -Advocate Wednesday,February 18, 2004 Opinion Forum News Working families Continued from page 5 to work for all of us. It was these people who passed onto us the legacy of health care for all, good public education and all the other things that made Canada such a great place in which to grow up. With Paul Martin now in charge of our government, that legacy, already under strain, is at even greater risk. We have been down the road Paul Martin wants to take us before; we all know it doesn't work because we all remember Brian Mulroney. The recent revelations of the Auditor -General's report of $100 million of your tax money going to Liberal cronies is just the most recent evidence. Really, how could then Finance Minister Paul Martin not have been following the taxes paid by you and about 12,000 other hard working Canadians? Only one political party is standing with working fam- ilies, our communites and the futures of our children and grandchildren. That party is the NDP. Under the progressive leadership of Jack Layton the NDP is on the move in Canada and more relevant today than the bad Mulroney -like plans of the Martin Liberals. I want to encourage you to check out today's NDP. If you want to make a difference, join our team and stand up for real change. To find out more call 353- 4033 or email huronbrucendp@bmts.com. You owe it to yourself and our communities to join a team that shares your values. GRANT ROBERTSON, President Huron Bruce NDP Sir Adam Beck • reunion Dear Editor: We are currently trying to find former Sir Adam Beck students and teachers from the 50's & 60's for a reunion in London, Ontario October 1,2 & 3, 2004. We need their address, phone and e-mail. Contact us via one of the following: Beck Web site at www.beckcollegiate.ca "Roll Call" page @ Web Site www.beckcollegiate.ca/rollcall.html E-mail: keitkind@execulink.com or Fax: 519-451-8134 Post: Beck Reunion Committee, 22 Ainsley Court, London, Ontario N6K 3Z8 Thanking you in advance. BILL BROCK On behalf of the Beck Reunion Committee Hospital Happenings SOUTH HURON DIABETES EDUCATION CENTRE The diabetes education centre at South Huron Hospital is a one -day a week program where you may learn about diabetes and self-management of diabetes. To access this program you may be referred by your physician or simply self refer by calling 235-2700 ext 239. The program offers small group sessions or individual counseling. The follow- ing sessions will be offered this March. Please call to register. There are no fees to attend. Cholesterol Class: You will learn about heart healthy eating to lower you risk for heart disease and stroke. Date: March 31, 2004 Time: 1:30 p.m. Place: South Huron Hospital -1-1/2 hours in length Introductory Diabetes Program: You will learn about signs and symptoms of dia- betes, risk factors, the importance of blood sugar control and healthy life styles. Date: March 17, 2004 Time: 1:30 p.m. Place: South Huron Hospital - 2 hours in length Meter Class: You will learn how to effectively use you blood sugar meter to manage your diabetes and to inter- pret results. Don't just test - test smart. Date: March 24, 2004 Time: 1:30 p.m. Place: SH Hospital -- 1-1/2 hours in length Please call to register at (519) 235-2700 - ext. 239. All classes are free. OUTH URON OSPITAL SSOCIATION Principal's message EXETER — Last week the Avon Maitland District School Board made two significant decisions that South Huron students and their parents need to know about. The first decision is a short term one, and the second may have some long term effects on how we structure the school year. In response to parent con- cerns about how we will make up for the loss of school days due to bad weather, the Director of Education, Geoff Williams, announced some changes affecting the next few weeks of school. First of all, there will be some cancellations and postpone- ments of some planned profes- sional development activities for teachers. The Early Dismissal Day planned for Feb. 23 has been cancelled and it will now be a regular school day. Several teacher workshops planned for the next few weeks have been postponed so teachers may remain in their classrooms, working to catch up on the lessons lost to the snow days. Some workshops, however, must go ahead due to financial commit- ments and/or Ministry deadlines. Plans for additional teacher workshops have been put on hold. The Professional Activity Day scheduled for March 29 has been cancelled, and it will now be a regular school day. Secondary principals met last week and decided March 29 will be a Day 1 in our schedule. Please note, however, that this will not change the schedule for the rest of the year: we have simply added an additional day to the sched- ule and will carry on with the regular schedule after March 29. In addition to these changes, we are also taking steps at the school level to ensure there are few disruptions to the regular school day for the next few weeks. We will make every effort to make up for the days we have lost, and we are keeping our fingers crossed that we have seen the last of the snow days for this year. The second decision made last week was made by the trustees at their regular board meeting. They rescinded a motion made a few years ago that required all Avon Maitland secondary schools to follow a year-long program. This decision means high schools will be able to consider running cours- es on a semestered schedule. There are, however, some conditions attached to this decision. Firstly, Grade 9 and 10 classes in English and mathematics are to remain non-semestered. This condition is based on the belief that student achievement is bet- ter if students take these two subjects year-long. Secondly, principals are required to consult with students, parents and staff before making any deci- sions about the structure of the timetable. In the next few weeks, I will be meeting with the staff, Students' Council and the School Council to consult with them on this matter. While I will gladly discuss this matter with any- one who wishes to talk to me about it, my `official' consultation will be with these three groups. Students who wish to express their opinions on this issue should speak to members of the Students' Council Executive and parents are encouraged to speak to members of the School Council. The consultation process will take place between now and March Break and I will announce our decision shortly thereafter. By the way, the School Council now has a Web page attached to our school Web page where min- utes and information from the School Council meetings will be posted. We encourage parents to check this page out on a regular basis to keep up to date with the activities of the School Council. The address for the page is: www.amdsb.ca/SHDHS/schoolCouncd. JEFF REABURN PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE Letters to the Editor The Times -Advocate welcomes letters to the editor as a forum for open discussion of local issues, concerns, com- plaint, and kudos. By mail: P.O. Box 850, Exeter, Ontario NOM 1S6 By fax: (519) 235-0766 By e-mail: editor@southhuron.com Please include your name and address. Anonymous letters will not be published. Panther Profile EXETER — This past Saturday, the senior girls' volleyball team participated in the Goderich Invitational tournament. They won six out of 10 games in pool play, which was enough to take South Huron into the semi-final against Goderich. Unfortunately the girls were defeated by the strong Goderich team. The girls' hockey team will play here in Exeter at 2 p.m tomorrow. Everyone is encouraged to attend. Tomorrow, the curling team will play a Bonspiel in Exeter. This week, forms will be distrib- uted to students who require immunizations on March 3. This morning, the Waterloo Math Contest will be held from 8:50 to 10:30 a.m.. Selected stu- dents from each grade will participate. Good luck! Coming events Feb. 18 — Math Contest Feb. 19 — Girls' hockey in Exeter — Curling team plays in Exeter Feb. 23 — Early dismissal cancelled Mar. 3 — Immunizations Mar. 15 - 19 — March Break Mar. 29 — P.D. Day cancelled - Regular Day 1 ASHLEY ERB Yet another change Recently, the Avon Maitland District School Board has considered changing its policy on dese- mestered schools. High schools under the board will have a choice in whether they change back to the semestered school year, or remain with the current desemestered year. Some talk regarding South Huron has been that it could possibly use both methods for the school, with Grades 11 and 12 being semestered com- pletely, and Grades 9 and 10 also being semes- tered except for classes like Math and English. I have always gone through school under the desemestered system, so I wouldn't know the dif- ference of the two. However, I feel that the half and half system would probably be the best choice, but the entire grade should follow one method, not a little bit of both. Grade 9 and 10 are still transitional years for some students who would have all come from desemestered elementary schools in the area. Being that the classes and workload may be a drastic change for them, throwing them into a semestered system where some courses move much faster than they're used to could create some difficulty. By remaining desemestered, stu- dents could take time to adjust to their new envi- ronment. By Grade 11 and 12, students are finally able to have more say in the classes they choose and will usually take what interests them the most. Following the semes- tered system would probably not have that great of a negative effect on a student considering they have a general idea of what type of classes they're getting themselves into. Grade 11 and 12 are probably the most important years hi high school for students since they're the years that post -secondary schools focus on with marks. A semestered system would allow a stu- dent to put their focus on only four classes at a time as opposed to eight with the desemestered method. And what about the students who are staying a fifth year? Most of them are not taking more than five or six classes total. If they can take most of their classes hi one semester, than they can use the second semester to work and make extra money for post -secondary, or even possibly travel. Personally, I didn't mind the desemestered sys- tem much when I was in Grade 9 and 10, but it became more of an inconvenience later on when I had to write six or more exams at the end of the year. And being that I am planning on staying a fifth year, more time to make some extra money would be really appreciated. Let's not also forget that in general the Ontario school system has undergone some major changes over the years, deciding what system you want to run a school under is minor; if it doesn't work or a school doesn't like it, go back to the old way, chances are people won't really notice, or care. DEBRA TOONK