HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-05-26, Page 3Wednesday, May 26, 2004
Exeter Times–Advocate
3
Mathematicians
A team from Precious Blood School had a successful trip to the Gauss
Mathematics Contest and Math Olympics May 19 at St.Anne's Catholic School in
Clinton.The school sent a seven -member team consisting of three Grade Eight
students and four Grade Seven students. From left are Molly Hunter, Stella Park
(who finished second in the Grade Seven Gauss test), Jarrett Johns (honourable
mention for having the best math suggestion of the day), Jake Stephens (who was
on the gold medal team in the Olympics), Emmett O'Reilly (on the third place
team in the Olympics),Warren Elder and Curtis Winters (who placed first in the
Grade Seven Gauss Math test. (photo/Scott Nixon)
New government fund
to help municipalities
HURON -BRUCE —
Huron -Bruce MPP Carol
Mitchell and Huron -Bruce
MP Paul Steckle last week
welcomed the important
announcement of a new
$900 million Canada -
Ontario Municipal Rural
Infrastructure Fund to
help provide small urban
centres and rural munici-
palities in Ontario better
financial tools to plan and
manage their future.
"This announcement is
all about helping to build
strong rural communities.
It is about helping to
improve the quality of life
in communities in rural
Ontario and helping them
grow and prosper," said
Steckle.
A memorandum of
understanding was signed
by both the federal and
provincial government.
The five-year, $900 mil-
lion fund will apply to pro-
jects such as bridges,
roads or water systems
and other related infra-
structure renewal projects
identified as priorities by
the Association of
Municipalities of Ontario
(AMO), which worked
closely with the provincial
and federal government
on the development of the
fund.
The fund will be a cost
sharing arrangement with
the federal, provincial and
municipalities each pro-
viding one third of the
cost. It signals the new era
of co-operation between
different levels of govern-
ment. For the first time, all
three levels of government
are participating in devel-
oping a program to renew
the public face of rural
Ontario.
Details on the criteria of
the programs including
when and how municipali-
ties can apply will be
announced in the near
future by the Ontario gov-
ernment.
"This fund is another
example of how we are
working to overcome the
past government's neglect
of our rural infrastruc-
ture," said Mitchell. "It is
just one more example of
the ways in which the
McGuinty government is
bringing real, positive
change that will make
Ontario strong, healthy
and prosperous."
District students compare
well on Literacy test
By Stew Slater
SPECIAL TO THE T -A
SEAFORTH — A deci-
sion by the Avon Maitland
District School Board to
isolate students taking
the October 2003 version
of the much -publicized
Grade 10 literacy test is
being given credit for
helping them score well
above their counterparts
across Ontario.
Education superinten-
dent Marjatta Longston,
explaining results to
trustees during a meeting
May 11, pointed particu-
larly to the board's 2003
results among Applied -
level Grade 10 students.
Province -wide, just 49
per cent of Applied -level
students passed the 2003
version of the Ontario
Secondary School
Literacy Test (OSSLT),
originally instituted by the
former Conservative gov-
ernment as a require-
ment for high school
graduation. More recent-
ly, an optional literacy
course has been created
for students who have dif-
ficulty excelling in a test
environment, but the
Avon Maitland 2003 suc-
cess rate of 68 per cent
means a much smaller
proportion of the board's
Applied -level students will
have to pursue that
option, compared to
province -wide.
Among Academic -level
students, the Avon
Maitland success rate was
95 per cent last October,
compared to 90 per cent
province -wide.
Results compared even
more favourably among
students from the Huron -
Perth Catholic District
School Board. Ninety-
seven per cent of Huron -
At the Hensall & District Kinsmen Club's recent
50th Anniversary a cheque for $5000. for the
Canadian Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was presented
to Kinsmen District I Service Director Earl
Pennington by Club President Steve Knight. All
money donated to CF by Kinsmen Clubs goes
directly to research to find a cure. (Photo/submitted)
Perth's Academic -level
Grade 10s passed the
OSSLT on their first try,
while 73 per cent of
Applied -level students
achieved the same result.
Addressing the Avon
Maitland approach to the
test, Longston credited a
decision to spend approx-
imately $40,000 extra on
transportation over the
two days of the test, by
bringing only Grades 9
and 10 students to school
in the morning. "The
importance of the test"
was thereby highlighted
to the Grade 10 students,
while the Grade 9 stu-
dents took part in
preparatory sessions
which helped them "rec-
ognize the importance of
the test for the following
year."
Senior students were
then transported to the
school for afternoon
classes.
Longston says the
Catholic board has con-
tacted her about copying
the Avon Maitland
model, meaning the cost
of extra transportation
could be shared next
year.
New board for superintendent
By Stew Slater
SPECIAL TO THE T -A
SEAFORTH — The
Avon Maitland District
School Board has begun
another search for a
top-level administrator
after education superin-
tendent Marjatta
Longston accepted the
top job at a school board
on British Columbia's
lower mainland.
"We are very pleased
for Marjatta, but it will
be a sad time for us,"
said North Huron
trustee Colleen Schenk,
announcing Longston's
resignation during a
meeting May 11. "We'd
like to offer our sincere
congratulations and
wish you the best of
luck."
In an interview,
Longston explained she
received a call from a
corporate "head-
hunter," working on
behalf of School District
42 (Maple Ridge — Pitt
Meadows) in southwest-
ern British Columbia.
She later travelled to the
area, just east of
Vancouver, for an inter-
view.
Longston welcomed the
challenge presented by
running a school board,
as well as the prospect
of moving to an area
known for its natural
beauty.
Longston's new job
begins Aug. 1, and she'll
be done at the Avon
Maitland board — where
her specific responsibili-
ties were curriculum
and assessment — June
30.
"She has provided
some tremendous lead-
ership in all kinds of
areas within the board,"
explained chairperson
Meg Westley. "But she
has also built up an
exceptionally strong
team and I have great
faith they can follow in
her footsteps."
Last year, director of
education Lorne Rachlis
and education superin-
tendent Bill Gerth both
left the Avon Maitland
board to take over as top
directors in Ottawa and
Waterloo, respectively.
The board also had to
find a replacement for
former education super-
intendent Geoff
Williams, who was cho-
sen to replace Rachlis.
afxr Gaiser
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