HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2004-11-10, Page 13Wednesday, November 10, 2004
Exeter Times–Advocate
13
Zurich's Blue Water Rest Home held its annual family dinner last Sunday, serving
260 people.Above in the centre is Blue Water resident Doreen Oesch, with her
daughter Susan Wassmann and her son Ron Oesch.At right,Tom and Rose
Merrigan of Hensall provided entertainment. Many students, volunteers and board
members helped out with the dinner. (photos/Scott Nixon)
Avon Maitland board sets up project to teach autistic children
By Stew Slater
SPECIAL TO THE T -A
SEAFORTH — Despite
some uncertainty regard-
ing future funding for
Special Education pro-
grams, the Avon Maitland
District School Board has
moved ahead with an
innovative project aimed
at developing the skills
and resources needed to
teach autistic children.
On Oct. 22, the board
hosted its first professional
development sessions at
what's being called an
"Autism Demonstration
Site" at Anne Hathaway
elementary school in
Stratford.
According to education
superintendent Marie
Parsons, groups of teach-
ers from the board are
now booked to take part in
similar sessions at the site,
one day per month from
now until the end of the
school year. After that,
Parsons says, the board
may start looking outside
its borders to provide
autism -related profession-
al development on a rev-
enue -generating basis.
Students of all abilities
are present in the school
while the sessions are
taking place, with small
groups of teachers actual-
ly observing inside the
classrooms at certain
times. There is no interac-
tion between the partici-
pants and students, how-
ever, and Parsons report-
ed that Anne Hathaway
students adjusted well to
the presence of partici-
pants during the Oct. 22
launch of the project.
"The focus is on how
classrooms have been
constructed, physically, to
make the environment
more suitable for children
with autism. That includes
some of the symbols that
have been placed around
the room," Parsons
explained, adding the aim
of the project is to provide
information about how to
minimize the difficulties
when placing autistic stu-
dents in regular, integrat-
ed classrooms.
The Stratford school was
chosen as a host site
because, in 2003-04, it
was the Avon Maitland
board's Autism Pilot site.
That program, initiated
and funded by the provin-
cial government, provided
10 school boards with the
resources to — as Parsons
puts it — "examine the
(Education) Ministry's
Autism standards, to
determine if we complied
with them already, and if
we didn't — what it would
require to comply."
She stressed the Autism
Demonstration Site is not
linked directly to the
Autism Pilot program,
though Anne Hathaway's
participation in the earlier
initiative did give the
ruck safety blitz
Officer Mitch Morissette inspects a truck tire during a traffic safety blitz held by
the OPP and the Ministry of Transportation in Exeter Monday. (photo/Mary
Simmons)
school "a head start"
when it came to providing
learning resources of
value specifically to autis-
tic students. Other than
that, costs for the new
Autism Demonstration
Site — including mainly
staff training but also fur-
ther resources and alter-
ations to the building —
are being covered entirely
through the board's
Special Education budget.
That means the project,
like others, is caught up in
the board's ongoing strug-
gle to convince the provin-
cial government that
trustees were justified in
creating a Special
Education reserve fund
when the 2004-05 budget
was approved last June.
Education Ministry offi-
cials have since
announced that if boards
have such reserves, they
must not be spending
enough on Special
Education and should
have the amount of those
reserves removed from
their 2004-05 provincial
grant.
Parsons argues the
board has consistently
spent more on Special
Education than the
provincial grants provide
for, taking money from
other areas of expendi-
ture to cover the short-
falls; the reserve fund was
meant, in part, to prevent
this from happening in the
future, if possible.
Cottage
break-in
BLUEWATER — On Nov.
1 at 2 p.m. the OPP was
alerted to a cottage break-
in on Snowden Crescent in
Bluewater. Police say
someone attempted to
force open a patio door to
the cottage, causing $300
damage, before forcing
open a shed and stealing
some tools. A Mastercraft
cordless drill and Echo
hedge trimmers were
stolen within a two week
period before the break-in
was reported.
If you know something
about this case call the
local OPP or Crime
Stoppers at 1-800-222-
9477(TIPS).
"We're endeavouring, at
this point ... to reinforce
with the Ministry that we,
in fact, have been spend-
ing significant dollars for
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3
things like the
Demonstration Site," the
education superintendent
said.
He art1id
Community Credit Union Limited
Where membership makes the difference
53 rd
ANNUAL
GENERAL MEETING
will be held at the
Elma Memorial Community Centre,
Atwood, Ontario
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 24, 2004
Complimentary Dinner: 6:00 P.M.
Meeting Start Time: 7:00 P.M.
For Dinner Planning,
Attendance Must he Confirmed in .Advance.
Please Register By Contacting Your Branch or
calling Shelley Merner (519) 482-3409 ext. 231
by Friday, November 19, 2004
For the purpose of receiving reports and financial
statements for the year ending September 30, 2004;
electing Directors and Credit Committee Officers;
appointing Auditors; amending Bylaws and the
transacting of all other business of an Annual
Meeting, stated only on the aganda as per
bylaw No. 7.07
Special Door Prizes!
Entertainment - Greg Dechert
Internationally recognized musician
Transportation Available
Buses will be leaving from the Clinton and Exeter
branch office parking lots at 5:00 p.m. Please call
Shelley Merner at the Clinton office 482-3409 Ext.
231, Karen Fox at Exeter Branch 235-0640 by
Friday, Nov. 19th, 2004, to arrange.
Note: All branches closing 4:30 p.m. on this date.
Confirm your attendance today. Hope to sec you there!
All Members are welcome.
Peter McFall,,, Corporate Secretary
Head Office, Clinton
Ph. (519) 482-3466
Fax (519) 482-3743
Exeter Branch
Ph. (519) 235-0640
Fax (519) 235-0261
Listowel Branch
Ph. (519) 291-6189
Fax (519) 291-6191
Website: www.heartiandcommunitycu.on.ca