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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2007-10-24, Page 66 Times -Advocate Wednesday, October 24, 2007 Opinion Forum News Fetal Alcohol Syndrome can't be ignored Two weeks ago I wrote a letter to your paper regarding Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD). Since then it has come to my attention that some doctors have advised their pregnant patients to go easy on the amount of alcohol taken during their pregnancy. Some doctors do not say that the expecting mother must abstain from all alcohol use. But so far there is no known amount of alcohol that can be safely taken during pregnancy to ensure that no FASD damage is done to the unborn child. Although doctors are very busy people, probably all of them should either attend an FASD seminar or else they should read the book by Bonnie Buxton entitled "Damaged Angels." This book is a fascinating, enlightening, yet heart -wrench- ing story of a mother and her child who has Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. All personnel who work in the fields of law enforcement, health, church ministry, social services or education would be wise to read this book so that they are more enlightened on this subject, and so will be able to give more help to those hi their care. Also all parents with difficult children, who suspect or know that those children were exposed to alcohol in the womb, and whose chil- dren have already been diagnosed with ADHD, should consider reading "Damaged Angels" since many symptoms of ADHD coincide with those of FASD. Many mothers classify themselves as non-drinkers but forget a one- time binge at a family celebration, or a few little drinks here and there during their pregnancy. This problem of FASD it too urgent to ignore any longer! Host a child from Chernobyl Do you know a family who is looking for an amazing experience next summer? Huron County for Children of Chernobyl is looking for loving families to host a child from Belarus in the summer of 2008. Our charitable group was formed in 1998 for the purpose of bringing children here to Canada for a respite visit. They are still suffering from the effects of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986. Their homeland is affected by the toxic pollu- tion found in the soil, plants, food, air and water. Our fresh air and nutritious food helps to improve their immune system and reverse the ill effects of radioactive cont- aminants they are exposed to on a daily basis. Our tender loving care gives them a reason to smile and a fighting chance. We fundraise as a group to cover all travel expenses to bring the children to Canada. There are many benefits and rewards to be gained from hosting a child and a wonderful learning experience for our own children. Host families may request a child, boy or girl, who they think would be best suited to fit in easily with their family life. They are invited to attend an information meeting Thurs., Nov. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the Central Huron Secondary School library in Clinton to learn more about the program. For more information please call Lynn Dawe at 527-2060. LYNN DAwE Chairperson Huron County for Children of Chernobyl Letters to Ed the ltor DOROTHY ELLIOT, Exeter Principal's message EXETER — By now, parents should have received Interim Reports, which were mailed out last Thursday. While this is not an official report card, it should give parents an indication of how their sons or daughters are doing so far this year. As indicated on the newsletter that accompanied the Interim Report, the main purpose of the report is to give parents a "snapshot" of student progress in preparation for the first Parent-Teacher Interview night, which is Thurs., Oct. 25. Parents are asked to have their children arrange interview times with any teachers they wish to see. The interviews will take place in the cafeteria and small gym from 3:30 to 5 p.m. and 6:30 to 8 p.m. The first official report card of the year, the Semester One Mid -Term Report, will be distributed Nov. 16. I would like to take this opportunity to address an issue that is becoming more and more frequent as personal electronics become more prevalent. Many of our students bring MP3 players, digital cameras, PSPs and cell JEFF phones to school every day, which is fine as long as these items are used REABURN appropriately and are looked after by the students. Our policies and expec- PRINCIPAL s tations are outlined in the red planners that all students received hi the first MESSAGE week of school, but just in case parents have not yet had a chance to read through these policies, I would like to review them. Students are permitted to have cell phones at school as long as they are not using them during class time or in assemblies. We expect students to leave them in their lockers or turn them off when they come to class. Students caught using cell phones during class time or in assemblies, especially to send text messages, can expect to have them confiscated for the remainder of the day. For a first offence, generally the phone will be kept until the end of the day at which point the student will have it returned on the understanding that the rules will be followed. Should there be subsequent infractions, the phone may be kept until a parent can come to the school to retrieve it. Should the misuse continue, we will have to consider more serious consequences, which could include a suspension from school. A similar policy exists for MP3 players, with the exception that some teachers permit students to listen to music while doing class work, as long as it is not inter- fering with the work of other students or distracting students from the work at hand. Each teacher is free to choose whether or not to allow MP3 players in the class- room as it has been reported that some students are more focused on their work while listening to music. Students generally have accepted this policy, but a bigger issue has emerged — students are increasingly reporting to us that their cell phones, MP3 players, PSPs or digital cameras have gone missing. With the tremendous number of these devices in the hands of students, it is not possible for us to ensure that all of them are looked after, especially if students have left them in classrooms or in the cafe- teria. Some have had them taken from the phys. ed. change rooms or from their lockers and some have gone missing after being loaned to another student. The reality is that we can't be responsible for all these devices, and there is little that we can do if one of them goes missing other than check with students who may have seen someone pick the item up. Most of these devices are small and easily concealed, making it almost impossible for us to catch someone who has taken one unless a witness comes forward. And if we find someone with a device that matches the description of the lost or stolen item, it is still a challenge to verify it is the missing one and not simply an identical one, especially if the songs, games or personal information have been removed. If we know the serial number or if the item has been engraved, it is much easier to get the item returned to its rightful owner. I am not suggesting that we don't respond to the loss of these items. In fact, we spend a considerable amount of time trying to find such items when they go missing, and sometimes we are able to get them safely returned to the rightful owners, but as the items get smaller and smaller and more and more prevalent, our chances of success are diminishing We recommend that students not bring personal electronic items to school in the first place unless there is a good reason to do so. If they do bring one to school, we recommend that it be marked somehow for identification (engraving, for example) as so many students have identical devices. Secondly, we encourage them not to loan the device to anyone else, no matter how much they trust the other person. The safest place to keep the item when it is not in use is hi the stu- dent's locker, as long as other students don't know their lock combination. When we investigate items taken from student lockers, rarely has the locker actually been broken into: most often someone else knows the student's combination and the combination has been shared with others without the owner's consent. We tell students every year not to share their combinations with anyone else and to be cautious that others are not watching when they open their locks. Similarly, we discourage students from taking personal electronics, money, jew- elry, etc. into the phys ed change rooms. We cannot protect such items when they are out of the owners' possession unless they are given to the teacher to be locked in one of the phys. ed. offices. Leaving the item inside a shoe or in a book bag will not ensure that it is there when the owner returns. Students are cautioned every year not to leave money or valuables in the change rooms, but they do not always heed this advice. We know these items are important to the students and they want to have them with them at all times. We have accepted this fact, but we encourage them to take care to make sure the devices are looked after properly and used appropriately. Whatever parents can do to reinforce this message would be greatly appreciated. Federal government boosts water project By Scott Nixon TIMES -ADVOCATE STAFF SOUTH HURON — A huge, $350 million water project that local municipalities are part of received some good news last week from the federal government. While it's still unclear how local municipalities will bene- fit, the federal government announced Oct. 15 in London it will provide $50 million towards the first phase of the pro- ject provided the province matches it. Local municipalities involved in the Huron Elgin London Project (HELP) are South Huron, Bluewater, Lambton Shores and Lucan Biddulph. South Huron Mayor Ken Oke said at South Huron coun- cil's Oct. 15 meeting that the grant is good news, but some of the information so far is vague. He said he assumes South Huron will benefit from the announcement. South Huron's involvement in the project is the Lake Huron water pipeline project, for which the municipality has already been awarded a $4 3 million Canada -Ontario Infrastructure Program grant, with the province kicking in $2.9 million and the federal government paying $1.9 mil- lion. Construction for that project is closing in on comple- tion. The HELP project is to be completed in phases over 20 years. Phase one of the project is to be done by 2010 for $154 million and includes: twinning the Elgin Area pipeline; upgrading and expanding water reservoir storage; improv- ing emergency power capacity; providing additional sources of power through green power; and establishing a water research and centre of excellence in Grand Bend. Lake Huron Joint Board of Management chairperson Jim Fergusson said, "I can think of no more important, more critical, more satisfying undertaking than a project that will allow us to tell our children and our grandchildren that our water is clean and plentiful." The London Free Press reported Saturday that London West MPP Chris Bentley said the province will sit down with the federal government to talk about funding for the pro- ject. The HELP project will serve more than 500,000 people in 20 municipalities in Southwestern Ontario. New sign bylaw SOUTH HURON — The municipali- ty's building department is looking for comments on a new proposed sign bylaw. Building and develop- ment manager Dwayne McNab told council Oct. 15 that the 2003 sign bylaw restricted too many signs and needs to be repealed. The proposed new bylaw is avail- able on the municipality's website and at the building department office. Comments from the public will be received until Nov. 9 at 4 p.m. Council intends to adopt the new bylaw at its scheduled Nov. 19 meet- ing. The new bylaw will include changes to reflect current industry standards with respect to signs.