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HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Times Advocate, 2008-01-23, Page 66 Times–Advocate Wednesday, January 23, 2008 Opinion Forum News Principal's message EXETER — Last week was a very difficult one for students, staff and families of the South Huron community as we struggled to come to grips with the loss of one of our students, Ryan Van Valkengoed. Ryan was a fun -loving student with a great sense of humour who was well liked by all who knew him, and his death has caused us much sad- ness. The huge number of students, staff, friends and community mem- bers who attended the visitation and funeral attests to the positive impact that Ryan had on our lives. He will be deeply missed. We will be meeting with students this week to plan a memorial service for Ryan, which will be held early in the new semester to celebrate his life and share our thoughts and stories so that we may keep him alive in our hearts and in our memories. Further details regarding the memorial will appear in next week's col- umn. On Friday of this week, final exams for Semester One courses will start and the exam period will run through until Jan. 30, with a PA Day to follow on Jan. 31. Semester Two begins Feb. 1. Students and parents are reminded that the exam schedule is posted on our school website as well as in classrooms throughout the building. I would also like to remind everyone that in the event of a snow day during exams, that day's exams will be moved to the following day and the whole schedule will be moved back by a day. Students are advised to take home study materials in advance of exams so they have notes and texts for study purposes in case we have bad weather. The end of the first semester also means it is time to start preparing for course selection for next year. Our Guidance staff have already visited our public feeder schools and provided Grade 8 students with a course calendar and other materi- als needed for selecting courses for Grade 9 next year. Unfortunately, this year we have not been permitted to send our staff to the Catholic elementary schools; however, we are able to make our course selection materials available to students in these schools and they and their parents are most welcome to attend our Grade 8 night presentation next month. The same holds true for Grade 8 students in Grand Bend Public School. We are most appreciative of our past opportunities to send our Guidance staff into these schools, and though we are disappointed that such visits have not been permitted this year, we do accept and respect the decision. Nonetheless, all Grade 8 students who wish to attend South Huron next year, and their parents, are invited to attend our Grade 8 Information Night and Open House, which will be held Feb. 13, with a snow date of Feb. 20. The evening will commence with an informal tour of the school starting at 6:45 p.m. Students and parents will have the opportunity to see our facili- ties, meet our staff and some of our students, see examples of the great learning opportunities and extracurricular activities, and ask questions about courses and programs. At 7:30 p.m., we will have a more formal presentation in the large gym. The Grade 8 Night is a great opportunity for students and parents to see all that SHDHS has to offer, and we encourage everyone to attend. Students in Grades 9 to 12 have already received course calendars and pathway planners to assist them in choosing courses for next year. We encourage parents to sit down with them to review the materials and help students make wise choic- es for next year. The Pathway Planner is an informative document that provides excellent information about course selection as it relates to various post -sec- ondary options, from the workplace and apprenticeships to college and universi- ty. Course selection will not happen for our current students until Feb. 7, but we have distributed the course selection materials well in advance so that students may discuss their options with their Semester One teachers, as well as their par- ents and the teachers they will have in the second semester. And, of course, any students who have questions or are uncertain about their choices are encouraged to consult their Guidance Counsellors. ,4 JEFF REABU PRINCIPA MESSAGE RN L'S Budget update from South Huron mayor SOUTH HURON — One of the toughest duties of council is the budget and that is something that is usually done about this time of year. Huron County council has been working on its budget since the first of the year and has it down to a 6.93 per cent increase for the coming year. Work is still being done to get that percentage even lower. Staff at South Huron have been working on the draft budget and it will not be presented to council until the end of the month. The question is why isn't the budget finalized before the end of the year, so staff can start the new year out with a budget to work with. New councillors took an orientation course at the beginning of their term and they were told that the budget should be finalized by the year end for the upcoming year. They questioned why South Huron finalizes their budget in April and not December. They were probably more shocked to find out most, if not all municipalities in Ontario finalize their budgets in April or May with a few a month or two earlier and a few a month or two later. Ken 0 Today our municipality is subsidized by the provincial government by about 28 per cent. This is given as a gift and can be changed at any time. Years ago more money was given by the provincial government and you would apply for it in the first two months of the year and would be given notice on how much you were to receive by March. That is why you would start working on the budget in March and finalize it by April. Two years ago the county finalized the bud- get early to find out the subsidy wasn't what they expected and most of the budget was redone to reflect the provincial cheque. The bottom line is staff got used to finalizing the books for the year by the end of the year and waited to hear what kind of money they could expect from the provincial government in the new year. There is a lull at the first of the year and that was a good time to work on the budget. Most of the spending at the first of the year is just essentials anyway. Now that we are supposed to be getting "stable funding" from the provin- cial government, the budget can be worked on in the fall of the year. I think we need a definition of "stable funding" and timing should be dis- cussed. I received a letter from the Ministry of Finance a couple of days before the end of the year stating that our provincial funding allocation for 2008 was confirmed and, "We trust that this information will provide you with certainty on your funding allocation and assist you in proceeding with your 2008 budget." ke Water supply wins awards LONDON — The system that supplies local drinking water to residents will be presented with two major awards at the end of the month. The Ontario Public Works Association has recognized the innovation and management excellence of the water systems which provide clean and reli- able drinking water to 500,000 people in Southwestern Ontario, including those in the Times -Advocate's reader- ship area. The Lake Huron Water and Elgin Area Water Systems have received two of the most prestigious awards for 2007. The water systems service about 5,000 square kilometres of southwest- ern Ontario including London, St. Thomas, Strathroy and a total of 14 municipalities in Huron, Middlesex, Lambton and Elgin counties. In the Management Innovation Award category, both Huron and Elgin shared in the top award for the Drinking Water Quality Management System (DWQMS) project, along with their contracted operating authority, American Water Canada. The DWQMS is an innovative system that focuses on continuous improve- ment of the quality of service and is aimed at reducing exposure to any associated hazards in the management and delivery of critical water supplies. The new delivery model not only allows for precise audits and improvements and strives to improve service levels, but recognizes the importance of the partnership between system owner, operating authority and the municipali- ties. Chief administrative officer for Huron and Elgin, London city engineer Peter Steblin, says the new system not only sets a rigid standard for excellence, but is aimed at continuous improvement. "Water management is a serious business. We have to maintain and improve the customer's confidence in the quality of the water and systems we use every day. This new management system clearly moves the industry into a new level of not only monitoring water quality, but sets a standard for constant improvement." "The unique implementation of the Drinking Water Quality Management System for the Lake Huron and Elgin Area Water Supply Systems reflects the successful partnership approach adopt- ed by American Water Canada and the Joint Board's of Management," said Jeff McIntyre, vice-president of American Water Canada. "I am delighted that the Ontario Public Works Association has recog- nized the benefits associated with this approach." The Lake Huron Water System was also successful in receiving the 2007 Ontario Public Works Association award for Project of the Year for the Strathroy-Caradoc Pipeline Project. The awards will be presented in Mississauga Jan. 31. cooking with memories BY DEBBY WAGLER LEMON LOAF I LOVE THE FLAVOR OF LEMON. THE FRESHER THE BETTER!! THE FOLLOWING LOAF IS A FUN ONE TO SERVE UP WITH TEA TO FRIENDS IN FOR AN AFTERNOON OR EVENING. MY MOM ALWAYS HAD A FEW LOAVES TUCKED AWAY IN THE FREEZER OR READY TO BAKE UP IN A JIFFY FOR COMPANY. SHE ENTERTAINED AND SERVED COFFEE MANY, MANY TIMES IN A YEAR. SHE HAS ALWAYS BEEN AN INSPIRATION TO ME IN THE WAY SHE HANDLED THOSE YEARS WHEN DEMANDS WERE HIGH ON HER TIMETABLE - SHE NEVER WAS TOO BUSY FOR PEOPLE! ENJOY HER RECIPE FOR THIS LEMONY LOAF! 1/2 cup shortening 1 cup sugar 2 eggs I/2 tsp lemon extract 1-1/2 cup flour —she would use bread flour 1 tsp baking powder Pinch salt 1/2 cup milk Grated rind of 1/2 lemon Mix as you would a cake and then put into a greased loaf pan and bake at 350 for I hour till cake tester comes out clean. While warm baste with juice from 1/2 lemon and I tbsp. sugar. Cool and turn out of loaf pan. Wrap well and store in fridge. SHDHS Art Show opens Jan. 28 EXETER — South Huron District High School is hosting its Annual Grade 12 Art Class Graduation Exhibition at the end of January. The show will be an exhibi- tion by the Grade 12 Art stu- dents of their final body of work in a wide variety of media. The show will be held in the SHDHS Small Gym and opens Mon., Jan. 28 after 3 p.m. Everyone is welcome. Exhibition hours are Jan. 28 from 3 - 8 p.m.; Jan. 29 from 9 a.m. - 8 p.m.; and Jan. 30 from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Admission is free but dona- tions to the MS Society are appreciated. Youth Book Drive extended in Exeter EXETER — The Lieutenant Governor of Ontario has extended the Aboriginal Youth Book Drive until Jan. 31, with all OPP locations in Ontario, including Exeter, accepting new children's books up to the Grade 8 reading level. The books will then be collected and given to needy aboriginal communities.