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The Times Advocate, 2008-11-19, Page 31Wednesday, November 19, 2008 TIMES -ADVOCATE 31 SHDHS principal discusses events/policies C.A.S.E. Revolution -What's that ? As mentioned in October's column, I will try to highlight the purpose and function of one of South Huron's clubs that run during our activity period at the end of each school day. The focus this month is on the club known as the C.A.S.E. Revolution. This group formed and was inspired by the "Me to We" movement that is the cornerstone of the "Free the Children" organization based in Toronto and started by child advocates Marc and Craig Kielburger. Several South Huron students and teachers attended the "Me to We" conference in Toronto on Oct. 17. The South Huron group is interested in cre- ating awareness of issues of inequality and taking action to make change. The group sub- scribes to the motto, "It's our world, let's change it." In addition, C.A.S.E. Revolution's mission is to seek out projects, locally and globally, in which they can participate. The group recently undertook a "Halloween for Hunger" drive to support a local food bank. Several members of the group will attend the "largest children's rights move- ment in Canada" conference in Toronto on Nov. 26. This conference will assist in the fight for a new school for the native students of Attawapiskat, Ont. The acronym C.A.S.E. stands for: character, actions, solutions and evolution. A website convey- ing their message is in the works. All schools are trying to create avenues to promote good character and global citizenship qualities with their students. This club certainly performs these tasks well ! Report Cards - Mid -Semester Report Cards will be distributed to all South Huron students on Thursday. The information on this report card covers the period from Sept. 2 to Nov. 7. Attached to this report card is a response form. Students will be asked to fill in this form. The purpose of the form is to help students reflect on what has to happen to improve upon their suc- cess for the remainder of the semester. Parents are asked to sign this form and have their son/daugh- ter return the form to the school no later than Nov. 26. A friendly reminder to any senior students to sub- mit their 40 hours of community service to Student Services as soon as possible. Co-operative Education I recently had the pleasure of visiting several co- operative education sites within the Exeter area along with Miss Brintnell, one of our Co-operative Education Instructors. South Huron's students are well supported by all employment sectors in our area. On this particular day, I had the opportunity to visit Ron Walker (Brander Steel), Jeff Cluchey (Best Computers), Amy Parsons/Janet Dearing (The Exeter Villa), Karen Ashe (The Ridge), Meaghan Cosgrove (United Communities Credit Union Ltd.), Charlie Wise (Huron Tractor) and Judith Parker (the Ausable-Bayfield Conservation Authority). To all of these organizations and indi- viduals, I wish to express my personal thanks for providing learning and growth opportunities for our students. I truly enjoyed the dialogue as well as seeing the shock and surprise on the faces of students when the principal "popped in." Student of the Month - October For the month of October, School Council recognized two students who demonstrate excellent attitude and work ethic in the Arts. Those students were Meghan Collins and Jonathan Brown. Meghan is a Grade 11 stu- KEVIN MILLS PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE dent who is always keen to take on new aspects of Visual Art. Jonathan is a Grade 9 student who works very hard at complet- ing his art work with a high degree of com- petency, skill and creativity. Congratulations to both of these individuals ! School Council School council meets the third Monday of each month. This group is still looking for a person to chair. We meet in the school library (7 p.m. start) and all are welcome to attend. Remembrance Day Assembly On Nov. 11, South Huron held its Remembrance Day Assembly. This was my first experience with this type of assembly at this school. I was impressed with the work and participation of students, staff, school band and the Legion mem- bers. Connections to local people who served and lost their lives was emphasized. We shall never for- get their sacrifice. In addition, on the morning of Nov. 9, the SHDHS Senior Concert Band was invited to help the com- munity of South Huron remember the more than 116,000 Canadians who have died serving our country throughout time. The community service was held at Trivitt Memorial Church, and a large contingent of our community came out to support the service. The SHDHS Senior Band was honoured to be a part of this service. Panthercasts - What's That ? In our ever-changing world of technology, stu- annual dents in Mr. Weston's IDC3OB Digital Audio Studies class have been hard at work learning the tools of the trade. They are now ready to share some of their work with SHDHS and the online community via the Panthercast! There are seven new Panthercasts so far (#21 through #27), with topics ranging from the RCMP Musical Ride and the Terry Fox Run to Teen Pregnancy and the Redneck Fashion Show. We hope you enjoy them! You can also subscribe to this Panthercast on iTunes. Winter Weather Information Winter is slowly creeping up on us all. In the not too distant future, we will encounter bus and school cancellations due to weather. For updates, students and parents are asked to go to the following web- site: www.ourschoolbuses.ca or www.amdsb.ca and click on the link to delays and cancellations. In addition, students and parents can listen to the following radio stations for information: • CKNX Radio/FM 101.7 The One/94.5 The Bull • 104.9 The Beach • CJCS Radio Stratford and Mix 107.7 • AM 980 - CFPL • Q 97.5, BX 93, CJBK AM 1290 Decisions regarding bus and school cancellations will be made no later 7-7:15 am. Cellphones A reminder to all regarding cellphone use within the school. My past experience lends me to believe that cell- phone use in this school is fairly liberal. Given soci- etal trends, this is understandable. As a school we are most concerned with cellphone use which inter- feres with the learning and teaching environment for all students in the classroom. Most students use their cellphones appropriately while at school, however based upon a number of recent incidents, there is room for improvement. Some cellphones have been confiscated and stored in the main office. Students and parents are remind- ed that periodically the office will request a parent to pick up a student's cellphone to emphasize appropriate use. In closing, my two months at South Huron have been busy and enjoyable. I encourage all parents and students to access the school blog at www.shdhs.ca As a school we will continue to provide the best education for the students that we can. If there are any concerns, please feel free to contact the school. Trivitt Christmas Bazaar Christmas home tour Come on in — The Fifth Annual Christmas Home Tour was held in and around Lucan Nov. 16.Tickets were sold for the opportunity to peruse six area homes, with funds going to the new Donnelly museum in Lucan. Shown above (top) is Penny Altenburg sitting near the fireplace of her home, which participated in the event. In the above photo, Marylynn Redmond and Doris Laurie of Lucan are shown while viewing the home of Rob and Jeanette Elliott. (Photos/Ben Forrest) Baked goods—Trivitt Anglican Church held its annual Christmas Bazaar Nov.15, offering a variety of baked good, preserves and crafts for sale, as well as a tea room.The event was organized by the Trivitt Anglican Church Women (ACW) and served as a fundraiser for the church and various charities. Shown here are con- gregation members Edna Sims (left) and Bobbie Luxton. (Photo/Ben Forrest)