HomeMy WebLinkAboutClinton News Record, 2015-09-16, Page 7International students to
experience Huron County
Introducing the first-ever Huron County Cultural
Passport for international students and host families
With more than 200
international students
poised to make Huron
and Perth Counties
home for the 2015/2016
school year, what better
time to introduce the
first-ever Huron County
Cultural Passport.
The Huron Arts and
Heritage Network
(HAHN) in partnership
with the Huron Local
Immigration Partnership
and the Huron Economic
Development Partner-
ship (HEDP), are happy
to introduce the Huron
County Cultural Passport
for international students
and their host families.
The cultural passport
offers discounts to a vari-
ety of arts, culture and
heritage activities
including:
• Alice Munro Festival
of the Short Story
. Bayfield Wind and
Water Festival
• Blyth Festival
• Exeter Rodeo
• Goderich Celtic
Roots Festival
• Goderich Little
Theatre
• Huron County Multi-
cultural Festival
• Huron County
Museum and Historic
Gaol
• Host families are
eager to show visiting
students all there is in the
area and beyond.
"The Cultural Passport
and the discounts that
the participating cultural
organizations have
offered help make explo-
ration and participation
in our local culture a little
easier and more afforda-
ble for the students and
their host families," said
Rick Sickinger, cultural
development officer.
"Our hope is that this
increased access to our
cultural events and
attractions will offer
these visiting students a
better and more reward-
ing understanding of
what we are about in
Huron County."
In the current 2015/16
school year there are over
190 international stu-
dents registered to attend
Huron and Perth schools.
The cultural passports
will be distributed to host
families of international
students through the
Avon Maitland District
School Board.
"This is an outstanding
opportunity for our stu-
dents from around the
world to gain a much
higher appreciation for
the culture of our dis-
trict," said Avon Maitland
international program
administrator Steve
Howe.
Ombudsman takes on school boards
Kate Dubinski
Postmedia Network
Parents in disputes with
schools and school
board's now have an inde-
pendent investigator ready
to help — Ontario's
ombudsman.
The ombudsman's
powers expanded last
week to include school
boards.
"It is important that
anyone dealing with the
education system has an
objective place to go if
they need a problem
solved," said Annie Kidder,
executive director of Peo-
ple for Education, an
advocacy group. "It is a
difficult, complex system
and an independent, out-
side body needs to be
there, not because the
school boards are doing a
bad job but because you
need an outside body:'
School boards fell under
the ombudsman's juris-
diction Tuesday. On Jan. 1,
municipalities and univer-
sities will also be included
in the ombudsman's
portfolio.
"We are an avenue of
last resort. There are no
limits of what I can or can-
not investigate," said
ombudsman Andre
Marin.
"We will look at any-
thing from local school
issues to systemic school
board problems."
There have been thou-
sands of complaints to the
ombudsman's office
about schools and school
boards, but the office
hasn't had the authority to
investigate until this week
"As a parent, I experi-
enced challenges with
schools, with procedures
that were byzantine and
outdated, and I had no
one to turn to;' Marin said.
"We have to let the organi-
zation sort the problem
out themselves, and
school boards need to
make sure they have a
complaint process in place
... but we are a last resort!'
The ombudsman's
office received 18 com-
plaints about school
boards on Tuesday, a
spokesperson said.
Kidder said she expects
special education to top the
list of reasons for com-
plaints to the ombudsman.
"Special education is
very complex. It's hard to
bear if you think your child
is not getting what you
think they should be get-
ting, and it's hard to recon-
cile services and resources
that should be there and
what is actually there,"
Kidder said.
The Thames Valley Dis-
trict school board is look-
ing to update its com-
plaints process, said
director of education
Laura Elliott.
"We support the role of
the provincial ombuds-
man and we will comply
with investigations" Elliott
said. "In terms of public
education, school boards
feel it is important to be
responsible to all
concerns."
The London District
Catholic school board said
it tries to listen and
respond with compassion
where needed.
"It is our hope that any
issues are few and far
between and are quickly
resolved, but we will gladly
work with the Ontario
ombudsman's office as
needed," the Catholic
school board said in a
statement.
Wednesday, September 16, 2015 • News Record 7
They face new challenges every day. The sex ed. and health curriculum
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give kids the skills they need to stay safe. Find out what kids will learn
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