The kids are online — children entering digital age earlier than ever

BY MISTY HARRIS, POSTMEDIA NEWS

When five-year-old Sally Chow was last angry with her dad, she didn't stomp her feet or throw a tantrum. The Vancouver youngster simply held up her thumb and finger and defiantly pinched them together — a gesture used on computer tablets for resizing something.

"That was her way of saying, 'I'm making you smaller,'" says John Chow, laughing.Click here to read the full story.

School zone safety

It's important that speed limits need to be observed in school and playground zones at designated times. It always takes a bit of time every year for motorists to get used to slowing down in both playground and school zones, instead of just playground zones.

Click here to read an informative .pdf file on school zone safety.

Methods for teaching grade school math don't add up: Study

The following excerpt from article, written by Amy Chung from Postmedia News, is worth a read.

"Canada's public schools are doing a poor job of teaching basic math skills and shortchanging a generation of kids, says a study by the Frontier Centre for Public Policy."

Click here for the full story - click "Comments" under this entry to leave yours.

No More Junk Food

The CBE has announced a ban on junk food! 

"As of Jan. 1, 2012, foods not considered nutritional will not be sold through Calgary Board of Education contracted vendors..." - Damien Wood: Calgary Sun

This doesn't mean that your kids can't bring what they want to eat at school snack and lunch times but it is part of a process in educating our kids about healthy choices.  Naomi Johnson, Chief Superintendent of Schools says, "Children spend much of their day in our schools and therefore we must model, in all the ways we can, how to be health-conscious citizens"

28th Alberta General Election

As early as October 2011, Albertan's may be going to the polls for the 28th time in our history to choose our premiere.  With Ed Stelmach's announcement that he will not be seeking election, the PC party of Alberta has been in the throes of picking a new leader.  In the race, for what some are deeming the 'Coronation of Alberta' (PC's have 72 of a possible 83 provincial seats), were 6 candidates.

Since the first ballot was struck, the PC's are down to three candidates (Gary Mar, Alison Redford, and Doug Horner) and the second ballot, a preferential vote, will be cast on October 1.

As with most politicians, its very hard to pin down exactly what they plan to do if elected.  Policy on education with these three is no different. 

Free eyeglasses for children aged 4-10

(Here's a great find - thank you, Trevor.)

Often teachers are the first people to notice that children require eyeglasses. Calgary’s Real Canadian Superstore opticals departments are offering a free pair of eyeglasses to children aged 4-10 years old for the month of September.

The eyeglasses just requires a valid prescription written within the past 90 days. The offer is available at the Shawnessy (SW), Deerfoot Meadows (SE), Huntington (NW), Coventry Hills(NW), and Westwinds(NE) Real Canadian Superstore locations.

Please let Superstore know that you heard about this offer through the CBE.

Parent Teacher Interview: Online Booking

Book your interview online starting September 19th at 8am.  Click here, then fill in the boxes.  If you try to book before hand it won't actually reserve your spot so make sure you wait until after 8am.

AGM, done and dusted.

Thank you to everyone who attended last night's Parent Council/Association Annual General Meetings in the Haultain library. It was great to see some new faces - and it was a good way to start off the year.

The Council and Association welcomes our new Vice Chair, Cindy - and the Association thanks Kristie for stepping up again as Fundraising Co-ordinator, Ramona as Volunteer Co-ordinator, Martine as Casino Co-ordinator, and Clair as Treasurer. A big thank you to our new members, and another to the members who are stepping down - in particular to Shane, who did a fantastic job as Chair for a very long time. Thanks also to Steve for his work on the casinos, and to Tracey who did a fantastic job as treasurer.

I was appointed chair in Shane's stead last night, and will do my best to keep things running smoothly - though I have big shoes to fill. Kudos to Shane, who put in years of dedication and hard work on the council.

Minutes from last night's meeting will be available for viewing online shortly, as will the dates of this year's remaining Council and Association meetings (Please check the Google calendar at the bottom of this page). For parents with children new to the school, attending these meetings is a great way to learn about how the school administration works, how the Association raises and  spends money - and it's the very best way to have your say and vote on issues big and small.

September School Newsletter and AGM Reminder

Click here to read the latest newsletter: our principal found the space to mention Peter Cetera and 'inscribed vinyl discs' in the same entry... those of us of a certain age understand.  Kind of like when my daughter saw her first '45' and wondered how it would fit in the cd player.

Also don't forget to attend the AGM, Thursday at 6:30 in the library.  We are still looking for a treasurer for the PA so if you're 'dollars and cents' inclined and can help out please step forward.

Ice Cream Social

Its here again: the very popular (and sticky) Ice Cream Social is this week!  Sponsored by the Parent Association, its a great way to meet teachers, principal, staff and other parents.

Starts at 6:30, ends around 7:30 on Thursday (the 8th).  Haultain students and immediate family welcome - hope to see you there.

Council and PA: Quick Primer

This post is a quick summary of the work and structure of the School Council and the Parent Association.

There is a lot of understandable confusion about just what these organizations are and who comprises them.

I'll start with who because that's the simplest. We are parents. Easy as that, the two groups are made up of parents like you who have taken a keen interest in their children's education environment. We represent all of the parents in the school (through elections) and our collective desires in how the school's extra programming is run.

The structure of the two groups is quite simple as well. The PA is a group of volunteers who raise and spend money on school programming. The Council (click for more information from an earlier post) is an advisory group who works closely with the school administration and staff to discuss all matters within the school.

We have an Annual General Meeting (AGM) every September. During this special meeting we vote on the budget for the upcoming year and elect new executives - plan on joining us this year and becoming involved as a voter, volunteer or leader: it would be great to have you! Thursday, September 15th at 6:30 in the library.

Below is a partial list of past items that have been talked about, voted on, and funded at Council and Association meetings:

Hoja
Clay for Kids
Outdoor School
Busing fro Field Trips
Open Minds Museum
One World Drumming
Ice Cream Social
Mural in Tunnel
Piano and Other Musical Supplies
Science Equipment
School Sign
Murals in Gym
Owl Presentation

Decidedly Jass

U of C Archeology

Inline Skating Family Nigh

Agendas

Bird School

Alien Inline

Books in Library and Classrooms

Shelves For the Foyer

Gym Equipment

Playground and Repair

Artist in Residence

Swimming

Pancake Breakfast