Don't forget!

Next week, the CBE's Board of Trustees will provide their decision on the proposed closure of Queensland Downs Elementary - parents should find out on or about the 2nd.

Haultain's Council/Association meeting is on Wednesday, the 3rd - this is a good opportunity to forward questions or concerns regarding the proposal to the Council via this blog, or to write the date down on your calendar so you don't miss it in person.

You can click here, or on the link at the top, right-hand side for email access to the Council - and you can be guaranteed that your question or concern will be brought up during the meeting. All meeting minutes

Education Minister Addresses Parents

The Honourable Dave Hancock addressed a gathering of parents at a meeting hosted by CAPSC and Western Canada High School last night. The meeting was well attended by about 125 parents and a handful of MLAs from the Calgary districts.

Mr. Hancock talked at length about the Education system in Alberta saying he sees himself in the role of explorer in that Alberta Education will be going through large changes in the near and long term future. Here is a paraphrase of a number of the points he made:

• he is fully aware of the importance of education and sees it as an investment in the future of Alberta.
• path to future success is dependent on the harmony of family, schools, community and province, and that the primary key to that success

Education Forum

There will be a CAPSC Education Forum this evening at Western Canada High School starting at 7pm. Most of Calgary's MLA's will be on hand.

Dave Hancock, the Educational Minister will give a presentation which will be followed by a 'roundtable' discussion with each of the MLA's attending.

For a list of attendee's and more information click here.

Had enough of Ed's buffet

(Article of interest, from the Calgary Sun - where school funding is concerned.)

By BEVERLY SMITH, GUEST COLUMNIST

Premier Ed Stelmach has announced plans to end the largesse of his administration and the “all you can eat buffet.’”

He will cut spending so he doesn’t have to raise taxes. He wants to be out of the red in three years. How noble — if you are short-sighted.

It’s like not risking a house mortgage and just buying a tent. It’s like not buying a car and just riding a bicycle.

The “I can be more right wing than you” attitude comes from the challenge of Wildrose Alliance’s Danielle Smith, who is getting way more than her share of press for having long eyelashes and a brain.

She also wants to cut, and anything she can do, Ed can do better.

Read the full story here.

Update on Fine Arts Curriculum Changes

Joan Engel (Curriculum Director, Arts, Communication and Citizenship) with Alberta Education in Edmonton has agreed to attend a Save Our Fine Arts (SOFA) meeting in Calgary to discuss proposed changes to fine arts education, why the changes are proposed, and answer any questions. Christine Bouchard and Shelley Wells from Alberta Education will also be attending with Joan.

The meeting will be held at the Lutheran Church of our Saviour (8831 Fairmount Drive Southeast, a couple blocks north of Lord Beaverbrook High School and the Acadia Pool) in Calgary on Monday, February 1, 2010 from 7:30pm until 9:00pm.

Helping Hands for Haiti

You may have already noticed or even contributed to the efforts at the school to raise some money for Haiti relief. Entitled Helping Hands for Haiti; Mrs. Rupert and Mrs. Gannon are working with the Canadian Red Cross, who will collect all the money raised by our students and then apply to the CDN government for matching funds. The class is already near $800, well past their goal of $500.

Parents wishing to write cheques can make them out to the Canadian Red Cross. Any cash brought in by students is gathered by Mrs. Kipp, who then will cut a school cheque to the Red Cross. When kids bring in money, they receive a “hand” for each dollar they donate, the hands are then posted in the foyer with the donator’s name on it.

Help out any way you can with this tremendous effort and let's plaster the walls of Haultain with Helping Hands.

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"If we are seeing a decline in literacy standards among young children, it is in spite of text messaging, not because of it" - Dr. Clare Wood

A lot of parents commonly believe that texting is creating bad spellers. From the BBC comes an article reporting that this is untrue - that kids who text a lot may actually benefit from the exercise.

These latest findings of an ongoing study at the University of Coventry contradict any expectation that prolonged exposure to texting will erode a child's ability to spell.

Instead it suggests that pupils who regularly use text language - with all its mutations of phonetic spelling and abbreviations - also appear to be developing skills in the more formal use of English.

Read the entire article at the BBC.