Intersting Article

Are computers really the teaching tool we've been led to believe?

Click hear to read an interesting article on the subject.

Yearbook Survey

Time for another quick survey. Please answer the following. We will use this input to help decide whether we should create another Haultain yearbook for 2010-2011. Don't forget to click on the 'submit' button after making your choices.

Last year the yearbooks were $20.00. You can see examples of the possibilities here, click on the button labeled 'View Yearbook Galleries'.

Quaker Canada recalls granola bars

Quaker Canada is voluntarily recalling granola bars after two packages were found to wrongly contain bars that could cause problems for consumers with peanut or tree nut allergies.

The food company, a Canadian unit of U.S.-based Pepsico Inc , said no illnesses had been reported due to the mislabeled packages.

Click here to read the full story.

228 Thank Yous!

Thank you to everyone who made the casino fund raiser a big success this year. Although we won't have our final numbers until early next year, I can safely say that the 33 people who donated a combined 140 hours of volunteers work made about $450.00 per hour for Haultain's children.

This money, as most of you know, goes to field trips, library books, programming, clubs, presenters, residencies, art and music supplies, gym equipment, computers, etc. Many of these things would represent an increased financial burden on families or we would have to do without them entirely if it weren't for the unselfish and dedicated volunteers who graciously committed their time. So the 228 students at Haultain will all benefit from their contribution.

Laughs were shared, and elastic band artillery techniques were improved. The munchies were great and the company second to none. Steve did another fabulous job of organizing the whole thing and a good time was had by all. If you didn't get a chance to join us - I recommend getting involved next time, no skills necessary (as proven by some more than others), training supplied and it can actually be a lot of fun.

Thank you especially to Haultain staff (Mr. and Mrs. Kipp, Mr. Barkley, and Mr. Fero) and those of our group who helped us but have no children in our school. That is a very special contribution - you get a gold star!

We will announce the final numbers when we get them. Thanks again everyone!

Interview Time: Online Booking Now Open

A reminder that you are now able to book your parent/teacher conferences for this week online - as opposed to phoning to book.

Simply visit our Haultain homepage (http://schools.cbe.ab.ca/b362/) and click the conference booking link. This will take you to a secure site at pickatime.com.

Once there, create an account by entering your email address and creating a password. Email addresses will be used to send your conference confirmation only.

Once you have logged in, select your student's teacher. If you wish a Thursday interview, scroll down and select an available time slot. Should you wish Friday, you should not need to scroll. Simply click the appointment box you desire. Be sure the colour matches the teacher legend.

Now that you have selected the time slot, enter your child's FIRST NAME and LAST INITIAL so it can be recorded on the teacher's schedule. If you would like a reminder email, enter that information as well.

By the way, let us know what you think of this process. We realize it isn't communicating with a person, but we also hope the convenience, ease, and reduced office stress will balance things out. Comments are welcome!

Meetings Last Night

Thank you to everyone who showed up for the meetings last night. Braving the cold and miserable weather to attend shows some real dedication.

We accomplished a lot and spent some money at the PA. A decision was made regarding the sign, we will be going with new letters/rails and a complete refinish on the wooden part - thank you for everyone's input on the survey and especially at the meeting last night. We are funding a great looking field trip for grades 3 and 4 to the Bow Habitat/Sam Livingston Fish Hatchery. We are also funding a visit from Hazel Hutchins, author and presenter (the timing details are still to be worked out), and Mrs. Austin has sought and received funding for Moving Up With Literacy.

The council discussion was dominated by the presentation of the new policy of network access school wide for any device the students bring in. This was presented on the blog here a few days ago and was talked about again last night. Mr. Barkley and Mr. Fero are looking for input from parents for how this will be monitored and controlled. The hardware and technology is in place but isn't turned on yet pending our input. Please revisit the post to learn what this is all about. This additional technology has the potential for enormous change at the school and parents need to be engaged and ready on this issue. Some instant questions that may come to mind:

• How will internet access be monitored?
• Will students be allowed to access the network any time they wish?
• What if they are in the playground - can they access the internet from there unsupervised?
• Is the network robust enough to protect my child's laptop from a virus that another child's laptop my have?
• What sorts of devices can the students use, laptops, iPods, netbooks...?
• How will the school ensure that student's devices remain secure at recess and lunch time?

Please add your own questions and concerns - send me an email or write a comment and I will add it to the list as we help create the policy for the use and control of this new technology.

Queensland Diamond Cove Community Association

The Queensland Diamond Cove Community Association wants to remind you to renew your membership. The benefits are numerous, see the poster on the left for the top ten, and its not expensive: $20.00 per family.

Join up today.