Kids pose with Santa and guns

(From the Calgary Sun website.)

Ah, Christmas. The season of giving, of goodwill toward men ... and of gun-toting children.

The Scottsdale Gun Club, in Arizona, has come up with a holiday card that offers more bang for the buck, reports KOLD News 13. It's letting members and their families pose with Santa along with their choice of machine guns.

"I think it's going to be all in fun from those who support the second amendment and those who don't," club member Richard Jones told the channel. "Whether you're a gun advocate or not, you should have a lot of fun with it."

Families can also try out the AK-47s, M-16s and other assault weapons while they're there, in case they're looking for that perfect gift.

(Anyone care to offer up a comment or two?)

Girls pulling ahead of boys in school, report shows

(an interesting article from the Calgary Herald site)

A new report shows that female Grade 8 students are outperforming their male counterparts in Canada on reading and science, with no discernable difference between the two genders in math skills.

The report, released Monday, outlines the results of the 2010 Pan-Canadian Assessment Program (PCAP) from the Council of Ministers of Education in Canada.

It's based on test results from 32,000 Grade 8 students from more than 1,600 schools across the country, providing a national report card.

Girls scored better than boys in both science and reading, lending credence to the view that boys need a push in several subjects.

Break-down by province
Students in Quebec and Ontario scored above the national average on math. They scored near the national average in Alberta, and below the average in all other provinces and territories tested.

When it comes to science, students in Alberta and Ontario scored above the national average. They scored near the national average in British Columbia and Prince Edward Island, and below the average in all other provinces and territories tested.

On the reading portion, students in Ontario and Alberta scored above the national average. They scored near the national average in British Columbia, and below the average in all other provinces and territories tested.

When it comes to reading and writing there is a problem with how boys view reading and writing, according to Denis Mildon, an independent consultant who helped ensure that CMEC collected the data properly and helped write the report.

Read the rest here.

Health ministers sound alarm on childhood obesity

Canada's health ministers issued separate but similar warnings Thursday that obesity — specifically childhood obesity — is now a critical national health concern and a major contributor to rising health-care costs.

Obesity is the "next epidemic," said federal Health Minister Leona Aglukkaq, speaking in Ottawa to a Senate committee studying the health system. "Our children will not live to our age because of obesity."

Provincial and territorial health ministers, meeting in Halifax, were even more emphatic.

"It's not the next epidemic, it's the present epidemic," said Quebec Health Minister Yves Bolduc, a medical doctor, whose remark prompted a joint nodding of heads by his 12 provincial and territorial colleagues at a news conference here.

Read the full story here.

HOJA Success... Again

Another great session with the team from HOJA was enjoyed at the school earlier this month.  The popular performers sang (a cappella) a wide variety of tunes from singers including: Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber, Alabama (see pic), Mrs. Karlson was regaled with 'Brown Eyed Girl', and the crowd joined in on 'YMCA' - Mr. Barkley's favourite.  The performance ended with a great message to follow your dreams, believe in yourself and never give up.

There was also an unidentified 'volunteer' performer from the audience who by all accounts was enthusiastic if a little perplexed.

Two Interesting Articles

These were sent in by Roxane: "How to raise an appreciative child" and "Pack those lunch bags with tasty inspiration".  (I guess the second answers the first). 

Thanks Roxane, if anyone else comes across a story they'd like to share please send it in - we'd be happy to post it.

Minister of Education Teleconference: Open to All

The Minister of Education is hosting a teleconference with parents and school councils at 7:45 pm on November 29th to discuss education.

  The Minister believes that parents play an important role in the education system, and is interested in hearing directly from them.

  Parents and School Council representatives are invited to participate in the conference call with the Honourable Thomas Lukaszuk, Minister of Education to discuss priorities for the next several months for Alberta's education system.

  Participants are encouraged to gather as a group to dial in where possible.

  The call will begin at 7:45 PM on Tuesday, November 29, 2011 and will take approximately 1 hour.
Please dial in at least 15 to 20 minutes ahead of time to the number listed below, as it will take time for all participants to be queued into the call and ensure participation.

Dial in information: 1-888-789-9572
Conference ID: # 5634664

  When participants dial in they will be greeted by a conference operator asking for the conference ID, the person's name, school and school authority. Participants will be able to ask a limited number of questions following the Minister's comments.

  All questions and responses will be heard by all participants and the Minister will answer as many questions as possible in the time allotted. If you experience any problems during the conference call, please stay on the line to speak to the operator.

  If participants have any questions in the days leading up to the teleconference, please contact Maureen Melnyk, Education Manager, Learning Supports & Information Management, at maureen.melnyk@gov.ab.ca or by telephone at 780-427-6272, or by calling toll free at 310-0000.

More Calgarians homeschooling through board programs

(From the CBC website)

Home schooling programs through the Calgary Board of Education have seen a 30 per cent rise in the number of parents taking part.


Read the full story here.