Dangerous traffic jams at Calgary schools worry aldermen

By Richard Cuthbertson, Calgary Herald 

The traffic jams at many local schools when students are dropped off and picked up are coming under scrutiny, as a pair of Calgary aldermen worry the twice-daily muddle has become too dangerous.

Ald. Gord Lowe said he routinely sees children darting between vehicles, parents jaywalking, traffic backups and school parking lots not large enough for all staff vehicles.

Lowe and Ald. Jim Stevenson have a notice of motion heading to city council on Monday urging a $250,000 study of the issue and recommendations to improve the situation.

“It becomes a circular debate and we’re getting nowhere on it, and the problem’s getting worse,” Lowe said. “I just want to get it fixed before we kill a kid.”

 Read the full story here.

Take back classrooms: We need to borrow a line from the ’80s and ‘Just Say No’ to educrats

By Brian Lilley

It’s time for parents to start pushing back against the out-of-control educrats running our school systems.

From no-zero policies, to language codes that forbid words like husband or wife to crazy sex-ed encouraging kids to do things no adult should be talking about in public, the educrats are ruining our schools.

But if parents get involved, they can stop the madness.

A few weeks ago we heard about Ontario’s Durham school board’s language policy telling us that terms such as husband and wife were too offensive and we should only use partner.

The guide went so far as to say calling a Korean person Korean was offensive and that we should call them “A person from Korea.” Funny enough, my dictionary says that a person from Korea is a Korean.

Interested in this point of view? Click here to read the full article.
 

Kids and Drugs

On Tuesday night, I attended a free parenting class, Kids and Drugs: A Parent’s Guide to Prevention, at the Fish Creek Library.  The class was put on by Alberta Health Services.  It was geared to parents of children between the ages of eight and fifteen.  Some interesting risk and protective factors were shared in the class, such as the fact that the earlier a child experiments with substances, including alcohol, the more likely the child will fall victim to substance abuse.  The hour and a half session offered parents valuable tools for prevention against youth substance abuse.  Three of the major areas that were covered included: “the power of parents,” “talking with your kids” and “helping kids make good decisions.”  Positive parental modeling and involvement were described as major influences that help prevent youth drug use.  According to Alberta Health Services, parents communicating effectively will also play a huge role in the prevention of substance abuse.  Finally, the class taught that by establishing rules and boundaries, developing a child’s self- esteem and offering ways to deal with peer pressure, a child will be better equipped to make good decisions.  Inevitably, those good decisions will lower a youngster’s risk of becoming a substance abuser.  For more detailed information on this subject, go to www.albertahealthservices.ca .  Or click on the link below to view the parent's booklet:

Kids and Drugs: A Parent's Guide to Prevention

Do You Let Your Child Play With Toy Guns?

This is an interesting article from Today's Parent magazine about the debate over toy guns for children.  Both perspectives are offered in the article: that from a parent who allows toy guns and that from one who doesn't.  Read the story here and share your opinion about the issue in the comment section below.

Anti-trolling lessons set for schools in Australia

by Lauren O'Neil, from the CBC website

Students in Australia already learn about the negative effects of schoolyard violence as part of the national curriculum, but top authorities aren't satisfied with the extent of their anti-bullying education.

Prime Minister Julia Gillard has personally asked the Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority to include anti-trolling and anti-cyber abuse lessons in a new, expanded curriculum.

"Whether it's physical violence or online intimidation, we need to ensure that our kids learn the lesson early in life that this conduct can cause great harm and have real consequences," she said to the Herald Sun.

Read the full story here.

CBE rejects setting ratio of lunch supervisors to students

By Richard Cuthbertson, Calgary Herald

For some parents, supervising two children during lunch can be a handful.

But at many Calgary public schools, a single lunch monitor can be keeping an eye on more than 50 children at time.

According to an internal report obtained through freedom of information, one-fifth of Calgary Board of Education schools have a ratio of more than 50 students for every noon supervisor.

But even with sometimes stark differences in supervision numbers across the system, the CBE has decided not to impose strict lunch monitor-to-student ratios in schools.

Read the full story here.

Santa Quits Smoking

An independent publisher is being accused for 'over the top' political correctness because of her updated version of Clement C. Moore's poem, 'Twas the Night Before Christmas. Do you think she has gone too far or is her new image of Santa a good thing?  Read the full story here.