Hi Parents - Trevor, Shane and I attended the CEOP (Community Engagement and Operational Planning) meeting this evening, which was aimed at getting parent input on CEOP's proposal to close one of three kindergarten to grade 6 schools in our vicinity: Deer Run, Queensland, or Haultain Memorial.
The school put forward for closure was Queensland Downs - the reasons for which being varied - to get full information on the CEOPS proposal, we highly recommend you visit the Student Accommodation section of the CBE website, and view the presentation. The full presentation will be made available online by the end of the day Tuesday September 15th, and contains the pertinent information which was considered in CEOP's recommendation. Once Parent queries are harvested, a 'Frequently Asked Questions' section will be added, so it's important to submit yours.
It's very, VERY important to remember that at this stage, IT IS STILL JUST A RECOMMENDATION, and is subject to change based on parent involvement and feedback.
Without feedback from the parent community, without parent views and opinions being heard, this consultation process is irrelevant. Your input, with the view of developing a successful learning environment which suits ALL children in our learning area is very important.
Your comments can be submitted in many ways - you are free to leave a comment on this blog, submit questions on the CEOPs 'Feedback' page on the CBE website, or contact your area trustee.
Please comment, write, get involved, and come to Parent Council/Association meetings. Our goal is to maintain the fantastic culture of learning that has been developed at Haultain - and your involvement is the key to achieve that goal.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Meeting Tonight
I just wanted to remind everyone that we (Nick, Mr. Barkley and myself) will be meeting with the CBE's Community Engagement people tonight. Along with the groups from Deer Run and Queensland Downs, we will be presented with the CBE's recommendation for the schools in our community. They will tell us which school they think should be shut down and why. They will tell us the procedures for consultation regarding that recommendation. We will ALL have a chance to say our piece and present ideas to the CEOPs group that may or may not have been thought of already.
After the meeting Nick will have a full and transparent run down of what happened that he will post it on the blog. Please, please refrain from rumour and innuendo - nothing has been released from the CBE to any community as of yet. Tonight will be the first public airing of their recommendations - so if someone tells you they know what is going to happen - they do not, they have heard wrong or have listened to rumour.
I promise - you'll know what we do as soon as possible.
After the meeting Nick will have a full and transparent run down of what happened that he will post it on the blog. Please, please refrain from rumour and innuendo - nothing has been released from the CBE to any community as of yet. Tonight will be the first public airing of their recommendations - so if someone tells you they know what is going to happen - they do not, they have heard wrong or have listened to rumour.
I promise - you'll know what we do as soon as possible.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Parents should be actively involved in children's education
By Aisha Sherazi, Ottawa CitizenResearch suggests that children whose parents get actively involved in their education get better grades and test scores, graduate from high school at higher rates, are more likely to go on to higher education and are better behaved with more positive attitudes. There is also evidence to suggest that children whose parents read to them in the early years thrive better at school.
Another Successful Ice Cream Social!
It was great to see so many folks come out and enjoy a beautiful, warm, sunny evening at the school last night. The ice cream flowed, and fuelled some serious playtime. Thanks to the Parent Association for sponsoring the event and blowing my carefully crafted diet to heck! Thanks for visiting this site - and please feel free to ask any questions you might have, or express any concerns. All questions and comments get forwarded to the council, and we're more than happy to post them in here in order to facilitate some discussion in our parent community. Have a great Friday - and enjoy your weekend!
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Are you bugged by pesticide use?
There has been much media coverage and debate regarding chemical applications used to control unwanted invaders within our city - remember purple loosestrife? We seem to have an abundance of dandelions, mosquitoes with the risk of West Nile, and just recently a rat scare in the northeast. When does a weed or animal become noxious or a nuisance and what is the best practice for dealing with it?
Back in 2008, Calgary City Council directed the City of Calgary Administration to draft a proposed pesticide use bylaw. The term 'pesticides' includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and rodenticides (i.e. rat poison). This initiative came as a result of some citizens voicing their concerns about the environmental and health impacts of non-essential pesticides. Similar bylaws restricting the use of non-essential pesticides have been passed in other cities and provinces across Canada.
The City is welcoming comments and has opened several of its meetings to the public. On October 7, 2009 the Administration will present an update on the pesticide use bylaw and on December 2, 2009 the draft bylaw will be presented at committee along with an update on the City's Integrated Pest Management policy. Click here to access this policy. It is a somewhat lengthy document, but it is easy to scan through and pick out highlights such as common misconceptions regarding pesticide application (see Perceptions), and the various 'zones' in Calgary and how pest management differs among them.
In April 2010, if the bylaw is approved by City Council it will be added to the policy and presented to the Standing Policy Committee on Utilities and Environment.
In the meantime, the City is asking for our input in drafting the pesticide use bylaw, starting with a short 5 question survey here . It is a short-answer essay format asking your opinions on the advantages and disadvantages of City spraying programs, how you personally combat weeds and pests on your property, and to what extent you have success with your methods.
The public is also invited to attend one of the following information sessions:
Wed, Sept 23 - Deerfoot Inn and Casino, Bridlewood Room (1000-11500 35th St. SE) 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Thurs, Sept 24 - Beddington Heights Community Centre (375 Bermuda Dr. NW) 6 pm to 8 pm
Tues Sept 29 - Cedarbrae Community Centre (11024 Oakfield Dr. SW) 6 pm to 8 pm
Wed, Sept 30 - Calgary Pineridge Community Centre (6024 Rundlehorn Dr. NE) 6 pm to 8 pm
If you have any feedback on this issue, please send it here.
Back in 2008, Calgary City Council directed the City of Calgary Administration to draft a proposed pesticide use bylaw. The term 'pesticides' includes herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, and rodenticides (i.e. rat poison). This initiative came as a result of some citizens voicing their concerns about the environmental and health impacts of non-essential pesticides. Similar bylaws restricting the use of non-essential pesticides have been passed in other cities and provinces across Canada.
The City is welcoming comments and has opened several of its meetings to the public. On October 7, 2009 the Administration will present an update on the pesticide use bylaw and on December 2, 2009 the draft bylaw will be presented at committee along with an update on the City's Integrated Pest Management policy. Click here to access this policy. It is a somewhat lengthy document, but it is easy to scan through and pick out highlights such as common misconceptions regarding pesticide application (see Perceptions), and the various 'zones' in Calgary and how pest management differs among them.
In April 2010, if the bylaw is approved by City Council it will be added to the policy and presented to the Standing Policy Committee on Utilities and Environment.
In the meantime, the City is asking for our input in drafting the pesticide use bylaw, starting with a short 5 question survey here . It is a short-answer essay format asking your opinions on the advantages and disadvantages of City spraying programs, how you personally combat weeds and pests on your property, and to what extent you have success with your methods.
The public is also invited to attend one of the following information sessions:
Wed, Sept 23 - Deerfoot Inn and Casino, Bridlewood Room (1000-11500 35th St. SE) 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm
Thurs, Sept 24 - Beddington Heights Community Centre (375 Bermuda Dr. NW) 6 pm to 8 pm
Tues Sept 29 - Cedarbrae Community Centre (11024 Oakfield Dr. SW) 6 pm to 8 pm
Wed, Sept 30 - Calgary Pineridge Community Centre (6024 Rundlehorn Dr. NE) 6 pm to 8 pm
If you have any feedback on this issue, please send it here.
Meetings Last Night
We had our AGM meetings last night, first the Council then the Association. The turnout was exceptional, so many parents of children in Kindergarten and/or grade 1. It was really great to see this kind of interest so soon.
As it was the AGM, we had some elections to go through, I will be staying on as Chair for the next term. Please join me in thanking the following people for the generous donations of their time and effort for our school:
Steve A - Council and Association Vice Chair
Judith N - Council Community Rep
Tracey B - Association Treasurer
Kristie A - Association Fund Raiser
In other Council business we discussed; the Garfield Weston Award, previously mentioned here, the opportunities for parental input to the school development plan, staffing and classroom sizes, and the Community Engagement and Operation Planning procedures for the CBE's upcoming changes to our school.
As mentioned before, there are many rumours floating around about what will be happening. Mr Barkley took the opportunity to address a few of them directly. There will be no schools shutting down in the 2009/2010 school year. McKenzie Towne population will be going to their own school in January. There will be no additions to our school from other communities in January. The CBE will have a recommendation to give to the Trustees (who make the final decision) by the end of December. One of the three school will be closing its doors; Haultain, Queensland, or Deer Run. All three communities will have a chance to meet and consult with the CEOPs group before the recommendations are handed to the Trustees. We will post everything that we know on this blog as the process continues.
If you would like to make a comment to CEOPs about our school, please go here and fill out the form. If you want specific information about the process, please go here. If you want to talk to our Trustee's office (Carol Bazinet), her contact information is here. If you have any input you would like Nick or I to bring to the first meeting with CEOPs please either "comment it" at the end of this blog entry or send us an email with your thoughts.
At the Parent Association meeting we reviewed the proposed budget, which passed, welcomed our new Treasurer and Fund Raiser, discussed our role as parents, and the challenges of budgeting for the 2010/2011 school year.
There will be more detail available once the minutes are posted. Thanks to all our new members as well as our familiar volunteers for coming out and making the meeting a success.
Special thank you to Lynn J for the awesome treats!
As it was the AGM, we had some elections to go through, I will be staying on as Chair for the next term. Please join me in thanking the following people for the generous donations of their time and effort for our school:
Steve A - Council and Association Vice Chair
Judith N - Council Community Rep
Tracey B - Association Treasurer
Kristie A - Association Fund Raiser
In other Council business we discussed; the Garfield Weston Award, previously mentioned here, the opportunities for parental input to the school development plan, staffing and classroom sizes, and the Community Engagement and Operation Planning procedures for the CBE's upcoming changes to our school.
As mentioned before, there are many rumours floating around about what will be happening. Mr Barkley took the opportunity to address a few of them directly. There will be no schools shutting down in the 2009/2010 school year. McKenzie Towne population will be going to their own school in January. There will be no additions to our school from other communities in January. The CBE will have a recommendation to give to the Trustees (who make the final decision) by the end of December. One of the three school will be closing its doors; Haultain, Queensland, or Deer Run. All three communities will have a chance to meet and consult with the CEOPs group before the recommendations are handed to the Trustees. We will post everything that we know on this blog as the process continues.
If you would like to make a comment to CEOPs about our school, please go here and fill out the form. If you want specific information about the process, please go here. If you want to talk to our Trustee's office (Carol Bazinet), her contact information is here. If you have any input you would like Nick or I to bring to the first meeting with CEOPs please either "comment it" at the end of this blog entry or send us an email with your thoughts.
At the Parent Association meeting we reviewed the proposed budget, which passed, welcomed our new Treasurer and Fund Raiser, discussed our role as parents, and the challenges of budgeting for the 2010/2011 school year.
There will be more detail available once the minutes are posted. Thanks to all our new members as well as our familiar volunteers for coming out and making the meeting a success.
Special thank you to Lynn J for the awesome treats!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Child care helps parents make invaluable friends too
From the Canada.com website:NEW YORK - Child care centres are often as good for the parents as for the youngsters when it comes to making friends and building a support network, according to a U.S. study.
Researchers from the University of Chicago found that many child care centers have an overlooked function -- connecting parents with each other as informal advisers in child rearing, and with agencies that help with the challenges of parenting.
"Parents come to school to find someone to care for their children, and they end up learning ways of taking care of each other," said researcher Mario Small, professor in sociology, in a statement.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)