"I Don't Know"

 

• Why is water wet?
• How do aeroplanes stay in the air?
• How do I do long division?
• How much does the earth weigh?

Do these questions stress you out? If so, you aren't the only one. I read this great article about parent's reluctance to say "I don't know" to their kids in the Huffington Post today by David Suzuki and thought you might like it. 

Many parents ... believe they must appear infallible in the eyes of their children. A U.K. survey found that some moms and dads fear questions such as "Why is the sky blue?" and "Why is the moon out during the day?" Math and science queries were the biggest stumpers. - D. Suzuki

 Beware though: this is David Suzuki, so it naturally leads to political and environmental issues... the linked article from the UK sticks better to the point of the story with some great examples.

Showcase success

Our school showcase was well attended last night with parents and students touring the school to experience many of the accomplishments of the year-to-date. From student "docents" leading visitors through learning, to fabulous displays of artwork, to trying out recently purchased musical instruments (funded by the HMSPA), to signing up for Public Library cards or viewing presentations by Alberta Health services, an informative time seemed to be had by all.

As much time and preparation goes into such an evening, we certainly value feedback and comments to help make the experience even better. Please let us know your thoughts!

Children at Home Alone

Often a contentious and guilt-inducing decision.  Is my child mature and savvy enough to be left alone at home?  Some parents agonize over this question, some are blase, some don't even consider it, some have no choice.  There is hope...

Child Safe Canada gives a short course/seminar to kids aged 7 - 16 called Home Alone Safety and First Aid.  It provides an interactive safety program that prepares our kids for being alone at home safely.  Its two hours long and cost $30.00 - follow the above link for the schedule.  Our 11 year old went last week and by his account  it was very worthwhile (to be honest what he said was *shrug* "it was alright I guess").  But judging by the work book he brought home, it did look like they covered a lot of important things that parents might not think about.

I've heard various beliefs about the lawfulness of leaving children alone so did a quick Google search and found the provincial guidelines here. There is no law but 'many Albertans expect families to arrange care or supervision for children left alone under the age of 12' - sounds pretty wishy-washy to me but I guess its a good guideline.  What do you think?  Is under 12 too young to be left alone?  What about under 10? Or 8?

Meeting Parents at the School

Illustrated by Clare Mallsion

Interesting article sent in by Roxane - thanks.

Six Ways to Meet Other Parents at Your Kid's School

“Knowing other school parents is important for the safety and well-being of your child,” says Karen Acton, a principal in Guelph, Ont. “You want to feel comfortable sending your child to someone else’s house to play. Plus, you’re more aware of homework, assignments and classroom happenings.”

Using the Outdoor Rinks? Read This!

This is a post to thank the talented and very dedicated volunteers who make and maintain our outdoor ice.  The QCA ice is among the best in the city; skaters come from other neighbourhoods because they know how superior the Queensland ice crew is at making a great sheet.

I've spent more time on the outdoor rink this year than ever before and the Floor Hockey group has been taking advantage of the rink as well so I wanted to use this forum to thank Panger and his 'posse' of talented volunteers for working so hard.

 

The outdoor facility gives many kids (and kids-at-heart) a safe and friendly environment to skate, play hockey, improve, visit, practice, meet, gossip, watch, help, teach, compete, congregate and be a community.  So if you see any of the volunteers who make it possible, say 'thanks - good job' because they deserve it.  Let the Community Association know how much you appreciate it too - it takes funding to keep the whole thing going so they need to know how much it means to us.  Let us know on the blog too - if you use the ice, click on 'comment' below and let the volunteers know what it means to you.

Some tidbits:

• Three 'senior' volunteers get up early each morning and spend about three hours sweeping, edging and flooding the ice - thanks Ken, Steve, and Wayne.
• Aaron (Panger), Stephan, Ryan, Michael, Jesse, and Tyler are the night crew who make sure the ice, boards, nets, lights, walkways, benches, dressing room are ready for the morning guys.
• Panger is always looking for help.  You don't need to necessarily commit to a huge amount of time but if you have an hour or two a week to spare; come by and ask how you can help or call the QCA @ 403-278-3366 and leave a message.
• Donations of hockey gear of any sort are always welcome, many kids come to play but not all of them have all they need, help them out with anything you have.
• The facility just had a huge upgrade with the installation of the fencing over the boards to keep errant pucks where they belong.
• The next big step will be the acquisition of a full size ice-resurfacer and shed to keep it in.  Look for future fund raising activity for that.

School Showcase Evening!

Haultain Memorial will be hosting a "School Showcase" evening tomorrow, February 2nd from 6:30 to 8:00pm. This will be a great opportunity to visit classes and see many of the exciting things occurring at HMS. The "open house" format will allow you to move from classroom to classroom, view art, try some activities, and see presentations from our school nurse and other presenters. We hope to see you all there!

Ten Most Educated Countries in the World

Interesting finance article on Yahoo this morning.  Not a big surprise that there is a link between money spent on education and having large numbers of educated people in your country, but there's also a link between the highest numbers of educated people among the richest countries by GDP.  Look who's number 1!