"North Huron Parents Still Uneasy With School Plan"

North Huron Parents Still Uneasy With School Plan
Wednesday,
September 23, 2009 5:50 am
The ministry-appointed facilitator in the appeal
of the closure of the Blyth Public School met with ARC committee members
from the other four schools in the accommodation review last night in Blyth.Robert Hunkings of Hullet Central Public
School says they were disappointed that capacity at F.E. Madill Secondary School in Wingham was such a
critical factor in the final decision since the high school was never included
in the accommodation review.(Click arrow for audio or right click to
download)Hunkings acknowledged that since the changes would
not affect more than 50 per cent of the student population of the high school
the board was not required to include them on the review.But he felt it would
have helped the process if they had known that was going to be a
factor.Facilitator Margaret Wilson says she will meet with board officials this
morning then head back to Toronto to start writing a report.That will take 2 to
3 months.

http://www.1017theone.ca/news.php?area=details&art_id=6658

I am glad that Blyth Public is fighting this. Although I have removed my daughter from the school (due to bullying reasons), there seems to be a positive morale due to the arrival of the new principal. As I have said before, this is not merely a school issue, it is a community one. Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to the Seaforth meeting. I am not sure how many people turned out for the meeting, but I do know that many signed the petition that was brought house to house during the summer.

I have mentioned that this is not solely a school closing issue, it is basic economics. If they have the ability to use money for a JK-6 school, which most likely (this is opinion) would be situated in Wingham, then they could also push for more funding for a JK to 8 school. Wingham has been using Blyth tax dollars and moneys earned from the Bluewater Dog Show, Threshers, and moneys earned from the Community Centre (if I am not mistaken). We are subsidizing Wingham. My question is why? It seems like the Sauble Beach/Wiarton conundrum. Small town subsidizing a larger town, yet the small town does not benefit. We are central from Clinton to Wingham which draws from surrounding areas. We are operating at a good capacity in the school.


I guess my intent, as it has always been, is for the Board to look at the entire picture, especially a small town scenario. Maybe the shades of grey are not written into their mandates passed down from the government? Maybe this should be investigated. It is not just a black and white issue based on numbers, bricks and mortar, and what is the easiest choice to make. There are shades of grey, and as each rural school closes, without a suitable, or even a "better option", people will take their children elsewhere, or move away. This is a simplistic view of the situation at hand.


Something smells funny here, and it's not just manure festering on the fields.

"Still Hope for Blyth School"

Still Hope for Blyth School by Jon Meyer
http://www.radioowensound.com/news_item.php?NewsID=17023

Although it's slim, there's still hope for Blyth Public School.
Avon Maitland Trustees voted in favour of the School Board's recommendation last year to close the towns only school, and that decision will be reviewed by facilitator Margret Wilson.
Wilson will compile a report to see if the school board did in fact follow all of their policy's and procedures.

Superintendent Mike Ash is confident that her report will not show any wrong doing by the school board. The appeal to the Ministry came from Blyth Parents.
While Wilson's report can make recommendations, she does not have any legislative authority to overturn the boards decision. The report will be handed to the Ministers office later this fall.

Please READ This WEBSITE!

http://www.amdsb.info/

Although, I have withdrawn my daughter from the public school system, due to intense bullying and harassment, it is my hope that parents and community members keep up the momentum and the fight for our rural schools.


Regarding the article in the London Free Press, on Saturday, I asked Ms. Pedro to contact key players in the ARC group, as I felt they were more apt to be up on the appeal situation. Unfortunately, they were either unavailable, or it was too late when messages were recieved. (They most likely would have been better quoted, as I was having a hard day with Fibromyalgia, and Chronic Fatigue, and with that, sometimes, I get a bit of a slur).

I am sure Ms. Pedro would love to hear from concerned parents and community members. So if media attention is what is needed, The London Free Press is an excellent venue, and there is interest, so those of you who are in the ARC, use that source, or just write a letter to the editor at the London Free Press, and keep writing. Face Book, is a good venue, but more often than not (Bullying Awareness group), you are only targetting a select group of people. It is time for those concerned with Blyth Public and other rural schools to branch out.

An in town school has a direct influence on economics. We need our school, as it has a ripple effect, it keeps parents using the cafes, Scrimgeour's Food Market, The General Store. It also, keeps parents who want to be part of the community life in touch. It is a community hub, where people get to know people, and interact, through fundraising, Christmas Concerts and volunteering.

On snow days, many of the children are able to walk home. In North Huron, it is part of the Snowbelt, we had (please don't quote me on this) ten snow days two years ago. Although a portion of the children attending Blyth P.S. are bused, they are not far from home, and can either be picked up by a parent, or in a worst case scenario, stay at a friend's house for the duration of the storm. Many children can walk the distance home.

This topic must be revisited and transparency, on the side of the board must be followed. If a decision was already made prior to the ARC forming, and preconceived notions prevailed, then it is a flawed system. A flawed system that drew parents out into terrible winter driving conditions, a system that made many rely (and pay) for babysitters, a system that wasted the time of many, a system that cemented those that believed "there was nothing that would change" from the beginning.

I hope the AMDSB, proves that they "can look outside the box", just as they told ARC members to do in the beginning, which formed workable idea of The North Maitland Educational Centre for Excellence. I truly hope that "change" will take place, and they not only admit to their mistakes, but act on what is truly good for children, and communities, not just what solution may be easiest, but one that will benefit future generations.

London Free Press Story.

Blyth school closing gets second lookBy KELLY PEDRO


A small elementary school in Blyth slated to close may have a second chance.
Following an appeal from parents, the Ministry of Education has appointed a facilitator to examine if the Avon Maitland District school board followed its rules in making the decision to close Blyth public school.

"I think it's a good thing. Maybe it'll add some transparency to the process," said Lisa Bieman, a parent whose child attended the school last year.

"It just seemed that the board had already made its decision early in the year. A lot of the morale of the school dropped."

An accommodation review committee recommended earlier this year that four elementary schools -- Blyth, Turnberry Central, East Wawanosh and Wingham -- close and a new school be built.
Instead, trustees voted to close the four schools by July 2011, move Grade 7 and 8 pupils to F. E. Madill high school in Wingham and house kindergarten to Grade 6 pupils from Wingham, Turnberry, East Wawanosh and some from Blyth in a new $8.8 million school to be built on one of the existing sites.

The rest of the Blyth pupils would go to Hullett Central public school in Londesborough.
The decision prompted an appeal from parents and community members who said the board didn't follow its policies. A ministry spokesperson said a facilitator will be appointed soon and an administrative review will occur this fall. The facilitator will meet with the board, the people who signed the petition and members of the review committee and look at the board's policy.
The facilitator may make recommendations, but has no legislative authority to overturn the board's decision, the spokesperson said.

Bieman said she hopes the board revisits its decision.
"The rural community is a different type of community. We need our in-town school."
Rural schools bring people in the community together and create spinoff jobs, such as corner cafes where some older pupils will go for lunch, Bieman said. "Within smaller communities these schools are so important. When these schools close, it's devastating for the community."

Blyth is a community of about 1,000 about 80 kilometres north of London. Southwest Middlesex Mayor Doug Reycraft, who is also chairperson of the Community Schools Alliance, said the appointment of a facilitator may not change anything. Two communities appealed a Thames Valley District school board decision to close Caradoc South public school in Melbourne and Metcalfe Central public school in Adelaide-Metcalfe, but the facilitator ruled the board followed its policy and the appeals were dismissed. "In the case here and in most cases that I'm aware of, the facilitator has ruled that the board has followed its policy and the appeals have been dismissed," Reycraft said. The alliance was created out of a frustration that the accommodation review committee process is just a formality because boards have already decided the outcomes.
"Our challenge is to convince the Ministry of Education and the premier that there is a great need for change," Reycraft said. Kelly Pedro is The Free Press education reporter. kelly.pedro@sunmedia.ca

Come On People!

Just a quick note, after reviewing the stats on this page, via the counter, it baffles me as to WHY people are not posting opposing views, or any views. Much traffic comes from the AMDSB, and people are able to post anonymously. I have taken feedburner down, to allow some dialogue. Yet it seems this blog is yet, just another meeting where the same people talk, (well different people on this blog).

This is a venue for the public, if you are concerned about schools in the area post something, a comment, something angry, something in favour of what the board is doing, anything at all. Obviously the board IS watching, but again public apathy will be the downfall of rural schools. Even if the decision was made prior to forming the ARC, there is always the chance something could change, some comment could turn out to be the tipping point in favour of NMECE or saving Blyth Public School.

Invest in Huron County Or Wither

My view on the current state of declining enrollment at F.E. Madill is simple. What Huron County needs is a training facility, be it trades, be it university courses offered, be it C.O.P.E. programmes implemented into the school that utilizes the space. Instead of RENTING downtown storefronts, for C.O.P.E programmes.


The school board thinks that the easy way out is to put twelve and thirteen year old children into the high school system. It's been done, but again it is an easy way out of declining enrollment at F.E. Madill. Blyth Public School is running at capacity, it has low operating costs, yet the board is intent on closing it to feed F.E. Madill. ARC was told to "think outside the box", although the die was already cast, why the board cannot "think outside the box" defies reason. It is shortsighted, and will be an obtuse choice if they do not come up with something more proactive and inventive.


Huron County needs to keep our youngsters and our adults in the county. As soon as a child is put through the system, they leave to post secondary education elsewhere. Why not give opportunity here? There is relatively nothing for adults, nor those who have just graduated. Why not offer university courses, that actually lead to something? Why not give local businesses the opportunity to retrain their employees and continue education HERE?

I have written about this on Facebook. In my high school years, I started off at Oakridge S.S., then transferred to Beal. Beal was akin to the television show "Fame". There was dance, there was automotive, cosmetology, and there was the Vocational Art Diploma.

In my classes (art), I do remember having adults in the course, not only did they give to the programme, but it was an opportunity for them to use the school.

My point is why not invest not only in our youngsters, but in Huron County itself? Give Huron County a draw, a pull, that brings new people into the educational system? Why just have what we have? Yes, Goderich does offer some courses, but North Huron could do the same.

Blyth has a bustling theatre, why not offer Theatre Tech courses through F.E. Madill? It is my understanding that some of these courses have been cut from Fanshawe College. In essence, my point is, make Huron County a place where people want to be, not a place that they have to leave once they become of age, or need a new vocation. Give opportunity, do not deny opportunity.

Young people move out of the county looking for more, and we could give some of them "something more" at a post secondary level. People who have lost jobs in the county have moved away or now travel an hour and a half to better themselves, why not better ourselves in our own county?

Here's what I wrote on Facebook in response to Michele McDonald's question:Post #1
Michele Manjin McDonald wroteon May 27, 2009 at 9:48am

The declining enrollement at FE has left them with space to fill. The board's solution is to put grade 7 & 8's in there, thus, creating space in the elementary schools and having them close. Then, moving our little kids around to the few that remain open. In some cases requiring portables to suport the excess capacity. Instead of putting our 11 and 12 year olds in the highschool, which is greatly opposed by the public, how can they appropriately fill the space? Let's brainstorm some ideas. Who knows, maybe we can have a delegation at the next meeting to present any ideas that could be viable


You wrote on May 27, 2009 at 2:56pm

In my humble opinion, the idea of separating Adult Education from the high school is a ridiculous waste of taxpayer money. These spots could be filled with learning trades, adult classes in art, or other continuing education programmes which Huron County is in dire need of. Trades of all kinds are needed. There is nothing in Huron County for Post Secondary Education. Goderich occasionally offers courses at a university level. Could this not be offered in Wingham? There is nothing for our children here beyond the secondary level, and maybe, we should steer our focus to not only keeping our young children out of the high school culture, but giving some culture back to the adults that live in the community? Welding, Electrical, Carpentry, Automotive, Computer Tech, Steel Workers, Sheet Metal Mechanics, the list is endless. . .Even the odd Philosophy Course would be a bonus. What about even upgrading skills~~companies love that stuff. Better their employees, better morale. It can be done. Actually, one of the high schools I went to offered these courses to adults, Beal S.S. in London, where you could get your Vocational Art Diploma as well as the regular and advanced courses. We had adults in our classes, it was a norm, not an anomaly.

Funding~~ Not for NMECE

North Huron has been approved for a little funding,

but it's not earmarked for NMECE,

as the board would like some parents to assume. It is for a JK-6 school. Still our 7 and 8's will be put into highschool, schools would still be closed (including Blyth). Why not make it a middle school instead?

http://www.1017theone.ca/news.php
Province Provides Money for New School in North Huron Area
Wednesday, June 10, 2009 5:50 am
The Avon Maitland District School Board is going to get the funding it needed to build a new school in the North Huron area.Five schools in the area are currently involved in an accommodation review.Building a new school for students from Blyth, Turnberry and East Wawanosh was a conditional recommendation from staff, providing funding was available.Huron-Bruce M-P-P Carol Mitchell told board members yesterday they would receive 8.8 million dollars for school construction.Superintendent, Mike Ash, says the board will now have decide how to use the funding.(Click arrow for audio or right click to download)Ash and board chair, Jenny Versteeg, stressed that no decision has been made on the North Huron accommodation review but the funding does give the board more options.

Mike Ash Response to Lisa Bieman's Letter

This was in my JUNK box for some time, I think my e mail program appropriately filed it. This is the original, unadulterated e mail, so spelling and grammatical errors are not mine. In some ways, this is akin to an auto responder.


Lisa

I am sorry that you feel that the ARC process has been misrepresented. That was certainly not our intent.First, I must emphasize that no decision has been made regarding the schools reviewed in the North East Central Huron ARC. That decision will not be made until June 23. Your views, along with the views of others may still be heard by the Trustees attheir regular board meetings. On May 12 the Board will be meeting at Wingham P.S. specifically to provide an opportunity for delegations to be heard.The ARC process was designed to provide input from the public. That took place over the course of six meetings between November and March. The next phase of accommodation review was the input from staff. The staff report was provided at the last Boardmeeting. Staff are must ensure Trustees are as informed as possible regarding decisions related to accommodation review. To that end we must ensure that our recommendations take into account the education of the students, the Board's fiscal reality andour experiences in the past related to Ministry funding and accommodation reviews. We, as a staff, believe that we have demonstrated the effectiveness and efficiency of the education opportunity provided to Grade 7 and 8 students in a secondary setting. We also know that, as of this date, the Ministry has not announced any funding for construction of a new school. We applied for funding in the fall of 2008 and our application, along with applications from across the province, are still under review. We also know, based on our experience in Goderich and St. Marys, that the Ministry requires us to use available excess spaces in dealing with our school consolidations. We would not be doing our job as staff if we did not present Trustees with a numberof options and the costs associated with those options. While the staff do agree with building a new school in the north Huron area, our experience leads us to disagree with the members of the ARC with respect to what the Board can afford and what theMinistry will fund.I encourage you make your views known to the Trustees as they continue the dialogue between now and June 23.Mike Ash

IMPORTANT, INFO ~Michele McDonald

Hello All,

Just wanted to fill you in on last night's meeting regarding the CENARC and what was being said.

Mike Ash addressed certain points of the delegations from the previous meeting and here are some highlights:

1. EQAO results: unfair picture, the board is doing well. If 2 students are sick on the day the test is administered, it can throw off the entire result by 13%. One of the trustees commented (I believe it was Tina Traschel) said "it's one day with a child sitting at their desk." It's not really a measure of how they are doing. Other trustees nodded, which leads me to believe EQAO results good or bad will have no bearing on their decision.

2. The fact that Madill was not named in the review: He says by their guidelines they don't have to be. They are a receiving school and less than 50% of their population is unaffected. So this concern is unfounded. Mr. Doherty referred to the Mitchell Accommodation Review where the highschool was named because it was a receiving school and not meant for closure and it caused "confusion" and people were defending it when there was no need to because it wasn't going to close. So from there they learned and decided to keep the receiving school out of it.

3. The fact that, even in the earliest of meetings the possibility of 7&8's in high school was brought up and discussed so the ARC was aware this was a possibility. (That's when the board staff put in their ear plugs when the public stood up and said"No!")Ernest Dow wrote and I concure:"At tonight's AMDSB meeting an interesting document was released - the "PTR (Prohibitive To Repair, now known as Local Priorities) Template" for NE & NW Huron Area - see pp.4-6 of attached PDF file. AMDSB staff submitted this by October 31/08 (Halloween!) with subsequent revisions.

So back then, nearly 2 weeks before our first official ARC meeting at Hullett Nov.13/08, staff were applying to the Ministry for funding for a "North West Huron Elementary School" involving closure of Blyth, E Wawanosh, and Turnberry, to build a new JK-6 school on the Turnberry site, with Gr 7-8s going to FE Madill. Phase 1 of the new school would have 341 pupil places, 16 classrooms, cost $5.6M. Phase 2 would add Brussels JK-6, add 222 pupil places, for a total of 563 pupil places, 25 classrooms, cost $9.2M overall.Results in terms of funding approved by the Ministry are expected about June 12. If funding is approved, my understanding is it would have to be spent substantially according to the proposal submitted - AMDSB's hands are tied. For a scenario that digressed from the submission (eg NMECE), the Board would probably not get any of the $9M - and have to come up with the money elsewhere.

"So where do we go from here? I am asking all the members to write to the MPP for starters. Let's flood their office with our concerns. One being the closure of Blyth for no fiscally or morally sound reason. Another being the ARC process and the board's disregard for public opinion. (all 3 recommendations included 7&8's in high school when we said NO from day 1). Also, their premature application for funding which shows their premeditation and intent to do their own thing anyway. It should be noted to our MPP that parents feel that age 11 and 12 is too young for high school regardless of this proceeding.

Here is Carol Mitchell's email address:cmitchell.mpp.co@liberal.ola.org

I will also post a link to the Legislative Assembly where the office address and phone # are listed.

PLEASE write to her and let her know your concerns!

Lastly, I was trying to think about how to solve the high school's issue of declining enrolment without using our little kids. It isn't that I (we) don't care about the high school students. My kids will be there. So lets be productive. At the May 12 meeting it was questioned why the Adult education was in a building downtown and not at the high school. So why is that? So what could we put in the high school to appropriately fill it? A specialized program, such as a chef school? I will be opening up a discussion on the main page of Save Blyth Public School so you can help find solutions.

Thanks to you all for your support,

Michele

Quicky :)

I want to commend all who spoke at the board meeting last night, in response to the recommendations put forth by the board. All who spoke were eloquent, and also to the point.

It was made blatantly obvious that there has been an ulterior motive within the board, this feeling was cemented as it was mentioned that someone who was intoxicated at a party knew that this would be the board's recommendation, and unintentionally spewed this information a few months ago.

Another bone of contention is that Adult Education classes are being held in rented buildings in the Wingham as well as Clinton. These Adult Education classes could be easily held at the high schools. It is a high school problem, that needs to be addressed, and it can be done with training courses, as mentioned at the meeting. Spaces do not have to be filled with our small children.

Group Protests Moving 7 and 8's to Wingham Highschool
http://www.am920.ca/news.php?area=details&cat_id=4&art_id=4612
Wednesday, May 13, 2009 5:30 am


A representative for the Central East North Huron Accommodation Review Committee doesn't accept school board staff position that provincial funding will depend on filling capacity at F-E Madill Secondary School in Wingham.Parents from five elementary schools involved in the accommodation review have said from the beginning that they were opposed to sending their children in grades 7 and 8 to a high school.At last night's board meeting in Wingham, Mark Beavan of East Wawanosh says it changes the terms of reference in the process.(Click on arrow to listen to audio)Beavan says the accommodation review process only involved the elementary schools and F-E Madill in Wingham was never part of the process, so the introduction of Madill now could be grounds for a legal challenge.

Letter to the Board By E-Mail

To whom it may concern,


I am writing in response to the Board's decision to close two of the schools and to put our Grade Seven and Eight's into a high school setting. Not only does decision this belittle how much work that went into the committee that brought forth a viable alternative (NMECE), but it reflects the dismissive attitude of the school board itself. The community was clear and adamant on what we did not want, and that was the scenario you hand picked.

As a community we were willing to band together and let our differences go by the wayside, to promote what was best for our children not what we felt was best for our immediate community. Unfortunately, your decision is not only shortsighted, but depicts the "status quo" mentality that people who did not turn out for the meetings said would happen. It is blatantly obvious you had your agenda already in place and the idea to "think outside the box" was nothing but a means to distract us from what was inevitable. Therefore, I suggest, that because F.E. Madill was not part of the initial ARC proposal, that a new ARC be formed, and the veil of secrecy and motive be removed, and have an open and honest modus operandi.

I am also suggesting that you start to observe the feelings and sentiments of the students and families and citizens that you represent, and families that may move to the county. You are undermining the importance of our Huron County, our resources, and our children.

I would also like to suggest that those on the Board take a course in Ethics, it may improve community relations, it may also teach you, that actions do have a reaction, and Huron County will not become a draw to those outside our boundaries, since a lack of quality schools are a real-estate deal breaker.

Our tax dollars pay your salaries, and when our small towns become ghost towns, you will need to step back and wonder why you are without jobs. Could it be that closing Blyth P.S. which is running at capacity, and choosing not to pursue NMECE, may be the catalyst?

It seems that the Board really wants to keep going through the process every five years of closing schools, in an effort to keep themselves gainfully employed with cushioned pensions. Kudos to you, another great job!

Lisa Bieman

Letter To Board Employees~~From Joanne Smith

Dear Board Employees,

I like many other parents awoke this morning to the news of my son's school being closed down. I have attended many of the meetings discussing the possibility of this happening and was not at all shocked about the closure of one or more schools. Unfortunately a lot of the children who heard for the first time that their beloved school was closing came from a radio box and not from the teachers that they trust and adore and not from a news letters where their parents could re-assure them that a new school would be a good choice.

My frustrations go beyond the ordinary struggles with lowered real estate and convenience of walking to school with Both public school being closed down, my struggles are with you, the board members. I sat in meeting after meeting with you, along side other tax paying parents who were told repeated that their say meant something.

The ministry REQUIRES such meetings to ensure that the voice of the parents and the children are heard. I sat there with YOU and listened as parents flooded in on surveys, e-mails in constant discussion over their complete disgust over using our children to fill seats in high schools. Not only were these educated people speaking up about the rights their eleven and twelve year olds but these were the parents you were instructed to listen to. It was more than abundantly clear that parents DO NOT want their children exposed to an environment set up to meet the needs of children seven years older than themselves in order to fix your political issues.

Showing up at these meetings was only the beginning step of the job you were suppose to be doing. In repeated attempts to prove to the parents that this was not a decision to send the grades 7&8's into high school you had the ARCs and families meet over and over again to find a solution to fix the lowered enrollment of our elementary schools. But rather than listen, rather than coming to us and explaining to us that you had a plan already in motion you have taken the elementary children to fix a problem that was not even our own.

You are sacrificing MY children in order to save face.I am disgusted by the lack of reaction to the out pouring of concerns that families have thrown your way regarding their children in grades 7&8 going into high school. I am furious that we were ever asked to attend meetings, pay babysitters, drive to the meetings out of town and pour over numbers and ideas so that you could look into the media cameras and smile and say what a wonderful job we were doing and then turn back to the agenda you were already following.I challenge you to gain the trust and respect of the families that do not chose, as I am, to send their children off into private education. I refuse to play your political game. You want to fill high school chairs, then do it with TEENAGERS, not with teeny boppers. I am hoping the ones paying the salary of the ones making the decisions about our children are aware of how ignored we have been, and what a joke they have made of this system, oh wait, I am a tax payer and one of the parents forking over money for fundraisers. I guess I am just one of the fools that believed a word the board employees fed to me at each of the meetings I attended. Let me tell you, it wont happen again!!!

Joanne Smith

This is a quicky.

I implore the parents, grandparents, guardians, and the residents of North Huron to write letters to their MP's, The Avon Maitland District School Board, and to even think about participating in a day of protest, where we pull our kids out of school for a day, or maybe two days.

We need the media attention, we do not want our 7/8's in high school. It is evident that the modus operandi behind the recommendation of the board is to boost Madill's numbers.

If my one child is going to be put into this catch basin, I will seriously think about putting her into a Catholic School for the duration of her public school career and possibly high school, in Clinton.

This is a ridiculous waste of time and energy for those who have been actively involved in the ARC process, (again, I am not counting myself in there). There have been such dedicated, hardworking individuals, that have planned, and put forth an idea to benefit many of the schools up for closure.

There are only 124 people in the NMECE facebook group. Please join if you haven't and get your letters of protest out there.

As for a day of protest, I truly think that if this is publicized, quite possibly, it may add some clout.

YIKES!

Unfortunately the board is recommending sending our beloved 7/8's to the highschool setting because Madill needs our numbers:

North Huron Centre of Excellence Rejected By Board Staff
Wednesday, April 15, 2009 5:50 am
The Avon Maitland School Board's staff is rejecting the Central, East, North Huron Accommodation Review Committee's recomendations for a new school.The recommendation from the committee was to build a "super" elementary school for students who currently attend Wingham, Turnberry, Blyth and East Wawanosh.The board's staff recomments the closure of Turnberry and Blyth and sending the Grade 7 and 8 students from those schools to F.E. Madill in Wingham.K to 6 students from Turnberry will go to Wingham Public and K to 6 students from Blyth will be split between East Wawanosh and Hullett.Avon Maitland Board staff argue funding is not available for a new school from any of the various sources including the province and federal governments.Superindent Mike Ash says there's another reason to shuffle elementary students in the North Huron family to exisiting schools.
(Click arrow to listen to audio or right click here to download audio)
Accomodation Committee Chair Mark Beavan disagrees.
(Click arrow to listen to audio or right click here to download audio)
The Avon-Maitland School Board will vote on those staff recommendations at the end of the school year.

Last Arc Meeting Highlights

Here are a few highlights that were gleaned from the last ARC meeting.

If the proposal goes through:

The build would be in the 2011 -2012 year.

Projected cost has changed to 14-16.6 million dollars.

There is the possibility childcare facility.

Square footage would be in the 80 000 square foot range. (Not including the daycare).

If this school scenario did happen, ARC is asking for the four schools involved, to remain open and only critical expenses be fixed or remedied.

At the meeting, there were many heartfelt pleas by community members to go forward with the NMECE, "community school", rather than have the Grade 7 and 8's be immersed in a high school environment. The community voiced to the trustees, that this scenario would not be supported by the community, as they do not want younger, easily influenced children in a high school environment.

Four communities are willing to band together and willing to close their beloved town schools, for the betterment of all. Normally each school is pitted against each other, in an effort to retain the school in each community. This time, everyone seems in agreement with this possible solution.

At the moment there are infrastructure grants and green grants available from the Provincial and Federal Governments, which would help with the cost of the school. AMDSB would also be a part of the funding as well as monies from the private sector, to name a few.

If NMECE is not an option, at least one or two schools will close. This will delay the inevitable. In another five years, most likely the same communities will be back at the table facing more school closures.

Idea for LINUX in NMECE ~~Cost Savings Just One Piece Of The Pie~~

9000 PC's in Switzerland switch to Linux

http://sbp.teledyn.com/node/910


Posted by bub on April 13, 2008 - 12:23pm

Interesting to say the least, but not unexepected, is the news on the wire that Switzerland has followed France, Russia, and quite a few like minded countries in switching to open source O/S's, and not only saving money in ridiculous licence fees, but allowing the savings to be put directly back into the school system.Do you think someone somewhere here will at least LOOK at the idea?? I wonder....From the Geneva Tribune:"Beginning from next term, all computers at schools in the Swiss canton of Geneva will be switched to Ubuntu Linux only.
Geneva newspaper Tribune de Geneve reports today that from September 2008 all computers at schools that currently are dual-boot MS Windows and Linux will have MS Windows removed and become FOSS (Free Open Source Software) only.
Besides lower costs for the administration, students will also profit from the use of Ubuntu, as they then will be able to use the same applications at home without additional cost.
Manuel Grandjean, director for the schools (Ecoles-Médias) IT services pointed out that the use of FOSS “…encourages participation and the democratization of knowledge and provides product independent competences…“. He also sees the use of FOSS as a “reinforcement of equal opportunities” for students."
....and along the same lines..while we are at it..the Town could save a bundle on expensive telephone equipment following the Open Source path..an interesting read here PROGRAMMER DESTROYS 7 BILLION DOLLAR INDUSTRY



Content By Gary Lawrence Murphy
http://www.teledyn.com/node/469

This article originated in osOpinion and is provided under the OpenContent License.

A recent email I received put the question most succinctly:

What do you think is the best plan/strategy to introduce Linux into an elementary school (Ontario) setting?

Well, like most tech questions, the correct answer is "It depends..."

In the absence of any other details on what is needed, let me ramble on about two possible scenarios: Linux as the school or school-board server, and Linux on the student/teacher desktop.

The first variable to consider is whether you can sell them on applications or if your first inroad will be strictly infrastructure. Linux for educational applications is being done, but this is still relatively rare in North America; the use of Linux as a network infrastructure is being done all over the place.

I'll talk more about applications in a moment, but for infrastructure, there are many good case studies on extreme low-budget rural school boards who were able to build better networking systems than their well-funded urban counterparts (I am thinking of the Arkansas Pass school board who networked the entire school-board using Navy-donated 486 computers).

If we take my local elementary school as an example, we have a network of donated Power-PCs linked together by AppleTalk. This happened despite my advice, but at the time, I was the new face in the committees and it being a small town, no one was willing to take my word over that of their trusted advisors; as a result, they are now painted into a corner.

They would like to now install some newly donated Windows PCs to run adult education classes, but are told by the Board advisors that this is not possible. Enter Linux.

Linux can speak all of AppleTalk, TCP/IP and IPX at the same time, and it is often used in commercial shops to bridge all of these networks. While this may be useful knowledge if you have legacy applications that depend on these protocols, a heterogeneous network like this would not be my first choice for a school because of the added expense to maintain the different protocols.

To keep things simple, I recommended using Linux to bridge all of the machine using a standard protocol (TCP/IP) and then using the file system and network features of Linux to share their resources.


Install Mac TCP/IP in all PowerPCs and make TCP the standard network protocol. This adds no extra expense per seat and only involves distributing and installing the module to all classrooms.


Install a Linux file server using PC and Mac support so each of the user platforms can still share file space and application files. Some functions of Mac AppleTalk are lost (mostly from software licenses) but Linux will add per-file 3-tier security (e.g. student, class, faculty ownership and rw permissions)


Use the Linux machine as the gateway/firewall using demand dialing (we are on 31.2k old-copper) and add a second phone line to do load-balancing (eqlplus) to boost the bandwidth to symmetric 62.4k on demand. For a rural school like ours, this is much cheaper than any other solutions, and can be scaled further if funding appears for the 3rd or 4th telephone line.
This basic setup is easy and cheap, and can be found in small to medium sized offices and schools all over the world. While there are still some eyebrows raised at any suggestion to use Linux on the desktop, the utility of Linux for network and edge servers is widely recognized.
The desktop applications side is a different story. The first obstacle you will encounter is a highly unreasonable fear, a fear upon which the other O/S market feeds: North Americans love brand names. They will stop at Macdonald's when there are other perfectly viable family-run shops across the street. They shop at Sears when the local furniture store carries the same stock for less, and they will buy Microsoft out of fear anything else will compromise their children's education.

The exact wording I have heard on 3 occasions is "The industry will want Microsoft name brands, and if we train students on non-Microsoft products, our children will not be able to find jobs."

Before I talk about the desktop apps, I want to examine that insane claim. First, the Gartner Group thinks Linux will be as big as Microsoft by 2003, which may be optimistic, but even so, if we are teaching high school students, those kids are walking out into a world where Microsoft is not the only game in town. Second, when we are talking about elementary schools, those kids may walk into a world where the dark ages of proprietary single-vendor-O/S software may be nothing but a distant memory, like PL/1 or the legendary Amiga 2000.

On the other hand, if the name of the game is to teach our children essential computing skills, we have a choice: $500+ per seat per application from corporate vendors like Microsoft (pundits say the new license structures will increase those fees 20-50% by 2002) or spend a $45 one-time expense out of petty cash and buy a boxed set of GNU/Linux CDs which can then be freely duplicated, redistributed and shared by all students and all schools; straight from a vendor like SuSE or TurboLinux, the typical Linux CD bundle already contains:


Full office suite with DB, spreadsheet, presentation tool, word processor, which also lets them take the files home if they are rich enough to have MSOffice at home ($500/home) or they can simply download StarOffice from the school or burn their own CD for free, no strings attached.


Dozens of programming languages including LOGO, C/C++ and popular Web languages like PHP and Perl for the older kids, advanced database applications (Postgres)


CAD tools, vector graphics, image processing and editing (GIMP), Sound editors, 3D Rendering and animation, (BMRT/PovRay), video post-production (Blender) ... well you get the idea.


Everything you would ever need to teach about the Internet including a Web server, IRC, email and newsgroups, the ability to run departmental newsgroups, course-specific newsgroups, faculty newsgroups and merge these with selected Internet newsgroups.


Many many more, and the bonus ability to run some Windows apps.
(5) is especially crucial for the younger kids, and admittedly, it is not quite perfect, but now that Corel is on board with a commitment to fix WINE, this is a temporary problem, and simply running old Windows applications is a short-term view at best. The lack of Linux software for small children is partly due to the research/industrial niche Linux has had in the past, and partly the relative youth of the present Linux community: I'm the only one I know who has teen-age children. As more Linux boxes find their way into the homes where there are young children, we will see more and more children's software, and as the developers of educational titles realize there is a market for Linux editions in the school-boards, the titles will appear.

From the user's perspective, there is no great difference between KDE and Windows. All the concepts and interfaces are the same. The main learning curve arises because of the extra abilities of a truly multitasking network computing platform.

That last lesson is, IMHO, the big paradigm jump which will define computing for our children in a way today's Windows-fed adult cannot understand. I might be standing in the shopping mall, holding my best friend's palm-top, and I can drag a file from my own desktop and place it in my project-partner's classroom file area, send them a message to say what I've done, and check my voicemail at my home phone. I could do it just as well with a palm top I'd borrowed from the coffee shop owner: In the Unix world, you do not 'own' a computer, a computer is just a portal, a device you use to get at your information; your information is aetherial, an abstract 'place' that can be arbitrarily distributed anywhere and everywhere. This is the world our children are growing up into, and it is a far different world than today's "personal computer."

Back to reality...

"What about support?" Apart from the thousands of open source support providers such as my own consultancy, we now have global support vendors such as Bynari International (www.bynari.com), a world-wide federation of Linux and open source consultants. This alliance offers 7x24 telephone support in Europe, the US, Canada and parts of Asia; if you need a project manager on site for a few months, they can arrange it. By using the open source development model to share workload, they can also offer this support for a fraction the cost of the large corporate support houses.

Bynari is not alone in this approach, and there are many more traditional support companies as well. There will be many more.

The reason we have so much widespread support for open source software is because it is open. There are only maybe 12 engineers in the world that understand the core of NT, but thousands who understand the Linux kernel. With applications, if one vendor can't help you, any other vendor can pop open the hood and make the changes and/or corrections you need.

"What about cost of ownership?" Economically, buying open source software is the only intelligent choice. You would not buy a car if the hood was welded shut and only the factory could make changes or corrections. We would hang Chrysler VPs if they billed us for recalls, yet we gleefully accept both situations from proprietary software vendors. If my local service station doubles their price, I take my car down the street to another shop. If I want to go to Chrysler, I can, but if my Aunt Matilda is pretty good at cars, I can take it to her instead. I can even take my 454 Chevy block and put it into my old '63 VW without upsetting either vendor.

Single-sourcing is just bad risk management. There's no two ways about it. If FirstClass or Microsoft Exchange email fails, who can fix it? Who even knows how it really works? Certainly no one within 200 miles of my office. What if I want to integrate our school faxes and voicemail into FirstClass? Who could add that for me?

"But this O/S vendor donates to our schoolboard!" Oh, do they? Maybe it's a matter of horses and their teeth --- What exactly do they donate?

Let's get real: They donate a dependence on proprietary methods to ensure our children are locked in as their consumers. They do it not to teach your children, but to ensure their own revenue stream. They donate smoke and mirrors letting them give from one pocket with the restriction that expenditures will be handed back to go into their other pocket. It is really very clever.

Now consider the social implications: What message do you give your children when you raise them on Windows? You teach them that they should never question authority or monopoly, that "only experts can fix software" and that they should never, ever expect to get under the hood and fix things themselves without expensive training and proper certification.

You teach them that we condone and support corporate bullies, just so long as they sell us cheap goods and don't turn their predatory eyes on our livelihood. You teach them that anything is legal if you have enough money, and that muscle, subversion and collusion are the way we civilized people get things done.

You also teach them that computers are buggy, frustrating, crash frequently, and should only accessible to the very rich.

Using open source software, you teach co-operation and community, you teach them that everyone is a participant, you teach them that even that lowly 486 they got from Uncle Ted is a useful machine that can be recycled rather than used for landfill. You teach them that while computers are still buggy, a "bug" is an opportunity to learn and to make new friends, and you teach them that even one small voice can teach the world a new song.

Gary Lawrence Murphy lives in the wilds of Sauble Beach, Ontario, the pristine maple forests along the north east shores of Lake Huron, in a converted cabin home-office he shares with lovely May, young Nolan and Boy-Boy, the dog so big we had to name him twice. Gary is also president of an open source support and applications consulting company, a writer, speaker, musician, Lion and a novice brewmeister.

facebook Discussions

Again, these are posts from facebook. If ARC or anyone has a problem regarding the posting of these discussions please contact me, and I can take down the threads. I have removed names to ensure privacy.

My issue is, most people are coming to this blog WANTING information posted, or at least updates, even though I have asked to be on the email list, that has not happened. If a blog is to be effective, then information must be at hand. Invitations have gone out to others if they wish to post.

I encourage people to join the facebook group, but also can understand due to facebook's TOS, that some people do feel uncomfortable.

I have taken the liberty of posting these discussions here. The "I" is not my writing, these are personal views, and not necessarily mine.

____________________________________________________________________

Excellent posts made. Completely agree with all your points. I like "We just have a bigger back yard now". That is, if the "community school" proposal goes through. As for a middleschool of 7,8,9, (a few posts down) well, as someone mentioned at the ARC meeting, schools would still have to be closed. Don't quote me but wasn't that two schools that would be closed in that scenario (a scenario of just a middle school, not with Grade 9's)? Also, if every child is going to the same school and are "clustered", their friends would most likely be in the same "cluster". Classes change even in the small community schools, some are put into split classes, some are not. This gives shy children opportunity to make new friends as well as keep old ones and branch out. Some of my daughter's best friends were made at Brownies and Guides, and camps, not at school.


wroteat 10:32pm on February 21st, 2009
Knowing our neighbours does not happen because of the schools it happens because we get involved in our communities. It means we, the adults take the extra step to get to know one another and invite our communties to us.


wroteat 10:32pm on February 21st, 2009
Knowing the classroom sizes can NOT be larger than what they are now gives me piece of mind. As much I can appreciate that children bond through school I also know children who are relentlessly bullied and have taken some unfortunate extremes to end the taunting by their classmates. Having alternative classrooms may assist in ending one child's misery. Children have the ability to make friends. We as parents are responsible in finding ways to support those friendships. It may means sleep overs and play dates. Being in class should not be the only means of creating a lasting friendship. In my opinion having more student to learn from and to relate to creates many more opportunities for our children to grow as individuals and also gain important lessons. Our small communities that we are trying to save are still small communities. We just have a bigger backyard now.

wroteat 10:26pm on February 21st, 2009
The push behind was idea was simple, to show the board we are united in not wanting our children to go to high school before they should. It should them that our tax dollars in small towns are no different than tax dollars spent somewhere else. We wanted to give them an alternative, which in my opinion is a great idea but more importantly it forces a new plan of action then sending our children to high school.I completely understand you reservations about the children who do not adjust well in new places, I also have a son who had a difficult time adjusting. My son also relies on assistance as he struggles with his fine and gross motor skills. I have to wait on our schools turn to have access to the people needed to assist him. This wait would be shorted for him and the center being newer and more accessible would mean my son's needs would be met as the problems arose, rather than catered to when our school had enough of a problem to warrant attention.


wroteat 3:20pm on February 21st, 2009
I'm curious as to how they would handle all of the children for each grade throughout the years. For example, I have an extremely shy child (it's taken him 5 months to get used to a small day care center). So when he goes into pre-kindergarten, kindergarten, etc. are his classmates going to change every year so that he has to start all over again making new friends. Part of what was nice growing up in a small school was that you could make friends, best friends and get to stay with them throughout your elementary years. I think it would be really tough on the younger kids (up to say grade 5) to have to get separated every year. It would put unneeded stress on them which would make it harder to learn. Anyone know how that would work??

(Toronto, ON) wroteat 2:03pm on February 21st, 2009
Sorry.. They should have more than one plan! When we moved to the area it was because of the small town ideas of having the kids walk to school etc... I suggested at one of the meetings I'm in favor of a Jr. High School for grade 7-8-9 ... Worked well for our over crowding problem in the states...More ideas please don't put all your backing behind a idea without looking at every option and making a educated decision based on facts.

wroteat 11:45am on February 17th, 2009
At the meeting they clarified that they would be lay offs since they would not be requiring four secretarys, four principles, four janitors, etc. But they also indicated that if you are a teacher you work for the board of education, which means you may be placed anywhere within their district. So if someone who has worked there for 10 years doesn't get a job at the "super" school then they could be transfered somewhere else....which would lead me to believe that job placement is based on seniority.....but I could have misread their coment.


wroteat 1:10pm on February 9th, 2009
I should clarify my last comment. I want teachers to realize it's a privilege to teach, not a right. Therefore, defacto jobs in my opinion, would follow the status quo. Unfortunately, this school will not be for my children if it goes through, but for the children whom it will impact, let us hope that a hiring process and not automatic placement happens for teachers as well as principals.
Delete

wroteat 1:05pm on February 9th, 2009
I just hope, that all everyone has to go through an actual hiring process, and doesn't get there by "de facto".
Delete
wroteat 7:58pm on February 6th, 2009
With so many schools closing, not sure what happens to all their jobs? I know there will be more classrooms etc but I am not sure what that will mean for the part-timers??


wroteat 12:46pm on February 6th, 2009
I may be jumping the gun again, but I am wondering about teachers and principals. . . would existing teachers be automatically be employed, or would there actually be an application process. . . .
Delete

wroteat 9:19am on February 6th, 2009
This new school is not only providing our children with a building of excellence it is giving them a beginning to a modern future. One that staff have a willingness to fight to teach in, one that they can demonstrate their skills because of the resources available. Because our numbers are small does not indicate a lack of intelligence nor does it define what our children are entitled to. Lets not allow our small communities to be small minded because of our location. Lets think big and give our children the biggest chance of all for the best education possible.

(Kitchener, ON) wroteat 5:59pm on February 5th, 2009
For those that want to see the Presentation, you can see it by clicking on the following link:http://www.amdsb.ca/accommodation/CENH-Arc/documents/CENH-ArcPresentation.pdf
Report

(Kitchener, ON) wroteat 3:37pm on February 5th, 2009
When and where should I go to hear the newest ideas on the proposal?

Another Post From facebook.

(Taken directly from facebook, again ARC, if you feel this is not apropos, please let me know and I will remove the post).



I figured I would try to address some of the questions/concerns that were expressed at last night's ARC meeting.First of all, let me state how happy I was that we finally were able to engage the public. It is good to know that the community does care about education.As for some of the questions...here goes....One theme that kept coming up was the concern over behavioural issues...the concern that kids with behavioural issues would be lost in the crowd. I would expect that each of the four schools has a very small number of students that have behavioural problems. These are currently being dealt with by the regular teachers and principles. With combining the four schools, there may be sufficient need to have a teacher that specializes in dealing with these students. I have a friend in Mississauga that is exactly that at her school....she assists those students that are academically ok but socially have issues. So in the end my belief is that having the larger enrollement would actually help those students.This bringis me to a similar point, and that is students with learning difficulties. We have all heard of the example of our speech Patholigist. I spoke to a parent today that has a son who benefits from the use of a speech patholigist. Unfortunately they are lucky to see one through the school once a month. This parent pays a private speech patholigist $95 an hour to make up the other times that their child should be seen. By bringing the four schools together, there would be less time for the Speech Patholigist to be driving from school to school, etc. Again, greater population, greater access to specialized resources.The issue of bussing was raised last night. There are rules when it comes to the iissue of length of bus ride...and those rules will continue to be followed. The kids must not be any longer then 1 hour on the bus to get to school. In terms of safety...report afer report concludes that busses are extremely safe. In terms of costs, yes there will be increased costs, but there will be some savings as well. Students will not have to be bussed to outside programs such as the gifted student program. The increased student population will warrant that program being taught in the new school.In terms of size....a school of 750 to 900 students is not a huge school. It would probably classify as an average (or slightly over average) size when compared to the rest of the province. In addition, one must remember that the individual class rooms will stay the same. Classroom size is mandated by the province. As for the comments that the students or parents would not know anyone....again, this is entirely incorrect. Even before this process, I along with my children knew families from Wingham, Blyth, Turnberry. My kids play hockey in wingham, will be playing soccer in Blyth. The issue around asking for a school that is second to none. Well on that topic, I personally believe nothing is too good when it comes to my childs education. Now that being said, yes I realize there are realities when it comes to the fiscal side of the equation. However, it may surprise us how much we would be able to achieve if we ask.That brings us the the issue of funding. I am very confident that if the community as a whole supports this proposal, the funding will be there. The province has been very clear, the almagamation of schools is a preferred option. They are funding the almagamation of 2 and 3 schools currently...so with a proposal of 4 schools coming together, I am confident that it will be looked upon favourably. However the province won't be able to pick up the entire bill...but the school board needs to remember that they will be getting considerable savings from the closure of the 4 aging schools and hence need to be at the table. And there will be opportunities for other funding partners as well. With making the school a "Green Initiative" the federal government should be at the table. I believe that there is a reason for the local governments to be at the table as well, due to the fact that it will be community benefit to the facility, and not just for the students. And lastly, there will be private dollars as well. If the local community is firmly behind the proposal, then private industry will want to help out, becasue it demonstrates their good corporate citizenship.In terms of the 7 and 8's going into the high school, I sense an overwhelming opposition to that scenario. I along with the other members of the ARC share in that view. Hence the reason that we are doing our best to come up with a united effort to offer something to the Board so the high school option does not happen.Now lastly, I would like to comment on the wish by many to keep things the way they are. It has been made extremely clear to the members of the ARC that this is not an option. School or schools are going to be closing. It is an extremely painful process to go through a school closure. My belief is, if we know that at least one, and very likely 2 are closing, why don't we actually try and gain some benefit out of that painful decision. No one wants to see their school close....as they are all fantastic schools. However, if reality dictates that they are going to close, well lets try and get something positive out of the process. Let try and get a modern, safe, environmentally friendly school....the North Maitland Educational Centre of Excellence.

Grade Seven and Eight's In High School From facebook

One of the factors behind the North Maitland Educational Centre of Excellence was the concern that there was a move a foot for the Board of Ed to close schools and move the 7 and 8's into FE Madill. From the dozens of parents and community members, there is strong opposition to this approach, of which I share their concern. As much as the Board tries to lessen my fears by telling me not to worry, the kids are kept separate...I my apprehension is strong. I would like to know what others out there feel about this possible scenario....do you share my concern?


Post #2
wroteon February 6, 2009 at 9:35pm
The possibility that this could even be a reality makes me sick to my stomach. Children should not be expected to learn in an environment not suited to them. I hope that parents out there will demand better for their children. If only they knew what uniting together could do for our communities. Our numbers are small which is why our voices need to be even louder.IMO


Post #3
(Kitchener, ON) wroteon February 7, 2009 at 1:21am
The whole uniting thing is remarkable. What we have been able to accomplish so far by coming together gives me hope. Now we need the public at large to also join with us. If there is true united force, the trustees would have no option of following our vision.

Post #4
wroteon February 13, 2009 at 10:13am
I vote NO to grade 7 & 8 's in the high school!

Post #5
(London, ON) wroteon February 13, 2009 at 10:44pm
Well with out the idea of a new school, it looks like all roads lead to the 7 and 8 going to the highschool.


Post #6
wroteon February 17, 2009 at 11:55am
I am opposed to having the 7 & 8's at the high school. I personally would be devastated if that is the outcome!


Post #7
wroteon February 18, 2009 at 6:02am
I vote NO to grade 7 & 8's in the high school as well!!


Post #8
wroteon February 18, 2009 at 1:51pm
I vote NO to the grade 7 & 8's attending the high school. How can we possibly think that's a good idea. Children grow up way to quickly now as it is without forcing them to be in contact with the older children on a day to day basis. I understand the trustees think that they will be kept separate but I don't see how that can be possible at all times.

facebook~~Ideas For New School

I am going to cut and copy some issues that have been addressed on facebook, for those who haven't signed up for the group on facebook, or for those who are not on facebook.

If this goes against protocol of ARC, then this post may be taken down.

For privacy issues I will not post names.
Post #1
(Kitchener, ON) wroteon February 6, 2009 at 12:25pm
I figured I would start a thread to generate discussion around what we want to have in the new proposed school. So far in the discussions, I have heard many good ideas.....from a full fledged Music and Arts program, to science and computer labs, to before and after school childcare. So...what are you ideas? What kind of resources do we want our kids to have access to. Don't be afraid to dream big...

Post #2
You wroteon February 6, 2009 at 1:08pm
Solar panels, small wind turbine, green roof, geothermal heating, green wall (like at Toyota), partially strawbale, insulated concrete forms. . . the greener the building the better. Drama program.Access to "gifted learning" for all children. The more we value our children, the more value our children receive.

Post #3
wroteon February 6, 2009 at 3:50pm
I would love to see a swimming pool... indoor , salt water. Regular swimming lessons throughout the year. Lets make learning to swim a priority. I realize there is a pool in Wingham, but it isn't salt water and if we want to talk about the future, chemicals are out (as much as possible). I bring this up because my 2 eldest kids each have issues with chlorine. You said think big, so this would be one of my dreams !!!!


Post #4
You wroteon February 6, 2009 at 4:42pm
Michele, I hear you with the chlorine~~~~it's so toxic!


Post #5
(Kitchener, ON) wroteon February 7, 2009 at 1:19am
omg!!! the chlorine at the wingham pool is a killer. Every time we swim there, my son's eyes are red for two days. I like all the Green stuff. What a legacy to leave.


Post #6
You wroteon February 7, 2009 at 9:00am
What about filtered water~~~without chlorine or flouride or added chemicals, right now I forget the name of the "descaler" added to town water that clears the pipes. Add a huge softener with media guard and possible a reverse osmosis treatment, for water to be ingested. Many health related issues when it comes to municipally treated water. . .

Post #7
you wroteon February 7, 2009 at 7:20pm
A separate play yard for the kindergarten children.Internet cameras set up in each classroom so parents can view their children from work via the computer as they have them in daycares.A workout space for kids and parents to get healthy and invite in communities.A special needs resource center. The two organizations have a lot in common with each other and could be beneficial.outdoor equipment the children can actually use through the winter months.Okay, I'm sure there is more but I have been hit in the head with paintballs all day and I am tired.


Post #8
(London, ON) wroteon February 11, 2009 at 1:18pm
love the idea of the camera in the classrooms,wouldn't that be neat as a parent to checkin and see what is going on.or even the teachers could monitor this over lunch times,

Post #9
wroteon February 13, 2009 at 10:11am
I agreed with a comment at last nights meeting, that the best isn't necessarily better. With alot of the high tech gadgets available I agree that you need to step back and look at the basic essentials needed for their education. If there was to be a pool and theatre, etc. does this not take away from the community involvement? What happens to our local pool if their is one at the school? Why not look at salt water into the current pools? Would this also mean that those children would be seculded at the school, since they have everything there and not experience field trips and valuable community involvement?

Post #10
You wroteon February 13, 2009 at 11:00am
I agree, why not look at current pools? Trickle down effect, possibly that having the best would make current facilities (schools, pools, whatever) start thinking about new options, could be a point. Another person at the Blyth Parent Meeting had the same worries of "disconnect" from the community. I do agree. One thing that would have to be put into place would be field trips/workshops to local venues, be it the Blyth Festival, Thresher's, (those are the ones in Blyth, I am not sure where you are located, and you would have an idea of what are important community activities in your area). This is just my opinion, but you make very valid points. :)

Post #11
wroteon February 16, 2009 at 8:12pm
I visited a day care that has the camera's in each room. It was possible for the parent's to look in any time they wanted. It would be a great way for the children to be able to stay informed with school if they missed a lesson because of a sick day as well. It could maybe help them also if many school days were missed due to snow. It could help parents stay in tune with what the kids are learning and alleviate any abuse allegations.In looking at what our schools needs we need to consider what we have already and where our children's education is lacking and where cut backs are going to directly in pack our children. Cafeteria food and hungry children are an issue so why not create a green house the children can assist in growing food for the school in, which would dub as a science lab and a job site for after school??After school care/before school care. Why not include a daycare for siblings? This creates not only a lasting place for students to stay (which is what the board wants so we don't lose our kids to other forms of schooling) but it prevents more running around for our children and shortens their over all day.Specialty classes and Help.The size of our towns are the reason we do not have access to specialized tools/people. Being a larger school will draw those people to us and having them on site invites more opportunities to utilize them.Out door seating for the kids that would allow the teachers to invite children outside to learn on nice days and gives the children a place to study while outside. (This would include picnic tables and a chalk board and a roof)A covered area to run. Getting enough gym time was always an issue. Having an outside dry shed to run around in would be so beneficial and wonderful for large family events and could be rented out.A volunteer car pool for parents.. lets attempt to bus our own children when possible. Let's get them off the buses and show how we can work together as a community.Just some thoughts as I am sure many of you have.

Post #12
wroteon February 24, 2009 at 9:25pm
If a new school were to be built I think having separate wings created that could be closed down if enrollment was low would be a good investment. I think having a separate heating/electrical system would also mean if there was a fire it would not close the entire school. It could also be rented out as it would have an independent source of heat and hydro. Perhaps building a few smaller, community buildings and one main campus building to be shared (gym/library/offices) might be a good idea as well. Again if one building had issues it would not affect the others. It could also be closed up and cost the school very little to maintain if the need ever arose.The entire reason this has begun is due to low enrollment. Preparing for that for the future seems like a wise investment.

If I am not posting, it means that I have not been privy to information to post. (I have not recieved any emails or such that pertain to the issues at hand, or minutes from any parent-ARC meetings).

Comments are now open, meaning you just have to do a word verification and click on anonymous if you wish to post a question or actually have information.

Children ARE Entitled To Better

This new school is not only providing our children with a building of excellence it is giving them a beginning to a modern future. One that staff have a willingness to fight to teach in, one that they can demonstrate their skills because of the resources available. Because our numbers are small does not indicate a lack of intelligence nor does it define what our children are entitled to. Lets not allow our small communities to be small minded because of our location. Lets think big and give our children the biggest chance of all for the best education possible.

Submitted by Mommy2-3

Good News~ Student and Teacher Involvement In ARC Discussions!

North Huron Students and Teachers To Be More Involved in ARC Discussions

http://www.1017theone.ca/news.php?cat_id=1

Wednesday, February 4, 2009 10:05 am

"Superintendent Mike Ash says the Avon Maitland District School Board will grant a request from the North Huron Arc that staff and students have input into the Accommodation Review process in their school community.

Ash says the board's policy excludes teachers and students because they don't want to put teachers in a conflict-of-interest situation and they don't want to politicize what can become a very emotional process.

Ash adds the board has agreed to work with the ARC in providing that input in a way that doesn't compromise either the teachers or students."

Parent Meeting With ARC~~~Blyth

This is a cursory and incomplete list of information that was brought to the attention of parents and the community last night at Blyth Public School.

This idea of a "community school" is not "official" yet, as we still do not know what the board will recommend and what scenarios they may put forth, which would be in April.

The idea of having a bus trip for parents, or community members to go to Essex to view an idea of what our proposed "community school" may look like, was put forth.

Alex, a parent in the community, said it is very important where the school is located. (Which, many parents agree). The response was that the location was to be determined by the board, not ARC.

Alex mentioned that many citizens without children are not in favour of a "super school", to which was replied, "Where are these people? This is why we are having the meeting, they should be coming out." (Paraphrase).

A question was asked regarding the possibility of a middle school for grades seven and eight. This question was answered that with the problems of declining enrollment, there would still be issues of school closures to incorporate this type of middle school, and again a busing issue for that scenario.

What about the seven and eight grades going to a high school? At this point, Madill could take in 190 students, and CHSS could take in 245 students of the grades seven and eight. This would potentially split Blyth in half, and many parents are against this idea, why have our impressionable younger children thrust into a high school setting early? There are many negative ramifications to this solution.

Alex made a comment "Who is ARC representing?" Which is a fundamental question that is very important, (he posed very good questions at the meeting). ARC responded that they were "hoping to be representing the kids" and their best interests.

To continue maintenance on the schools up for closure is roughly one third the cost of a new one. One point that was made, was that all schools need to become one hundred percent accessible to all (wheelchair lift for the stage, ramps. . .), and it is cost prohibitive. These moneys would be better spent on a new facility rather than patching up older schools that are essentially "bricks and mortar".

One benefit of having a new school is the idea of frequent air changes in the school itself with new HVAC, which would make the environment more healthy than that of the existing schools.

More to be added to later. . .

"Super School" Idea in North Huron Received Well

http://www.1017theone.ca/news.php?cat_id=1

Wednesday, February 4, 2009 7:05 am

"Parents had a chance to learn more about a proposed "super school" to replace several North Huron schools. One of the public meetings was held last night at Wingham Public School.
The Accommodation Reveiw Committee showed the plans for the school that could house over 750 students. Parents raised concerns regarding where the school would be located and where the money would come from. ARC Committee member Grant Curry says most of the feedback was positive. Curry is also encouraging people to attend the next public meeting scheduled for February 12th at East Wawanosh at 7 p.m."

Ideas. . .

Here is an interesting link on Green Schools: http://www.greenschools.net/report/index.html

Although American in origin, the premise could be adopted for the proposed school.

Ideas for building material could incorporate straw bale construction, insulated concrete forms, living roof . . . This would not only give jobs to our area, but also branch out and be a "the school" that other's look to for inspriation. Just maybe it would trickle down as someone mentioned tonight to the public highschools in the area?

I mentioned at the meeting about Malcolm Gladwell and his book "The Outliers". I think that it would be apropos to post a podcast from CBC radio: http://www.cbc.ca/thenextchapter/ . If you scroll down on the page, please click on the podcast of Malcolm Gladwell, it barely scratches the surface, but is worth listening to. In his book The Outliers, he delves into the concept of genius. Now if this modus operandi, treating every child as a genius (regardless of socio-economic, or perceived capacity), has the benefit of success to each child (to really reduce and minimize this theory), could this school be a venue for this method? If this proposed school could give more to children, a light to every child, would it not be wonderful, if we had this opportunity? I would recommend all of Gladwell's books to anyone, but this book especially hits home, especially given that we may be able to start with a clean slate. Value needs to be given to every child and value is not only instilled at home, but in a school setting.

One issue of separation anxiety was brought up at tonight's meeting. I think that all children will most likely go through a period of adjustment, some may take longer. One tactic that could be brought forth is the idea of a "peer buddy" system, for riding the bus or even during school hours to help make the transition, especially for the younger children. This would add to "community" within the school atmosphere.

Two days ago, I was not sold on the idea of a larger school model, now I think that it might be one of the best decisions we as parents and guardians could ever make.

As mentioned before, please feel free to comment, disagree, or send me something to post, we all want input. The only stupid question is the one that is not asked. It is not my intent to just post my ideas on this blog (I have my own soapbox for that), so please feel free to send ideas, the more the better :)