chapterthree

Redwood Acres Students Pause For Remembrance Day Celebrations

On November 9^th, at Redwood Acres Public School , teachers and students recognized the contributions of our Canadian War Veterans. Grade 4 students hosted the Remembrance Day ceremony, with contributions from the school choir. Student poetry was shared, and a slide show was presented demonstrating the significance of the poppy. The ceremony concluded with Grade 4 students singing their rendition of John Mayer’s “Waiting on the World to Change”.

A traditional laying of the wreaths took place at Redwood Acres Public School on November 9th. Each class created wreaths for their Remembrance Day service, which were displayed during the ceremony. Pictured on the left are grade 5 students, Ryan Faubert and Joselyn Foley. On the right, is grade 5 student Kara Bangs with her stepfather, Butch Ouimette.

Grade 4 students Jordan Martel (left) and Tamika LeBreton (right) led Redwood Acres P.S. in their Remembrance Day service on November 9^th. They are pictured here following the traditional wreath laying.

Bishop Alexander Carter Students Have A Unique Experience As Parents for Two Days

   The 23 students enrolled in the Grade 11 Open Parenting Class at Bishop Alexander Carter Catholic Secondary School took part in a “Baby Think It Over” program during the month of December that gave them all a rude awakening into the challenges of raising a baby.
   Their teacher, Lori Roy, had them take part in a three day – two night parenting simulation thanks to the generous cooperation of Our Children Our Future who loaned RealBaby simulators for the experiment. Each of the simulators is valued at over $1000 and each was programmed to act just as a real baby would act. All of the RealBabies were programmed differently so that each baby was unique. Some were quiet and well behaved, while others cried more than usual with irregular sleep patterns.
   Each of the baby simulators recorded the feeding, changing, neglect, rough handling, and failure to support the baby’s head during the experiments. Each student had an ID bracelet around their wrist that monitored the care. RealBaby schedules were based on infant test babies so that they mimicked the care needed by an actual baby as closely as possible. The students were required to get up during the evening every two hours or more for feeding and to take care of crying babies. Many of the participants noted that at the end of the three days and two nights they were totally exhausted. They also noted that the baby occupied their entire day, even while in school, and that they could not “get away” from the responsibility for taking care of their baby.
   Some of the students vowed that it would be a very long time before they had a baby of their own now that they had a better understanding of the responsibilities. Many of them indicated that it was difficult dealing with the stress of caring for their simulated baby and the lack of sleep elevated their already frazzled nerves. When their babies began crying during class, on the bus ride home, or in the cafeteria, they had to deal with angry students who were not all that compassionate about the noises being made by the baby.
   The program was intended to give students a first-hand look at some of the adjustments they would have to make if they ever had a baby before they were ready. The students concluded that it is very important for them to stabilize their own life and careers before bringing in another infant who would severely complicate their life plans. They also seemed to appreciate the stress that their own parents went through in raising them and many indicated that they now understood the pressures their parents were facing as they were dealing with “teenagers” like themselves.
   They all felt that the program was very useful, but some indicated that they would not want to repeat the experiment any time soon.

LA PREMIER NOEL Concert Provided To French Immersion Students From Confederation and Valley View Public School

Mme Helene Berthiaume, 3^rd from the left in the back row of the photo, is not afraid to demonstrate her passion for francophone culture! As the Program Leader for French Immersion at Confederation Secondary School , she tries to demonstrate to the students that it is much easier to master the language when you incorporate some of the positive elements of the French way of life into your own.

This year Mme Berthiaume and the nearly 90 French Immersion students from the school organized the Second Annual REVEILLON celebration, entitled “LE PREMIER NOEL”. The group in the photo provided the entertainment for a concert that was held in the gym on December 14, 2007 for all of the French Immersion students from Grades 4 and up at Valley View Public School as well as for all of the immersion students at Confederation. During the intermission the audience was provided with snacks and refreshments prepared by the students. Students of the program were responsible for all aspects of the concert, from the set up to the entertainment to the cooking and clean-up. It was a wonderful experience for everyone.

27^th Annual Confederation Christmas Is Giving Food Drive A Tremendous Success

Over 200 students from Confederation Secondary School took time off from their classes for two hours on December 12 to hit the streets of Valley East and Capreol. They were taking part in the 27^th Annual “Christmas Is Giving” Food Drive and the results were spectacular!

A total of 2400 food items, including one hundred 10 lb bags of potatoes donated by Valley Growers was collected and distributed to the Good Neighbours Food Bank of Hanmer and the Capreol Lions to be given out to needy families during the Christmas season.

In addition to the food items, the staff of Confederation donated another $470 to purchase turkeys for the nearly two hundred hampers that will be prepared thanks to the efforts of the students.

Steven McAnulty, Minister of Public Relations in the Confederation Student Parliament, is shown making the presentation to representatives from both groups. From the left we have Margaret Bourgeois and Anne Unwin of the Good Neighbours Food Bank, Steven McAnulty, and then we have Ken Gustafson and Earl Kent of the Capreol Lions Club.

In the background are some of the other members of the Ministry of Public Affairs. From the left: Evgena Auge, Devon Labelle, Shannyn Falcioni, Miranda Fowler, and Mel Thomas.

Patricia Miller and Cynthia Farrar, the two staff advisors to the Ministry of Public Relations, both congratulated the members of the ministry as well as all of the students and staff of Confederation Secondary School for coming though once again to help brighten up this time of year for so many less fortunate families in our community. They also extended their sincere thanks to the people in Valley East and Capreol who so generously donated to the students this year.

Kristina Foulem “Just Likes To Write Songs”

It was on Christmas Eve that Kristina Foulem’s passion for music was kindled and ever since then the talented 13 year old, Grade 8 student at Marymount Academy has been writing and singing.

“My friend, Kayla Bianchin and I were outside on Christmas Eve and we were getting cold, so went inside the house and decided to make up a song. Ever since than I have been writing songs and putting them to music,” explained Kristina who has recorded two of those songs onto a CD with the hope that they will one day be heard over the local airwaves.

Her mother, Joanne, is especially proud of what her daughter has accomplished, “She wrote one of the songs for me when she saw how I was struggling with my Police Foundations program. It took me 2 ½ years to complete the program and I thought of quitting at times. She wrote a song called, ‘Never Give Up’ which inspired me to finish the course and now in January 2008 I will be heading to the Policy Academy in Aylmer before starting my new career with the OPP.”

   In the photo Kristina is shown while recording one of her songs in the Lions Community Heritage Sound Studio at Confederation Secondary School . Launched in 2005 with a generous donation from the Ontario Trillium Fund to the Valley East Lions Club, the studio continues to evolve, giving local musicians an opportunity to create not-for-profit musical recordings.

   The Lions Community Heritage Sound Studio was made possible by forming a unique partnership between the Valley East Lions Club and Rainbow District School Board. The recording studio consists of a soundproof booth and panels as well as upgraded recording software and computer hardware.

   The Valley East Lions Club recently donated 11 sets of recording industry-standard headphones to be used by students during editing and mixing. Rainbow District School Board has provided $10,000 to purchase a class set of Pro-Tools audio workstations to record and mix music.

   Dena Morrison, Chair of the Rainbow District School Board commented, “This sound studio represents not only an opportunity for students to learn about the recording process, but also the chance to be part of creating a permanent record of the cultural history of our community. On a broader scale, it will also provide opportunities for people in surrounding communities to further their musical expertise.”

   Confederation Secondary School Principal Mike Mirka added, “ Confederation Secondary School has a vibrant music program. Our Evolutionary Band, under the direction of music teacher Norm McIntosh, has received national recognition. Having access to a state-of-the-art recording studio is enabling our students to share their musical abilities with a broader audience. More importantly, it is giving them a unique hands-on learning experience in the ever-growing field of technology.”

Suzie McNeil Drops In On Evolutionary Band To Surprise One of Her Biggest Fans

It was just a normal practice session for Confederation’s Evolutionary Band after school on Wednesday, October 26. Courtney Tattersall, shown in the photo above, one of the senior lead singers on the band had just completed performing a song with her band that was originally recorded by Suzie McNeil. After the song, Music director, Norm McIntosh, asked Courtney to tell the rest of the group why she liked that song so much. Courtney was more than happy to express her love of the young rock star and proceeded to explain to the rest of the band how much she enjoyed her music.

At that point, Mr. McIntosh, who has been known for shocking the bank with guests dropping in to see them during rehearsals, said, “Well, Courtney, if you like her music so much, why don’t you tell Suzie McNeil herself just how you feel.”

Then, to the total surprise of everyone in the room, out of the darkness stepped Courney’s idol, Suzie McNeil herself. After Courtney recomposed herself, McNeil asked Courtney to join her in singing the song that she had just performed so beautifully in front of the star.

Throughout the years Suzie McNeil has accumulated an impressive array of musical accomplishments and has performed with some of the top stars in the business, even appearing in front of a crowd of over 200,000. She received much acclaim at the end of 2005 when she was the last woman standing on CBS Television’s reality series Rockstar:INXS.

   In the spring of 2007 she released her first CD “Broken and Beautiful” and this fall she worked with Bell Canada to produce an Olympics inspired video of her hit song, “Believe”, which is being considered as the possible “theme song” for the 2008 Winter Games being held in Vancouver .

   Suzie talked to the band for a while, signed some autographs and then headed off to the Grand Theater for an evening performance in Sudbury .

For Courtney Tattersall, it will likely be remembered as a defining moment in her singing career, performing with her favourite, Suzie McNeil, live on the set of Evolutionary. Before she left, Suzie told the band that what she has learned from being a performer is that “the energy you put out there is the energy you get back”. She encouraged the high school students to adopt that philosophy in everything they do. Before she left Suzie signed the autograph board for 2007 with the message: “Continue the Evolution Revolution”.

Principal For A Day Program Has Many Benefits For All Participants

   For Chris Scagnetti, President of Saturn of Sudbury, shown standing on the right, the opportunity to become “Principal For A Day” at Pinecrest Public School in Val Therese was something “I just couldn’t pass up.”

   Others in the photo with him include “the real principal, Jacques Mantha, along with three Grade 7 students who were enjoying a very interesting discussion with Mr. Scagnetti about possible careers in the automotive industry. The students, from the left included Cody Boileau, Jesse Dordevic, and Jesse Lampsa.

   “The primary purpose of the Principal for a Day program is to link schools with the communities that they serve,” says Rainbow District School Board Chair Dena Morrison. “Community leaders will spend the day learning about the multiple roles that school principals play, from instructional leadership to the management of school facilities. In the process, they will gain a better understanding of what¹s happening in Rainbow Schools.”

   “Our community is keenly aware that we need an excellent educational system to prepare our future workforce,” says Director of Education Jean Hanson. “By engaging community leaders in public education, we hope to mobilize the expertise and resources of our community to develop powerful partnerships to improve learning opportunities for students in Rainbow Schools. We want to give community leaders as realistic a view as possible of a day in the life of a
Principal.”

   “At Saturn we’ve been involved in many youth-oriented initiatives that have been designed to provide children with safe places to play and enjoy the experiences that are part of growing up,” explained Scagnetti. “We sponsor projects like Saturn Kidspace that improve playground facilities and we take part in the “Ugliest Schoolyard Contest” which was actually won by Pinecrest last year. Because they won the first place prize, Pinecrest is receiving a $20,000 landscaping upgrade.”

   Scagnetti himself is part of a very active family. He and his wife are raising two sons who are involved in hockey and numerous other school-based activities. “The more my children get involved, the more I realize how fortunate I was to grow up at a time when there seemed to be money for everything. Our parks, arenas, recreation facilities were all pretty well new when I was young and we all spent hours every day on outdoor rinks, riding our bikes in parks and just enjoying our youth. Today, children have many more technological advantages that we didn’t have, but I find that their outdoor-based activities are limited. That is why Saturn is focusing its efforts on improving these outdoor facilities and promoting the development of playgrounds and parks.

   Chris Scagnetti pointed out that initiatives such as the “Principal For A Day” program go a long way to establishing the kind of positive relationship that is going to be needed by our schools and our young people in the future. “If we are truly going to help our children get the most out of their education, then more and more of us from the private sector are going to have to step forward and provide the necessary support to our school programs. Spending a day in the school like this convinces me that anything I can do to help is well worth the investment in our future.”

Family Literacy Night At Redwood Public School Promotes Writing Skills

Kellie MacKenzie, one of the two “Literacy Teachers” at Redwood Acres Public School is shown working with Grade 2 student, Kyle, on some of his writing skills. On Thursday, October 25, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. , Kellie and her colleague, Monica MacMillan, will be coordinating the 2^nd Annual Family Literacy Night for parents and children of the entire community.

“Our theme this year is ‘Writing Through The Arts’, “explained Ms MacKenzie. “We will be offering five different 20-minute workshops that will be lead by experts who will take parents and their children through an interactive experience designed to promote writing skills.”

The evening will feature Nancy Gareth-Coulombe from the Art Gallery , Chuck Roberts using music as a writing tool, story writing with Michelle Walton and Miss Hallman as well as a “Book Fair” where parents can purchase or order some excellent reading resources for their children.

The Family Literacy Night is open to all parents and children of the community and is free of charge. Just drop in to Redwood Acres Public School at 4625 Carl Street in Hanmer. You can call 969-4435 for more information. Writing is one of those communication skills that is so valuable today and anything parents can do to encourage a love of writing in their children is well worth the time and effort.

Laurentian University Nursing Students Conduct Vital Signs Clinic

As part of their program, students enrolled in the Laurentian University Nursing Programs are required to spend a number of hours in community and clinical settings. On February 11, 2008, seven of the students, under the supervision of Lynn Aubuchon, third from the right in the photo, conducted a Vital Signs Clinic at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre.

Shown in the photo, from left to right, are: Carrie-Ann Castilloux, Marie Rose, Dominique Leroux, Renee Bertrand, Nathalie Lebeau, Lynn Aubuchon, Charlene Quesnel, and Fatima Sankoh.

The girls are all part of the 4 year French language nursing program at the school.

Silka Abresch Impresses Everyone With a 72% Accuracy Free Throw Performance To Advance To Zone Finals In March

Silka Abresch, a 9-year old Grade 4 student at Valley View Public School, was on fire during the Basketball Free Throw Competition that was held at her home school on February 9, 2008. The event was sponsored by the Sault Ste. Marie Diocesan Association as part of a Zone event to determine the six boys and six girls from ages 9 through 14 who are to be determined champions during the finals on March 1 at Marymount Academy from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

Shown with Silka are, Knights of Columbus 7368 Paul VI Grand Knight Roger Brideau and KC District Warden and event coordinator, Rick Rivais.

A total of 27 students from Valley East, Capreol, Levack and Chelmsford participated in the competition at Valley View. Each participant was allowed 25 free throws with the boy and girl in each age category with the most baskets being declared winners and advancing to the Regional Finals on March 1.

Under immense pressure, Silka sunk an amazing total of 18 baskets for a 72% free throw accuracy rate - a statistic that many NBA stars would be pleased with.

Silka is an excellent student and a natural athlete. During the winter she plays hockey on King Sportswear Atom Lions. In the summer she is on the Valley East Soccer Club competitive team for 9 and 10 year olds and she is a member of the Idylwylde Golf & Country Club where she is trying to follow in the footsteps of her father Mike Abresch and her grandfather, Ken Davidson.

When asked to share her secret to success on the free throw line, Silka made a remarkable statement that explains her performance in everything she does. "I just think about getting it in." Her answer reminded me about a story once told about Pete Rose, the infamous baseball legend who was arguably the best hitter ever in the history of baseball. One day he was 73 hits away from breaking the all time record when a reporter asked him how many more at bats he thought it would take to break the record. Pete Rose quickly answered, "73." When pressed to explain how he thought he could get 73 consecutive hits, he quickly answered again, "I never go up to bat expecting to fail. Every time I step up to the plate I expect to get a hit. So, if I need 73 more hits, I expect to do it in my next 73 at bats."

For Silka, every time she steps up to the foul line, she expects to get a basket. Failure never crosses her mind. For a 9-year old, she has certainly shown remarkable perception about life.

Silka lives in Valley East with her parents, Mike and Debbie, as well as her brother, Dexton (16) who is in Grade 11 at Confederation Secondary School, and her sister, Everett (13), who is in Grade 7 at Valley View Public School.

Local residents now have a chance to take a trip back to the age of innocence thanks to the students at Confederation Secondary School .

Set in the 1950s, Betty’s Diner is a comedy that traces the closure of a local diner and its effects on the local teen community. The production run’s March 28^th-29^th at 7:30 pm in the Auditorium of Confederation Secondary School . Tickets are $7.00 for adults, $6.00 for students and available at the Confederation Secondary School Main Office. You may also call for reservation.

They say that “all great things come from simple beginnings: a tiny idea, a spark of creativity and a dash of guts to get it off the ground”, this must have been in the mind of Confederation Secondary School student Kyla Carter when she decided to take on the difficult task of creating the schools’ very first theatrical production taking place at the end of March. Kyla is shown in the centre of the photo above along with Danielle MacEchron on the left and Sam Bolger on the right.

The next step was to the principals’ office to get approval from administration. This, of course, was not difficult to get. “I’ve been waiting for this for years”, says Principal Mike Mirka, always supportive of the arts, “the school has a successful athletics program, a passionate visual arts department and a rock band so talented they acquire support from the professional arts community, all we were lacking was a theatre program”.

However, a spark of creativity and dash of guts can only get you so far, you need a cast, crew and direction team to get a show off the ground-all artists learn quite early that passion is not always quite enough and its’ the hard work and dedication that pulls you through. No strangers to hard work Carter and Brooks bore down. Carter enlisted the help of her friends as well as enthusiastic director and actor Ashley Paige Fraser whose passion and positive attitude instantly endeared her to the actors. Similarly, Brooks found hidden set design talents in co-workers visual artist Barry Williams and shop teacher Earl Cote. “The production was a huge undertaking,” said Brooks “we fundraised to pay for the production, between the set, directing, costumes and props it was a big job but working as a team has made a huge difference, we all learned a lot”.

Co-directed by Brooks, Fraser and Carter, the result was the production of Betty’s Diner by Daniele MacEchron: a student-written passionately acted piece that tells the story of the closure of a 50’s diner and teen hide-out as well as the effect it has on the lives of the teens who live there.

“I think the most important part of this production is that young people saw a void in their community and instead of accepting it for what it was, stove to change it” says Fraser “that’s a rare and beautiful thing so when you find it you encourage it”.

Confederation Girls Win NOSSA Volleyball Crown

   The Confederation Secondary School Senior Girls Volleyball Team played a remarkable championship game against Widdifield of North Bay while attending the NOSSA tournament in Sault Ste. Marie and ended up coming out on top of a five-game match to bring home the coveted Championship Banner for 2008.

   The winning team, shown in the photo, includes: Front row from left to right: Karen Black, Jessica Houle, Jessica Carson, Michelle Claveau, and Brittany Watters. Back row from the left: Laura Aubertin (Coach), Chris Holden (Trainer), Erica Richard, Jennifer Ducharme, Kristen Bolduc, Trina Czerkas, Alexandra McInnis, Eugena Auge, and Bruce Holden (Assistant Coach).

   Laura Aubertin, Head Coach of the team was ecstatic as she described the road to victory on February 23, “The journey for this team just keeps getting sweeter! During the round robin play, our Chargers seemed to be lacking a bit of spark and narrowly won 2 of their 3 matches. Using a tie-breaker to determine the teams that would advance to the championship match, our Chargers narrowly beat out Bawating, the home town favourites. The stage was set...a rematch between Widdifield from North Bay and our determined Chargers. In two matchups between these teams earlier, each had won one match.”

   Laura described the final match. “The final proved to be the match of the tournament. Taking commanding control of the match, our girls won the first game. Widdifield showed their Wildcat composure and took the next two games. In the fourth game, determination and excellent composure prevailed as our Chargers evened the playing field. The Championship would be determined by the 5th and deciding set. Again, our Chargers took early control of the game and never looked back. Making purring kittens of the Widdifield Wildcats, our Chargers took home the Gold Medal and another banner for our gym.”

   The support from the fans for the championship was fantastic according to observers, even though it was in Sault Ste. Marie. The fact that the Confederation fans easily out cheered the Widdifield fans added to the sweet taste of victory.

   Confederation then went into the AA All Ontario Championships which were played in Sudbury , ranked 6^th in the province. They played some inspired matches and ended up being edged out in the quarter finals.

   Laura Aubertin congratulated the Senior Girls Volleyball Team on their accomplishments this year. She stated that they are a wonderful group of Charges who continually represent their school in a proud manner. With only one player from the squad graduating this year, the girls are looking forward to another trip to the OFSAA in twelve months.

Best Start Hub Opens At Redwood Acres Public School

The Redwood Acres Public School gymnasium was filled with the happy sounds of children playing during the morning of Wednesday, February 27, 2008 as they and their parents attended the grand opening of the Best Start Hub for English Language children living in the Valley East area. A total of twelve such locations will be in operation around the Greater Sudbury Area by September 2008.

Shown in the photo during the official ribbon-cutting session, from left to right are: Melissa Pitfield, Director of Child Care Programs for YMCA; Jenny Southerland, Supervisor of the Child Care Centre at Redwood Acres; Lise Hawes, Early Years Practitioner for Best Start; Liam Desrochers (4) and Andrea Richer (3), cutting the ribbon; Michelle Piche, Early Years Practitioner for Best Start; and Gail Luopa, Coordinator of the Best Start Program.

The Best Start Program is operated in partnership with the YMCA Licensed Child Care Services and the Rainbow District School Board in order to provide young children from birth to age 6 with an opportunity to participate in some stimulating learning experiences within their community schools. Together with their parents, grandparents, or care givers, children take part in a directed program which includes crafts, discovery time, physical activities and special workshops. The parents stay with their children during the session and take part in the activities as well. The program offers children a chance to get ready for entry into the school system in Junior Kindergarten and also allows parents a chance to access some very important support services that are offered by the Ministry of Community and Social Services.

There is no cost to attend the sessions which are held in the Child Care Centre at Redwood Acres. Space is limited so if you wish to attend you should make sure to arrive early.

The Best Start Hub is open at Redwood Acres on the first three Thursdays of the month from 9 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. It is also open during the evenings on the first three Thursdays from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The 2^nd Thursday of the month is “Dad’s Night” and is only open to children accompanied by their male parent or care giver. The last Saturday of every month the program runs from 9 a.m. to 12 noon, starting in April 2008.

Other English Language Best Start Hubs that are available nearby and supervised by Practitioners Lise Hawes and Michelle Piche include, Confederation Secondary School every Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 12 noon and upstairs at the library in Capreol every Monday from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.

If you would like more information about the Best Start Program of the Child Care Services program at Redwood Acres Public School you can contact Melissa Pitfield at 688-7300 ext. 2137.

Confederation Students Looking To Local Residents For Help

The Ministry of Public Affairs of the Student Parliament at Confederation Secondary School has entered into a special contest with the students of Lockerby Composite and Espanola High Schools . The winner will walk away with a prize of $3000 which will go towards graduation awards. The winning school will be the one that collects the greatest number of used or damaged cell phones, PDA’s, Blackberrys and pagers during the month of March.

Some of the Confederation Secondary School Students who are participating in the project are shown in the above photo, from left to right are: Shannyn Falcioni, Steven McAnulty, Eugena Auge, Miranda Fowler, and Andrew Smith.
The contest is being sponsored by Roger’s Phones, but the students are collecting all types of phones including Bell Mobility.

Besides being a special contest that the students have entered to help with their graduation awards, this is an excellent way to recycle old cell phones that are no longer usable.
The goal of Phones-for-Food is to alleviate hunger and divert waste from landfill sites. 100% of the proceeds raised through the process of recycling used wireless devices are given to the Canadian Association of Food Banks (CAFB) which operates the program and distributes the funds to local food banks.

Phones-for-Food is the FIRST national wireless device recycling program of its kind in Canada . It launched in 2003 as a result of the success of its thINK FOOD printer cartridge-recycling program.

One wireless device, depending on its age and condition, can generate an average of $2-$5 which is equivalent to one carton of milk or a jar of peanut butter – even a whole meal — to someone in need.
Since 2004, approximately 220,000 wireless devices were diverted from landfills and in the process raised almost $500,000 for the CAFB and food banks across Canada .

If you would like to help out the students from Confederation Secondary School , simply bring your old cell phones to the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre and drop them off at the Source by Circuit City or at Desjardins' Food Basics. The students will then pick up the phones from those places. Please be aware that the students cannot accept chargers, accessories such as headphones and car adapters, or ink cartridges. This contest is only for wireless devices such as cell phones, PDA’s, Blackberrys and pagers.

Let’s help Confederation win this contest!

Cash Calendars Being Sold By Ecole Notre Dame To Raise Money For Year End Activities

Sue Beaudry is recognized in the community as a tireless volunteer who is always ready to lend a helping hand when it comes to children. Here she is shown spending several hours at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre selling "Cash Calendars" for the Parent-Teachers Association of Ecole Notre Dame of Hanmer. Sue's daughter, Jennifer, is a Grade 8 student at the school.

Don Dupuis stopped by to purchase one of the tickets which will give him a chance at winning one of the daily prizes that will be awarded during the month of March. The $5 ticket gives him 31 chances at winning a cash prize. Every Sunday during March the prize will be $100; Saturdays the prize will be $50; and all weekday winners will receive a prize of $20. In all, $1170 in prizes will be handed out to thirty one winners.

This is the first year Ecole Notre Dame has tried this type of fund-raiser. You can also pick up one of your tickets at the school every Friday or by calling 969-4411.

Sue is also President of the Club Optimist de la Vallee, a youth organization that is dedicated to raising money in support of youth-based activities. The group organizes an annual golf tournament, bike rodeo, Christmas breakfast and Popcorn Fridays at the school. They provide funding to individuals who need financial assistance in order to improve the quality of life of children in the family.

On top of that, Sue is the manager of the two hockey teams her children play on in Valley East. Her son, Justin, attends Grade 10 at Collage Notre Dame in Sudbury.

Sue stopped working outside the home when her daughter was ten years of age. "I decided it was more important for me to be around for my children than to continue working and have more money for those extra luxuries. We just have to watch what we spend and we sacrifice a few things, but I don't regret my decision for one minute. It has made a world of difference for my children to know that their mother is available when needed. It has also been a wonderful experience for them to see me getting so involved in the community and in their school activities."

While her schedule is certainly filled with plenty to do because of her community involvement and volunteering activities, Sue wouldn't have it any other way, "I think it is important for children to see their parents getting involved in their community. It shows them how much we care and gives them a good example to follow when they have their own children. I know I am very fortunate to be in a position where I am able to take time from my career to devote to my children. It is something I am grateful for and will continue to take advantage of as long as I can."

READING CHALLENGE

DÉFI DE LECTURE

ÉCOLE NOTRE-DAME, HANMER

L’école Notre-Dame à Hanmer vient tout juste de terminer son défi de lecture. Les élèves de la maternelle à la sixième année ont participé. Ces 300 élèves avaient deux mois pour lire 9000 livres. Chaque fois qu’un élève lisait 10 livres et remettait son formulaire, il recevait un coupon pour de la pizza de Pizza Pizzaz et son nom était ajouté pour des tirages de différents prix. Les élèves de l’école ont surpassé l’objectif du défi et se sont mérité un dîner de pizza pour toute l’école. L’événement, qui avait comme but d’encourager les élèves à lire plus, fut un grand succès car plusieurs élèves ont participé avec enthousiasme.

READING CHALLENGE

ÉCOLE NOTRE-DAME, HANMER

École Notre-Dame in Hanmer has just completed its Reading Challenge. The students from JK to grade 6 participated. These 300 students had two months to read 9000 books. Every time that a student read ten books and filled in his form, he/she received a pizza coupon from Pizza Pizzaz and qualified for prizes from different draws. The students surpassed the objective of the Challenge and had a pizza lunch for the whole school. The goal of the Challenge was to encourage our students to read; this objective was met as many students participated with plenty of enthusiasm.

The four students who read the most books were: Mathieu Nicksy (170 books), Ally Richards-Coupal (120 books), Danika Délarosbil (110 books) and Tina Carrière (100 books).

LIFE SKILLS CLASS

The Special Education - Life Skills Program helps children deal with real-life situations. Here the group is discussing the protocol for a field-trip to the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre.

Once at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre, the class was split up into two groups and assigned to two different entrances in the mall. The first group is shown above at the Desjardins' Food Basics entrance, and the second group is shown below at the entrance to the Hart Department Store.

The children were given the task of greeting shoppers by opening the doors and saying hello. If a person said "Thank you" in English, they were to respond with a "Your Welcome" in English. If the person spoke in French, they were to respond in French. In addition, the students were handing out flyers promoting their school and the new French Public Elementary School being build in Val Caron.

Once the students returned to the school, they gathered together to discuss their experiences and share what they had learned.

All agreed that they thoroughly enjoyed the time spent greeting shoppers at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre. The Teachers were very pleased with what the children learned, and Principal, Lynn Desrosiers, shown above in the yellow jacket, thanked the group for being great ambassadors for the school.

New Play Centre Is Welcome Addition to Ecole Foyer Jeunesse

Lynn Desrosiers, Principal of Ecole Publique Foyer Jeunesse, is shown with some her almost 300 students during the Annual School Yard Clean-Up Day which was held on Saturday, September 17. Besides the usual cleaning up of the school yard, followed by a barbecue lunch, this day was even more special since it marked the official opening of the brand new play center that was just installed in time for the school year. Shown with Ms. Desrosiers, from the top down are Maxime, Emilie, Chelsea, Britney, Jessie, Isabelle, and Daniel. Despite the fact that 120 students who would have normally attended the Ecole Publicque Foyer Jeunesse in Hanmer have been enrolled in the new facility at Ecole Publique de la Decouverte in Val Caron, Foyer Jeunesse is still the largest French Language Public School in the region.