Upper Canada District School Board chair Jeff McMillan joined trustee Jeremy Armer for the Dundas Family of Schools meeting held Tuesday, October 18 at Winchester Public School.
The meeting, originally intended as an opportunity for all the schools in Dundas County to share updates on the projects, programs and events taking place in their individual schools, focused mostly on the UCDSB trustees’ decision to move forward with the proposal that will delve deeper into the potential closure of 29 of the board’s 86 schools. However, contradictory statements left some attendees with more questions than answers. Who has the power to make the final decision? Is the wellbeing of the affected children being considered?
Parents and students of the 29 schools in question are actively trying to be heard by the people making the final decision, which McMillan says is the board of trustees’ 11 members. However, McMillan has repeatedly insisted that parents should not be lobbying the trustees, but rather the board’s senior staff members in charge of creating the final proposal, as they are the ones who will approve the proposal.
“Your input doesn’t affect Jeremy and I because we don’t write the final report,” he said. “The input has to go through the avenues that have been made available to you.”
Unlike the municipality, McMillan explained, board politicians (trustees) do not get involved in the day-to-day workings of the board. It is the staff’s job to write the report and, in doing so, get their feedback from the municipality’s staff, not their council members.
McMillan said the trustees’ decision should come from the report only, not from talking and engaging with community members. It is the staff who are expected to interact with the community before creating a final report with recommendations for the trustees to read and vote upon. The interaction, however, must follow the board’s process of ARC (accommodation review committee) meetings. Picketing and rallies have no merit and no effect, he said. He emphasized the need for each school to be organized and represented in their region’s ARC, which is the group that will interact directly with the UCDSB’s senior staff report makers.
“The decision rests completely with the board of trustees, absolutely, completely,” he said.
Armer went one step further.
“When they do present the final report to us, as the trustees we do have the right to modify it and change it and that’s pretty clear in the ministry’s guidelines,” Armer said.
Parents are left wondering how their opinions are going to be heard amongst one of four ARCs when each ARC is composed of representatives from different schools, each trying to save their own school.
In addition to the confusion surrounding how to effectively have their voices heard, some parents are asking where the affected students fit into decision-making process and whether their welfare is being considered. Armer said student success is a prime concern and McMillan agreed. They also said concern for students must be balanced with the need to answer to taxpayers and the provincial government.
“It’s a very easy line for the public to say you’re not caring about the kids and I have no way of defending that,” McMillan said. “I can honestly tell you the kids are part of this equation.”
When asked what the students from the affected schools were getting out of this proposal, McMillan said, “I’m not going to debate it with you,” adding that the question was rhetorical and, therefore, unanswerable.
It was then asked if a portion of the affected student population – those with anxiety issues, for example, or those going into Grade 11 or 12 whose marks will determine their post-secondary futures – are being sacrificed for the board’s long-term goals.
“Probably not my choice of words,” Armer said. “But I see what you’re saying. Absolutely. Ya, it’s tough. Kids are resilient, but its tough and we have to make a pretty tough decision.”
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Health and wellness for everybody
Health and wellness for everybody is the topic of the much anticipated “It’s All About “ME” Health and Wellness Fair coming up at the Winchester Arena on Wednesday, April 30 from 2-6 p.m.
Presented by the Dundas Interagency there is no admission charge for the Health and Wellness Fair.
The Dundas Interagency is a local group comprised of various agencies representing North and South Dundas.
Each year the Dundas Interagency plans a community event to showcase all that is available in Dundas County, and the Interagency is especially pleased this year to be offering a Health and Wellness Fair that’s focused on “It’s All About Me”.
Too often caregivers of all kinds constantly look after others without stopping to care for themselves. This day is about celebrating the intrinsic value in all of us.
Over 40 exhibitors will be at the “It’s All About Me” Health and Wellness Fair on April 30th.
There will be a great selection of local business and services covering health, wellness, fitness, entertainment and much more. There will be demonstrations on food and food sources; exercise, yoga, dance; community resources on health, education, community building; arts and culture to name a few.
Residents from throughout the Dundas community (North and South) are invited to come out and see what Dundas County has to offer and enjoy a variety of presentations and explore the many opportunities available.
Demonstrations are happening throughout the day beginning at 2:15 p.m. In addition, each exhibitor will have a display and be happy to discuss their product or service.
The mission of the Dundas County Interagency Committee is to provide a forum where individuals and organizations serving the residents of Dundas County can network for the benefit of the general population and to promote awareness of community services.
The initiative to promote networking began in the early 1980’s at a brown bag lunch meeting, where community workers from various agencies could share information.
In the early 1990’s, a number of interested individuals representing various agencies sat down together to plan a course of action. From a survey, quarterly meetings were established, which included time for networking and sharing information and, of course, lunch.
In 2005, representatives from several agencies serving Dundas County agreed to meet once or twice a year to share information about services available, participate in educational workshops, get to know new staff members and ensure that the community is well informed on what the agencies can provide
The committee has hosted a variety of event over the past five years.
Some of the 44 participants in the April 30th, “It’s All About Me” Health and Wellness Fair are: Canadian Blood Services, CMHA, Winchelsea Farms, TR Leger ALEPP, EOHU, SD&G County Library, Naomi’s Family Resource Centre, Upper Canada Playhouse, Eastern Ontario Agri-Food Network, Poppa Beans, Marion Stanley Mosaics, The Rythym Room, Linking Hands, Hartford, Kim Hutt, Garden Path Homemade Soap, Carefor Health and Community Services, Chesterville Dancers, Isagenix, Lakeshore Massage, Ryunolshi Tai Chi, Addictions Service Aura Culinary Arts.
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Kids come together for Ash Wednesday event in Morrisburg
“They had so much fun. It’s such a positive experience,” said Fiona Carr, Family Resource Coordinator for GIAG.
Carr was referring to the full-day events on February 22nd, Ash Wednesday, marking the first day of Lent.
Organized and planned by Lutheran and Anglican churches in South Dundas, the base of activities took place at St. James Anglican Church in Morrisburg. Children from kindergarten to grade 12 were invited to join in the day’s activities where the theme for the day was “Lord Teach Us to Pray.”
According to Carr, “we had kids from tons of different schools.” The similarity? “They have a commonality of believing in God,” she said.
Kids in Carr’s group, the intermediates, were exchanging phone numbers because although they hadn’t known one another before Wednesday, many of them “became instant friends.”
Both the intermediate and senior groups took trips to the food bank where they dropped off donations, took a tour and helped out.
“I was really impressed with them,” said Carr, of her intermediate group. “They helped pack some snack bags.”
Carr was told that “they asked more questions than they’ve ever asked before,” and, in addition, they were fascinated to learn that donations can include pet food and toiletries, things they hadn’t thought of before the tour.
The primary group was led by Carol Rumble of Iroquois. According to Rumble, aside from honouring Ash Wednesday and having some fun in the process, the day’s purpose was to deliver the message of outreach to the children.
The primary group spent time during the day making cards for orphans in Madagascar. Mary Sherwood is a missionary at an orphanage there and had previously visited the area, giving a presentation of her work and what’s needed. According to Rumble, the cards will be forwarded to Sherwood who will see to it that the children receive them.
The intermediate and senior groups had a visit from Karen Marshall who spoke about the outreach work her son Chris and his partner Shayna Campbell are doing in Uganda.
Currently, the couple is in the midst of a year-long mission to make a difference at St. Francis Health Care Services located near Mbiko, Uganda. They are trying to raise $33,500 to build a maternity hospital at the center.
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Family lucky to escape fire
A three year old, a lighter and disabled smoke alarms are a recipe for disaster, but luckily that disaster was averted by a local family this weekend.
Firefighters were called to the scene of a mattress fire, Saturday morning, shortly before 8 a.m. When they arrived, they found the occupants of 65 Augusta Street in Morrisburg, outside wrapped in blankets. The fire, located in the second floor bedroom, was extinguished and firefighters removed the burnt mattress and debris.
“I spoke with the tenants of the home and the grandmother said that she smelled smoke and discovered the second floor bedroom on fire,” said Chris McDonough, fire chief of South Dundas Fire and Emergency Services. “She woke her son and got her three year old grandson out of the bedroom.”
“As it turns out, the three year old boy had set fire to the bedroom with a lighter that was in his father’s pants next to the bed,” said McDonough. “This could very easily have been a fatality.”
According to McDonough, the smoke alarm on the second floor had been removed and the battery had been removed from the smoke alarm on the main floor of the home.
A $235 charge will be laid for not having working smoke alarms in the home.
“I would like to remind everyone that you must have a working smoke alarm on every storey of your home and that they should practice their home escape plans,” said McDonough.
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