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50 cents (+GST) Vol. 130 No. 48 Wednesday, February 13, 2008 44 Pages Circulation 21,220 www.independentfreepress.com Raiders grab second place and first round playoff bye Page 16 For The Family special section 4-Pages Local curler has mixed emotions at Tankard Page 16 Georgetown man fundraising for Sick Kids Page 12 INSIDE Teachers across the province including Halton District and Halton Catholic District School Board no longer take marks off school students assignments for lateness. The policy is a directive from the Ministry of Education and is in place locally at Georgetown, Acton and Christ the King high schools. Stuart Miller, Georgetown High Schools new principal said, theres a perception that students can hand in assignments whenever they want and never get a zero, but he explained, a zero can be given as a last resort. He said teachers now have to go through a pyramid of intervention to work with stu- dents to hand their assignments in. According to a letter on the policy sent to the community last week from the Halton District School Board, those steps could include helping students with time management skills, providing a calendar of critical dates for major assignments, breaking down major assignments into smaller stages throughout the semester, communicating with parents about due dates and late assignments, getting to know the stu- dents so legitimate reasons for missed deadlines can be considered and giving detentions where students are required to work on the assign- ment. Miller said once teachers have gone through that process and if the student still has not handed the work in, they can use their profes- sional judgment and the student could be fac- ing a zero. Editorial 6 Gary Carr 7 Entertainment 13 Sports 16-18 Calendar 22 Classifieds 24-26 Georgetown residents looking for a family doc- tor have two new physi- cians to choose from. See Fridays edition for profiles of the new addi- tions to the Halton Hills Family Health Team. FRIDAY... REFINANCING? PURCHASING? BOB WOODS Mortgage Specialist (905) 877-1490 *Rate subject to change 360 Guelph St., Georgetown 5.64%. 5YR FIXED RATE GEORGETOWN VOTED #1 FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE 2008 KIA SEDONA FINANCE1.9% CALL THE GEORGETOWN HEADQUARTERS 1-866-364-0697 or 905-877-7818 Up to 60 mos 33 MOUNTAINVIEW RD. N., GEORGETOWN 905-877-6944GEORGETOWN CHEVROLET Available in 5-door or Sedan, 1.6L DOHC Engine, AM/FM/CD with MP3 Playback and iPod, Audio Input Jack, 60/40 Split-Folding Real Seat 2008 AVEO LS NEW 3.4L 185 hp V6 Engine, 5-Speed Automatic, StabiliTrakTM Electronic Stability Control System, 4-Wheel Disc Brakes with ABS and Traction Control, Power Windows, Programmable Door Locks and Exterior Mirrors, Dual-Stage Driver and Front Passenger Air Bags 2008 EQUINOX NEW Available in Coupe or Sedan, 2.2L 148 hp ECOTEC Engine, Auto, Air, Power Windows/ Locks/Mirrors, AM/FM/CD and MP3 Playback and iPod Audio Input Jack, Remote Keyless Entry, Cruise Control 2008 COBALT LT NEW Take advantage of our award-winning lineup, we offer very competitive lease and finance rates here at Georgetown Chevrolet. For further information contact our Sales Representatives ~ Norman John Crystal Jeff Rick For breaking news go to: www.independentfreepress.com Halton Hills award-winning newspaper Chilled Halton Hills crossing guard Tom Massena, who mans the intersection at Delrex Blvd. and Norton Cres. has a simple message for Old Man Winter STOP. Ontario has been hit with multiple snowstorms and bone-chilling cold recently and the temperatures dipped so severely ear- lier this week the Region of Halton issued an Extreme Cold Alert. (Below) The Town of Halton Hills sidewalk plows have been kept busy this month with near-record snowfalls although judging by the letters to the editor on page 6, the works crews efforts arent appreciated by everyone. For more winter weather photos see page 3. Photos by Ted Brown Febrrrrrruary freeze Students not penalized for tardiness Board defends better late than never policy See BOARDS, pg. 3 LISA TALLYN Staff Writer