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THURSDAY, JULY 5, 2007 THE NEW TANNER 9 A cover may be charged TANNERS PUB 40 Eastern Ave. Acton 519-853-5231 * ALYSHA BROOKE Friday July 6, 7pm APPEARING THIS WEEK AT TANNERS JOIN US FOR GEORGES GOING AWAY PARTY ???????? ????? FEATURING TIM HICKS SATURDAY JULY 7, 7PM-11P wear your best camouflage THE BOOMERANGS we have heard Elvis might show up Sunday July 8 1pm * * * LEISURE LIVING INSIDE & OUT BBQs / Smokers Demos Saturdays HOT TUBS/ Chemicals FIREPLACES -Outdoor-Indoor Service all makes / fuels 138 Main St., N 1-888-935-2113 ROCKWOOD1-519-856-0498 SMA FUNDRAISER: Staff and shoppers at Sobeys helped raise over $1,400 for SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) re- search with a fun day filled with a barbecue, silent auction and face painting on Saturday. On hand for the festivities were the Van Fraassen family of Limehouse, including Rebecca (front with flag) who has SMA, and from left, store manager Mark Latimer and Luke, Theresa, Rachel and Doug Van Fraassen. Frances Niblock photo By Frances Niblock The halls are strangely silent, but behind the scenes at Actons schools, staff and administrators are busy wrapping up one school year and getting ready for Septembers new students, teachers and staff. At Robert Little School, Principal Leona Skanes is leaving after three years at the helm where she or- chestrated a major cleanup/ spruce up of the facility, the retirenment of monkey mascot Little Robert, and the continued focus on physical fitness and the environment. She moves to Silvercreek Public School in George- town. Teachers leaving Robert Little include Catherine Lasby, Karie Hanson, Joel Eves, Lisa Hasselfeldt and veteran Kathy Burt. Also leaving are eduction assis- tants Lorriane Yade-Howie and Lidra Remacka. Returning from one-year leaves are Jacqueline Na- pier, Kristen Parker and Ron VandeKemp. New to Robert Little will be Janet Jeddore who will teach Grades 2/3. Ashleigh Conway will teach Grade 4 French Im- mersion, Michelle Mattocks will teach Grade 4, Erin Gagne will teach Grade 1/2 and the new Principal is Bob Tadman, coming from Aldershot in Burlington as vice-principal. When I heard that Robert Little had opened up, I was quite pleased to come here I have a nice warm spot for this area, Tadman said on Friday, adding he lived and taught in Georgetown for several years and has been with the Halton District School Board for 20 years. Tadman is not plan- ning any major, immediate changes at Robert Little but will wait, listen and learn from a dynamic staff. Im a big believer in working together with folks to achieve the things that need to be achieved. I know that Im a change agent on one hand, but no, I dont have big changes in mind, Tadman said, adding being a change agent is part of the role of a principal and hes in for the long haul. McKenzie-Smith Bennet At McKenzie-Smith Ben- nett School (MSB) six new staff has already been hired with more to come, joining Principal Sharon French and Vice-Principals Paul VanderHelm and Carolyn Reist who begin their second year at the Kindergarten-8 school. SK/JK teacher Barb Harris is returning from maternity leave and Sarah Venema, a graduate of St. Joseph School begins her career at MSB, teaching Grade 1. Also joining the staff at MSB are Michelle McCann (Grade 1/2), Lindsay Conn- Smith (Grade 4/5), Brett McClure Grade 5/6), Anita Mederios (Core French) and Stacey Bales (planning). Off on maternity leave are teacher Kristy Mackenzie and special ed. teacher Tan- ya Ferro. Retiring teachers include Jim Johnson, Kris Bannerman, Debra Gross, and Peggy Johnson. Principal French said with enrolment expected to jump by 10 students to 670, the Board has ordered two por- tables be delivered to MSB for use in September. MSB has received a $19,000 capital renewal grant from the school board and over the summer, air conditioning will be in- stalled in the computer lab and library, another staff room with air conditioning will be added at the north end of the school and other improvements will be done, including painting, carpet- ing and a new floor in the south gym. Acton High School At Acton High School Principal Bert OHearn and staff said goodbye to retir- ing teacher Murray Kittmer, who after 25 years at the school including stints as department head, lit- eracy champion and coach of several teams is calling it quits. Also leaving are Syl- via Roberts who filled in teaching science for Ms. Warner-Salvio who was on leave and returns as a mem- ber of the School Leadership Team. Science/biology teacher Darryl Leblanc and Terry Roesch will both be on leave next school year and Bob Pecora is leaving after work- ing in the guidance area. Returning from leaves are social worker John Lanthier, tech studies teacher Paul Nicholson, French/English teacher Christian Schilling and business studies teacher Jim Sheridan. They join new teachers Jennett Clayton (art and history), Amanda Irving (English) and Joanne Pat- tison-Meek (Canadian and World Studies). We want to build on our strengths and stay-the- course, Principal OHearn said on Tuesday, adding they will make every effort to help our students be suc- cessful. Retirement, new staff at Acton schools For some Halton second- ary school students, summer vacation was very short it ended on Wednesday when summer school began. Approximately 4,000 stu- dents will attempt to pass a course or upgrade their mark at summer school classes of- fered by the Halton District School Board in Oakville, Burlington and Milton, and the Halton District Catholic School Board. Students at- tending literacy or numeracy summer school courses at E.C. Drury and Bishop Red- ing High Schools in Milton are able to catch a free bus that leaves Actons St. Joseph School at 7:30 a.m., and re- turns after the end of class at 1:30 p.m. As well, many Acton stu- dents head to Guelph schools for summer classes under a reciprocal agreement with the neighbouring Wellington Board of Education. In Halton, the public and Catholic boards offer two two-week summer school sessions in July, the first from July 4 to 17 and the second from July 18 to 31, running from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Students who achieve a mark of 40 or higher are eligible to take a two-week, 55-hour upgrade course and students with a final mark of below 40 must take the month-long, 110-hour ses- sion, normally offered in the Core subjects of Eng- lish, Math and Science. The Halton public board is offer- ing 56 full credit courses this summer along with approxi- mately 51 upgrade courses. In most courses there are tests, assignments and an exam, all done in a much-ab- breviated fashion. Last year, approximately 1,900 Halton students en- rolled in summer school, 964 of them in the month-long course. Ninety-eight per cent were successful at summer school. With students looking to upgrade their marks, 97 per cent in the first session re- ceived a passing grade and 93 per cent of the students in the second session received a passing grade. For a lot of students, fo- cusing on five hours a day, just for one session is the key to mastering a subject, Halton District School Board site supervisor Jackie Oxley said on Friday, adding they are proud of their extremely high success rates. The Halton District Catho- lic School Board also boasts similar success rates. Out students are moti- vated by themselves or their parents in some cases and most on are on their second attempt so they do better, said Joe Mongiari, principal of adult and continued learn- ing on Tuesday, adding they expect approximately 1,900 secondary school and 300 elementary school students to attend summer school. No summer break for thousands of Halton students