WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 27, 1996 THE GEORGETOWN GEMINI Late French Immersion on the block BY FRANCES NIBLOCK The Georgetown Gemini As of September Georgetown students may have just one chance to enter the Halton Board of Education's French Immersion program. Top Board staff recom- mend cancelling the Ex- tended (Late) Immersion Pro- gram in order to save the Board as muchas $175,000 a year, most of it in bussing costs. Currently students have the option of entering the French Immersion program in Grade 1 or Grade 7 and the existing Late Immersion pro- gram for students from Acton, Milton and Georget- own is held at Stewarttown Public School. Although the Extended Immersion program ran steadily foranumber of years, numbers have been dropping recently. Stewarttown principal Pe- ter Vidler said that cancella- tion of the program would have little effect on the school since for all but four of this year's class of 23 students, Stewarttown is their home school. The Board's Superintend- ent of Education Services, Kit Rankin, said that if the pro- gram is cut, students already in Extended Immersion would continue in the pro- gram until graduation. "Tf a student is already in Extended French, that pro- gram would be offered right through to the end of high school," Rankin explained recently. "Tn the north the students would continue to attend Stewarttown, but if trustees accept our recommendations, next year for students going into Grade 9, we would have to look at whether we con- tinue to run Extended Im- mersion centres or whether we integrate students into their home high school with early French Immersion stu- dents," Rankin said. There are 500 French Im- mersion students region-wide and the Board receives $650,000 a year for the pro- gramming from the Province, making it a break-even pro- gram. 13 Attempt to steal 'dead' car Halton Regional Police reported that un- known suspects tried in vain to steal a car parked on Mountainview Road North, sometime between Nov. 15 to 18. Police report that the car, a 1985 Mer- cury Topaz, was disused, waiting to be scrapped, when someone entered the car and tried to "punch" the ignition in an attempt to steal the vehicle. The would-be thief was unsuccessful and left the vehicle. Police have no suspects in this crime. Pe ee ee eee ee ee 7 a eee ee ee ee ee ee ee ee eee ee ee Z a ee eS Preliminary capital budget approved The lion's share of next year's $3.6 million preliminary, capital budget, approved by councillors last week, is earmarked for engi- neering and public works projects. Included in the $2.5 million engineering and public works budget is: - $720,000 for reconstruction of Main Street from Maple Avenue to Church Street to urban standards, including storm sewers; - $711,000 for reconstruction of 10th Line north of 22 Sideroad; - $70,000 for reconstruction of Armstrong Avenue from Mountainview Road to the CNR tracks; - $150,000 to reconstruct the Fourth Line from the 10th Sideroad to the CNR tracks. Included in the Recreation and Parks De- partment budget is: - $160,000 for development of the Barber Mill Park; - $28,100 for improvements to the George- town Indoor Pool; - $50,000 for the Smith Drive Park. Vehicle and equipment purchases are in- cluded in the $266,000 budgeted for the Fire Department, which includes $175,00 for a heavy rescue vehicle to replace a 15-year-old unit, $27,000 for a support vehicle to replace an existing 13-year-old vehicle and $10,000 to replace radio equipment. wine & hee Rk Bee of 10 years of warm winters. Guaranteed. Your Esso associate can sell, install, finance a and service a new Ducane furnace, that can bring you years of comfort, reliability and savings. And all Ducane furnaces are backed by a full 10 year warranty on parts and labour.' (And a lifetime warranty on the heat exchanger.) To find out more about our ultra quiet we MASSEY FERGUSON® TU See tLe Call For Details Ou: ae Doctors with Dirty Hand offer you Preventive Service. A health plan for your equipment Schedule your Annual Check-Up Today! Swanston Farm Equipment R.R. 3, Rockwood FARM EQUIPMENT LTD. (519) 856-9512 - 856-4650 Ducane oil furnaces, just call your local Esso associate. CHALMERS ESSO FUELS 79 Mountainview Rd. N. Georgetown (905) 877-5261 1-800-268-0194 Imperial Oil texcluding nozzles and filters, some conditions may apply. * Trademarks of Imperial Oil Limited. Imperial Oil, licensee. '™ Trademark of Exxon Corporation. imperial Oil licensee. KIM@ID Commercial & Residential Cleaning Services e Reliable « e Free Estimates ° Call today -- we'll take your dust away! (905) 877-0045 Bonded ¢