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9 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,July 11,2019 insidehalton.com 1200 Speers Rd., Unit 12, Oakville, Ont. L6L 2X4 (905) 845 - 1408 | Fax (905) 845 - 5931 | ricky@rickywong.ca Ricky Wong CPA, CA, MBA, B. Eng Ricky WongRicky Wong DIAMONDDIDIDIDIDIAMAMAMAMAMONONONDIAMONDONDIAMONDONDIAMONDONDIAMONDONONONONONDDD DIAMONDDIDIDIDIDIAMAMAMAMAMONONONONONONONDDD Voted Best Accountant by Oakville Beaver Readers for 11 Consecutive Years For more information please check our website www.rickywong.ca •Accounting •Auditing • Taxation Choose one of the following rewards: • Five years free service maintenance • A free duct cleaning • A $250 VISA gift card Call 289-205-3443 Promotion ends July 31, 2019. Must be installed by August 3, 2019. Cannot be combined with any other offer. atlascare.ca INSTALL A NEW A/C AND PICK YOUR PERK! TAKE YOUR PICK! JULY ONLY CHOOSE 1 of 3 REWARDS! Choose one of the f Pud bySteveNease ANIMAL TALES This photo of a pair of battling grackles was taken in the backyard of an Oakville homeowner in late May. If you have a high res photo of Oakville wildlife you'd like to share with readers, send it to Oakville Beaver news editor Kevin Nagel at knagel@metroland.com. Benjamin Lavieu The students in Jacey Jones' learning disabilities class are justifiably proud of the budding business they've created, called LD Sticker Co. The business was an un- intended outcome that started with the arrival of the Cricut Maker, a device that allows the students to create custom stickers, greeting cards, posters and buttons. Purchased with a grant from the Halton Learning Foundation (HLF), the Cricut Maker has been a game-changer for the seven students, who are in grades 6 through 8 at Tecumseh Public School. Once they mastered the technology, the kids began offering their services to other students and teach- ers. The custom stickers proved so popular the class sought advice from entre- preneurs, established a budget, created a website, and began marketing their services outside the school community. Jones says the technology is helping pre- pare her students for real life. "The project incorpo- rates math, art and other subject skills, but they're also learning how to run a business," she says. It's "messy learning" - or learn- ing by trying, succeeding, or regrouping after failure - critical skills for kids who don't follow a linear learn- ing path. "Kids with learning dis- abilities learn differently," confirms 11-year-old Tay- lor. "This is a great tool be- cause it's hands-on and ... you have to use your imag- ination." "We're so thankful for the HLF grant because this tool would not have been a budget priority for the school last year," says Jones. In 2018-19, HLF provided more than $128,000 in grants to schools across the Halton District School Board to help engage kids in learning. "Most schools have a wish list of innovative learning tools and tech- niques they would like to offer, but don't always have the budget for," says Lesley Mansfield, executive direc- tor of HLF. "We partner with individuals, service clubs and corporations such as Aim Recycling, CN and RBC to help close this gap and ensure all HDSB students have equal oppor- tunities to develop essen- tial skills." At John T. Tuck Public School, teacher Cameron Steltman says Grade 1 and 2 students are "super en- gaged" in learning thanks to another piece of technol- ogy - an interactive touch board - also courtesy of an HLF grant. "Information and tech- nology is moving so fast, you need critical thinking skills to understand it," says Steltman. "HLF grants allow us to try new things that get kids excited about learning." Sherri Armstrong is the communications manager at the Halton Learning Foundation, whose mission is to eliminate financial barriers to learning for students of the Halton District School Board. For more information visit haltonlearningfounda- tion.ca or follow @Halton- LearnFDN on Twitter. GRANTS HELP LEVEL THE PLAYING FIELD FOR HALTON STUDENTS OPINION PROJECT HAS TAKEN OFF, WRITES ARMSTRONG SHERRI ARMSTRONG Column