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27 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,D ecem ber 10,2020 insidehalton.com 1453 North service road, West oakville, oN l6M 2W2 lexusofoakville.ca 905.847.8400 • 1.866.lexus.66lexusofoakville.ca experieNce aMaziNg ^Delivery Credits are available on retail purchase/lease of select new 2020/2021 Lexus vehicles from a Canadian Lexus Dealer and will be applied after taxes have been charged on the full amount of the negotiated price. Vehicle must be purchased/leased, registered and delivered by January 4th, 2021. *Representative lease example based on a 2021 Lexus NX 300 AWD sfx 'A' on a 40 month term at an annual rate of 1.9% and Complete Lexus Price of $46,576. Bi-weekly payment is $178 with $5,410 down payment or equivalent trade in, $0 security deposit and first monthly payment due at lease inception. Total of 86 bi-weekly lease payments required during the lease term. Total lease obligation is $20,587. 48,000 kilometre allowance; charge of $0.20/km for excess kilometres. Complete Lexus Price includes freight/PDI ($2,095), Tires Tax ($20), Filters Fees ($0.7), A/C charge ($100), and OMVIC ($10). License, insurance, registration (if applicable), and taxes are extra. Lexus Dealers are free to set their own prices. Limited time offers only apply to retail customers at participating Lexus Dealers. Dealer order/trade may be required (but may not be available in certain circumstances). Offers are subject to change or cancellation without notice. Offers are effective beginning December 1st, 2020 and expire on January 4th, 2021 unless extended or revised. Please visit Lexus of Oakville, lexusofoakville.ca, or email sales@lexusofoakville.ca for complete details. Nobody Looks after you Like Lexus of oakviLLe Nx F sport series 1 shown lease apr 1.9%*40 MoNths Bi-WeeklY lease paYMeNt FroM $178*doWN paYMeNt $5,410* deliverY credits oF Up to $2,000^ 2021 Nx 300 Thank You! Tuesday, December 1st was Giving Tuesday, and our community rallied together to help fundraise and spread the word about our Christmas Wonders and Beyond program. In a single day, over $35,000 was donated to help provide comfort and joy to Oakville families in need this Christmas. We have more clients than ever this year who are struggling to get by, let alone provide Christmas to their families. Thank you to everyone who blessed us with more than we could have imagined this year. We are so thankful to our community. We will continue to collect donations for our Christmas Wonders program through December as we get closer to our goal of $450,000. With your help we will be able to help our neighbours in need with Christmas in a Box (gift cards that can be used to purchase special gifts and pajamas.). Visit kerrstreet.com/christmaswonders/ to learn more. KSM. 485 Kerr Street, Oakville. 905-845-7485. Charitable Reg. No. 897106845RR0001 From virtual learning to face mask protocols, it's been a "wild ride in educa- tion" over the past year, said the Halton District School Board's newly acclaimed chair in her Dec. 2 inaugural address. "The past nine months have tested us all. March 13, 2020, will be a date to remem- ber in education in Ontario. That is the day that everything changed. Those next couple of months were a struggle for ev- eryone," said Andrea Grebenc. In the midst of fluid and uncertain times, there were worries about learning and wellness gaps among students and staff, and anxiety and fear about the learning environment from families as summer turned to fall. "I am sure there have never been stakes so high for a successful September re- opening in the Halton District School Board, the environment being truly un- predictable and ever-changing. Funding was unsure, but staff budgeted as best they could. Mandates for learning envi- ronments were unclear, but staff used their years of wisdom, experience and public health advice to try to create the best and safest learning environment pos- sible." There are no words to adequately ex- press how impressive the accomplish- ments of the staff have been across the board this year, said Grebenc. Goals shifted, with last-minute chang- es from the Ministry of Education, and staff took it in stride, revamping the entire secondary model in mere days, she said. "But through challenge and adversity, opportunities do come forth." It was a time of building stronger rela- tionships with politicians at both the pro- vincial and local levels, as well as advocat- ing for the needs of students, staff and communities, she said. "The new high school in Milton is tak- ing shape and we have secured funding for much-needed new schools in both Milton and Oakville, though we still have acute accommodation pressures in Oakville that desperately need addressing." Although "the role of the trustee felt a bit lost in these initial months of the pan- demic," HDSB trustees ensured their voic- es were heard at the ministry and beyond. "We tried to educate about the adverse effects learning models would have on marginalized and struggling families with young children. We advocated for clearer ministry messaging and for re- moving barriers to easily accessible and efficient COVID testing in the region." The HDSB "did what needed to be done" during this unprecedented year, com- mented Tracey Ehl Harrison, acclaimed vice-chair of the HDSB, in her remarks. "Gratefully received information which represented thousands of hours of work from dedicated and innovative staff, asked tough questions, heard very diffi- cult truths, contributed expertise and voiced the apprehension, anger and grat- itude of the community. "At the heart of it all is our collective motivation to honour diverse student ex- perience and voices, and do the right thing by each and every student," said Harrison. PUBLIC BOARD CHAIR RECOUNTS 'WILD RIDE IN EDUCATION' Andrea Grebenc is the chair of the Halton District School Board. HDSB photo KATHY YANCHUS kyanchus@metroland.com NEWS "I am sure there have never been stakes so high for a successful September reopening." - HDSB chair Andrea Grebenc