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The Oakville Beaver, Wednesday August 7, 2002 - A5 Algae clean-up project set to run through August (Continued from page A1) bin. That's then trucked to a compost facility in Hamilton. The debris isn't taken to the Halton dump because the dump doesn't have the Certificate of Approval from the Ministry of Environment to accept the algae, said Mark. The pilot program is taking aim at the traditionally bad time for algae accumulation so clean up efforts began in early July and will continue through the end of August, said Mark. The Town monitors the lakefront daily and cleans up where needed -- responding to public complaints about hot spots. It can take some time for the clean-up crew to arrive, howev er, admitted Mark, noting it could be a day or two or the bet ter part of a week. That's because the equipment is slow moving and takes time to complete its task. This week clean up is focused on Chancery Promenade and Carrington Promenade in the east end, so Mark hopes the west end stays clear. So far so good, too, with the weather this year. "Up until the latter part of July, it's been much better than last year," said Mark. Despite sweltering tempera tures, the lake level has remained high. Yet, Mark said the hot July and abundant sunshine encour aged the production of algae. The clean-up pilot project was approved as part of the Town's 2002 budget after angry residents at a public meeting in December complained about algae inconvenience during the summer months last year. O akville's shores are the ideal home for algae -- a foul topic to lakefront residents, but considered to be part of lake liv ing to residents whose homes are further removed. W hile the Town has little control over algae since issues pertaining to Lake Ontario involve every other government level of government, too, not to mention the fickleness of Mother Nature. Since it's the Town that bears the brunt of residents' ire, parks and recreation staff recommend ed the pilot project for this sum mer. Yet, even as the Town moved to enhance its algae clean up, M ark warned that residents shouldn't expect too much. "There will be an expectation that staff will be able to respond quickly to every 'hot spot.' "The reality is that areas could be cleaned up one day and the next day could be inundated again. "However, the harvester may not be back for some time. And, a harvester must work on water that is relatively calm and as a result may not be able to work continuously which may be frus trating for some residents," reported Mark. Peter C. McCusker · Oakville Beaver At the foot of Timber Lane, a reeking mat of algae that was irritating residents was cleaned up Friday. That, too has proved to be the case this year as Mark admitted the harvester has been forced to stay on shore on numerous occa sions this summer because of rough lake waters. A report on the project is slat ed to go before Town council this fall. Funds to monitor West Nile Virus (Continued from page A1) virus, and so far there have been no positive test results. The news of more infected birds in Halton comes at a time when $9 million more is being invested to support West Nile virus surveillance and prevention this summer across Ontario. The extra funds were part of an Aug. 1 announcement by Ontario Health and Long-Term Care Minister Tony Clement. "Our government believes that prevention is the best pro tection," said Clement. "This $9 million investment in detec tion and prevention will make people aware of how the virus is spread and how to protect themselves and their families." O f the $9 million, $7.5 million will be available to boards of health for control measures against both larval and adult mosquitoes, since mosquitoes can transmit the virus. Local health units will also receive $1.3 million for addi tional surveillance, public education, and local mapping and assessment for possible larviciding. The remaining $200,000 will fund the stand-by costs of a licensed pesticide applicator. Willmott said Halton officials are still waiting to see how the extra funding will affect things locally. "We have a fairly comprehensive program at the moment, but I expect we'll hear whether we should sort of expand our activities -- or the funds may directed to smaller areas that don't currently have resources." While dead bird surveillance will continue throughout Halton, a high number of birds being examined from across Ontario has meant the lab in Guelph is limiting the number of dead birds that can be tested. The presence of the virus in dead birds reinforce the mes sage sent out by Health Departments in Ontario for residents to continue to protect themselves against mosquito bites and to report dead birds sightings to the Health Department. To reduce your chance of being bitten by mosquitoes: · avoid areas with high mosquito populations; · wear light-coloured clothing, including long sleeves, pants and a hat, to cover exposed skin when outdoors in the evening or early morning; · use a mosquito repellent containing DEET. The concen tration of DEET should be no greater than 30 per cent for adults and no greater than 10 percent for children between the ages of six months to 12 years. DEET should not be applied to infants under six months of age. · make sure all windows and doors in your home have screens that are in good condition; · take extra precaution from dusk to dawn when mosquito activity is particularly high. To reduce mosquito breeding areas: · drain standing or stagnant water on your property; · remove old tires; · turn over pails, toys and wheelbarrows; · change the water in birdbaths every few days; · keep your eavestroughs clear to avoid trapped water. Throughout the warm weather, monitor and maintain your yard to ensure that the area remains free from standing water. For information about West Nile Virus call the Halton Region Health Department West Nile Virus Line at 905-8256187, or visit the Web site at www.region.halton.on.ca/health. An architect's rendering of the Wildwood Academy, which is scheduled to open this September at 2250 Sheridan Garden Drive. New private school for children with learning disabilities By Lindsey Craig S P E C IA L T O THE B E A V E R If your child has a learning disabil ity and hasn't been receiving the class room attention they need. Wildwood Academy may be the answer. Opening in Oakville this September, the private school will offer specialized education for chil dren with a variety of learning dis abilities, including Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD), Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Pervasive Development Disorder (PDD), and dyslexia. It will be the first of its kind in Oakville. "Generally, it's for children who need smaller class sizes," said academy owner Laurie Simpson. A federally incorporated, non profit organization, the academy has been formed by Simpson and Bud Johnson, two Oakville par ents who recognized the need for Wildwood in this area. While Mississauga and Toronto offer pri vate schools for children who require academic upgrading. Simpson said there is nothing in Oakville to meet their son's needs. "It's very difficult to get a child with learning difficulties into the private schools," she said. Many children with learning disabilities end up in the public school system without the atten tion they require, she added. To ensure that this didn't hap pen to their nine-year-old son, Simpson and Johnson opted for home-schooling. However, she said they also want to ensure he develops social ly with other children. "This (Wildwood) will give him the structured environment he needs, while also being around other kids," she said. So far, 12 students are enrolled at the academy, which is located at 2250 Sheridan Garden Drive. For this its first year of operation, there will be a maximum of 20 students accepted, between grades 3-6. Next year the academy hopes to offer programs for those in grade 7 and 8. The new academy will offer three distinct classroom settings. The largest class will have a 12:1 student/teacher ratio and will serve children who are one or two years behind academically. The 6:1 program provides additional support for children who are more than two years behind and may require social skills training. Simpson said those who bene fit from intensive instruction would best be served in the 1:1 setting, which uses Applied Behaviour Analysis (ABA) tech niques and provides full support throughout the day, everyday. According to the Oakville resi dent, ABA is a method of teaching where tasks are broken down into their simplest forms, so the child learns to master each component instead of trying to tackle the overall problem at once. Initially, W ildwood was planned to offer only the 12:1 and 1:1 classes. An unexpected demand for the 6:1 ratio led to its inclusion in the program. "It has more social skills training (than the larger class) which a lot of kids need," said Simpson. "It helps them with making friends and learning appropriate behaviour." Cost per child for the 12:1 class is $15,000, $25,000 for the 6:1, and $55,000 for the 1:1 pro gram. As for the curriculum, the school will use Direct Instruction (DI) programs and methods to teach reading, writing and math. DI is a research substantiated teaching model and program designed to systematically teach academic skills and concepts to a high level of mastery. In addition to the core academ ic subjects, students will also reg ularly engage in study skills, music, art, social studies, science, drama, physical education and computer classes. It should also be noted that for art and physical education, children from all class es take part together. Simpson also said that extracurricular activities have also been built into the school day to offer students opportunities to interact with their peers and explore various hobbies. 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