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WT a a "A Family Tradition for 132 Years" PORT PERRY STAR - Tuesday, November 17, 1998 - 19 Hospital Auxiliary Is holding a giant book sale Nov. 24 Our Hospital Auxiliary will be holding a giant book sale on Tuesday, Nov. 24 from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. in the Education Room at the Lakeridge Health Port Perry Hospital. Come out and save 15 to 70 per cent. Ten per cent of the pro- ceeds go to the Hospital Auxiliary. The Community Nursing Home and Port Perry Villa's Annual "Christmas Carol" Bazaar will be held on Saturday, Dec. 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Mark your calendars now. You wont' want to miss this popular bazaar. Scugog Island Women's Institute The Scugog Island Women's Institute will meet on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 8 p.m. at the Scugog Island Hall. They will be doing a "Podge Plate" craft. Supplies will be pro- vided for a small cost. Please bring scissors and a plastic margarine con- tainer. For more information call Gloria at 985-2196. Scugog Shores Congratulations to the museum for receiving a $15,000 grant from Landscape Ontario to develop a green space including many varieties of plant life which grew naturally in south eastern Ontario prior to the arrival of settlers. The first phase of this project is a joint initiative the museum is conducting with the Mississaugas of Scugog Island First Nation and other local bands to develop a Native Heritage Scugog Island Interpretive Area. This phase will produce and identify wild plants used by local Ojibway for food, domestic purposes, medicines, or rituals. The museum received the largest grant distribut- ed by Landscape Ontario. We look forward to hearing more about this project over the winter months as plans evolve. Scugog Island United Church The Moms & Tots & Friends will meet on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 9:30 a.m. at S.I.U.C. Choir practice will be held on Thursday, Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. You are invited to take part in a three session Advent Reflection Time. A Bible Study will be includ- ed with a time of reflection on the reason of the season of Advent. The significance of Jesus' arrival in our lives will be explored. Dates for this session are Tuesday, Nov. 24, Tuesday, Dec. 1 and Tuesday, Dec. 8. The Official Board will meet on Wednesday, Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. at S.1.U.C. For pastoral care call Elaine Barber at 985- 4094. Call 985-8871 with your news for next week's column. From Nov. 18 to 21 the Heydenshore Pavilion by Lake Ontario in Whitby will be trans- formed into a forest of professionally decorated Christmas trees. Christmas wreaths, a Gingerbread village and shops featuring unique gift items complete the setting for the second annual Durham Region Festival of Trees spon- sored by local health care agencies. The highlight of the festival, the gala and auction, takes place on the evening of Friday (Nov. 20). A Teddy Bears Picnic, seniors luncheon, and attractions for all ages compliment this com- Festival of Trees will light up the night munity celebration. Proceeds from raffles, admissions and the auc- tion of trees and gift items will benefit Hearth Place (cancer support centre), Hospice Durham (volunteer support for the terminally ill), Oshawa Hospital Chaplaincy Association and Whitby Hospital Foundation. General admission is $3 ($1 for children under 12). Tickets are available at the door or in advance from The Nutty Chocolatier, 182 Queen Street, Port Perry. Gala tickets, are $50 (tax receipt for $25) and are available from the festival office - (905) 438- 8733. Betty Penny to be c.the. suck, Shaker, of Business for Breakfast Meeting on Thursday, Nov. 26 from 7:30 to 8:45 a.m. at Emiel's Place Restaurant, 151 Queen St., Port Perry. speaker at next Chamber breakfast Guest speaker will be Betty Penny, president, Penny & Associates. Everyone is welcome. Please call 985-4971 to make your reservations. Tickets are $8 for members and $10 for non-mem- bers. School Funding: We believe every child in this province deserves an equal chance at life. In the past, school funding was anything but fair because it was based in part on how much each school board could raise in local taxes. Now, thanks to student-based funding, every child in Ontario can have fair access to a high-quality education, no matter where they live. More money for classroom education, less for bureaucratic waste. For many years, parents complained about school boards spending too much on overhead and administration, and too little on classroom needs. We asked boards to find savings in overhead and administration, then apply these funds to classroom needs. Most boards responded in good faith. A few didn't. Instead, they threatened to close schools. We could not stand by and let them threaten our kids' schools. To protect children from unnecessary school closures, we came up with four different solutions. administration. A permanent 20% top-up grant for schools with fewer students. Previously, a school built for 100 students that had only 80 students enrolled would have lost 20% of its operating budget. Now, schools operating at less than full capacity will receive a top-up grant of up to 20% to bring them closer to, or up to, full operational funding, Call 1-888-848-5905 and get the facts. Ontario Long-Term Solutions TI'hat Put Kids Firs incur additional costs. For example, many older schools have extra-wide hallways that need to be heated and cleaned. These unique design features have now been taken into consideration when calculating school funding. More time for school boards to move money into the classroom. To prevent certain boards from unnecessarily "7 closing schools, we're giving them more time at current funding levels to find the savings we know exist. Boards facing funding increases will receive their increases as originally scheduled. with a team of management experts to help them find ways to save money in operations and An equal chance for every child remains our goal. We're more committed than ever to raising the quality of education for all Ontario children. But we realize that it will take time for our principles to become reality. Not to mention a little give and take from everyone. New permanent allowances for schools with non-standard design features. Some schools have unusual design features that Professional third-party help to find savings in administration and overhead. In response to a request for help from the head of the Toronto District School Board, the Government will provide them, and any other board requesting it,