www.oakvillebeaver.com The Oakville Beaver Weekend, Saturday January 13, 2007 - 7 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR Immediate community excluded from new school I had to write to say that I find it ironic and sad that the Halton District School Board would ask for "name suggestions from the community" for West Oak Trails School #3. The community surrounding this school has not been a consideration when it comes to this school. This school is being built to house the optional French immersion program and the majority of the kids who are watching this school come together will not be invited to attend in September. This could/should be dualtrack. French immersion is an optional program and can be delivered successfully in the same school as the English program. Oakville has deviated from how the French immersion program is delivered within the rest of Halton. Oakville French immersion parents seem to "want their own school". Walk-to schools that also offer optional programs work throughout Halton, I have to wonder what makes the Oakville French Immersion program so special that it requires its "own school." I wonder how French immersion families who live in Burlington feel when they are told that Oakville builds new schools for our optional programs. Do the students in Milton get a lesser education because they attend dual-track schools? No, I don't believe so. Oakville is a wonderful place to live, I chose to live in Oakville, but when a few people are allowed to disrupt a community to the point that neighbours no longer speak and friendships are falling apart there is a problem. This new school is being built at a cost of more than $10 million at the same time two schools south of Upper Middle will have about 300 students in a few years. The logical solution to this mess would be to offer French immersion in one of these schools, as a dual-track school and to have the new school being built offer both programs. The builder of most of these homes and the planing department of Oakville both envisioned a "friendly" and "walking" community. The Town of Oakville planning department planned to have a community that didn't depend on the automobile, well this new school will depend on plenty of "big yellow automobiles" (not to mention the number of mini-vans and SUVs that will no doubt idle on our streets). How can a neighbourhood come together as friends when most of the families are not welcome in the neighbourhood school? The board could remedy this whole mess by opening the doors of this school to "all" kids, not just the ones in an optional program. I have to wonder as I look out at this green January if we really need more buses on the road, or just maybe we could think about how our choices affect more than just ourselves. This school will never be a fully walk-to school, it will always rely on busing. It will always have cars and SUVs driving kids in and out. This doesn't seem very eco-friendly to me. So as a neighbour to this school and a member of the community, I have some names for this building, but since my kids aren't welcome I doubt my ideas will be welcome. VANGIE TRAVIS January No PST No GST on all furniture orders For all your children's furniture needs from infant to adult. Fine Children's Furniture Linen and Decor 2111 Dunwin Dr., Mississauga 905.828.2525 facing Dundas Street West (2 blocks west of Erin Mills Pkwy) www.aroomofmyown.net Lots of environmental information available Re: Information overload?, Oakville Beaver, Jan. 10. The majority of people who might call themselves environmentalists, and I include myself in that, are optimists. It is our intention to find ways for people to help. There are a number of groups within Oakville which you can contact for information on what you can do. · For pesticides and native plants, there's Gardens Off Drugs at 905-339-2290 or www.gardensoffdrugs.com. · For tree plantings, there's Ground Breakers at 905-2570250 or www.groundbreakersoakville.com. · For public transit, cycling, and walking, there's GreenTrans at 905-827-5989 or www.greentrans.org. · For local environmental and sustainability issues, there's Oakvillegreen at 905-257-0250 or www.oakvillegreen.org. · For water conservation, contact Halton Region at 905825-6000 or visit www.halton.ca/ppw/water/Water Efficiency/index.htm . · For links to groups throughout Halton, there's the Halton Environmental Network at 905849-5501 or www.the-hen.net The Town of Oakville is implementing its new Environmental Strategic Plan. For questions on that and more, contact the Town's Environmental Policy Department at 905-845-6601 ext. 3948. And there are many helpful groups outside of Oakville. · For energy conservation, contact the Conservation Council of Ontario at 416-533-1635 or www.weconserve.ca . · For recycling, contact the Recycling Council of Ontario at 416-657-2797 or www.rco.on.ca · For links to the wide range of environmental groups throughout Ontario, visit the Ontario Environment Network at www.oen.ca. There are people in all these groups who want to help. If you're confused by all the information, contact us. LISA SEILER GETinvested NEW NEWSPAPER TABLOID & ONLINE MARKETING OPPORTUNITY FOR 2007 2007 Reach700,000 Targeted Households in Canada's Fastest Growing Marketplace EDITORIALhighlights: Choosing the right investment advisor The perfectly balanced portfolio. Will I out-live my retirement savings? 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