10 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday July 11, 2008 www.oakvillebeaver.com Town likely to stick with current ward system - for now By Kim Arnott SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER It appears that any change to Oakville's municipal ward system will have to wait until after the 2010 election. Town councillors are recommending that the current political structure remain in place until after the Region of Halton looks at how it allocates its seats to its four municipalities. That's not expected to occur until after the 2010 election. "We don't want to do this twice," said Ward 6 councillor Max Khan, who made the motion to stick with the status quo during Tuesday night's Administrative Services committee meeting. Since 1990, Oakville has been divided into six wards three north of the QEW and three south of the QEW. Each ward elects two councillors, a Town Councillor and a Town and Regional Councillor. The Town Councillor sits only on Oakville Council, while the Town and Regional Councillor sits on both Oakville and Halton Regional councils. With the rapid population growth north of the QEW since 1990, the current ward system is now out of balance. Ward 2, in south central Oakville, is expected to have a population of only 20,314 by the 2010 election, while Ward 4, in the town's northwest corner, will have more than 48,000 people. With continued population growth planned for the north, the system will get further out of balance in the coming years. In 2005, a citizens' task force recommended a north-south realignment of the ward system. However, politicians had hoped to do that in conjunction with a review of the Halton political structure, necessary due to population growth in Oakville and Milton. Currently, Halton Region Council is made up of Oakville's six Town and Regional Councillors, along with six councillors from Burlington, three councillors from Milton and two councillors from Halton Hills. The Mayors of each municipality, along with the Halton Regional Chairman also sit on the 21-member council. The recommendation from the Administrative Services committee still requires ratification by the entire Town Council at its meeting on July 14. MRZ IN SU VEHICLES WINDSHIELD PRICED WITH WILL BE UNBELIEVABLE ALL IN-STOCK ZLE SIZ NTS FO NY NEWFINANCIN ONHA URCHASE E P LLA C OV,000 WIT ER RO 1,000 09 CO 20 DA! SOLD IN CANA THE OXFORD DIFFERENCE FIVE TIPS TO UNDERSTANDING THE REPORT CARD The end-of-year report card is a pivotal time for families. It's a time of transition as students complete one grade and ready themselves to begin a new grade in the fall. It's also a time of stress. For a child, poor report card grades can mean punishment and restrictions on their anticipated summer activities. For parents, poor grades are a source of worry--is their child facing an educational roadblock that could put their dreams for the future on hold? These five tips can help your family keep any report card stress under control EN S PAYM AYTA NOR 60 D YO G. TO WITH SAVINGS! SATURD A 2009 COROLLA CE WITH A/C FOR ONLY LEASE A LY DAYY ON 12 1 A JULY very With E ase Receive Purch BBQ & T G S A $ A M&M MEA ! D $50 R A IFT CA OPS G SH PLUS ids, or K Gif ts f hments, Refresys & More. wa Give A $ $ 219 HWY 5.3L/100 KM (53MPG) CITY 7.1L/100 KM (40 MPG) LE MRY CA 2009 +TAX FOR 48 MONTHS PLUSIn-Stock 2009 CAMRY LE FOR ONLY LEASE A HWY 6.2L/ 100 KM (46 MPG) CITY 9.5L/100 KM (30 MPG) $ $ 259 +TAX** FOR 48 MONTHS *WHEN YOU APPLY THE CASH BACK V4 08 RA 20 H RG E NO CUSAD CARS! E N O ON NOW $ UP O T 5 0 0 AS EG MSRP WA UNCED JUST ANNO50 $ 6,0 2 $ 50 SAVINGS 1,3 LEASE A S $27,400 FOR ONLY $ $ 2008 RAV4 299 +TAX FOR 48 MONTHS HWY 7.7L/100 KM (37 MPG) CITY 10.1L/100 KM (28 MPG) PLUS RATES AS LOW AS UP $ TO 0.9 % ON SELECTED MODELS UAL OAKVI 1st ANN A CAR SHOLLE W TOYOT 1. Cut to the Chase. Make sense of what the report card is really telling you. Forget the gobbledygook and meaningless jargon. Read the comments written by the teacher. These comments can give you a better idea of how your child is performing overall. 2. Attend the Parent-Teacher Conference. If lessthan stellar grades have you worried that your child's opportunities for the future may be slipping away, meeting and speaking with the teacher can help. The teacher has spent hours every day observing your child in the classroom. Often, they can paint a better picture of where your child is headed academically. 3. Put it in context. Some school years are more challenging than others. Certain grades are transition years, such as the first year of high school or the shift from early to middle school. Transitions are challenging to all students, regardless of their academic abilities. 4. Go to the Source. If your child's report card contains some surprises, ask the one person who would know best: your child. But before you do, take some time to read the report card by yourself. Identify the subjects that are the biggest concern and address those concerns when you sit down together and go over the report card. Remember to remain calm--you and your child are allies in education, not enemies. Be sure to praise your child for the positives on the report card. 5. Take Action NOW. A poor report card can be a serious roadblock to opportunities for the future, but it doesn't have to be. Just because school is out doesn't mean that parents have to wait until the next school year begins to get their children back on track. The report card is a red flag. 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