OAKVILLE BEAVER Friday, November 6, 2009 · 4 School Involvement Beyond The Report Card Keeps Parents Informed The back to school season has come and gone, tests have been written, and homework has been handed in. But just as students and parents settle in to the school groove, report cards arrive. "Parents don't have to wait for the report card to find out how their child is doing in school," said Education Director, Laurine Klym, of Oxford Learning Oakville North. "Report cards should be only one part of the cycle of involvement." Education Director, Nicole Sutton, Of Oakville South ads that "the reason report cards can be so stressful is that it is often the first time that parents get any sort of feedback on how their child is progressing. By relying on the report card solely for school information, parents set themselves up for unpleasant surprises." Luckily there are plenty of ways that parents can get involved in their children's education, and most of them are pretty simple. Quick Tips to Get Involved in your Child's Education 1. Send a note to school with your child to schedule a phone chat with the teacher. Ask about math, reading, listening and focus. Don't wait for the teacher to call you to report bad. Follow up when a test is returned to your child. How did it go? Ask where did things go wrong and correct any errors. Look to the past. Last year's school performance can be a big indicator of potential problems this year. Correct issues early and avoid repeats. Recognize your child's school team as experts. Your child's teachers have worked with many different types of children, ask them about strategies, areas of weakness and areas of strength. Don't forget to set goal for your child. 5. Offer positive feedback. To both your child and his or her teacher. With effective, non threatening communication you have taken the first steps toward success. Get help! You can seek help as soon as you learn of a problem rather than waiting to find out on the report card. Be proactive and set your child up for success rather than responding to failure. Three dates for public delegations Continued from page 1 6. 2. 3. Founded in 1984, Oxford Learning uses innovative approaches to learning that have helped thousands of students to reach their educational goals. Customized programs based on the science of cognitive development help children to develop the skills that they need to succeed in school while they develop the confidence that they need to succeed in life. If you have questions about your child's progress at school, or his or her report card, get answers! Contact Laurine Klym at 905 469-1929, if you live in North Oakville or Nicole Sutton at 905 849-4027 if you live in South Oakville, or email us at oakville@ oxfordlearning.com. These challenges range from inflationary pressures to the slowing of new development activity, which has resulted in revenue shortfalls to paying for annualized costs for things outlined in the 2009 budget, such as $579,500 needed for the new transit service design. There are no shortage of capital projects within the 2010 budget with the 10 largest ones including $30.7 million for a new transit facility, $13.3 million for the Quad Pad Arena, $12 million for the design and development of Queen Elizabeth Park, $6.5 for road work on North Service Road from Invicta to Joshua Creek, $4 million for road work on Speers Road from Bronte Road to Procor, $3.2 million for the hot mix paving program, $3 million for the Midtown and QEW crossing, $3 million for replacement buses, $2.8 million for the widening and grade separation of Kerr Street and $2.5 for a new police building acquisition. Town staff has brought forward methods to reduce the budget, however. These include the reduction or elimination of services, grants and subsidies. Staff presentations concerning the budget will take place Monday and Tuesday with members of the public having the opportunity to bring forward delegations on Nov. 12, Nov. 17, and Nov. 18. The budget committee will deliberate on the 2010 Budget on Nov. 25, with final approval expected on Nov. 30. Those seeking additional information on the 2010 Budget can visit the website www.oakville.ca/2010budget.htm. 4. Inside Opinion...........................................6 Artscene........................................29 Worship.........................................36 Sports............................................37 Real Estate....................................40 Classified.......................................43 For home delivery & customer service call (905) 845-9742 Mon., Tues. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Wed., Thu., and Fri. 9 a.m.-7 p.m. (open for calls only after 5 p.m.) Closed Sat. and Sun. NEW SUBSCRIPTIONS call (905) 845-9742 or subscribe online @ www.oakvillebeaver.com Full Delivery: Del Computers, 2001 Audio, Sleep Country, Vistek, Leon's, Zellers, Wal-Mart, Best Buy Canada, Home Outfitters, Michael's of Canada, Loblaws, Sears Partial Delivery: Metro Canada, M&M Autions, Food Basics, Canada Collectibles, The Brick, ACI Apostrophe, Atlantic Windows, Mobilia, Price Chopper, Home Hardware, Morden Service Centre, Longo's, Sobeys, Pharma Plus, Fortino's, The Source, EB Games, 2-4-1 Pizza, FM Windows, HMV, Staples Business, Bouclair, Future Shop, Mark's Work Warehouse, Shoppers Drug Mart, Canadian Tire, Solutions, Bad Boy Furniture Voted Best Learning Centre Understanding your child's report card starts here! www.oxfordlearning.com OAKVILLE SOUTH Maple Grove Village 511 Maple Grove Dr., Suite 2, Oakville (905) 849-4027 oakvillesouth@oxfordlearning.com OAKVILLE NORTH 1131 Nottinghill Gate, Oakville (905) 469-1929 oakville@oxfordlearning.com Oakvillegreen and its hundreds of members and volunteers invite you to join us for these free events. Please join us for: Filmmaker, Pat Murphy Tuesday, November 10 7:30 p.m. Trafalgar Room, Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road Discussion with the man behind The Power of Community: How Cuba Survived Peak Oil. www.powerofcommunity.org Movie Screening, The Age of Stupid Wednesday, December 2 7:30 p.m. Trafalgar Room, Town Hall, 1225 Trafalgar Road "A must see." (Not recommended for children) www.ageofstupid.net Enter the Oakville Urban Forest Arts Contest Capture the beauty of Oakville's urban forests by entering short story, song, poem or photo. Deadline: Nov. 27 Details at www.oakvillegreen.org From top left: Sabrina ,Massimo, Christina, Dan, Kori, John ,Ky Alicia, Dave, Jay T To find out more about the events listed above email us at: treeinitiatives@oakvillegreen.org T To have us speak at your school or organization go to: MYNT HAIR welcomes Alisha and Jay to their team. www.oakvillegreen.org `Your voice today for a sustainable tomorrow' 2530 Third Line, Oakville Tel: (905) 827-0803 www.mynthairstudio.com