in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, S ep te m be r 2, 20 21 | 4 ALL PRICES IN EFFECT THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 TO WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021 UNLESS OTHERWISE STATED. CHECK STORES FOR HOLIDAY HOURS. Prices of products that feature the M&M Food Market Rewards Special logo are exclusive to members of the M&M Food Market Rewards program. Simply present your membership card, or sign up for a free membership in store or online, to take advantage of these exclusive offers. M&M Food Market Express and other non-traditional stores offer a limited range of products; therefore special pricing and promotions are not valid at M&M Food Market Express or other non-traditional stores. OAKVILLE 2163 Sixth Line 905-338-3459 (just north of UpperMiddle Road) Hwy. 5 River Oaks Blvd. Upper Middle Rd. Q.E.W. S ix th Li ne T ra fa lg ar R d. OAKVILLE 635 Fourth Line 905-842-4233 (just south of Speers Rd.) Q.E.W. Speers Rd. Rebecca St. Lakeshore Rd. Fo ur th Li ne D or va lD r. OAKVILLE PRINCE MICHAEL 2525 PrinceMichael Dr. 905-257-2412 (PrinceMichael at Dundas St.) Dundas St. E. Upper Middle Rd. 8t h Li ne Prin ce Mic ha elD r. Northridge Trail Grand Ave.Tr af al ga rR d. TD Bank Shoppers Drug Mart 999999 save $2upto Butter Chicken Fettuccine Alfr 999 Fettuccine Alfredo Cabbage Rolls 22 lblb PREPAREDPREPARED MEALSMEALS 907 g Choose from 15 varieties. Barbecue Louisiana Style Fully Cooked Chicken Wings 907 g/2 lb Choose from 10 varieties. Buffalo Honey Garlic1699 savesave $$33 TRY WITH THIS Thai Sweet and Spicy Dipping Sauce 350 mL CHICKEN STRIPSCHICKEN STRIPS 27-33 PIECES 1.36 kg 1799 save $7 1399each Battered Haddock Fillets 5-7 PIECES 680 g 99 Breaded Haddock Fillets 6-11 PIECES 907 g savesave $$33 savesave $$11 GET BACK TO SCHOOL SAFELY! (905) 975-6484 One-StOp-ShOp fOr ALL YOUr SAfetY SUppLieS FAST FREE SHIPPING OVER $99 SHOP NOW at www.smithsafetygroup.ca SAVE UP TO 38% NOW MADE IN CANADA beth home because of concerns over the arrival of the Delta vari- ant. Last month, the Government of Ontario said that students will be returning to in-person clas- ses this fall. Guidelines such as mask mandates, distancing and PPE for staff are included. How- ever, roughly 4,000 out of 64,600 students will be taking online classes. Parents like Fabb are looking for alternatives to in-person classes due to concerns sur- rounding COVID-19, with a re- cent uptick in cases "They have mask mandates and everything, but then the kids will take off their masks to eat together for 40 minutes," said Fabb Virtual schooling through Zoom is one of the ways parents are keeping their kids safe. Home-schooling is another way. Home-schooling is parent-led and receives few supports from the school board, unlike virtual. "I think there are definitely families who have reached out and contacted us who have never home-schooled before," said Tammy Keezer, who heads the Oakville-based Halton Homes- chooling co-op. The co-op is a once-a-week get-together of home-schooled students so they can socialize. Parent volunteers come to- gether to offer activities that the kids can engage in together. "I don't think that they will contin- ue to home-school once the pan- demic ends, some will, but some of them are saying, 'Hey, this is what feels safe right now.'" Keezer herself has four kids who she has been home-school- ing since before the pandemic. She feels safe in knowing that her children are in their own bubble and are safer from the vi- rus. "The less people you have, the less people you are around, the less likely you are to catch the vi- rus," Keezer said. "We're just not exposed to as big a group as you would be in a classroom ... It's a comfort not to have to be ex- posed." "We always have a base of home-schoolers," said Halton District School Board superin- tendent of education Scott Po- drebarac. "I would say between 100 and 120. But just to give you a sense of where the numbers were, they were north of 250 last year," he added. He took care to say that while the home-schooling numbers are still incomplete this year, he thinks they'll be closer to the average. STORY BEHIND THE STO- RY: With another school year set to begin amid the pandemic, we wanted to talk to parents who -- due to fears over the Delta vari- ant and the recent rise in cases -- have opted for an alternative to in-class schooling this fall. NEWS Continued from page 3 Tammy Keezer teaches her home-schooled children (clockwise from far left) Will, Grace, Claire and Simon. Mansoor Tanweer/Metroland MANY FAMILIES HOME-SCHOOLING FOR FIRST TIME SCAN FOR MORE Scan this code for more local news.