WhiIby Fr. Pros.,"w&eday, Soplboe23 1. ioPag7 « PAGESEVE - ThetafIldng rock Loi. eoifI have:ti.right:- The Durham Board of, Eductio isloced ii a$24milionfigtwith ii proinc o Onarooverjuniormkide n. le, province, represenmted.,by'.= inister Tony 'Siipo, lhas",declared, that every .board iWi-tii. prvne should have junior kindergartèn bySeebr #Meh. position, of the Duiiham board is simple: juxdor Icindergarten will -cost $24 .million. In Urnes of recession, thiat is just too munich.< But lëes ave é nme clig and dloser lok att iie.issue-iuef.Wht j inio .Kin-der-gar-ten,(noun): -A class. fýor, four- to, six-year-olds. Ozetmotee perocl"ied clearbyrthat heiwas aaia * uir kinderArtn. Th e board is in the usne o f ïedcation, he. eaid, notbaiyitting. Anothek predicted à a taiiyes revoit. -sa parent., I have seen the. potential oé junior» * kndrgrtn. As aneducator, I .have a fw wll-formed views on our, educationial needs.- As. a taxpayer, I know. abouthigh-tax bille. Two ýyears, ago, rny youngeet daughter began junior kindergarten,(We dontlive im Durham Region; -other- ~ 'bà rn ave -,.bemmn-,junior kindergarten -,withoutý bankruptey -- aid ýWithout titreats from thbe provic. in Erins clase, students rotated among half a "dozen, 'actity, centres --the. computer centre; the listening centre; the, kitchen; eut and paste; sand and water; mathematics. Some, classes evren begin te prepare four-year-olds for the board'room b inîtroducing the talkcing rock.' T'h.etalking roC? That's an.article passed fromn pupil to pupil duringdiscussions. Only the. person with the rock is allowed to talk. ,But . bcktte tii. classrooma. Watcii closely. At each 'station9, the, activities are sâtrure d and 'deflned, tii'. choices ocusd. lh. student ler witliout.the, old haribi pointer-oni-the-kn]Iucldes encouragement, of day. of old. Dos it work? By the. year's end, my daugiiter had mastered the. concep ts of bas 'ic number facts (and could. count ýte 39), could write- and illuâtrate 'a stoiry (soxae translation was reqluired), and could Concentrate on, ,a problem for considerable Urne. Her report at 8exsend detaibed 42 different areas of acmlsiet A good junior kcindergarten, -which tuis was, produces. a montiily- calendar cof. events, In advance; clearly. defined themes; and a student trackig shoot te allow the, etudent te, indicate areasof performance (and te insure that Erin didn't spend aIl her Urne' at the. cut-and-paste centre, which -se would have). What do we know about how children'learn? W.' know,. for instance, that safe, secure happy children- .bearn faster than, frightened, insecure, uniiappy children. WeU-fed children learn faster than hungry chldren. Chldren learn btter after a eound nigiifs sloep. Childron. who areread to daily from infan1 blearn te read1 faster and better tiian children w o are propped in front of the television. Junior kindergarten, is not a revolutionary concept. Y.., the 'program wiIl cost money; no, iît is nôt babysitting. Yesý,, tii debate- deserves well-informed discussion, notpolitical (nor legal) infigiiting. Board menibers siiould make a point of visiting junior kindergartens in jurisdictions wiiere it does work. Northiumberland-Newcastle board is-not that far away._There are otiiers. They siiouid, talk ýte parents,' teaciiers, chldren,, visit jùfior kindergartens in- action. Examine how, other borsafford it. Balance theý pros and cons. I ~ MY V'E NIE»CURC-C.1925 The congregatioe cf tt church in celebrating it. lSOth, anniversayt ear . .cuc was built in 1908-0. Peter Chrdisdi, 'mI>, ld tii. cornerutone oei Augu.t, 28, 1908 and, the church was dedcatad ari Januaiy 31,ý 1909. from the Wedneda, 22,1982.edition etthe *Lidustrial growth of Whitby in up 428,per cent over last'year. *Whitby reuident Lt. Col. Nick Hlal thei new commrander cf the. Toeonto Miitia District. *An open hous will b. held tomorrw to, celebrate the. lOOth annver.aiyc<t. 'Biank cf Commerce et Brock and Dundas Streets. *Mombers of the. Durham Board of Education are considering «"in themmelve. a 39 per cent ualary incroase. 35 YEABS AGO from the ThursaySetomber 26, 1957 editioe ft. WHTYWEELYNEWS *Building a concrete west breakwater at Wbitby Harbour will ho coeipleted, by the. end of the year., e A newbridge wilbe bult over the StOrey Marsh onlthe BaseLiUne., * Manager - Wren Blair' of the . VWhty Dunlopamaya hi. teamn will not, aitch to European«style hockey at the. World Championsbips next year. *A stone wal will bebuit along the lakeshore in front of the. Ontario Hopital te prevent eroeion from Lalce Ontarjo. 100 YEARS AGO frmthe. Friday, September 23, 1892 edition of the. WHITBY CHIRONICLE e Apple pcing in providing,,work for 15 te 20 men at Brooklin.- * It took only 40 day. te erect the. 35,000-busiiel grain elevator at Brookilin. * The Town constables havé, been rounding up catIe left on the streets at nigit * W.G.-Waltmr elaga b.edrooin =,Menet 50 cents a pair. a- . a