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Wednesday, 20 January 2016 18:35

Roots of Empathy at Harrowsmith PS

If you asked the students at Harrowsmith Public School about baby Addie, they will be able to tell you all about her thanks to the Roots of Empathy program that has been taking place there for the last four years.

The program, which is offered not only across Canada but globally across three continents, strives to foster empathy in students by inviting a neighborhood infant into the school for nine monthly visits. Over that time, the students are encouraged to observe the baby's development and to label the baby’s feelings and intentions. In so doing they learn to better identify and understand their own feelings and the feelings of others. The idea is that the students will become less likely to hurt one another physically, emotionally or psychologically.

In the short term the program has been shown to reduce levels of aggression and bullying among primary and elementary school children while increasing their social/emotional competence and empathy. Over the long term the program's aim is to encourage responsible citizenship and responsive parenting.

I visited Harrowsmith PS last week when six-month-old baby Addie and her mother, Valerie Hopkins, were visiting Ms. Lalonde's junior/senior kindergarten class. The visit began with Valerie bringing baby Addie around to each student, who each, in turn, had a chance to greet her.

Wendy Sims, who is a trained instructor with the Roots of Empathy program and an early childhood educator in Ms. Lalonde's classroom, led the visit, which was baby Addie's fourth to the school. Her first was back in November.

The students had a chance to comment on the changes they observed in her development and when she was placed on a carpet with the students gathered around her, her mother unpacked her baby bag and along with Sims explained to the students all of the articles and how they are used to help care for Addie.

One especially unique aspect of the program is that during the visits, it is the baby who becomes the teacher in the classroom. Sims, who has been an instructor with the program for three years, said the students over time develop a very strong bond with the baby and come to realize that they were at one time as young, as small and as vulnerable. “The students develop a real love for the baby and actually start seeing her as their baby and someone that they care and look out for. It's amazing to see how excited they become when she visits the classroom and the positive effect it has.” Sims said that the program also covers numerous related topics like the responsibility that comes with parenting and caring for a child. Valerie Hopkins said that Addie loves the classroom visits as much as the students do and that the program is as enjoyable for her and Addie as it is for them.

All babies are welcome in the program and Sims pointed out that even if babies are fussy, it brings an opportunity for the students to see how Mom reacts to and cares for them. Ms. Lalonde said she sees a real difference in her students as a result of the program. “You can see how gentle the students are with baby Addie and that gentleness really transfers over into the classroom day to day. We, adults and children alike, all need empathy and this program really encourages that.”

Started in 1996 by social entrepreneur, Mary Gordon, the program’s main aim is to encourage emotional literacy in youngsters, which has been found to lay the foundation for more safe and caring classrooms where empathy can educate both the heart and mind of the students. Studies on the effectiveness of the program have found that children involved in the program show an increase in prosocial behavior, social and emotional understanding, the knowledge of parenting, and cognitive and emotional empathy, as well as showing a decrease in aggression. A long-term evaluation also showed that the program’s beneficial effects were often maintained and continued for years in participating students.

Seeing the program first hand was a real eye opener and it was truly amazing to see how one little bundle of joy can encourage empathy in youngsters. For more information about the program visit www.rootsofempathy.org

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC

School purchases and associated costs hit $400,000

Central Frontenac Council has decided to spend $2,000 to secure all salvageable items in the former Sharbot Lake Public School. They also have authorized Chief Building Officer Jeremy Nevens to prepare an RFP for demolition of the building. Nevens estimates the net cost of the demolition at $150,000.

At a special meeting held on December 21st, Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith told Council about a site visit to the school she took a few days earlier with Neven, Fire Chief Bill Young, and other staff and two other members of Council.

“We found that the building has deteriorated, and that the asbestos issue is pretty extensive. As Jeremy will tell you, re-purposing that building for another use is not viable,” Smith said.

“The cost of removing the asbestos would be high, and as soon as the building is being altered it would have to adhere to the current building code and accessibility regulations,” said Neven, “so you would be looking at over a million dollars to get anywhere with it.”

Smith explained that she wanted to meet before Christmas because it will cost $30,000 to heat and carry the building through the winter, and a decision on buying more oil for the beginning of winter needed to be made right away.

“I don't see us spending $30,000 if we are just going to tear down the building anyway,” she said.

The alternative Jeremy Neven proposed was to invest $2,000 in blowing out all the plumbing lines to make sure that none of the cast iron or plumbing fixtures, which can potentially be sold as salvage, will be damaged.

Demolition companies deduct the amount of money they realize from salvaging copper, metal and other marketable materials.

The only question raised by Council was about the timing of the demolition.

“With the cost of the purchase and the increase in OPP costs, perhaps we can wait a year or two before spending the money to tear the building down, because none of wants to see a tax increase if 8 or 9 per cent this year,” said Councillor Brent Cameron.

Councillor Bill MacDonald raised a concern about vandalism if the building is left standing and the message having a derelict building in place gives out to the public.

Treasurer Michael McGovern said that there is over $300,000 in a reserve fund that could be used to finance the demolition and then be replenished “over 2 to 3 years.”

In the end Council decided to defer the decision about when to demolish the school until the cost is better known. They passed a motion to “decommission the building and prepare it for demolition” without putting any time-line on the project.

Jeremy Neven has volunteered to co-ordinate the distribution of useable supplies in the school that do not have a cash value for salvage. These include desks, chairs, equipment, slates, white boards, etc.

“We will contact the not-for-profits in the area to see if they can use some of what is there. There was a lot left behind when the school board left and moved over to Granite Ridge,” Smith said.

Council also decided not to demolish Hinchinbrooke School at this time.

“The asbestos issues at Hinchinbrooke may not be as extensive,” said Neven “although we don't know for sure, but the building is newer.”

Frances Smith said that the community group that was looking at possible uses for the building a couple of years ago is still interested.

“There is also some commercial interest in the property,” she added.

It will cost $30,000 to maintain Hinchinbrooke School through the winter. With a purchase price of $220,000 for the two properties, $2,000 for decommissioning Sharbot Lake Public School and an estimated $150,000 in demolition costs, the entire project now has a $402,000 price tag.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC

School purchases and associated costs hit $400,000

Central Frontenac Council has decided to spend $2,000 to secure all salvageable items in the former Sharbot Lake Public School. They also have authorized Chief Building Officer Jeremy Nevens to prepare an RFP for demolition of the building. Nevens estimates the net cost of the demolition at $150,000.

At a special meeting held on December 21st, Central Frontenac Mayor Frances Smith told Council about a site visit to the school she took a few days earlier with Neven, Fire Chief Bill Young, and other staff and two other members of Council.

“We found that the building has deteriorated, and that the asbestos issue is pretty extensive. As Jeremy will tell you, re-purposing that building for another use is not viable,” Smith said.

“The cost of removing the asbestos would be high, and as soon as the building is being altered it would have to adhere to the current building code and accessibility regulations,” said Neven, “so you would be looking at over a million dollars to get anywhere with it.”

Smith explained that she wanted to meet before Christmas because it will cost $30,000 to heat and carry the building through the winter, and a decision on buying more oil for the beginning of winter needed to be made right away.

“I don't see us spending $30,000 if we are just going to tear down the building anyway,” she said.

The alternative Jeremy Neven proposed was to invest $2,000 in blowing out all the plumbing lines to make sure that none of the cast iron or plumbing fixtures, which can potentially be sold as salvage, will be damaged.

Demolition companies deduct the amount of money they realize from salvaging copper, metal and other marketable materials.

The only question raised by Council was about the timing of the demolition.

“With the cost of the purchase and the increase in OPP costs, perhaps we can wait a year or two before spending the money to tear the building down, because none of wants to see a tax increase if 8 or 9 per cent this year,” said Councillor Brent Cameron.

Councillor Bill MacDonald raised a concern about vandalism if the building is left standing and the message having a derelict building in place gives out to the public.

Treasurer Michael McGovern said that there is over $300,000 in a reserve fund that could be used to finance the demolition and then be replenished “over 2 to 3 years.”

In the end Council decided to defer the decision about when to demolish the school until the cost is better known. They passed a motion to “decommission the building and prepare it for demolition” without putting any time-line on the project.

Jeremy Neven has volunteered to co-ordinate the distribution of useable supplies in the school that do not have a cash value for salvage. These include desks, chairs, equipment, slates, white boards, etc.

“We will contact the not-for-profits in the area to see if they can use some of what is there. There was a lot left behind when the school board left and moved over to Granite Ridge,” Smith said.

Council also decided not to demolish Hinchinbrooke School at this time.

“The asbestos issues at Hinchinbrooke may not be as extensive,” said Neven “although we don't know for sure, but the building is newer.”

Frances Smith said that the community group that was looking at possible uses for the building a couple of years ago is still interested.

“There is also some commercial interest in the property,” she added.

It will cost $30,000 to maintain Hinchinbrooke School through the winter. With a purchase price of $220,000 for the two properties, $2,000 for decommissioning Sharbot Lake Public School and an estimated $150,000 in demolition costs, the entire project now has a $402,000 price tag.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 16 December 2015 20:54

Holiday Food Drive at Sydenham High School

Members of the student council at Sydenham High School have been busy heading up a holiday food drive at the school to support the South Frontenac Food Bank. Four members of the student council, including co-presidents, Will Sanderson and Annie Preston, and ministers of outreach and charity, Rachel Don and Morgan Arthur, have been accepting food donations in a number of large gift-wrapped boxes in the school's main foyer. To date, close to 600 items have been collected and in an effort to encourage as many donations as possible, the school's four colour house teams entered into a competition to see who could make the most donations. To further encourage donations, individual students received a ballot for every three donations they gave, which they can enter into a raffle that will take place on December 17. The winner will take home a Sydenham Swag Bag valued at $45.

That same day the students will be delivering the food directly to the food bank. Co-president Sanderson said that one of the aims of the drive is also to raise awareness about issues of local poverty and hunger. With that in mind, Rachel Don and Morgan Arthur made numerous announcements citing facts about hunger and poverty, and individual grade reps also spoke to individual classrooms about these issues. As well, a number of posters were hung throughout the school. The four student council members also spoke every morning to arriving students about local poverty issues.

In April, 2016, the students at the school will be focusing their efforts on global poverty issues and will be holding their 30-Hour Famine event, which will coincide with a second school-wide food drive. Hats off to the students of SHS who have demonstrated that everyone can make a difference in the lives of local residents in need.

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Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 16 December 2015 18:05

Holiday giving at GREC

Prior to their annual Jingle Bell Walk at the Granite Ridge Education Centre in Sharbot Lake on December 4, students and staff gathered in the school courtyard to celebrate their two-week-long fundraising efforts for the North Frontenac Food Bank. Over the last two weeks students have been collecting donations and this year over 1000 food items were collected. To celebrate that fact, students and staff from the school gathered in the outdoor courtyard, where students from the school’s Lakers program loaded a pick up truck with the boxed food donations and then accompanied it to the food bank in Sharbot Lake.

This is the second consecutive year that the students in the Lakers program have been fundraising and volunteering with the food bank. Lakers program teacher, Ms. Kacur, said the students have also been volunteering every week throughout the year at the food bank, where they have been busy stocking shelves and organizing the donations. Kacur said that the efforts of the students allow them to understand that they are part of the local community and that their efforts are not only much appreciated but are also a way for them to give back to their local community.

Grade 10 student, Franky Badour, is in the Lakers program and is a regular weekly volunteer at the food bank. He said he likes helping out and explained that his efforts are also a way of acquiring his school community volunteer hours.

Part of the fundraising event also included a toy donation drive for children in need in the community. GREC teacher Ms. Kirby, who teaches French and physical education to the high school students, headed up the toy and food drive this year. She said that a school-wide competition was set up, awarding a prize to the class that raised the most food donations.

This year it was Mr. Flegal's grade four class who collected the most - close to one quarter of the overall donations - and his students will be celebrating their efforts with a special treat of hot chocolate and cookies. Congratulations to all the students and the donors. Their efforts will go a long way in assisting those in need in the community. The toy drive continues on until the year-end and to date 20 toys have been collected.

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 16 December 2015 17:38

NAEC floats to success

It started with an idea; Andre Tryon, Students’ Council Co-President, wanted North Addington to have a float in the Northbrook Santa Claus Parade. Building a float is a big undertaking, and so the Viking team rolled up their sleeves and jumped in. Denver Lucas, a Grade 11 Graphic Design student, created a 3D computer model with dimensions. “When I started to design the boat I thought it was a unique idea. I had fun making the float design in Sketch Up,” said Denver.

The next step was taking the plans over to the Grade 9 Technology class where they constructed the 16 foot Viking boat, with shields, Dragon head and mast. A large group student volunteers stayed after school to paint the boat, sail and details on the float, working into the evening. Then it was off to the Senior Transportation class to secure the boat to an 18’ trailer and rig up the lights, speakers and special effects.

Students’ Council members, and other students rode the float in the parade to show their school spirit in last Saturday’s parade.

“With great collaboration among Students’ Council, enthusiastic students and more than willing teachers, the float was a huge success! Plans for next year have already started!” said Andre.

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS
Wednesday, 25 November 2015 19:26

Painting landscapes at LOLPS

Young artists had a chance to try their hand at painting landscapes at this year's annual installment of the Land O' Lakes Art Club. Eighteen students aged 8-13 took part in the classes under the tutelage of grade 7/8 teacher Lee Hull, himself an accomplished and talented artist.

The students spent seven weeks painting the fall landscape surrounding the school. They took their easels, canvases and paints into the great outdoors and chose a section of landscape behind the school that they wanted to paint. Part of the challenge for the students was dealing with the ever-changing fall colours and Hull said that the students, who painted just once a week, were forced to remember the scenes in their mind's eye since the colours in the scenery were constantly changing.

The students also focused their talents on painting exactly what they saw rather than just the idea of it. Mr. Hull explained that, “Rather than painting the idea of a tree, the students had to paint a particular tree if that was their focus in the work.”

Other scenes included a wooden gazebo, and one student chose to focus on a bush with bright red leaves at the far end of the school yard. The students learned about scale, how to make objects in the foreground come to the front while keeping the other background elements towards the back of the canvas. The students learned how to mix colours and were also given the challenge of not using the colour black in the process.

The students began by painting a canvas with a neutral toned background and then used the colour green to sketch in with their brushes a drawing of the scene, paying close attention to detail and scale. The next step was to fill in the neutral section of the background, with the idea that once that had been done, the painting was then finished. The final step was to apply the colour white to hit the highlights in the scene and to bring the lightest parts of the picture forward.

To celebrate their finished works, the students held an art show and vernissage at the school on November 19 where the artists and guests enjoyed a multitude of fancy snacks courtesy of student parent Linda Tremblay, bringing to a close a successful exploration in landscape painting for students at the school.

 

Published in CENTRAL FRONTENAC
Thursday, 05 November 2015 00:06

Trick or Eat a Big Success!

On October 31, students from North Addington Education Centre canvassed the community in their costumes; not for candy or treats, but for non-perishable food items. Students and adults were stationed in each community: Flinton, Northbrook, and Cloyne. The response received was overwhelming. Most homes had a bag or box of food ready, and were not reluctant to contribute to the community. The event and pick up were supervised by a staff member.

The food collected will help the food bank through the winter season. Darian Smith, an NAEC student, stated, “I should just keep the costume- I’m definitely doing this again next year!”

Angela Salmond, the principal of NAEC, was excited to show her support for the event: “I am so proud of our students and would like to extend my thanks to their families and the community. There is always the worry that an event won’t be successful year after year, but Trick or Eat has only gained momentum. Thank you for investing in our students- I am very grateful”.

While this event helped stock the shelves, the winter and holiday seasons are a busy time for the food bank. An attempt was made to go to as many houses as possible, but if your donation was missed, please call North Addington at 613-336-8991 and ask for Candice Bovard; we will pick up your item(s). Items can also we dropped off at NAEC, and we will make sure that they are delivered to the Food Bank. Those requiring assistance from the Food Bank, please contact Land O’ Lakes Community Services at 613-336-8934.

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS
Wednesday, 21 October 2015 23:53

Students vote at Harrowsmith PS

On October 15, students at Harrowsmith Public School had a chance to experience first hand what it means to engage in the democratic process as they participated in the school's first ever Student Vote program. Students in Ms. Thayer's and Ms. Ranson's grade 4/5 classes took the lead in implementing the program and over 175 students in grade four and higher had a chance to cast their ballots for their party of choice in the riding of Lanark Frontenac Kingston.

Through the process the students gained an understanding of the country's three levels of government, its four major political parties, and how each party's platform differed in the 2015 federal election campaign.

Ms. Thayer said that the program ties in nicely with the social studies curriculum for the lead students, who are studying government and the democratic process. The aim of the lead students was to convince their fellow students that their chosen party had the strategies and policies that would best serve and benefit Canadians. Ms. Thayer said the focus was on the four major political parties and their platforms rather than the individual candidates running in the riding.

Lead students were invited first to research the platforms and to chose the party they most wanted to represent. They learned about numerous issues including the Syrian refugee crisis, the state of the economy, the environment, health care and more. Students were also instructed how to use various forms of media in order to get their information across to their fellow voters as well as to think critically about the media they were researching. The students gained a whole new vocabulary and awareness of the political process and you can bet that there were some very interesting conversations taking place throughout the school on voting day. After choosing their party, the students made numerous presentations to their fellow students and were also in charge of running and officiating at the ballot stations.

I spoke to two students, Emma Aitken and Noah McDougall, who were respectively campaigning for the Conservative and NDP parties. Emma said that she chose to campaign for the Conservative party because she “felt that Stephen Harper over the years did a good job in keeping Canadians safe”. She added that prior to this program she “did not know very much about politics”, but said that now she feels that she has become much more interested in the topic.

Noah said he chose the NDP because he felt “it was time to take a break from Stephen Harper and see what it would be like without him”. He also liked the NDP's stance on hand guns and their goals to create more affordable health care and housing.

Asked what qualities they feel a prime minister needs to run the country, Noah replied, “being enthusiastic about what they will do for the country, not being grumpy and caring about what things might be going wrong for people”.

Emma said that “being bilingual, not backing out of promises and helping other people in the world” are all important.

The results from the Student Vote Program are in and the Liberals won in a landslide with 67%, (225.8 seats), Conservatives, 20% (67.4seats), the NDP, 12% (40.44 seats) and the Green party 1% or 3.37 seats. As in the past the results reflect the decision of Canadian voters. By the end of the day students at HPS were not only well informed but were also thrilled to be able to have their say in the 2015 federal election.

Published in SOUTH FRONTENAC
Wednesday, 21 October 2015 23:36

NAEC heads to Stratford

On September 29, Grade 9 to 12 students and chaperones from North Addington Education Centre headed off for an overnight trip to Stratford. This trip was made possible by the very generous help given to the school by the Education Department in Stratford, who covered most of the costs. Some students chose to see “Anne Frank”, while others chose “Hamlet”.

Students had a packed agenda. On arrival in Stratford, the students toured the Anne Frank exhibit at the local museum. On September 30, they headed off for a “Warehouse” tour, in which they learned about how costumes, props and sets are made, and tried a few costumes on for size.

At 11am the students attended a “Prologue”, which was a workshop with actors from their play. Students spent an hour doing drama activities and asking questions, prior to their play’s matinee at 2pm. Featured in the “Anne Frank” prologue were Cassandra Parks, Shaelynn Flagler, Madi Lemke, and Nathan Whitelock. Students in the “Hamlet” prologue were Mackenzie Johnson, Kara Rosien, Lucas Parks and Ilia Salvaterra.

Students thoroughly enjoyed the productions they attended. Aaron Smith said, “I was not sure if I wanted to go on the trip, but I’m so glad I did as I loved Hamlet. I don’t usually go for theatre things, but it was great.” Olivia Bence, who attended “Anne Frank”, loved the set, which was “like magic” in the way parts appeared and disappeared.

Many students expressed a hope to attend another play next year.

Published in ADDINGTON HIGHLANDS
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