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ECOLE PUBLIQUE DE
LA DECOURVERTE Parent Council Busy Raising Money For Playground
Equipment For Their New School In Val Caron |
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Visitors to the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre on
December 8 and 9 were in for a real treat as School Council members from
ECOLE PUBLIQUE DE LA DECOUVERTE were on hand selling delicious baking
goods. The bake sale was organized as part of an ongoing fund-raising
program to help pay for the playground equipment for the new school in Val
Caron.
Shown in the photo from the left are three of the members of the School
Council: Carole Rochette, Present of the Parent Council; Suzanne Soulliere,
Coordinator of the Bake Sale and Custodian of the school; and Bernadette
Mrochek-Dennie, Council member.
Besides the bake sale, the group is planning a huge Family Night on
March 29, 2007 as one of their major fund-raisers. They held a silent
auction in October that also went over well.
There are about 150 students from JK to Grade 6 attending the new
facility which is located on Main Street East in Val Caron.
The School Council meets on the 2nd Monday of every month to discuss
fund-raising projects, plan events and deal with other matters of interest
to the parents and the staff. Meetings are open to the public. |
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Neil's Independent Grocer And
President's Choice Children's Charity Provides Financial Assistance to
The Poirier Family of Hanmer |
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The President's Choice Children's Charity is dedicated to helping children
who are physically or developmentally challenged.
We provide direct financial assistance in the purchase of mobility
equipment, environmental modifications, physical therapy and more in an
effort to remove some of the obstacles that make everyday living extremely
difficult for these children.
Loblaws founded the charity in 1989 and has since raised in excess of
$15,000,000 and helped over 3,500 families across Canada. Anyone with a
child or young adult under the age of 25 with a physical or developmental
disability can apply for financial assistance through this program. Just
stop by Neil's Independent Grocers and talk to Neil for more information.
This past year, the staff at Neil's Independent Grocers held barbecues,
walkathons, skateathons, draws, fish ponds and cake tables, raising over
$10,000 for the President's Choice Charity. In recognition for its efforts,
two local families received grants through the program.
In the photo above, Neil Lindenbach, owner of Neil's Independent Grocers,
is shown with the Poirier Family of Hanmer. Claire Poirier is a single
mother, raising three children. She is in the photo with two of her
children: Francois (18), who attends Grade 12 at Ecole Secondaire Hanmer,
and Isaac (10). Anik (6) was at home at the time of the photo.
For Claire, who was born and raised in Valley East, being the mother of
an autistic child, Isaac, means being always unsure of the future.
"Each day is a new day and you just don't know what it will bring.
Isaac attends school at Ste. Marie in Azilda because it is the only school I
know of that offers a special classroom for autistic children. He is
extremely hyper-sensitive and takes a long time to adjust to changes in his
routine, so I find that being in this class is good for him at this
time."
It is quite difficult raising three children as a single mom in the first
place, but having an autistic child brings with it even more challenges.
Claire holds down two part-time jobs as a nurse so that she can take more
time off if needed to attend to Isaac's requirements or to catch up on some
much-needed rest.
"Francois is a great help to me," Claire declared. "I also
need to hire help from time to time."
The grant from the President's Choice Children's Charity will be used to
erect a fence around Claire's property in order to ensure that Isaac remains
in the yard and doesn't venture off without telling anyone where he is
going. This has always been a safety concern for the Poirier family and
having the fence is going to make it much easier to allow Isaac to enjoy
playing in the yard.
Neil is extremely proud of his staff who are always willing to take part
in fund-raising ventures to assist in the ultimate goal of raising money for
this worthwhile charity. "To have two grants in the same year is really
quite remarkable and will certainly help motivate my staff even more."
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Junior Grade
Students From Immaculate Conception School Spend Their Saturday
Morning Entertaining The Public |
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Mr. Luciano Ingriselli, Core French Teacher at Immaculate Conception School
in Val Caron, is shown below playing his guitar to accompany the Grade 4 to
6 students who turned out on the morning of Saturday, December 16, 2006, to
sing Christmas carols at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre.
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The guitar and the drums were perfect accompaniments to the beautiful voices
of the children as they entertained dozens of parents, grandparents,
brothers and sisters, and shoppers who took time from their busy routines to
enjoy the music.
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The students form the School Choir. It was obvious to everyone that they
came well-prepared. Their voices projected down the busy corridors as
shoppers and merchants alike welcomed their wonderful contribution to the
"Spirit of Christmas" on one of the busiest shopping days of the
year.
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Ecole
St-Joseph Students Take Part In Lip Sync Competition |
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Recently students at
St-Joseph
Catholic
School
in Hanmer have participated in a Lip Sync Competition.
Our Grade 1 students won 1st place and our Kindergarten came 2nd
place. We are very proud of our Grade 3 students who did a spectacular
performance. |
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This extra curricular activity exposed talented artists from Wawa
through to
Warren
.
Students are given the opportunity to listen to and develop an
appreciation for our French music. They
learn to perform in front of a large audience which encourages them to
gain self-confidence. Finally,
performing in groups, teaches students how to work cooperatively. What a
GREAT opportunity! |
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Our students are eager to participate in this competition every
year. As for the parents, they are very proud of their children for doing
such a fantastic performance.
We thank all of the
special people who made this activity possible such as our parents, our
students, our teachers and our School Board!
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C’est
chaque jour qu’il faudrait dire des
mots d’amour à nos mamans!
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Les
amis de St-Joseph ont cherché à combler ce désir en visitant les résidentes
du Centre Elizabeth à Blezard Valley. Les mamans du Centre et le
personnel étaient réjouis d’entendre nos enfants chanter quelques
chansons d’amour. Cependant, leur cœur de maman était encore plus
touché lorsque chaque petit ami leur a remis une carte de souhait
accompagnée d’un œillet. Quel bonheur, quelle joie de nous réunir
autour de toutes ces mamans!
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Beavers, Cubs And Scouts
Distribute Apples To Residents of Valley East During Annual
Fund-Raiser
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Lynn Lachance, a Cub Leader with the 1st Valley East Scouts, is shown with
her 8-year old daughter, Roxanne, during the Annual Apple Day fund-raising
drive held in Valley East on Saturday, October 7, 2006. Roxanne attends
Grade 3 at Ecole St. Joseph on St. Anthony Street and has been a member of
the organization for 3 years. Roxanne's brother, Andre, is also a Cub. He
was selling apples in another section of the mall at the time the photo was
taken.
Lynn speaks very highly of the 1st Valley East Scouting group and feels
it provides an excellent experience for young children. This year there are
36 young boys and girls registered in the organization. There are 15 Beavers
(aged 5 to 8); 15 Cubs (aged 8 to 11); and 6 Scouts (over 11 years of age).
The Beavers and Cubs meet every Wednesday evening at St. Anne School in
Hanmer, while the Scouts meet every Tuesday at the same place. Other
activities and outings take place on weekends during the year which runs
from September to May.
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Debbra
Christianson, shown in the photo to the right, Scout Leader with the 1st Valley East Scouts, holds up a
display board that was used at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre during
registrations which were held in September.
This marked the first time that the scouts have used the mall for
registrations and Debbra was pleased with the response.
"We gained nine new members while we were in the mall, so it was
very worthwhile for us to be there," she explained.
If anyone is still interested in joining this great organization, you can
call Debbra at 969-7095 or Olivia Lobbon at 222-8878.
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Grade 3 & 4 Students From
Ecole Notre Dame de L'Esperance Introduced To Golf |
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Vic
Whissell, owner of the Valley Family Golf Centre on
Regional Road 15 in Blezard Valley, takes a moment out to show Veronique
Beaudry some of the finer points of how to hit a golf ball. Veronique is a
student in Ms. Celine Hogue's class at Ecole Notre Dame de
L'Esperance. Ms. Hogue is watching with two more students, Sylvie Pilon
and Steven Beaupre.
Each June, the Grade 3 & 4 classes have been coming
out for a two-hour lesson from Vic to introduce the young boys and girls
to the game of golf as part of the Physical Education curriculum.
Vic Whissell has the children take all of the golf balls
they need during the session and he personally goes around providing
individual instruction. |
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Former
Easter Seal Ambassador Doesn’t Let Her Physical Disability Affect
Her Attitude
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Eleven
year old Jeanie Rochon-Poirier never lets her physical disability get in
the way of trying out new experiences.
Here she is getting some
golf tips from Vic Whissell, owner of the Valley Family Golf Centre on
Regional Road 15 in
Blezard
Valley
.
Jeanie, who is a former
Easter Seal Ambassador, was on a field trip with her Grade 4 class from
Ecole Notre Dame de l’Esperance.
Every June the school sends
their Grade 3 and 4 classes for a two-hour outing on the driving
range.
Jeanie is a victim of
Spina-Bifida, but according to her Teacher’s Aid, she is a model student
who accepts all challenges and loves being with people.
Jeanie was a great
Ambassador for Easter Seals during her two-year term and continues to
provide motivation and inspiration to everyone she meets.
Vic Whissell has a soft
spot in his heart for all children who attempt to learn the game of golf.
It is, according to Vic, one of the best sports in the world, and
something that you can enjoy playing your entire life.
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Minor Hockey Team
Raises Money For Breast Cancer Research As Well As For Own Expenses |
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The Northern Sports Photo Crush Atom House
League Team was in the mall selling raffle tickets on a Flite Pink Hockey
Stick valued at around $250. Proceeds from the sale of tickets are to be
used to help defray the cost of tournaments for the team, but the club is
also devoting half of the money to Breast Cancer Research.
Shown above, helping her mother, Nicole, with the ticket sales, is ten
year old, Veronique Beaudry. Veronique is in her 2nd year playing hockey,
having spent three years in figure skating. She is definitely finding her
figure skating training a big help in her transition to the game of hockey.
"My brother plays hockey, so I wanted to try it out too," explained
Veronique who likes all of the usual things about hockey, such as making new
friends, going to tournaments, and the competition. But her favourite thing
about the sport is, "scoring goals!"
Veronique attends Grade 5 at Ecole Jean-Paul II in Val Caron.
The draw for the hockey stick will be made on December 16, 2006 at 6:30
p.m. In order to accommodate whoever wins the stick, it is also available
blue, Junior or Senior, and for a left or right hand player. |
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New School In Val Caron Involved
in Fund-Raising For Two Very Important Projects For Children
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Principal, Luc Dalcourt and Carole Landry, Teacher of the Deaf & Blind,
were on hand to promote two important projects that are now on-going at the
new ECOLE ELEMENTAIRE JEAN-PAUL II which is now open for students in Val
Caron. This September NOTRE DAME DU ROSAIRE and NOTRE DAME DE L'ESPERANCE
elementary schools merged, creating a state of the art school which will
better meet the needs of all students. Luc and Carole were taking part in
the Valley East Lions Charity Days on September 9 to show the public
information about the Snoezelen Room Project and the New School Yard
Equipment Fund-Raising Project. Be watching Valley East Today for much more
on going information about the Snoezelen Room.
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Mayor John Rodriguez Talks To Young
Performers From Pinecrest During Film Session at The Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre |
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Most students can find many things to do on a Sunday
afternoon, but on April 15 the five Grade 8 students from Pinecrest Public
School were spending time at the Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre filming a
class production with their teacher. Mayor of the City of Greater Sudbury
John Rodriguez happened to be in the mall at the same time and took a few
moments to sit and talk to the students. Mayor Rodriguez is a former
Vice-Principal with the Sudbury District Catholic School Board.
The students, from the left are: Leah Aelick, Josh Fex, Alyssa Hanson,
Jessie Michael, Mayor Rodrigues, and Emily Mejia. |
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Other members of the film crew shown in the photo above,
included: Luke Blais, Eric Punkari, Mr. Scott Zoldy, Cassie Young, Donald
Beaton, and Jacob Sherrington. The name of the film is "The Last
Hour". Below, the group is shown in the parking lot discussing a
scene from the film. Jacob is being referred to by Mr. Zoldy as "a
gifted filmaker in the making, even perhaps another James Cameron who wrote
the Titanic." Jacob has assisted Mr. Zoldy in writing, producing and
directing three of the films made this year.
He has also created a movie trailer without assistance for the school's
feature film entitled, "Devoured". The movie trailer has been entered in the
Shorties Film Festival. Jacob's goal is to attend Film School and afterwards
produce and direct films.
Mr. Zoldy added, "We are currently shooting our third film entitled, "The
Last Hour", written by Jacob and he is also taking the lead on this one. He
has certainly inspired me this year as well as the cast of actors. Our cast
of actors is awesome! Over 40 students have participated in the production
of our films this year. This has been a positive outlet for many of our
students here at Pinecrest. |
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The entire community is invited to an exciting media
production, "The Red Carpet", which will be presented by the
Pinecrest Public School Drama Club from May 14 to 18, 2007. Each day at
10:00 a.m. as well as at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 and Thursday,
May 17, 2007 the audience will be able to view three films on the big 12
foot by 12 foot projection screen.
The films which will be viewed include:
EVOLUTIONARY: a documentary of Confederation Secondary School's Rock
Band;
DEVOURED: a horror film about a group of students that seek
refuge in a school from the living dead, ZOMBIES;
THE LAST HOUR: an action/drama about a group of friends that contend
with the horror of an asteroid headed towards earth.
THE RED CARPET will be a fund-raising event for the Pinecrest Drama
Club with admission of $2 per person being charged.
Two of the films are entered in the Shorties Film Festival where last
year, their production of ODD BOYS OUT won first place.
"I am proud of their overall talent. It is amazing to see this
caliber of work from Grade 8 students. I am surprised with their
commitment to this production. They have volunteered their time after
school on weekends to ensure the success of this production,"
explained Mr. Scott Zoldy.
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Grade 7 Students From Pinecrest
Sing For The Telethon
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Congratulations to this group of Grade 7 students from
Pinecrest
Public School
for spending time to sing Christmas Carols at the Hanmer Valley Shopping
Centre. The group was raising money for the MCTV Christmas Telethon which
was held on December 3 and raised a total of $250,000.
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Talent Show Winners From Pinecrest Public School Earn The
Right To Record Music CD |
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Mr. Jacques Mantha, Principal of Pinecrest Public School in Val Therese,
took five of his Grade 8 students over to Confederation Secondary School
on January 16 for a very special treat. As winners of the school talent
contest in December, the five students earned the chance to record their
very own CD in the Confederation School Recording Studio. One copy of the
finished CD will be kept at the school, and each of the students will
receive their own to keep.
The three students above were waiting for their turn to go in front of
the microphone. From the left with Mr. Mantha, Kristen Demore, Jacqueline
Villeneuve, and Emily Mejia.
In the photo below, Kary-Lynn Mercer and Andre Scott receive some last
minute adjustments and tips from Mr. Norm McIntosh, the Music Director at
Confederation. |
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Pinecrest is what is known as a "middle-school", with about 210
students attending Grades 6 through 8. Because of the influx of new
residents and the tremendous growth in Valley East during recent years,
the enrolment has been steadily increasing.
Mr. Mantha originally began his career as an educator spending ten
years n Mississauga before moving to the Rainbow District School Board in
1998 where he was program leader for the Science and Math Departments at
Confederation Secondary School. He spent time as a Vice-Principal at R.L.
Beattie, Alexander Public School, and Val Caron Public School before
coming to Pinecrest in the fall of 2006.
Mantha enjoys the opportunities that exist within the only
middle-school in the district. "This type of school is common in
Southern Ontario. With all of the children around the same age, there are
so many things you can do in terms of extra-curricular activities and
creating a positive school community for the students."
Something that has been just implemented this year is the policy of
dividing the school day into three learning blocks of 100 minutes each.
"The day is divided up into three 100-minute blocks,"
explained Mantha. "In between the blocks are two 40-minute nutrition
and activity breaks where the students have twenty minutes for snacks or
lunch and then another 20 minutes for outside or inside activities. It
really helps with the intra-mural program since there are two times during
the day when you have enough time to work with the children."
The school day has not been extended as a result of the change. In
previous years the students had a fifteen minute break in the morning and
afternoon as well as 50 minutes for lunch. This 80 minutes is now done in
two blocks instead of three.
"Having a full 100 minutes of learning time also allows teachers
to integrate their subjects more easily," explained Mr. Mantha. |
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Ten
Year Old Girls Show What Christmas Is All About
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The two girls in the photo may only be ten years old, but
their attitude towards helping the less fortunate in our community is
something that you would expect from people with many more years under
their belts. Sarah Draper, on the right, and her friend Laura Lafreniere
both attend Grade 5 at
Redwood
Acres
Public School
.
When Sarah saw some students from Pinecrest signing carols at the
Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre the week before, she approached her mother,
Lorrie Draper, and asked if it would be ok for her and Laura to do the
same. Lorrie, who indicates that she and her husband, Dan, have always
tried to instill in their daughters the importance of helping others in
need, was thrilled at the request. The Drapers have one other older
daughter, Mariah (14) who attends
Bishop
Alexander
Carter
Catholic
Secondary School
.
The girls practiced singing the songs at home during the week in
preparation for their first public performance. That week, their Grade 5
class even visited the recording studio at
Confederation
Secondary School
to create a CD, so the girls’ interest was further stimulated. Then, on
December 2, after school, Lorrie brought the two girls to the Hanmer
Valley Shopping Centre after school where they sang carols for a couple of
hours in front of Desjardins’ Food Basics.
According to Lorrie, “The shoppers were very generous. Just about
everyone who walked by was dropping some money into the
container.”
When the girls left the mall, you could tell by the smile on their
faces that they were very pleased with what they had just done.
And you could tell from the slight glistening in the eyes of Sarah’s
mother, Lorrie, that this was one young mother who was very proud of her
daughter.
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Grade 4/5 Class From Redwood Acres
Enjoys Pizza Party For Participating in Mothers' Day Card Display |
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Mrs. Danielle Gagnon, Grade 4/5 teacher at Redwood Acres Public School, is
shown with her happy students just before receiving their pizzas for lunch.
The Pizza Party was provided by Val and Violet Mazzuca, owners of the Hanmer
Valley Shopping Centre in appreciation for the class participation in the
Annual Mothers' Day Card Tribute which was held at the mall. The card that
was done by the students is being held up in front. A total of 13 different
elementary schools from Valley East and Capreol took part in the
display.
Members of the class, in no particular order, include:
Rebecca Book |
Jessica Busch |
Brandon Delisle |
Shelby Ernst |
Zachary Farnel |
Ethan Hovi |
Natalie McDevitt |
Baylee Ouwens |
Hannah Paquette |
Curtis Thompson |
Kyle Wilson |
Glen Winegarden |
Sierra Crooks |
Jenny Emms |
Sean Everest |
Tyler Grainge |
Deidre Lynn Imbeau |
James Innocente |
Jessica Lloyd |
Sarah MacDonald |
Cameron McDonald |
Brent St. Pierre |
Logan Stamp-Elliott |
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The students were also taking part in Crazy Hair Day. Mrs. Gagnon's class
won a School Spirit Award for having 100% participation in the event.
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Grade 5 Students From Redwood Acres Sing Christmas
Carols At The Hanmer Valley Shopping Centre
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Visitors to the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre were treated to some wonderful singing by close to 70 Grade
5 students from Redwood Acres Public School on Thursday, December 14, 2006.
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The students stopped by the mall after first entertaining the residents at
the Elizabeth Centre in Val Caron. Before arriving at the mall, however,
they did make one very enjoyable stop at Harvey's in Val Caron.
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Grade 5 Teacher, Mrs. Kaitlin Lemega watched as her students as well as
those from Ms. Nadene Houston's and Carole Burke's classes sang for almost
30 minutes in the centre court area of the mall.
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The very well-behaved and polite students were great ambassadors for Redwood
Acres. Everyone in the mall who heard them commented on their tremendous
self-discipline and on the way they handled themselves while in this public
venue. After the show was finished, many of the students took time to say
hello to one of the most attentive listeners in the audience. Below, several
of the students are shown with Klondike, a seeing-eye dog who accompanied
one of the visitors.
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Redwood Acres
Public School Offers Choice of Gift Baskets In An Impressive Display |
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The parents and staff of Redwood Acres Public
School have put together an amazing selection of gift baskets in their
latest fund-raising drive. Shown above are several volunteers, including
Mary Lyons, on the far left; Linda Parker, a JK teacher at the school,
standing 4th from the left; and Cindy Plint, SK teacher, beside her. There
were also three students helping out in selling tickets at the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre the weekend of December 9 and 10, 2006. The creative
initiative allowed visitors to purchase tickets at $2 each of 3 for $5.
Then, in a "penny table format", the person could select which of the
baskets he/she wished to enter to have a chance of winning. The winners will
be announced after the Christmas Concert which will be held at the school on
the morning of December 21, 2006.
The baskets were assembled with a variety of items falling into specific
categories such as: Christmas, Literacy, Men, Women, and Children.
The funds are to be used for school trips and general enhancement of
school programs. |
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Redwood Acres Public School
FundRaising Committee Is Very Active In The Community |
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It is extremely difficult to introduce Mrs. Mary Picciottoli-Lyons. Here
she is show with her two children, Erik Lyons (6) and Jessika Lyons (9).
Erik is in Grade 1 and Jessika is in Grade 4 at Redwood Acres Public
School of Hanmer. On this day Mary is introduced in her capacity as the
Fund-Raising Coordinator for the Redwood Acres School Council. This
particular project involves the selling of chocolate bars and
chocolate-covered almonds to generate revenue for school field trips which
will enhance the curriculum program at the school. Mary has a very
ambitious plan for the year and will be setting up at the Hanmer Valley
Shopping Centre several times during the year for Penny Table Sales and
Gift Basket Raffles.
As Past Chair of the School Council Mary finds that it is important for
schools to get out into the community. "I just love spending time
letting the general public know what we are doing at the schools. I think
it is important for everyone, not just the parents of children in the
school, to be aware of what is going on with the activities at the school.
Besides her responsibilities at Redwood Acres, Mary is also a Full-time
student in the Child & Youth Worker Program at Cambrian College and is
currently on placement at Immaculate Conception School in Val Caron. She
is also a Guide Leader with the 1st Valley Guides which meet at Immaculate
Conception School every week. On top of that, Mary operates an
"after-school" Day Care Program out of her home. When asked how
she manages, Mary simply states, "Well you do what you have to do
when you are a mother. I think it is important to be involved with my
children and I just love helping out in any way I can." Mary also
indicated that she still has a few hours open in case something else comes
up.
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Redwood Acres
Open House Is Always A Big Hit With The Entire Family |
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On
September 13, 2007
Redwood
Acres
Public School
held their annual Open House.
This year featured a circus theme with face painting, juggling and
clowns. It was a huge success
with parents coming with their children to see their classrooms and meet
their teachers. Below are
moments captured at the event.
Below, Cody, the son of Educational Assistant Mrs.
Olivier, juggles teddy bears. |
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“My mom came to conference with my
teacher, I came for the popcorn” says Lauren Oliver below. |
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Mrs. Mackenzie LRT teacher at Redwood
Acres handed out lollipops to children. |
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