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12-The Canaduan Champion, Tuesday, September 23, 2003 FluWch*ine F5200P ý'1o for elluminsum woeding awsg 50055705 4043 Crystal 1 lb spool Air Liquide blu 20443109 FW 310A Steeles Ave., Milton e- -rc .90.5-691-11211 $899 Wh0ie quantities iast. PartiCibat ng locations on V. Community Foussdation of Mwe*utte or«oïm nm o c~-p YES, EVEN HALTON 'NEEDS THE PROCEEDS 0F A LOT1ERY TO HELP LOCAL FAMILlES!1 Oakville Trafalgar Memanial Hospital needs new technology ta serve mare people here. Toa many local wamen and their children need shelterfram domestic violence. More aj our children need access ta safe, supervised recreatian. With a little help, disabled people right here can realize their dreams. By here, we mean thefive communities that comprise Halton Regian: Ookvl le, Surllngton, Milton, Georgetown and Acton. Andyes, each is an amazing place ta live for mostfamilies, big or smallC individual or othenwise. But flot aIl. Not en here. And that's why Halton has the Great Dreom Home Fomlly Lottesy; that's why your Lottery has contributed over $5.2 million ta a local network of social agencies - ta helpfamilies and individuals in Halton build better lives. And thot's why, more thon ever, we need you to buy o ticket in this yeor's Lottery. LO1TERY PROCEEDS HELP IMPROVE THE QUAL11Y 0F LIVING FOR EVERYONE IN HALTON. We ail win when you get your tickets in Thec Great Orens Home Famity Lottemy. This year, Lottery proceeds wiLL be donated ta: OakviLLa Trafalgar Memorlat Hospital. - for new diagnostic equipment - ensuring faster and better diagnoses and service for patients. Haiton Women's Place (Milton) - maing a better, safer and encauraging haven for battered wamen and their children. Speclal Skllls Dog Guides Program (through the Lion's Foundation of Canada) - bringing disabled people and specialLy trained Dag Guides together - dramaticalty improving peopte's mobitity and tifestyte. The CFO Ontario Endowment for Chlldren and Youth In Recreation - gîving aur chitdren places and programrs ta participate in sport, lltness, youth Leadership, camping/autdoar educatian and the arts. These arganizatians hetp make up the backbane of great cammunity Living - supporting them supports att of usin Halton. THE GREAT FAMILY DREAN HOME - THE BEST LOTTERY VALUE! Great Dream Home Famity Lattery tickets aie a great value with 3 tickets for $100, or $40 each. That's three times the chance ta win for the price of most charity Lotteries. Andyau con win: *The Grand Prize Mattamy WldeLotlI Dream Home - Located in Upper Gten Abbey West vatued at over $440,000. *$50,000 tax-free cash *A 2003 Jeep Liberty " A 2003 Ch ryster Sebri ng converti ble " A 7-night Disney cruise for a family of four *Return airfare for two - anywhere in the wortd A Aweek in Tahiti for two *A Caribbean cruise for two *42" plasma screen TV & Home Theatre with DVD, VCR and sound system *Over 1,700 prizes in, total. 3 CHANCES TO WIN FOR $100, GREAT PRIZES AND A 100% CHANCE 0F IMPROVING THE QUALITY 0F FAMILY LIFE IN HALTON? THAT'S A WIN/IWIN/WIN SITUATION, INVDEED. But then, what else didyou expectftom a lottey that's beenSivng right here since 1994? www.airiiulde.com AIR LIUIDjE industriel gnou: Literacy test the green light from Province BY TIM WHITNELL Special ta The Champion Tbere's always a portion of the higb sebool student body at risk at somne point of flot graduating, witb one segment of that group likely flot capable of specifically passing the provincially-mandat- cd literacy test. 'Me gencral concemn for sucb students bas prompted the Ontario govemrment to give tbe go-ahesd to an alternative to the test, an option that would shlow students struggling witb reading and writ- ing to graduate on time. The Grade 12 Ontario Secondary Sehool Literacy Course (OSSLC) is part of the govemment's Students-At-Risk projeet. The provincial govcrnent bas allotted $50 million to the provinc e-wide initiative witb $750,000 earmarkcd this year for Halton's public board. The at-risk funding is for four focus areas: OSSLC teacher train- ing and implementation; Ontario Secondary Sehool Litcracy Test (OSSLT) tcchnical support; numeracy support; and program. path- ways dcvelopment. The literacy course will ta for that segment of tic student pop- ulation identified as likcly not able to pass thc OSSLT, which is based on grade 9 litcracy oxpectations. Il would ta for thase perfonning acadcmically ait Level 1, thc lowest of thc four provincial achievement standards, essentially wiUi marks in Uic 50 ta 60 per cent range. Pupils wiUi a poor aboendance record also will ho considered for Uic course. Students have opportuities ta, pasa Uic literacy test in thc fal of clier grade 10, il or 12. Tlhose eligible for Uic new lit- cracy course are studcnts who have usssuccessfuily written Uic -test at least once and have already had two chances ta write it. "(Passing) Uic literacy test is prefesTed; Uic course is a last rcsort," said Mag Gardner, Uic former Lester B. Pearson High School vice-principal hired as Uic board's ncw principal of its at- risk program. "We've gaI ta do somnething for Uiese kida. We'rc going ta start amail so we have successes. The exciting Uiing about being an educatar now la Uiere are many, many ways of lesrning," Ms Gardner observed carher dais monUi during a presentation ta trustees about Uic literacy course. New program, wiII help many Somne boalrd officiais have referred ta Uic at-risk general student population as being in the 13 tai15 per cent range. MsaGardner said she can't quantify Uic exact figure but noted Uic struggles of Uiose students, particularly in literacy, are real. Shne did produce Minstry of Education statistica from 2000 Uiat stated 28 per cent of C)ntario'a high sehool studenta go on ta Uni- versity, 23 per cent head off ta coliege, 24 per cent gos a job abter earning thcir high achool diploma while anoldwe large parion, 25 per cent, leave high school widaout graduating.- The literacy course is a fifl-credit grade 12 course ta ta offered as part of the English program. The Ministry of Education Weh site ays thc literacy course bas taon developed "t provide studenta who have been unsuecesaful on Uic test wida intensive support in achieving Uic roquired read- ing and writing compotencies, and wida an alternative means of demonstrating Uieir literacy akills." Students demonatrate literacy skiffs by cornpleting a variety of oral and wrstten taska and aasignimenta Uiroughout Uic tern and in a final evaluation. I Haltan the course wiil ta piloted during Uic tirat sermester at two locations - Oakviile-Trafalgar and White Qaka secondary seboola in Oakviile. Studenta mainly from Uiose two achools will participate in Uic pilot project. Whcn Uic course ils cxpected tatae ready for full implemnentation, in January 2004, it's expected ta ta available at ail of Halton's 22 public and CaUiolic high achools. "We're trying ta get a sense from. Uic sehools as ta wbo needa il," said Ms Gardner. Sine nated Uic fortuitaus timing of Uic new course as studenta who don't pass Uic litcracy test this Octatar will have a chance ta take Uic course starting wida Uic second semoster. The course is 110 haurs. Students will have Uic chance ta choose somte of what Uiey read and write. They will keep a portfolio of work that wiil ta evaluated. Halton board trustees seem ta vicw Uic devclopment of a iiteracy course as a good thing. "We've known since Uic introduction of Uic literacy test Uiat it wasn't servicing those in need. This is long overdue," said Oakviile Trustee Mary Chapin. The Halton board must have its plans for Uic at-nisk initiative mn ta Uic Miaiistiy of Education by Uic end of Septemtar.