The Full Key Communique: Jan, 2012

Attend system parent meeting Feb. 2  

The next system meeting will provide opportunities to meet the Board of Trustees, hear presentations, engage in small group discussions and participate in a question and answer session. Date: Thurs. Feb. 2
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Place: Multipurpose Room, Education Centre, 1221 – 8 Street S.W.
Parking: Free underground parking will be provided
(access parkade from 12 Avenue)
Topic: How the Board of Trustees helps students succeed
Options: 1) attend in person or 2) participate via webinar
RSVP: by Jan. 31 to kldrummond@cbe.ab.ca or 403-817-7951 (please note if attending in person or via webinar)

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Education Minister to hold conference call with school councils on Feb. 8 

Parent representatives on School Councils are invited to participate in a conference call with the Honourable Thomas Lukaszuk, Minister of Education to continue the discussion on priorities for Alberta’s

Homework Blues?

During the last parent association meeting there was a discussion about homework.  Homework is always a bit of a hot button topic and stances and attitudes seem to go in cycles.  But always the basic question is asked - how much is too much?  To answer that question, I did some very basic research a la Google.

According to Duke University psychologist Harris Cooper, homework amount should be guided by the '10 minute rule'.  This guideline has been endorsed by National PTA and the National Education Association.  The rule is essentially 10 minutes per grade.  So, a student in Grade 8 should expect no more than 80 minutes of homework a night, 90 for Grade 9, 100 for grade 10, etc. For another interesting and thorough review of the homework topic, read Alfie Kohn: here he discusses rethinking homework as a principal.  I also came across this unfortunate case study from Psychology Today in which Dr. Guy Winch says:

"... study after study has shown that homework has little to do with achievement in elementary school and is only marginally related to achievement in middle school."

At the last PA meeting, the general rule that was discussed for Wilma students was 30 minutes per subject.  That could mean up to 3.5 hours of homework per night!  That plus a 6 hour school day is 9.5 hours. That's a long work day for anyone let alone a young teen.  For parents who are encouraging their children to lead well rounded lives with sports, music, social circles, quiet time (reading for enjoyment, movies, video games), and family events; that kind of time commitment for school is simply too much.

To be fair, not all teachers at Wilma will give 30 minutes of homework per day as a rule and will often only assign homework for special projects or even not at all.  But some classes/teachers are definitely pushing that 30 minute guideline on a daily basis.

What has been your experience?  Do you feel your child is getting enough to do at home? Or too much?  Fill in the comment or send an email - the PA and the school appreciate your feedback.

Meet Your Trustee

CBE System Meeting: all are welcome.  See the invitation below from Karen Drummond, Communication Advisor at the CBE.

Date: Thursday, Feb. 2
Time: 7:00-9:00 p.m.
Place: Multipurpose Room, Education Centre, 1221 – 8 Street S.W.
Parking: Free underground parking will be provided (access parkade from 12 Avenue)
Topic: How the Board of Trustees helps students succeed
Options: 1) attend in person or 2) participate via webinar

RSVP: kldrummond@cbe.ab.ca or 403-817-7951 (please note if attending in person or via webinar)

This meeting will provide opportunities to meet the Board of Trustees, hear presentations, engage in small group discussions and participate in a question and answer session.

Please RSVP by Jan. 31. Feel free to extend this invitation to other interested parents.


Note: The trustee for our ward is Carol Bazinet.

Parenting with Love and Logic

 During Teacher Convention this year, there will be a special Keynote Speaking event that is open to the public.  Parenting expert Jim Fay, will be speaking on Thursday, February 16 from 6:45-8:45 PM.  You can reserve your $10 tickets here.  Mr. Fay will introduce the crowd to funny, simple, and effective parenting techniques; part of the Parenting with Love and Logic program.

Last Night's Parent Association Meeting

On behalf of the Parent Association, I would like to wish a Happy New Year to All the Wilma Hansen Community!  Our first meeting of 2012 was held last night and I was very excited to see 5 new faces at the table.  Welcome and thank you to all for coming. 

Our Principal, Mrs. Higgins, reported on the new “Healthy Eating” policy that has been put in place by the CBE in partnership with Alberta Health Services.  How does this affect Wilma Hansen?

As of January, there will be no “junk food” permitted for sale in the school. This includes but is not limited to; chips, chocolate bars, candy and pop.  As you know, Wilma Hansen School occasionally holds lunchtime fundraisers or student appreciation days which may feature items like doughnuts or take-out pizza.  Teachers and staff are now required to follow an extensive series of guidelines regarding healthy choices from restaurant menus or snacks/food rewards brought in for the students.  See this link for more information.  http://www.cbe.ab.ca/new/spotlights11-12/120106-nutrition.asp  On the right hand side of the main page, you will notice “choose most often” and “choose sometimes” links which will guide you to the details.  The CBE is currently working very closely with the school to ease the transition to healthier choices, including in our “Hawks and Stocks” lunchtime store.  This transition period will continue through June.    A couple of key items to note - When sponsoring a student event, parent committees are encouraged, but not required, to adhere to this policy.  Please note that these new policies do not affect food items that students bring from home or purchase outside of the school premises.  If you have any questions or concerns, please respond to this posting and the Parent Association will try to help as soon as possible.

A Grade 9 Grad Committee has started looking at options for this spring’s graduates.  If you are interested in helping out, please contact us and we will put you in touch.  Stay tuned for more details.


There are a number of CBE Open Houses and meetings with the Trustees occurring over the next few days.  Please see other recent blog postings for more information.

 Our two fall fundraisers have added a few hundred dollars to our General Funds.  Not bad for our first try!  Thanks to Kathy W. for pulling this all together for us and to all the parents who participated.  We will be trying this again later in the spring, so stay in touch!



Our next meeting is the Tuesday after the Teachers Convention/Family Day Break, (Tuesday, February 21) at 7pm in the Library.  If you have a topic for the agenda, please let us know by Friday, Feb 10th.  Hope to see you there!

Last but not least -  There will be a showcase assembly this Thursday morning in the gym.  It will run during periods 2, 3 and 4.  See the school’s website for more information and please attend to witness all the great work of your students.
Best Regards,

Lynn
Chair WHSPA