Our Kids provides the education, camp, and parenting headlines you should know.
- Lower Canada College, a private school in Quebec, is mourning the loss of graduate Jason Peagram, 22, who was killed in Montreal last week.
- The Halton Catholic School Board in Ontario has reversed its ban on gay-straight alliances in their schools, after receiving opposition to its policy.
- Meanwhile, Toronto Maple Leafs general manager Brian Burke is continuing his son’s fight against homophobia by speaking at some of Canada’s top private schools.
- The City of Toronto’s new budget will make lawn bowling free, but summer camp fees will rise.
- The Ontario Ministry of Education instituted Student Success programs in some high schools across the province, extremely individualized programs designed to help students who can’t function in traditional models, including those with jobs, have suffered from violence, experience anxiety or depression, or are involved with the youth justice system.
- And even though Canada’s high school drop-out rates are falling, that doesn’t mean our education system is perfect.
- Canada is softening the national physical-fitness guidelines, lowering the recommended time of exercise to 150 minutes per week for adults, an hour a day for kids, and between 30-60 minutes of moderate activity per week for seniors.
- Doctors are investigating the little-known learning disorder dyscalculia, which inhibits a student’s ability to grasp math and numbers, much like dyslexia hinders reading skills.
- Luxury shoe manufacturer Jimmy Choo has designed a new charity stiletto, the proceeds from which will go toward The Dynamo Camp Project which gives the camp experience to children with chronic illnesses, in therapy, or are post-hospitalization recovery.
- British Columbia principals and teachers have joined forces to oppose the standardized FSA tests in elementary schools.
- Alberta teachers may not receive the 4.3% pay raise they are due.
- A Manitoba high school has a controversial new technique to deter school smoking: designated smoking shelters.
