mhs

Principal: Mr. T. Hughes

Vice-Principal: Mrs. P. Morissette

School Council Co-Chairs: Ruby Manio-Dimayuga and Leslie White

Principal’s Message

The Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care has issued Guidelines for the Prevention and Management of Pandemic (H1N1) 2009 in Elementary and Secondary Schools. We are required to report student absenteeism rates for influenza-like-illness absences to the local Health Unit on a weekly basis.

The definition of Influenza-like illness (ILI): The acute onset of respiratory symptoms with fever and cough and one or more of the following symptoms: sore throat, muscle aches, joint pain or weakness. In children under 5, gastrointestinal symptoms may also be present and fever may not be prominent.

If your son/daughter is absent from school with the above symptoms, please notify the school as soon as possible and keep your child at home until they no longer have a fever and are well enough to resume normal activities. Presence of a cough in the absence of other symptoms should not prevent students from attending school.

Deep River Consultation Process

The Ministry of Education announced that the Renfrew County District School Board will receive $4.9 million to address the accommodation needs of students at Morison Public School in Deep River. The Renfrew County District School Board will be allocated $4,876,588 under the Energy Efficiency Funding Program to undertake the project.

It is expected that this renovation and retrofits project, for which the Board has received funding approval, will be completed no later than the commencement of the 2011-2012 school year.

In providing this funding approval to our Board, the Ministry requires that our Board consults further with the community about addressing the accommodation needs of students at Morison Public School. Funding approval will be provided to support a project, once the final outcome of the consultation process has been completed.

The third meeting would be scheduled for the general public will be held on Thursday, October 8^th.

A fourth meeting (Thursday, October 22^nd) could be scheduled prior to the October 26^th Board meeting and would be used to announce the recommendation going forward to the Board as the outcome of the consultation process.

The agenda for each consultation session would be relatively generic but flexible enough to respond to community input throughout the process. The following information would be shared at these sessions:

Review of 2005 Consolidation Study and lessons learned from that process;
Comparison of 2005 enrolment projections and actual enrolments to September 2009;
Specifics of the Energy Efficiency Schools Funding (Memorandum 2009:B5);
Financial Considerations (e.g. Staffing/Facility/Operating Costs);
Program Considerations (Elementary and Secondary);
Table discussions on potential options.

Interact Club – Spaghetti Dinner and Citrus

There are two fundraising events coming your way from the Interact Club. So, get ready!

The first is the ‘Out of the Cold’ dinner at Mackenzie in the cafeteria on Wed Oct. 7...for $12 you will enjoy spaghetti, Caesar salad, garlic bread and a scrumptious variety of desserts. All proceeds will go to Out of the Cold in Toronto helping provide the homeless with the comforts of life we take for granted. Please come, enjoy an evening out and support the students with this very worthwhile cause. Doors open at 6:00 pm, dinner is served at 6:30 pm. We ask that tickets be purchased ahead of time from any Interact member or by calling Jane Linauskas (at school 613-584-3361 ex. 806 or at home 613-584-4529) and that you bring your own plates, bowls, cups and eating utensils.

And, the citrus campaign is underway! Enjoy fresh from Florida grapefruit and oranges in December by ordering in October. Prices are $25.00 for a small box and $40.00 for a large box of either fruit. Proceeds go to support the club’s chosen fundraising projects. Watch for students selling downtown at the post office or call Jane Linauskas to place your order. Please note that all orders must be prepaid.

French Program

The French program has had a very good start to this year. Many enthusiastic students can be heard speaking French in the halls of Mackenzie…Bravo!

Extra special this year is our planned trip to France and Belgium in March 2010. Twenty-five students have registered for this trip and one more space is available for a grade 10,11 or 12 student with knowledge of French. Anyone interested, please contact Mme Richardson ASAP at 613-584-3361 ext. 179 for further details.

Link Crew

This years’ Link Crew has had a great start with a very successful Orientation, followed by an excellent turn out for both MAFIA and the purple and gold school dance. We are looking forward to many other social and academic follow ups throughout the year. Link Crew is transforming our school culture into a supportive community.

Remember…..“LIVE, LAUGH, LINK.”

Grad Information

The graduation process begins now. Information about College and University visits, scholarships, etc. can be found on the Grad board in Student Services. Graduating students are encouraged to check this board on a weekly basis.

College/University visits scheduled at MHS:

October 6.......................................... Brock University

........................................................... Niagara College

October 8.......................................... Algonquin College

October 13........................................ Lakehead University

October 16........................................ Nipissing University

October 22........................................ Kemptville College

October 26........................................ Wilfred Laurier University

October 30........................................ Western University

November 6...................................... Queen’s University

November 9...................................... Laurentian University

........................................................... Cambrian College

November 24.................................... Guelph University

November 27.................................... Redeemer College