Boyle McCauley News Happy Easter! 1 r4 f- - m trTt',i - - . mi n n- - --i - - - I" toon, iHffliiiiiiun Local schools ranked in Fraser report card By Linda Dumont Staff writer When a local parent saw her children's school rated second from the top for Edmonton schools in the Fraser Institute report on Alberta schools, she was excited, but local school principals said they don't put much stock in the ratings and hope parents don't either. "I was excited because our school rated second in city. It's one indicator of how well the kids arc doing," said Kate Werkman who drives her children to Victoria School and moved to the city from Red Deer so her children could participate in the alternative program. "Do the ratings matter?To anyone-intereste- d in ourchildrcn's education, they should. The provincial achievement tests, which the ratings arc based on, is available for every ch ild jn grades three and six to write. These test questions arc based on the Alberta Curriculum, which is taught in public schools province wide. The report could be used to estimate how much of the curriculum material the children are absorbing in the classroom. Why or why not the students are absorbing the material in this or that particularclassroom in a particular school is the parad igm that should promote discussion between, parents, educa- tors and local community. This could be a positive thing; the benefactor being the child." In the report schools are marked with a rating from 0 to 1 0 based on the students marks on the G rade Three and Grade Six standardized provincial achievement tests in reading and math. Ifa school has less than 15 students in these grades, it is not ranked, so McCauley School located at 9538-- 1 07 Avenue was not listed in the report. Peter Cowley, author of the report, as reported in the Edmonton Sun February 22, said, "It seems to me we produce the report card to help parents make a choice. St. Michael School has rated much higher this year than In previous years on the We've got all sorts ofcaveats involved, that you also have Fraserlnstitute report. to talk to the school, that you have to talk to the teachers and so on."Local schools ratings ranged from near the top to near the bottom of the scale. Victoria School located at 10210-10- 8 Street rated 9.2.Shawnda Yeoman, elementary principal at Victoria School, said, "I really don't think the Fraser Institute report is a fair indicator ofsuccesses. It is just one indicator. We are proud of our kids. The ratings indicate the success students experience when the fine arts are integrated into the program. But can Victoria School be compared with other local community schools? Victoria School is a school of choice. The children come in with certain requirements, and Yeoman said there are no special provisions to help students who are experiencing difficulties, no resource rooms and no teach- ers' aids. Students come not only from the surrounding community but are Local ratings (out of 761 schools, province wide) bussed or driven from all over the city and as far away as Wabamum and Thorsby. The average education for parents of the students at Victoria School Victoria School (public) Sacred Heart School (separate) is reported to be 14.2 years.Sacred Heart School, located at 9624-10- 8 Avenue, placed about the middle in the report with a score of 5.2 an Overall rating this year 9.21 0 Overall rating this year--5 .21 0 improvement over previous years. According to the FraserInstitute report, the Ranked Ranked 547 throughout province 9th throughout province average education of the parents of Sacred Heart students is Grade 10.1 . Average marks 2002 Average Marks 2002 St. Michael School, located at 10545-10- 7, placed at 5.9, a big increase Grade Three Language Arts 79 Grade Three Language Arts 70 from their 2000 rating of 1 .2 and their 1 999 rating ot 0. When asked about the Grade Three Math 84.8 Grade Three Math 72 improvement, Principal Helen Matsuba said the Cahtolic School Board Grade Six Lanuguage Arts 82 Grade Six Language Arts 68.1 adopted their own system of testing three years ago called Assessments for Grade Six Math 87.8 Grade Six Math 67.6 Learning. She said she is concerned not with the Fraserlnstitute report but that all students in the school did as well as they could be expected to. Students are Saint Michael School (separate) Norwood School (public) assessed based on ability tests and the board's exams in math for grades two, Overall rating this year5.9l 0 Overall rating this year 1.21.0 four, five and eight. Language exams arc being added this year. Ranked 443rd throughout province Ranked 75 5 th throughout the province The achievement results are analyzed and strategies and goals are set at Average marks 2002 Average marks 2002 a provincial level and at adistrict level. Each school also has a plan and each Grade Three Language Arts 61.6 G rade Three Language Arts 58.8 teacher sets a plan. Matsuba is satisfied that their system is working. "We Grade Three Math 74.6 Grade Three Math 55.2 compared this test with the provincial achievement tests and all ofour students Grade Six Lanuguage Arts 67.9 G rade S ix Language Arts 60.4 did as well as they were expected to as a whole," said Matsuba. Grade Six Math 76.3 Grade six Math 57.2 According to the Eraser institute report the average education of parents of St. Michael School students is 12.1. Continued on page 3 Page 2 Boyle McCauley News March 2003 Dear readers: Responses Plfiionnffthatthf nflylpMfriiiilpyrnmniiinltyNpwxpapfrg-iniiilhiufhangprtt- n: hmrnpwtff ln nrt Volunteer Gallery S KfJlT CHL Pui Two kWTOMfi PASSAGES PUL TWO KNIT ON. PtHi. CK CONNA TAK6 fiU- - NGX.T winter to finishm". Tuggy Curran (far right) at the Labour Day BBQ , Klein going into the sweater business. which she Initiated, In Giovanni Park. Tuggy Curran, a volunteer for the Boyle McCauley News from 1987-199- 7, Thoughts on the value of one life passed away March 21 at the age of 49 at the Grey Nuns Hospital Iast September I was sitting minding my own business reading the newspa- palliative care unit Tuggy was the first person to be named to the Wall of Fame at the Edmonton District Labour Council She was the initiator of the in It struck me as absurd that somebody had boiled over their spaghetti, per a bar. Labour Day barbecue for the unemployed at Giovanni Caboto Park. She started the kitchen on fire and the Alberta Treasury Branch was running a worked in the community with the Bissell Centre, with children's camping fundraiser to help them. And on another page this girl named Edna was dead, programs and as an organizer within the New Democratic Party, the labour nothing left of her but a pile ofcinders in Lcduc, few to grieve her passing and movement and municipalpolitics in Canada and the UnitedStates. definitely no donations at AlbcrtaTrcasury Branch. So the bartender and I set up Instead of flowers, her family requested that donations be sent to the Bissell Centre. ajar for her baby's future. She didn't boil her spaghetti over. Maybe she didn't have a pot to boil it in. Her baby might, in 1 8 years or so ask, "Who was my mommy?' and then find outthat a few, a very few, people grieved her passing as she wasjust a "working girl" and few wore little white ribbons for Edna. But then again maybe I'm a fool. Maybe I'm the only one who cares. Happy Easter CookieArmstrong, McCauley from the ; Come be a part of Edmonton's newest festivall Boyle McCauley The proposed inner city music and arts festival called the "Art Beat ofthe City" . will be held on Saturday, June 7th 2003 at Giovanni Caboto Park. This festival News' s will be acelebration ofcentral Edmonton's homegrown musical and artistic talent r as well as a reflection of our diversity. Already community residents and organizations have shown a great deal of interest. In order to make this festival a success we are in need of more community participation. We are looking for Musicians, Dancers and Artists Volunteers, Sponsors, Craftorsvendors. Look forward to more information regarding this exciting event and how you can get involved in the weeks and niiMnHoof by Cookie Aimouonf months to come. Call me at Action for Healthy Communities (780) 944-468- 7. News articleadvertisement deadlines MarkBubel DBBBHBBBiliHHHHBnHHnBaBBnl Story ideas and articles for the Boyle McCauley News should be submitted to the editor, Linda Dumont, andor sent into the newspaper office via mail, fax or e-m-ail. Writers please call the editor at the office or at 428-080- 5 with story ideas. All writers and would-b- e writers welcome! Thcsto ry deadline fort lit April issue LsMonday9ajnApril21. Advertise merits should be submitted through Erwin Seeger, 472-235- 4. Deadline for advertisements Ls Friday, April 25. A bit later this month due to Easter. Deadlines are firm. We reserve the right to consider articles or ads arriving after deadline for the next issue. Board of Directors: Marion Brant Deama Conrad, Larry Brockman, PM O'Hara, Miranda Ringma, Erwin Seeger, The Boy le McCa uley N ews is a non-prof- it newspaper published monthly by the Boyle Street McCauley Garry Spotowski, Gordon Stamp, Bob Whyte Community Newspaper Society.