Amidst the glorious blaze of autumn colours, the falling leaves, and what will hopefully be a bountiful harvest our vibrant younger generation have now cast off their ‘summer flings’ and are just nicely settled into their new classrooms amongst the hectic but friendly atmosphere of our Ponoka town and county schools.
There is no doubt that our hundreds of rambunctious Kindergarten and Grades 1 to 12 students will be extremely excited and proud of their neat new outfits, school supplies, desks and lockers, but they can also really look forward to making lots of new friends and getting to know all the teachers. Along the way for the next 10 months (with weekends and a few holidays off) they will have the amazing opportunity of absorbing all sorts of learning, as well as enjoying exciting extra activities such as field trips, dances and social events, team sports, lunch hours, recess, and of course just hanging around with a gung-ho and happy bunch of guys and gals from all nationalities and walks of life who are all chasing that most vital education experience which will help to fashion and guide the way for the rest of their lives.
Please watch out for our future
Each and every one of us must always be aware that each and every day most of our population, young and old, are out and about our urban and rural communities heading for work, to school, to enroll or take part in all sorts of fall/winter sports and activities, or just out shopping, visiting, or strolling and enjoying the ever-changing characteristics and climate of the fall season.
Whether riding the bus, their bikes, skateboards, or walking the ‘younger set’ (our precious future) always have a tendency to move just a little quicker at this time of the year, especially on their way to school or to a new fun activity at the rink, the pool, or where ever. No matter what the season may be it is also a courtesy to stop and let everyone proceed safely through the crosswalks, pay attention to the street lights, and drive carefully where-ever we may be, both day and night.
Some of the most vulnerable and dangerous traffic areas include school and playground zones, approaching school buses, and construction zones. School zones operate from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and playground zones from 8 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. daily, and the speed limit in both is 30 km/per hour. In one central Alberta community last week the RCMP ticketed 17 drivers for speeding in school and playground zones in one morning, so it is quite obvious that many drivers still have no respect for the laws or for the many lives that they put at risk. The very harsh warning is that speeding offenses in Alberta now range from $140 to $2,000 (plus 3 to 6 demerits) depending on kms over the limit, as well as the risk of licence suspensions and even prison time depending on the violation. Our operator’s license is very important to all of us, no matter what we drive, but in order to keep it ‘clean’ and safely tucked in our wallets, we need to follow all the rules of the road, whenever we sit behind the wheel.
Why teachers get grey hair
• Teacher: ‘Can anyone give me a sentence with a direct object? Student: ‘You are pretty.’ Teacher: ‘What’s the direct object of your answer?’ Student: ‘To get a good report card.’
• Social Studies question to the class: Where are the Great Plains located? Quick answer from little Timmy: At the great airports. Math question to the class: If you had 13 apples, 12 grapes, 3 pineapples, and three strawberries what would you have? Great reponse from Mary with the braids in the front row…..a delicious fruit salad.
• The teacher asked Johnny why his handwriting was so terrible. “If it was any better you would find out how bad a speller I am.” When her son came home from school he explained to his mother with a big smile, ‘Today in tests I got 100% , and when she asked in what subject he uttered ‘40% in reading and 60% in spelling.’
One of the most invigorating exercises at this time of the year is raking leaves, but make sure that you get the whole family involved by offering ‘treats’ once it is all done and packed into those big crunchy bags. In the meantime, take a sweater on the way out just in case, and then have a great week, all of you.