logo
Wildfire-affected schools exempt from Grade 12 exams: province

Wildfire-affected schools exempt from Grade 12 exams: province

Grade 12 provincial tests and other end-of-year exams hang in the balance as displaced teachers and teenagers wait out wildfire threats in northern Manitoba.
But smoky skies and school closures did not deter dozens of students from showing up to finish their first round of high-stakes tests in Norway House Cree Nation.
Classes at the only high school in Norway House have been cancelled since Wednesday to accommodate an influx of evacuees from Pimicikamak Cree Nation and urge students to stay inside due to poor air quality.
The disruptions at Helen Betty Osborne Ininiw Education Resource Centre — a makeshift emergency shelter, between Wednesday and Saturday — were announced part-way through a multi-day 40S English Language Arts exam.
Principal Curtis Tootoosis said he was impressed that, despite all the chaos, more than 40 students showed up to complete the exam at improvised classrooms set up off campus Friday.
The size of the class of 2025 is anticipated to be in the mid- to high-40s.
'I feel very proud and very proud of the staff — they stepped up and we got compliments from our guests, we'll call them, about the service and that,' the principal of the nursery-to-Grade 12 school said.
Teachers worked overtime to put out gym mats, cots and donated mattresses for visitors from Pimicikamak (Cross Lake). The temporary visitors left over the weekend to find more permanent accommodation in Winnipeg and elsewhere.
'The hope is that the kids are back in classes as soon as possible. Everyone wants to provide consistent scheduling.'– Natalie Majcher, president of the Frontier Teachers' Association
More than 2,000 hot meals — prepared by students in the culinary arts program and staff members — were served to evacuees during their stay.
'The hope is that the kids are back in classes as soon as possible. Everyone wants to provide consistent scheduling,' said Natalie Majcher, president of the Frontier Teachers' Association, a local of the Manitoba Teachers' Society that represents educators in Norway House, Pimicikamak and surrounding communities.
The Frontier School Division spans the largest geographic area in Manitoba. Roughly 675 students and 115 school employees were affected by wildfires burning within its borders as of Monday afternoon.
Lynn Lake and Cranberry Portage were among a handful of communities under mandatory evacuation orders as of Monday afternoon. Others continued to closely monitor air quality from wildfire-impacted areas.
Manitoba Education has informed school divisions that students from communities affected by wildfires are exempt from Grade 12 exams.
A spokesperson for the department told the Free Press that any decision to have students rewrite exams will be left to the discretion of their division.
'This is a very fluid situation that is wrought with emotion,' said superintendent Tammy Ballantyne, who oversees the education of nearly 900 students in Flin Flon School Division.
While Frontier is assessing exams on a case-by-case basis, Flin Flon has a universal exemption 'at this point,' Ballantyne said.
'We continue to be optimistic that we will be able to return home and finish out the school year.'
'This is a very fluid situation that is wrought with emotion.'– Flin Flon School Division superintendent Tammy Ballantyne
All four area schools have been shuttered until at least June 9; Ballantyne plans to re-evaluate the situation later this week.
Grade 1 teacher Christine Williams and her family arrived at a friend's farm in Portage la Prairie at 4 a.m. on Thursday.
'I'm thinking about report cards and I need to write them and my head is in no space to be thinking about writing report cards and all those kinds of things,' she said.
Williams and her colleagues at an elementary school in Flin Flon have revived the group chat they started during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
She said there are many parallels to the class cancellations in 2020 but at least then they were all in the same time zone, in the comfort of their own homes and had access to teaching materials.
The teachers are currently seeking refuge across four provinces (Manitoba, Alberta, Saskatchewan and Ontario).
In addition to feeling anxious about the future of her hometown, the teacher said she's worried about the students she hasn't been able to connect with online. She does not know where all of them landed.
Wednesdays
A weekly dispatch from the head of the Free Press newsroom.
'My heart goes out to them (the paid and volunteer emergency responders). I really hope we get home and can celebrate together as community.'– Grade 1 teacher Christine Williams
The ones who have been in touch and have loved ones who are firefighters back in Flin Flon are grappling with 'big anxieties,' Williams said.
'My heart goes out to them (the paid and volunteer emergency responders). I really hope we get home and can celebrate together as community.'
Winnipeg school operations were also affected by the wildfires on Monday, albeit by a far lesser extent. Teachers across the city moved recess indoors and cancelled outdoor extracurriculars due to smoky conditions.
maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca
Maggie MacintoshEducation reporter
Maggie Macintosh reports on education for the Free Press. Originally from Hamilton, Ont., she first reported for the Free Press in 2017. Read more about Maggie.
Funding for the Free Press education reporter comes from the Government of Canada through the Local Journalism Initiative.
Every piece of reporting Maggie produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press's tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press's history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.
Our newsroom depends on a growing audience of readers to power our journalism. If you are not a paid reader, please consider becoming a subscriber.
Our newsroom depends on its audience of readers to power our journalism. Thank you for your support.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Three-quarters of parents have bought children beauty products in the last year
Three-quarters of parents have bought children beauty products in the last year

Powys County Times

time8 minutes ago

  • Powys County Times

Three-quarters of parents have bought children beauty products in the last year

Three-quarters of parents have bought their children beauty products in the last year, a survey suggests. Parents have spent £111 on average on items such as lip balms (41%), face moisturisers (39%), and cleansers (37%), according to the poll for cashback and rewards site Rakuten. Other popular items bought for children aged eight to 17 included lip gloss or lipstick (32%), body moisturiser (30%), face masks (28%), skin oil (22%), mascara (22%), makeup remover (21%) and foundation (19%). A typical adult spends £148 on beauty products a year, the study found. Of the 75% of parents who bought beauty products, 41% said they did so to boost their child's confidence, while 24% saw it as a way to bond with their children. Fathers were more willing to spend on their children's beauty regimes, buying £144 worth of items per year compared with the average £82 paid for by mothers. Bola Sol, from Rakuten, said: 'With skincare and make-up routines and trends taking over social media, it's no surprise that younger children are asking for more luxurious beauty products. 'All parents want to make their kids happy, but it's also important to balance that with your budget. A great way to do this is by tracking products for when they go on sale, and where possible, bag even more savings by using a cashback provider such as Rakuten to make the purchase through.' OnePoll surveyed 1,000 UK parents with children aged eight to 17 between May 28 and June 15.

Sheku Bayoh Inquiry to consider application for recusal of chairman
Sheku Bayoh Inquiry to consider application for recusal of chairman

Powys County Times

time8 minutes ago

  • Powys County Times

Sheku Bayoh Inquiry to consider application for recusal of chairman

The Sheku Bayoh Inquiry is set to consider issues around fairness from the chairman, in a procedural hearing, after it emerged he met the grieving family several times. Sheku Bayoh, 31, a father-of-two, died after he was restrained by around six police officers who were called to Hayfield Road in Kirkcaldy, Fife, on May 3, 2015. The Crown Office decided not to take legal action against the police involved following an investigation, but the circumstances are being examined at the inquiry. The procedural hearing on Thursday and Friday was ordered by chairman Lord Bracadale to consider an application for his own recusal. It will take place at Capital House in Edinburgh. It comes after Lord Bracadale revealed he has met with the family of Mr Bayoh on at least five occasions since the inquiry began. The family's lawyer, Aamer Anwar, suggested the procedural hearing alone could 'cost the public purse in excess of £1 million'. The hearing follows an application for recusal of the chairman and an assessor on behalf of the Scottish Police Federation, Pc Craig Walker and Nicole Short. Recusal is the legal process by which a judge or other adjudicator steps aside from participating in a case due to potential bias, conflict of interest, or lack of impartiality. Mr Anwar said on behalf of the family: 'The procedural hearing follows an application for recusal of the chair and an assessor on behalf of the Scottish Police Federation, Pc Craig Walker and Nicole Short. 'The hearing will focus on the fairness of the conduct and procedure adopted by the chair in meeting the families of Sheku Bayoh. 'For the record, it is Lord Bracadale who has ordered this hearing. The inquiry will hear oral submissions from core participants. 'All core participants must publicly state their position as to whether they wish the chair to step down – it will be noted by the family as to what position all the public bodies such as Crown Office and the chief constable will adopt, as they have made a great deal over the years about being fully supportive of the public inquiry. 'The Bayoh family believe the federation and those hanging on to their coat-tails do so at the 11th hour, in a pathetic and desperate attempt to sabotage the inquiry. 'The family have watched so many parties who have literally sat on their hands for over 122 days of evidence, never publicly asking a question at a huge legal cost of £20 million to the public, yet this hearing in terms of police lawyers could cost the public in excess of £1 million.' He said the family are 'not giving up' and that 10 years on from Mr Bayoh's death they will 'once more call-out the dangerous arrogance of a criminal justice system that does not like accountability'.

New securities system enables those with dementia to invest with family's help
New securities system enables those with dementia to invest with family's help

Japan Times

time8 minutes ago

  • Japan Times

New securities system enables those with dementia to invest with family's help

The Japan Securities Dealers Association has introduced a new framework for "family support securities accounts" that allows individuals experiencing cognitive decline from dementia or other conditions to continue investing with assistance from family members. Under the system, investors can designate trusted family members as their agents while they are still mentally capable. These designated agents can carry out securities transactions on the investors' behalf, in accordance with preestablished instructions, even after the onset of illness. The JSDA aims to promote the system as a proactive option for investors seeking to plan ahead for potential future health challenges. Typically, when investors lose their decision-making capacity due to dementia or other illnesses, their securities accounts are frozen. The new system is a response to growing demand from investors who wish to continue managing their assets despite such conditions. It also reflects the JSDA's broader aim to address key issues, such as inheritance planning and extending the longevity of retirement funds. "We have developed a solid framework for wider adoption," JSDA Chairman Toshio Morita said. "We will work with member securities companies to ensure that the system is well understood and accepted by as many investors as possible." Before a family support securities account can be opened, the original account holder, their designated agent and the hosting securities company must agree on an investment and management policy while the investor is still in good health. This process is followed by the conclusion of a notarized contract between the investor and the agent. Under the system, investors can manage their own investments as usual until they are diagnosed with dementia or other conditions that impair judgment. After the onset of such conditions, designated family members can act as agents, enabling them to sell assets or purchase stocks and investment trusts on behalf of the investors, excluding high-risk financial products. The current available options for managing assets when investors experience cognitive decline include family trusts under the trust law and statutory guardianship under the Civil Code. Family trusts allow for the management of a broad range of assets, but once a trust contract comes into effect, even healthy investors are no longer allowed to manage investments on their own. Statutory guardianship is intended for use after the onset of symptoms and involves complex procedures, such as filing a petition with the court. Yumiko Nagasawa, a senior official at Foster Forum, an organization that provides recommendations on financial products, praised the family support securities account system. "Given the growing need for asset management that assumes longer lifespans, the family support securities account is a more user-oriented system," she said. Imamura Securities, based in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, plans to begin offering family support securities account services under the JSDA's framework as early as July. As many of its customers have family members living nearby, the company believes it will not be difficult for them to meet the service's key requirement of designating a trusted family member as an agent. Hisano Ohara, head of the brokerage house's internal controls department, said, "While robust safeguards must be in place to prevent the misuse of customer accounts, proper oversight will enable the effective use of customer assets." Securities companies in Japan are exploring various measures to address the aging of their customer base. In July last year, SMBC Nikko Securities established a cross-departmental "working group on supporting elderly customers and upgrading related services" to identify challenges faced at the operational level. The company has already introduced a family trust system and a "contingency agent system," which allows customers to appoint relatives in advance to act as agents for transactions. It now plans to expand its service lineup further. Specifically, SMBC Nikko plans to create a dedicated webpage offering comprehensive information about its services for older customers and their families. The company is also considering implementing a training program for sales staff focused on dementia awareness. Natsuki Kato, head of the customer-oriented business planning office, said, "We aim to provide not only investment advice, but also support tailored to our customers' individual circumstances."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store