Bruce Smith: Elgin-St. Thomas TVDSB Trustee

Saturdays are to be spent with grandchildren!

The Ontario Government just announced that schools will be closed for the remainder of the school year.

Saturdays are to be spent with grandchildren!

At the Skills Ontario Olympics in Toronto. Such an impressive event. 46 TVDSB students competing. Congratulations to them all.

Lastnight, TVDSB trustees passed a motion: that our board send a letter to the Honourable Minister of Education Lisa Thompson, expressing our concerns for the i...mmediate and long term impacts that are outlined in the Education that works for you plan. Please read the attached image where Trustee Corrine Rahman explains this motion in more detail.

I agree with Meagan. This is a serious topic that requires comprehensive discussions and careful consideration. Head lice can be a terrific nuisance and because they can multiply very quickly they must be treated ASAP. I will search out expertise on the matter and I would appreciate hearing from all interested parties.

It was great to sit along side my fellow trustee from Elgin County, Meagan Scott Ruddock, at last nights Inaugural Meeting of the Thames Valley District School Board. Now it’s time to get to work and stand up for the students and parents of Elgin County. I’m looking forward to it!

We're begging for skilled trades people and the high school with all shops in St Thomas is the most underutilized school in Elgin. What's up with that?

Thank you to all the residents of Elgin County and St. Thomas for electing me to the Thames Valley District School Board. Congratulations to Meagan Scott Ruddock for her successful campaign. I know that Meagan and I will make a great team and work tirelessly to represent and advocate for the youth and families of Elgin County and St. Thomas.

The first picture is from Day 1 of the door- knocking campaign. It was obviously raining. My two sidekicks were there to wish me well. Today I'm in Belmont on my own in the rain again. Where were my sidekicks? Well, at their cello lessons, of course! Who knew there were so many homes in Belmont? I met many, many very gracious people who very kindly took time out of their day to listen to my spiel. Thank you, Belmont!

As I'm knocking on doors and so much enjoying meeting the people and seeing their beautiful landscaping, I'm also getting a sense of how many people left the Thames Valley District School Board because of the decisions around turning Sparta Public School into a French Immersion school. People have withdrawn their children and put them in the Faith Christian School, or French Immersion at St. Annes in the Separate School system, opted to home school their children, or simply removed them from French Immersion and placed them back in their local school. There must be at least a bus load of kids who have been removed from the system. Did the people who made this decision actually think this through?

I met a group of Bayham residents tonight at Rainy's Restaurant. They had some great questions and had not had the opportunity to sit down with a school board trustee candidate before this. I learned a lot from them about their concerns such as the "Pop-up" schools. I've heard about this talking with other people in Port Burwell. I'm anxious to investigate the board's policy is concerning these schools.

Having taught our Grade 6 First Nations unit from the Ontario Social Studies curriculum several times, I can tell you that we can do a great deal to make the curriculum for all of our students more relevant and meaningful. We teach them that these people lived in longhouses, they grew the Three Sisters, that it was a matriarchal society, etc. But that is like the couple who don't get along who talk about the weather when they get together. Are our children left with the impression that these First Nations people climbed into their canoes, waved "Goodbye" and paddled off into the sunset? There is so much more that we can do, even at the Grade 6 level. Do you think they ask, "How did we end up in the situation we are in today?"

Out in Bayham today putting up signs with my trusty sidekick, Reuben. Please join Rainey, Meagan and me at Rainey's Sunshine Cafe Monday, October 15 in the evening between 6 and 9 p.m.

French Immersion is increasingly important. Kudos to Cedar Hollow principal, Sylvie Blais, and members of the team tasked with recruiting French immersion teachers for the Thames Valley District School Board for their success in staying on top of this issue.

Had a great time at the final All-Candidates "Question and Answer" session in Shedden last night. There appeared to be about 300 people in attendance. Congratulations to the organizers! Meagan Ruddock and I were among the last people out the door.

Two all candidates meetings last night! The St. Thomas "Meet and Greet" at the Senior's Centre and the Central Elgin "Question and Answer" session at the Port Stanley Arena Hall. Both meetings were WELL attended. There seems to be lots of interest in this election although, this being my first time to do anything like this, it may be a very typical amount of interest. What was noticeable a both events was the lack of people under the age of 25. I don't think I saw any. Perh...aps St. Thomas might consider holding a "Meet and Greet" at the Teen Centre on Talbot Street and promote it extensively to young demographic. When I'm out door-knocking I find many young people (20s) who just don't vote. Let's get them interested and involved. Their turn to make the decisions to run this country is coming soon. We need them to be well-educated and ready to step into our shoes! BTW: Loads of interest in the idea of having French Immersion classes in our existing county schools right along side the English classes. Dual track schools, they call them. The kids all go on the same bus to school. They travel shorter distances to school and we have fewer buses on the road. This is what we need in Elgin. Keep our country schools open!

Off to Pottahawk today with Dad and grandson Reuben. This was our guest Kazuya's first time in a small power boat. Like Reuben says, "Boat fun!"

It was great to be at the School Trustee All-Candidates Meeting tonight in Aylmer. The questions from the audience were passionate and insightful - an indication of how very important this Trustee election is to the people of Elgin County. Thank you to the The Aylmer Express for putting together such a great and professional evening.

Showing Kazuya our Elgin. We're at the Gaylea Dairy Heritage Museum. It is the collection of the Van Kasteren family. It's a wonderful exhibit.