The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com · OAKVILLE BEAVER Wednesday, October 17, 2012 · 16 The Oakville Independent Schools (OIS) offer families a stable, dependable and progressive choice for their child's education. In our current changing and challenging education environment, Oakville's wide-array of independent schools offer innovative, engaging programs for a new generation of learners. The OIS represent 12 independent schools including elementary, secondary, Montessori, IB World, traditional, religious-based, boarding, single-sex and co-educational schools. The member schools share a commitment to educational excellence in safe, supportive environments and emphasize the development of life-long values. Although each OIS school has a distinct educational approach and mission, all the schools provide parents with consistent programs, philosophies and locations and are an excellent choice for those look- Discover benefits of Oakville independent schools ing beyond publically-funded school options. OIS Member Schools include: Appleby College, Chisholm Academy, Clanmore Montessori, Dearcroft/Westwind Montessori Schools, Fern Hill School, Glenburnie School, King's Christian Collegiate, MacLachlan College, Oakville Christian School, Rotherglen School, St. Mildred's-Lightbourn School and Wildwood Academy. Independent schools offer enriched programs in the arts, music, athletics and languages that complement a solid academic foundation and provide an inclusive educational experience. Typically independent schools provide smaller classroom settings and a more personalized focus on the whole child and their educational needs. They work with families, offering strategies and approaches that provide a widerange of options to achieve academic success. Lastly, independent schools have the ability and freedom to implement learning strategies and approaches in innovative and effective ways to ensure that every student's needs are defined that their unique gifts are recognized and cultivated. The OIS website - www.educationoakville.com provides important and useful information outlining the highlights and benefits of a private school education as an alternative to public education. Along with profiles on each school and direct links to individual school websites, practical information about how to choose a school, the admissions process, upcoming open house dates and other resources are available. On each of the member school sites, parents will find extensive information about each school. The best way to learn about each school is to attend an open house. We encourage you to attend the OIS joint Open House on Saturday, Oct. 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. to see the educational possibilities available for your child. A great school is waiting for you. To learn more, and to access a map with school locations, visit www.educationoakville.com. OPEN HOUSE Or you may contact Donna Cossitt, our Coordinator of Admissions, for a personal tour that suits your schedule. Calling all ts! young poe Do you like writing poetry? Curious to hear your poem set to music? Then this opportunity is for you! The Oakville Children's Choir is holding its third Poetry Writing Contest. They are inviting all Halton, Peel, and HamiltonWentworth region students from grades 1-12 to submit a poem with the theme of "An Intriguing Story". The winning poem will be selected by a panel of judges and set to music by Oakville composer Janet Stachow, and premiered at The Oakville Children's Choir concert on Saturday May 11th, 2013. First prize is $125.00, 2 tickets to the concert and a commemorative CD of the performance. St. Mildred's - Lightbourn School · 1080 Linbrook Road Oakville, Ontario L6J 2L1 Tel: 905-845-2386 Fax: 905-845-4799 Email: info@smls.on.ca Website: www.smls.on.ca Charitable Registration # 11919 1963 RR0001 The deadline for submissions is Monday November 19th, 2012. Application forms can be found on the homepage at www.oakvillechildrenschoir.org. For more information please contact the OCC office at (905) 337-7104.