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9 | Thursday, September 19, 2013 | OAKVILLE BEAVER | www.insideHALTON.com Re: We should keep dual track schools, Sept. 4, 2013, Oakville Beaver I am very disheartened the vicepresident of the Halton Chapter of Canadian Parents for French (CPF), sees nothing wrong with the removal of kids from their neighbourhood school so kids who are not from that neighbourhood are bused in -- all in the name of learning French. Is this a CPF attitude or just an Oakville one? In Milton, we only know dual-track schools so the programs live sideby-side and have not displaced en- Milton parent rebuts letter to the editor on French immersion issue tire neighbourhoods. When I am walking my kids to school, I am doing so with friends and neighbours that live in the immediate area of the school. Even though my kids are in different programs, the beauty of it being dual track means they both can attend the neighbourhood school that is `down the street and across the road.' I feel you missed most of the points I was trying to make. For starters, you missed that I support French Immersion -- I have a child in the program. I appreciate all the good things that French Immersion offers, but not at the cost of losing our neighbourhood schools. Children who are in the mandated core English program have every right to attend their local school, so I cannot support a recommendation that would not protect their right to be there. Family structure varies significantly and parents have different educational needs and wants for their children. Siblings should be able to attend neighbourhood schools together, regardless of program choice. The dual-track model, as it is right now, is not perfect -- there are several schools that have very imbalanced populations. Creating a cap -- along with realigned boundaries, core French in Grade 1, and the creation of more dualtrack schools, would make both programs viable. And for the record -- Ontario operates four publicly-funded school systems: 1. An English-language public school system 2. A French-language public school system 3. An English language separate (Catholic) school system 4. A French language separate (Catholic) school system Our Halton District School Board (HDSB) falls under No. 1. Halton Families for Inclusive Neighbourhood Schools (HFFINS) is not anti-French Immersion -- it is pro-equal access to the French language by all students and for quality education for all students in their own neighbourhood schools. Jennifer Wilson, Milton, French immersion and dual track supporter Letters to the Editor I thought your paper might be interested in an event coming up at Royal Ontario Golf Course on Saturday (Sept. 21). Thanks to the support of many, many people, we are about to embark on our fifth and final Friends of Moe Golf Tournament. Over the past four years, we have been able to make a huge difference in the day-to-day living experiences of patients and families at Toronto General Hospital's ninth floor east. Our first year, we furnished the ninth floor of Toronto General with sleeping chairs that would allow a patient's family to sleep in the Fifth and final golf fundraiser for Friends of Moe in memory of Moe Fallow room with them. This helped family members remain comfortable while staying with their loved ones. Year two saw The Friends of Moe raise enough money to overhaul the Quiet Room on the ninth floor. The Quiet Room is where doctors would take patient's families to have unpleasant conversations. The room was rundown, with stained rugs, poor lighting and uncomfortable seating -- hardly the environment for receiving devastating news. The new room is brighter, cleaner and much more user-friendly. Our third year, efforts were geared towards purchasing blanket-warmers for the floor. One of the symptoms of chemotherapy for patients is always feeling cold. The blanket-warmers provided caregivers an easier way to ensure their patients' comfort. Our fourth year focused on patients and their families -- making their lives as comfortable as possible. We worked through a wishlist the nursing staff provided us. Our fifth and final year is bittersweet, and we are happy to say it will be our biggest year yet. Moe Fallow was a larger-than-life man, with a huge circle of friends of family. His zest for life and giving spirit are with us everyday. Sadly, cancer took his life too soon and he died within six months of being diagnosed with a rare form of pancreatic cancer (ampulla). Moe lived in Oakville until his death in 2007. This is our way of remembering his name, his generosity, and giving back to Toronto General Hospital. For more information, visit http://friendsofmoe.ca. Kirsty Bulloch, The Friends of Moe Planning Committee, Oakville The Oakville Beaver welcomes letters from its readers. Letters will be edited for clarity, length, legal considerations and grammar. In order to be published all letters must contain the name, address and phone number of the author. Letters should be addressed to: The Editor, Oakville Beaver, 467 Speers Rd., Oakville ON, L6K 3S4, or via e-mail to; ablackburn@oakvillebeaver.com. The Beaver reserves the right to refuse to publish a letter. 427 SPEERS RD. UNIT #18 (905) 337-8338 Barre Life Studio Get a dancer's body... without the dance! Hollywood's best kept secret is now open in Oakville! Come in for a complimentary session Check out our pre-grand opening specials online at www.barrelife.ca