‘Diverse City Party’, healthy workplace, WDSS interviews

Morning Coffee – By Aaron Hall

Weather forecast for Tuesday, October 17, 2017

Today – Mainly sunny. Wind becoming southwest 30 km/h gusting to 50 this morning. High 19. UV index 3 or moderate.

Tonight – Partly cloudy. Becoming clear this evening. Wind southwest 30 km/h gusting to 50 becoming light this evening. Low 8.

Parent/teacher interviews at WDSS

Parent and teacher interviews are being held at Wallaceburg District Secondary School on Wednesday, October 18.

The interviews will run from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Visit their website for more information, here.

Chatham-Kent Diverse City Party

Chatham-Kent is a vibrant community full of unique cultures and strong community ties.

The Chatham-Kent Diverse City Party is an opportunity to share and experience these cultures through performance and cuisine.

“After the success of last year’s inaugural event, we are thrilled to be able to host the event for a second year,” stated Erica Kitchen, committee chair and acting coordinator of the Chatham-Kent Nonprofit Network, in a press release.

“Fostering social inclusion and celebrating cultural diversity in any city or town is important, and we are happy we are able to do this in Chatham-Kent.”

The event is being held on Saturday, October 21, 2017, at St. Mary’s Hall in Blenheim (94 George St.) from 1 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. There will be performances from the Portuguese Club’s Folklore Group, the Chatham-Kent Hispanic Community, Chatham-Kent Friday Arabic School, Team Thai: Local Thai Migrant Workers, and Erin’s Dance Club.

Attendees will also have the opportunity to sample a wide array of cultural foods from vendors such as Kabab Hutt, Rice and Noodle, Spice and Curry, Sakura Sushi, Comfort and Soul, The Dutch Market, and Venus de Milo.

Admission to this event is FREE.

The food sampling is optional and will cost $5.

Transportation from Chatham is available at no cost.

Those wishing to attend are encouraged to register on Facebook or Eventbrite.

“Chatham-Kent is culturally rich and as we work towards the goals in CK Plan 2035 and to attract and retain residents, events such as this are vital in helping us celebrate the essence of our community – our people,” stated Audrey Ansell, the manager of Community Attraction and Promotion with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent.

This event is supported by several local area agencies, including the Chatham-Kent Local Immigration Partnership, the Chatham-Kent Nonprofit Network and the United Way of Chatham-Kent.

For more information, including the transportation schedule, visit www.ckdiversecityparty.com.

Healthy Workplace Month

October is Canada’s Healthy Workplace Month.

It’s an annual celebration designed to increase awareness of a comprehensive approach to workplace health, help organizations create healthy workplaces and increase the number of healthy workplaces across the country.

Workplace wellness programs give employees the tools they need to live healthy lives at work, at home and in their community.

Just think of the impact Chatham-Kent employers can have on the community when over 45,000 people in CK are employed and people spend slightly less than 1/3 of their lives at work or thinking about work. That translates into 70-90,000 hours of people’s lifetime. As a result employers can play a significant role improving the health of their employees and reap many of the benefits.

For example, a recent Sun Life-Ivey Canadian Wellness Return on Investment (ROI) Study confirmed that wellness programs can save approximately 1.5 days in absenteeism per employee over 12 months, or an estimated $251 per employee per year. The study also identified five key traits of successful workplace wellness programs;

– Leadership: successful programs have strong leadership

– Policies and Practices: the workplace culture reflects a commitment to employee health and wellness

– Communication: all employees understand the commitment, benefits and incentives of the program

– Target Programs: programs are based on employee needs and interests

– Evaluation: programs are evaluated and modified to ensure they are meeting their goals

In general, successful workplace health programs can lead to improved productivity, better employee relations, fewer injuries, reduced WSIB claims and health benefits cost, improved corporate culture, and improved retention and recruitment.

In celebration of Healthy Workplace Month and all of the local workplaces that have invested in employee wellness programs the Chatham-Kent Public Health Unit is hosting the 3rd Annual Workplace Wellness Recognition workshop on October 19th.

For further information on workplace wellness visit ckphu.com or contact the Health Unit at 519-352-7270 x2442.

Keeping the name Tecumseh Public School

The Ad Hoc Naming Committee for the consolidated John N. Given and Tecumseh Public School will be accepting input from all stakeholder groups on keeping the name Tecumseh Public School.

The Ad Hoc Naming Committee feels the Tecumseh Public School name supports the criteria outlined in the Lambton Kent District School Board’s Regulation on Naming and Renaming of Board Facilities.

The Ad Hoc Naming Committee’s rationale is as follows:

– Tecumseh is the name of the previous high school, as well as one of the two elementary
schools on the consolidated site;

– Tecumseh is recognized for making a significant contribution to society in the district, province and country and a monument is dedicated to him in Chatham-Kent; and

– The name Tecumseh is also used to identify a local park and a historical parkway along the Thames River.

Individuals wishing to provide input on the name can submit an electronic response through the Lambton-Kent District School Board website (www.lkdsb.net) under the Accommodation Review
section.

Individuals can complete the form electronically, or print it off and drop it in the drop box. A drop box will be located at both schools, as well as the Chatham Regional Education Centre and Sarnia Education Centre until October 27, 2017. Hard copies of the forms will be available where the drop boxes are located. Submissions will be accepted until October 27, 2017.

Members of the committee will review the submissions at the November 2 meeting.

It is expected that a report will be presented to Trustees at the November 28, 2017 Board Meeting.

The Ad Hoc Naming Committee also discussed the possibility of forming a school committee in the future to consider renaming of a portion of the school to honour the John N. Given name.

Photo of the day

Wow Families – 691 pounds of food going to our local food bank with Farm Credit Canada. Thank you! #LKDSB pic.twitter.com/baRh3VuLSD

— H. W. Burgess PS (@hwburgessps) 11 October 2017