A7-Sunday News, November 16, 1980 Xmas comes too early Dear Editor: By the time this letter reaches you, it might be ume for people to really think about getting ready for Christmas! However, as the mother of two young children, it upsets me greatly that this happy occasion is exploited and com- merciahzed beyond belief by newspaper advertising, early store displays, etc. Our children are 9 and 6 and were very excited about Hallowe'en and = enjoyed making degorations and thinking of interesting costumes. A couple of days before that big day it was necessary for us to stop al a Spend Dear Editor: I wish to express my thanks to the people of North Vancouver. It has been my pleasure to have served as North Van school trustee over these last two years. I sincerely hope | have fulfilled my promise to be an effective questioner of the school system. Perhaps some time in the future I will be able to serve again in some other capacity. Il have questioned discipline, the degree of challenge and the emphasis on fundamental academic and vocational skills im our education system. I am proud to say that we have dramatically increased the support we provide for children with special needs and continue to give this area a high pnority. | am also proud to say that while | have been on the board a major initiative to improve student writing skills has been undertaken. I can only say the study of English Mayor Bell corrects Dear Editor: Your October 29th, 1980 special supplement “Focus on Industry” cdition con tained a statement by mc on the 1981 outlook for com mercial and industrial development in the Dustret of North Vancouver In the fifth paragraph | madc an inadvertent crror in valuable drapenes cal better and last longer Were not Gxponaive: LOS otther volume lets us charge Compeotitivety low local large shopping centre and we were all dimsayed to see a full array of Christmas decorations displayed in the maH and most of the stores! It confused my 6-year-old who thought they should have Hallowe'en decorations. Then the day after Hallowe'en when they were taking down the decorations around our house, the newspaper arrived, complete with Christmas advertising supplements, and a Christmas catalogue from a department store. Then the next day, Sunday November 2, the Santa Claus Parade appeared on TV, much to my dismay. When I was a teenager growing up in Toronto, I had the thnll of being in the Santa Claus Parade a couple of times, and at that time it was held on the last Saturday of November. That was in 1960 and it was even thought that that date was a little early, and now it is almost a month earlier. I wonder when it will take place in the year 2000? I just couldn't tell my children about it, and find it so sad that the real meaning seems to have gone out of Christmas. I would like my children to grow up remembering that Christmas is_ the celebration of the birth of Jesus. | want them to have the spirit of giving, but it would help a lot of children who have over two months to get over-excited about Christmas if newspapers, department stores, who can still make the profit that is their goal for the year, would remember the true meaning and spirit of Christmas rather than trying to ruin it with too much com- merciahsm. Jean Lawrence (Mrs.) West Vancouver ollars on teachers requires even more lume and effort than we currently provide. I am convinced that we require educational alternatives for those parents who wish a more structured approach. and, as president of the Parents Associaton for Challenging Education (P.A.C.E.), I mtend to pursue this possibility. I have questioned the $2371 per pupil operating cost of the school system as | behhleve it is classroom teachers who provide good education and not the school system bureaucracy. We have had a situation where the percentage of our budget being spent in the classroom has dechned from almost 77% to 71%. Ths | am proud to report is turning around and is now ip- creasing. | beheve, had we not challenged the costs, every taxpayer im North Vancouver would have to pay an additional $100 or more in property taxcs. defining the area in Lynn mour south in winch Council has adopted ai pohcy of cncouraging commercial and light industnal develop ment. It should read the arca lying Mountain Highway and north of Main Street not cast of Mountain Highway as stated The Counci pobcy destgnates the arca cast of west of Mountain DRAPERY CLEANING When you need protessional advice and guaranteed no shrinkage cleaning of your the Specialist at Hoy s Ory Cleaners With reguiar professional loaning your Grapenes will look Orapery ou age FALL. SPECIAL ROY’S 648 Queensbury Ave., 987-3431 20% ors Call tor tree pick-up and delivery DRY CLEANERS North Van. 987-3233 We take the worry out of drapery cleaning. While we have increased the number of teachers per student we have seen our per-pupil costs reduced from the highest, thereby gaining a provincial award for budgetary excellence. Further, a planned 1.6 million dollar new ad- ministration complex has been cancelled to the significant benefit of tax- payers. The N.V.T.A. now is asking for an additional 36 teachers and other ttems., which at an average cost of $29,000 per teacher could cost over $1,000,000. This in my opimon should not be rubber stamped by your school board. After two years in office | am more convinced than ever thal we have en thusiasuc and competent teaching staff and an ex- tremely professional ad- mainistrative staff dedicated to the well being of our children. It has been my pleasure to have met many error Highway as residential and several land use decisions this year by Council have been in accord with this 1 would appreciate your assistance in correcting this error DonH Bell Mayor North Vancouver Dastnet of them and ! can only commend thei talents to you. I do however have serious questions about the policies and _ priorities established by our elected school trustees. Despite this, im the last two years some significant progress has been made. I feel my term of office and my contnbution has been worthwhile. I can only hope | have done justice to the expectanons of those who elected me. David Craig North Vancouver Poppy Day success Dear Editor: DINING LOUNGE The Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 118 together with Associated Veterans Organizations, wishes to thank the tens of thousands of North Vancouver citizens and their children who purchased poppies and proudiy wore them in remembrance of our fallen comrades. The Campaign was an outstanditig success and will carry out our Veterans’ Welfare Program’ for another year. Ron M. Cochrane Poppy Campaign Chairman North Vancouver KEEP IT SHORT Cursine ROR 926-7371 « " Co [. af ood COOK ed at your table Hot & © Tasty while it’s still timely, please keep it short and to the point—normaily no tlonger than 200 words (about 20 lines of avesage typing or 26 lines of average handwriting). All letters must be signed and include an address andios phone number. 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