By Breanna and Bryce

Every Monday of December we will be having an assembly, except for Christmas holidays.  On the 3rd, we will start the toy drive. On the 5th and the 19th we will have hotdog day.  On the 12th we are having the public health nurse show us how to wash our hands properly.  On the 19th we will also be having the Christmas concert.  From the 22nd to January 6th, we will be having Christmas holidays.

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Online Adventure: www.techtales.com- funny but true tales of those who work as telephone tech support.  You'll feel a whole lot better about your own lack of computer savvy!



     This year's Christmas Craft Market was an extremely well attended event , by both crafters and shoppers.  We didn't count heads, but a conservative guess would be well over 100 visitors.  The Lions spaghetti dinner was an obvious attraction and compliments to Kevin Kearns of the Lions Club for his outstanding homemade spaghetti sauce.  The displays ran the gamut from woodcrafts to painted rocks and everything in between; honey from Botanie Valley, home baking and handi-crafts from the Pythian Sisters, playschool parents, grads and Family Place.  Elsie and Linda Campbell's table groaned under the weight of their many scrumptious homemade pies and breads. The table from Siska Art Gallery was a sight to behold with beautiful jewellery and artwork. Donna Seward displayed breathtakingly beautiful scrolled woodcrafts, handmade by the lady herself... who knew such talents existed in our small community?!  
    Sewing, baking, painting, pottery, fudge from Hells Gate.. the list goes on.  Many raffles were drawn, not the least of which were the Christmas Tree Raffle, with the tree won by Terry Kimber, the afghan won by Nicole Krysdale and the Nutcracker won by Mona Besse.  The Pythian sisters Meat Draw  produced many winners; winners of a Turkey-Susan Rose, H. Greenburg, Austin Forman, Jean Bates & Leslie Campbell.  Winners of a Roast- Bennie Barnhart & Lorne Langner.  Winners of a Ham - Christine Grafinger & Sandra Andrew.  The 50/50 was won by Joe Doherty, $175.  A round of applause to Margaret and Patti for their hard work organizing the event. The Kiddy Korner and craft centre for the kids was much appreciated by parents who were free to shop and socialize while their children were cared for by Kaitie Conkin, Jaynie Forman, Jody Campbell and Caitlin Kimber.   Many thanks to all who attended, Merry Christmas!


    With just a few well-chosen purchases and a few dollars you can outfit your workstation with new set-ups to prevent sometimes crippling injuries.
    It may seem like a hassle and an expense but your health should be the overriding concern.  Painless simple adjustments to a computing environment, such as getting a better chair or raising a monitor, may cost a little but makes a huge difference in injuries. Poor positioning combined with no breaks can lead to musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs)
    Users  should learn about what triggers wrist pain and other repetitive-stress injuries, and make the necessary adjustments.  Because people come in different shapes and sizes, solutions to ergonomic problems differ. However, there are some generally accepted guidelines when it comes to sitting at a computer for several hours a day, day after day. Here's a look at some.
    Your wrist position is key -The ideal  position, most agree, is to be sitting upright or slightly reclined. Your shoulders  straight, upper arms  straight down, close to your body,  elbows at a 90-degree (or even slightly more) angle. Your forearms and hands should be flat and your hands relaxed.
Those who type with their wrists pointed up or down, or extended outward or inward, are asking for trouble. It generally means they're sitting too close or too far away, or they don't have a keyboard that suits them.
Split keyboards - ergonomically designed keyboards sloped in the middle - are growing in use and popularity,       
    Does the mouse fit your hand? -Hands run in all different sizes, but so do mice. What you want is one not too big or too small, but that fits snugly under your relaxed hand. The bottom of your hand should feel the mouse, and the point where your hand turns into your wrist should be on the table.  If you're pooh-poohing this, don't. You'd be surprised how many people suffer hand or shoulder pain because of a mouse that's an unnatural fit. For those already suffering from hand or wrist pain, the answer might be a foot-operated mouse, which eliminates stressful hand motions.
    Monitor: eye level  glare -If it isn't positioned correctly, your PC monitor can cause neck pain, shoulder pain, and eyestrain from glare. Keep it directly in front of you, and at an arm's length in distance. Your neck should be straight, not leaning forward. The top of the screen should be directly level with your eyes. The monitor should be tilted slightly upward. Put stacks of paper underneath it if necessary - and be wary of using a laptop PC in place of your desktop for long periods of time.  Beyond this, glare from poor positioning related to your windows or lighting could result in eyestrain and headaches. Re-position your monitor, and adjust your font size and colour, if necessary.
    Your chair- the most important component? -A good chair may be the most important part of your workstation, because it affects your position more than just about anything else. An adjustable chair, allowing the user to customize the fit, is the better choice ergonomically than a fixed chair with no options.   Besides sitting straight or slightly reclined, a user's lower back should be fully pressed up against and supported by the .back of the chair. His feet should be flat on the floor, or on a foot rest - a platform you can buy inexpensively to help a user maintain a correct sitting position and avoid fatigue.  
Get up and walk around - often
Having the most ergonomically safe workstation possible still may not prevent MSDs. Users must change positions and leave their workstations several times a day to break up the repetitive stresses.  I  recommend drinking water throughout the day. That guarantees you'll take breaks.


  Our community experienced a rash of Break and Enters over the last few of weeks, with over a half dozen homes and businesses being broken into.  Many items were stolen.  However, incredibly every single stolen item has been recovered and the suspected culprits have been arrested thanks to a quick response by a local citizen.  The suspect pulled a knife on the intended victim but the intended victim, in an effort to protect his property, engaged the thief in a struggle.   Arrests were made shortly after.  Police would like to let the public know that although it is always excellent to help out where you can, and in a small town it is common place to report suspicious activities in your neighbourhood, police stress that you never know what to expect when dealing with the criminal element of society.  Rather than engaging in dangerous activity that could result in injury or even death of innocent people, police urge you to avoid confrontations.   Take  notes and record the details , vehicle descriptions, license plate numbers and physical descriptions of the suspects.
    On the weekend an assault of a 20 year old male occurred on the Anderson Creek Reserve. The victim was struck several times around the body with an axe, resulting in many deep lacerations.  A witness described the attack as a series of "baseball bat type swings".  The double-bladed axe head  was very large with a handle at least two feet long.  The victim is reported to be recovering.  Alcohol and illicit drugs (crystal meth and magic mushrooms) are considered by police to have played a part in the attack..  The attacker is in custody and will undergo psychological evaluations.
  Police report a tremendous increase in motor vehicle accidents.  Constable fiddler says that increase is a result of people having a false sense of security on the roads. "Just because the roads look clear, doesn't mean they are safe" cautions Fiddler, " Frosty roads look clear but are very slippery , especially so when there is heavy fog"  Drivers are urged to drive with extra care especially in the early morning and chilly evenings.  Police also remind vehicle owners that winter tires are required by law.  One recent accident occurred as a result of a vehicle having winter tires only on the front.  The front tires held the road and the back tires didn't, resulting in the rear end of the car spinning out of control. Winter, or all season tires are required all the way around, stresses Constable Fiddler, the common practice of using two winter tires and two regular tires is not only ill-advised but extremely dangerous for winter driving conditions.  Police will be watching for vehicles not equipped with the proper tires.
   "Tis The Season" say local RCMP.   Christmas Counter Attack is going into full swing, with surprise spot checks popping up throughout the holidays.  You never know when or where, say local police, don't be surprised if you encounter a spot check at 2 in the morning in a very unexpected place.  If you plan on going out to celebrate, please plan for a ride home, have a designated driver  or walk.    
    The Green Team sweep has completed it's operations for outdoor grow ops for this year.  "It was definitely not a good year for growing marijuana," chuckles Constable Fiddler. "The plants that were discovered were straggly, yellow, wilted things" .  Six or seven rather pathetic plantations were discovered and disposed of this fall.  The Green Team will now be focussing on locating and busting the indoor operations.