I am grateful to voters who keep sending messages of support or phoning to say that they are behind me. Thank you very much.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Dear Lale;
I am a former Grade One teacher I have always had an interest in the trustee elections. It was my intention to maintain the incumbent as he was a former student at my school (Terry Fox E. S.). However, the newspaper scandal so incenses me, I am changing my vote. I hope that many others see this as an opportunity to send a message about disgusting election practices. From your website, it is obvious that you will be an amazing trustee, having the children's best interests at heart.
Best of luck.
ELECT LALE - Trustee, OCDSB: For a fresh perspective, innovative thinking, dedication and experience, vote for LALE ESKICIOGLU as your public school board trustee from Orleans and Cumberland.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Scrutinize smear campaigns
It has been brought to my attention that hundreds of constituents have received libelous and defamatory material about myself, containing false statements and unfounded allegations, from an organization called Armenian National Committee of Ottawa. This organization does not exist on the internet, and another organization’s web address is given underneath their signage. Please scrutinize these smear campaigns. Don’t hesitate to call the provided telephone numbers and ask for evidence. This kind of dirty election tactics and ethnic hate and intolerance should have no place in the election process of a local representative to a school board. This is a racist hate propaganda to prevent a Canadian of Turkish origin from becoming an elected official.
These flyers that contain incoherently and unintelligibly written slander, are being distributed to the homes on the Voters' List. Voters' List is only available to candidates. Where did they get the voters' list from?
Please ask these people who they are and what their goal is. They have given two phone numbers on their flyer: 613-806-4343 and 613-614-4915. These are unlisted numbers. The first one does not answer. The second one is answered by a person who didn't seem to know that it was his mobile phone that was on the flyer. Who are these people? Please call them and ask them.
These flyers that contain incoherently and unintelligibly written slander, are being distributed to the homes on the Voters' List. Voters' List is only available to candidates. Where did they get the voters' list from?
Please ask these people who they are and what their goal is. They have given two phone numbers on their flyer: 613-806-4343 and 613-614-4915. These are unlisted numbers. The first one does not answer. The second one is answered by a person who didn't seem to know that it was his mobile phone that was on the flyer. Who are these people? Please call them and ask them.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
EMC Orleans reports the candidates' debate
Orléans-Cumberland public school trustees answer to residents
Posted Oct 20, 2010 By Charelle Evelyn
EMC News – Candidates vying to represent the Orléans-Cumberland area schools had one last opportunity to state their case before the voting public Oct. 18. Incumbent Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) Zone 8 trustee John Shea and challenger Lale Eskicioglu answered questions from residents and members of the Fallingbrook Community Elementary School Council for about an hour and a half Monday night.
Shea was first exposed to the position as a student trustee as a grade 12 student at Cairine Wilson Secondary School. “It drove my passion for education policy,” he said. In his opening remarks, Shea said that he was proud of the fact that over the past four years he was able to help make sense of the high school boundaries, which “looked like a patchwork quilt” and improved communication between the board and the school communities. “The last four years have been a wonderful pleasure,” he said. “I’ve never worked harder at anything.”
Eskicioglu, who started with a translation of her Turkish name, said that she was “humbled, honoured and tremendously privileged to run in the elections.” She outlined her history as an electrical engineer who has lived in four different countries, before quitting to “exercise (her) natural inclination to be with people.” Eskicioglu said that if elected as a trustee, there would be no such things as small problems. “I would not be a trustee to see or hear about a problem and not do something about it.”
As the floor opened for questions, the candidates were immediately faced with concerns from a woman who identified herself as an OCDSB employee and said that she was troubled by the fact that she did not see trustees spending enough time making visits to schools and schoolyards.
Shea said that he makes visits to school’s on a bi-weekly basis, mostly to meet with principals and teachers or parents if there’s an ongoing issue. He said that he has observed that among intermediate grades and in high schools, students are not always properly engaged or challenged and could benefit from new learning opportunities.
Eskicioglu said that if elected, she would want to participate in every aspect of education and see things with her own eyes.
When asked where the candidates see potential for the next round of budget cuts at the board, Eskicioglu said that she does not see any more room to make cuts.
“We no longer have flesh to cut and we’re down to the bone,” she said, adding that the provincial government does listen, especially as it gets closer to election time.
Shea agreed that the upcoming provincial election was a great time to “hold their feet to the fire” in terms of renegotiating the funding formula for school boards.
On the topic of full-day kindergarten, both candidates said that the implementation of the early-learning program seemed rushed, which has caused confusion among parents who have to decide whether to leave their children in day care or enrol them in junior kindergarten.
“The boards have been hamstrung with what we can do,” Shea said, while Eskicioglu said that her sympathies are with every parent who has raised concerns.
After being lobbied questions about other funding possibilities for maintaining childcare and if their priorities lie with the zone or the board as a whole, the candidates had time to answer one final question before turning the evening back over the school council’s regular business: Would the new transfer policy be revisited?
Shea, who was a proponent of the policy, which does not allow students to leap-frog over schools in their area, said that he is in favour of giving it more time but that he is open to reviewing it. He said that his own experience as a student showed them that students often transferred to other schools for no reason other than a perceived reputation. “I thought that was wrong,” he said.
Trying to keep the end of the evening light, Eskicioglu chided her opponent. “John, give it up. It’s unpopular, everybody hates it.” She said that the answer to dwindling enrolment is not a strict transfer policy, but rather fixing the reputation of the schools. “Let’s bring the standards up so that people will want to go.”
The municipal elections take place Oct. 25.
Posted Oct 20, 2010 By Charelle Evelyn
EMC News – Candidates vying to represent the Orléans-Cumberland area schools had one last opportunity to state their case before the voting public Oct. 18. Incumbent Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB) Zone 8 trustee John Shea and challenger Lale Eskicioglu answered questions from residents and members of the Fallingbrook Community Elementary School Council for about an hour and a half Monday night.
Shea was first exposed to the position as a student trustee as a grade 12 student at Cairine Wilson Secondary School. “It drove my passion for education policy,” he said. In his opening remarks, Shea said that he was proud of the fact that over the past four years he was able to help make sense of the high school boundaries, which “looked like a patchwork quilt” and improved communication between the board and the school communities. “The last four years have been a wonderful pleasure,” he said. “I’ve never worked harder at anything.”
Eskicioglu, who started with a translation of her Turkish name, said that she was “humbled, honoured and tremendously privileged to run in the elections.” She outlined her history as an electrical engineer who has lived in four different countries, before quitting to “exercise (her) natural inclination to be with people.” Eskicioglu said that if elected as a trustee, there would be no such things as small problems. “I would not be a trustee to see or hear about a problem and not do something about it.”
As the floor opened for questions, the candidates were immediately faced with concerns from a woman who identified herself as an OCDSB employee and said that she was troubled by the fact that she did not see trustees spending enough time making visits to schools and schoolyards.
Shea said that he makes visits to school’s on a bi-weekly basis, mostly to meet with principals and teachers or parents if there’s an ongoing issue. He said that he has observed that among intermediate grades and in high schools, students are not always properly engaged or challenged and could benefit from new learning opportunities.
Eskicioglu said that if elected, she would want to participate in every aspect of education and see things with her own eyes.
When asked where the candidates see potential for the next round of budget cuts at the board, Eskicioglu said that she does not see any more room to make cuts.
“We no longer have flesh to cut and we’re down to the bone,” she said, adding that the provincial government does listen, especially as it gets closer to election time.
Shea agreed that the upcoming provincial election was a great time to “hold their feet to the fire” in terms of renegotiating the funding formula for school boards.
On the topic of full-day kindergarten, both candidates said that the implementation of the early-learning program seemed rushed, which has caused confusion among parents who have to decide whether to leave their children in day care or enrol them in junior kindergarten.
“The boards have been hamstrung with what we can do,” Shea said, while Eskicioglu said that her sympathies are with every parent who has raised concerns.
After being lobbied questions about other funding possibilities for maintaining childcare and if their priorities lie with the zone or the board as a whole, the candidates had time to answer one final question before turning the evening back over the school council’s regular business: Would the new transfer policy be revisited?
Shea, who was a proponent of the policy, which does not allow students to leap-frog over schools in their area, said that he is in favour of giving it more time but that he is open to reviewing it. He said that his own experience as a student showed them that students often transferred to other schools for no reason other than a perceived reputation. “I thought that was wrong,” he said.
Trying to keep the end of the evening light, Eskicioglu chided her opponent. “John, give it up. It’s unpopular, everybody hates it.” She said that the answer to dwindling enrolment is not a strict transfer policy, but rather fixing the reputation of the schools. “Let’s bring the standards up so that people will want to go.”
The municipal elections take place Oct. 25.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Proud to receive Our Ottawa's Endorsement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday October 19th, 2010
OUR OTTAWA ANNOUNCES PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEE ENDORSEMENTS
Today Our Ottawa announced its choice of candidates in the upcoming OCDSB Public School Board Trustees election:
Zone 2 (Kanata South / Kanata North) Christine Boothby
Zone 3 (Barrhaven / Knoxdale) Donna Blackburn
Zone 4 (Bay) Theresa Kavanaugh
Zone 5 (College) Pam Fitzgerald
Zone 6 (Rideau-Rockcliffe / Alta Vista) Bronwyn Funiciello
Zone 8 (Orleans / Cumberland) Lale Eskicioglu
Zone 9 (Rideau-Vanier / Capital) Rob Campbell
Zone 10 (Somerset / Kitchissippi) Jennifer McKenzie
Zone 11 (River) Shirley Seward (acclaimed)
Zone 12 (Innes / Beacon Hill-Cyrville) Chris Ellis
Our Ottawa has endorsed OCDSB Trustee candidates who have specific concerns with childeren encountering barriers to success. These candidates are known to do the extensive research needed to ensure that well-thought out choices are made. They will value and honour community input, rather than paying lip-service to it.
Our Ottawa advocates::
· Building communities through schools
· Engaging with community members and parents as an essential element of the decision-making process.
Tracking the achievement levels of disadvantaged students to identify needs and provide adequate, well-targeted resources
· Understanding and encouraging a diversity of opinion, with open and direct communication and dialogue, while discouraging decision- making in camera
· Teaching the whole child, rather than focusing on the EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability Office) exam, which leads to concentration on literacy and numeracy at the expense of science, social studies, the arts, and physical education.
· Addressing the issue of over-crowding.
Working to ensure better student/teacher ratios.
Our Ottawa is a 200 member-strong group of community volunteers and leaders who have articulated a vision for the future of the City and want to unite their efforts to help elect strong City Councillors and School Board Trustees in the October Election.
For Media Inquiries CONTACT
itsourottawa@gmail.com
613-299-8491
Tuesday October 19th, 2010
OUR OTTAWA ANNOUNCES PUBLIC SCHOOL BOARD TRUSTEE ENDORSEMENTS
Today Our Ottawa announced its choice of candidates in the upcoming OCDSB Public School Board Trustees election:
Zone 2 (Kanata South / Kanata North) Christine Boothby
Zone 3 (Barrhaven / Knoxdale) Donna Blackburn
Zone 4 (Bay) Theresa Kavanaugh
Zone 5 (College) Pam Fitzgerald
Zone 6 (Rideau-Rockcliffe / Alta Vista) Bronwyn Funiciello
Zone 8 (Orleans / Cumberland) Lale Eskicioglu
Zone 9 (Rideau-Vanier / Capital) Rob Campbell
Zone 10 (Somerset / Kitchissippi) Jennifer McKenzie
Zone 11 (River) Shirley Seward (acclaimed)
Zone 12 (Innes / Beacon Hill-Cyrville) Chris Ellis
Our Ottawa has endorsed OCDSB Trustee candidates who have specific concerns with childeren encountering barriers to success. These candidates are known to do the extensive research needed to ensure that well-thought out choices are made. They will value and honour community input, rather than paying lip-service to it.
Our Ottawa advocates::
· Building communities through schools
· Engaging with community members and parents as an essential element of the decision-making process.
Tracking the achievement levels of disadvantaged students to identify needs and provide adequate, well-targeted resources
· Understanding and encouraging a diversity of opinion, with open and direct communication and dialogue, while discouraging decision- making in camera
· Teaching the whole child, rather than focusing on the EQAO (Education Quality and Accountability Office) exam, which leads to concentration on literacy and numeracy at the expense of science, social studies, the arts, and physical education.
· Addressing the issue of over-crowding.
Working to ensure better student/teacher ratios.
Our Ottawa is a 200 member-strong group of community volunteers and leaders who have articulated a vision for the future of the City and want to unite their efforts to help elect strong City Councillors and School Board Trustees in the October Election.
For Media Inquiries CONTACT
itsourottawa@gmail.com
613-299-8491
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Orleans Star - Trustee candidates' Q&A - Published on October 14th, 2010
Ottawa-Carleton District School Board
Trustee for Zone 8: Orléans-Cumberland
Lale Eskicioglu
Q: Why do you want to be the school board trustee for your zone?
A few parents I know have brought some of their concerns with the education system to my attention and suggested that I seek a role which would enable me to work on these issues. Most of the issues were regarding the cuts that have been made to a variety of services and programs. I was motivated to run because our education system is too great to let crumble by unopposed reductions to many special programs, such as:
. programs for students whose first languages are neither English nor French;
. services for immigrant families;
. proper accommodation of our gifted students;
. learning tools for our students who have special needs; and
. adequate support for our teachers who have to educate our children who have all sorts of different backgrounds, temperaments and learning needs.
I believe I can play a part in keeping all the good programs in place, bringing back some of the cancelled ones and keeping up with the changing times by supporting new programs to improve our public education system. That's why I decided to run. I know I will make an excellent school board trustee.
Q: What would be the single most important issue you would like to tackle if you are elected trustee?
There is never one single most important issue. I can list a few that will have the highest priority for me:
- Stop the burnout and job-dissatisfaction within the schools by strengthening the human resources and providing all the needed repairs and renovations to the facilities. Teachers need more educational assistants and schools need more staff. Well-being of teachers and well-being of students go hand in hand.
- Provide adequate support for many of the special programs that have suffered reductions or cancellations. Provide sufficient ESL, support programs for our gifted and special-needs children. Work towards more extracurricular activities, support programs that bring arts and physical activity to our schools.
- Work together with all the trustees, staff and other school boards for efficient sharing of resources. Establish a positive dialogue with the provincial government to obtain funding for high quality public education.
- Improve literacy rates. Work with the families to bring numeric and literacy skills to the entire family.
- I will work towards improving bilingualism rates amongst OCDSB students by providing support to French Immersion programs and by supporting French classes within regular English programs.
Trustee for Zone 8: Orléans-Cumberland
Lale Eskicioglu
Q: Why do you want to be the school board trustee for your zone?
A few parents I know have brought some of their concerns with the education system to my attention and suggested that I seek a role which would enable me to work on these issues. Most of the issues were regarding the cuts that have been made to a variety of services and programs. I was motivated to run because our education system is too great to let crumble by unopposed reductions to many special programs, such as:
. programs for students whose first languages are neither English nor French;
. services for immigrant families;
. proper accommodation of our gifted students;
. learning tools for our students who have special needs; and
. adequate support for our teachers who have to educate our children who have all sorts of different backgrounds, temperaments and learning needs.
I believe I can play a part in keeping all the good programs in place, bringing back some of the cancelled ones and keeping up with the changing times by supporting new programs to improve our public education system. That's why I decided to run. I know I will make an excellent school board trustee.
Q: What would be the single most important issue you would like to tackle if you are elected trustee?
There is never one single most important issue. I can list a few that will have the highest priority for me:
- Stop the burnout and job-dissatisfaction within the schools by strengthening the human resources and providing all the needed repairs and renovations to the facilities. Teachers need more educational assistants and schools need more staff. Well-being of teachers and well-being of students go hand in hand.
- Provide adequate support for many of the special programs that have suffered reductions or cancellations. Provide sufficient ESL, support programs for our gifted and special-needs children. Work towards more extracurricular activities, support programs that bring arts and physical activity to our schools.
- Work together with all the trustees, staff and other school boards for efficient sharing of resources. Establish a positive dialogue with the provincial government to obtain funding for high quality public education.
- Improve literacy rates. Work with the families to bring numeric and literacy skills to the entire family.
- I will work towards improving bilingualism rates amongst OCDSB students by providing support to French Immersion programs and by supporting French classes within regular English programs.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
Honoured to receive the endorsement of Elementary Teachers' Federation
I am very proud and happy to announce that I have received the endorsement of Ottawa Carleton Elementary Teachers' Federation (OCETF).
http://www.ocetf.org/media/27837/trustee_elections.pdf
These are all of the candidates endorsed by OCETF:
Zone 3: Donna Blackburn donnablackburn@sympatico.ca
Zone 4: Theresa Kavanagh theresakavanagh@rogers.com
Zone 5: Pam Fitzgerald pam_fitzgerald@sympatico.ca
Zone 6: Bronwyn Funiciello Bronwyn@re-elect-funiciello.ca
Zone 8: Lale Eskicioglu Lale@ReadLiterature.com
Zone 9: Rob Campbell rob@reelectrob.ca
Zone 10: Jennifer McKenzie jennifermck@sympatico.ca
Zone 12: Chris Ellis Chris@chrisellis.ca
I am very happy to note that the support for me is growing exponentially day by day. Here is a letter I have received from one of the parents:
Dear Ms. Eskicioglu,
I am very glad that you are running against John Shea in our zone and I wish you great success. I live in the Chapel Hill area. This morning I noticed many of your signs in Cumberland and near Sir Wilfrid Laurier but no signs in the Chapel Hill area. I would suggest that you place some on Jeanne D'arc going up the hill from the intersection of St. Joseph and Jeanne D'arc, and near the intersection of St. Joseph and Forest Valley. People in this area do not know that you are running. This is a heavy residential area and many parents are unhappy with John Shea here because he changed the boundaries so that the only option we have now is Cairine Wilson. Before we had the option of sending children to Gloucester and Colonel By. Also he has gotten great restrictions placed on school transfers and had put Gloucester and Colonel By on the list for possible closures, while keeping Cairine Wilson on a special status even though it was a school with low enrollment and a school that has performed poorly in EQAO and district wide assessments, compared to other schools in the area.
http://www.ocetf.org/media/27837/trustee_elections.pdf
These are all of the candidates endorsed by OCETF:
Zone 3: Donna Blackburn donnablackburn@sympatico.ca
Zone 4: Theresa Kavanagh theresakavanagh@rogers.com
Zone 5: Pam Fitzgerald pam_fitzgerald@sympatico.ca
Zone 6: Bronwyn Funiciello Bronwyn@re-elect-funiciello.ca
Zone 8: Lale Eskicioglu Lale@ReadLiterature.com
Zone 9: Rob Campbell rob@reelectrob.ca
Zone 10: Jennifer McKenzie jennifermck@sympatico.ca
Zone 12: Chris Ellis Chris@chrisellis.ca
I am very happy to note that the support for me is growing exponentially day by day. Here is a letter I have received from one of the parents:
Dear Ms. Eskicioglu,
I am very glad that you are running against John Shea in our zone and I wish you great success. I live in the Chapel Hill area. This morning I noticed many of your signs in Cumberland and near Sir Wilfrid Laurier but no signs in the Chapel Hill area. I would suggest that you place some on Jeanne D'arc going up the hill from the intersection of St. Joseph and Jeanne D'arc, and near the intersection of St. Joseph and Forest Valley. People in this area do not know that you are running. This is a heavy residential area and many parents are unhappy with John Shea here because he changed the boundaries so that the only option we have now is Cairine Wilson. Before we had the option of sending children to Gloucester and Colonel By. Also he has gotten great restrictions placed on school transfers and had put Gloucester and Colonel By on the list for possible closures, while keeping Cairine Wilson on a special status even though it was a school with low enrollment and a school that has performed poorly in EQAO and district wide assessments, compared to other schools in the area.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
Opponent's claims
I was absolutely delighted to receive my opponent’s flyer in my mailbox the other day. It is a superb example of vagueness. For instance, he claims to have “approved the first strategic plan in the history of the OCDSB.” We don’t know which mysterious strategic plan he is referring to. First in the history of the board! I hope it was something good.
Under the title “About John,” my opponent lists only four items. The first one is the longest of the four and takes up %47 of the entire “About John” section. It says:
“Born and raised in Orléans and homeowner in Cumberland – a fifth generation east end resident”
This reminded me the days when my family and I arrived in Canada as immigrants. My daughter was born in Germany and she was three years old when we came.
The appointment we were given for the citizenship oath fell a couple of days after the federal elections of the time. We called the citizenship office and requested an earlier date so that we could vote in the elections. Although the ceremony dates are quite full and determined long time in advance, our request was immediately granted. They were pleased to do it, they said, to encourage us, as new citizens, to be involved citizens. That was when my conviction in Canada’s democracy was reaffirmed.
At the ceremony, after we took the oath, the citizenship judge told us that Canada was now richer than it was moments ago.
I believed it then, I believe it now. For the past twenty years, I strove to make Canada richer and richer everyday. And now, I am humbled and honoured by the privilege of being able to take part in elections so that I can become your next school board trustee.
Lale Eskicioglu
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