Upcoming Spring General Meeting and 2 TVOT Tech PD Workshops

Registration is now open for the Spring General Banquet at the Lamplighter Inn, 591 Wellington Road in London, N6C 4R3 on Thursday May 18, 2017 from 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM.

Meet your peers and enjoy this complimentary fine dinner:

Garden Lettuce with Slivers of Sweet Red Onion dressed in Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette;

Duo of Grilled Filet of Beef Tenderloin with a Shitake Mushroom Cabernet Sauce and Grain-Fed Chicken Breast with a Sauvignon Blanc Reduction; Olive Oil Roasted Mini Potatoes; Chef's Seasonal Vegetables; Freshly Baked Breads, Assorted Flatbreads and European Rolls;

French Style Lemon Curd Mousse Cake on a Swirl of Fruit Sauce; Coffee and Tea

Vegetarian Menu
Mushroom Raviolli with Alfredo Sauce

Have a say in the business of your Local and register at www.etfotvot.com
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Registration is open for the following after-school 2 TVOT Tech Workshops:

1- Google Apps for Complete Beginners:  Monday April 24th,  4:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Google's suite of applications are fast becoming the standard for collaborative learning and assessment. Come out and learn the basics of Google Apps for Education in a relaxed, supportive environment. Participants will be introduced to Google Drive, Docs and Slides, and will have the opportunity to see how Google Classroom can streamline teaching and assessment.

2- The Software Savvy Occasional Teacher:  Monday, May 1st,  4:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Occasional Teachers encounter many different software tools, apps, and websites during their daily assignments.  OTs in LTOs are eager to include relevant technology experiences for their students. In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to explore common websites and apps that they might encounter in classrooms during their daily assignments. We will spend time looking at ways to incorporate the technology into lessons and experiment with creating activities. Content will include overviews of: green-screen apps, presentations apps, and common math websites and games.

Both workshops are being held at Westmount P.S., 1011 Viscount Road, London, N6K 1H5.
A light meal will be provided.

Spots are limited
Register at www.etfotvot.com
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Save the Date!!! Local Spring General Meeting and Banquet - LOCAL ELECTIONS

Please join us on Thursday, May 18, 2017 for our Spring General Meeting and Banquet taking place at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn, 591 Wellington Road South in London from 4:30PM - 7:30PM. Registration will be open on the ETFO-TVOT website: www.etfotvot.com by week's end.

Local Elections
Have you ever considered running for a position on the ETFO Thames Valley Occasional Teachers' Executive?  The Local's Spring Annual Meeting is when the membership selects its Executive officers for the coming year.  All active members are eligible and encouraged to submit candidate forms (posted on the Local website).  Meetings are held once a month after school at our Local office. Being a member of the Executive is a rewarding learning opportunity so find out what is going on and make a difference!

Elections will be held May 18, 2017 at the Lamplighter Inn for the following positions:

President - full-time position; official spokesperson and representative of Local; grievance officer; liaison and member of all committees; signing officer; (2 year term for this position so no election until 2018)

First Vice-President - assists the President, coordinates preparation of the newsletter, attends committees

Second Vice-President - assists the President and First Vice-President and acts as liaison to the P.D. Committee

Treasurer - maintains financial records, pays expenses of the Local, drafts budget and reports to Executive and membership

Secretary - prepares and circulates accurate minutes of past and present Executive and General Membership Meetings

Health and Safety Officer - acts as liaison with the Board's Joint Health and Safety Committee, the Local Executive and general membership; conducts annual audits of schools and participates in applicable training

Executive Members at Large (4) - duties as determined by the Executive

Chief Negotiator - negotiates the collective agreement; maintains agreement and reports to membership

Collective Bargaining Committee (President, Chief Negotiator and 4-5 others) - collect information from membership in preparation of preliminary submission

ETFO Provincial Annual Meeting Alternates (5) - pool from which delegate vacancies will be filled; Toronto August 14-17, 2017 (all costs paid)

Mandatory On-Line Modules now available and TVOT Book Club Registration Open

Mandatory On-Line Training
The following training initiatives are required for the 2016-2017 school year and must be completed on or before June 30, 2017 (with payment by July 21st, 2017). You must electronically confirm completion of each module. Please ensure you are using Internet Explorer to view your required training. If you are using an alternate browser (i.e. Google Chrome, Safari, etc.) then you may run into a compatibility issue. If you are using the newest version of Internet Explorer you may have to add TVDSB as a compatible website to your computer using the instructions attached. It is suggested that you take the time to complete all the training at once.

To access the training:
Log into the Employee Portal
To the right Under Staff Development and Training on the right hand side there's a link
"mandatory training"
Click on the link

Please note that the WHMIS, Offence Declaration and ITS Security Declaration (available in May)
will be accessible on the main page of the Employee Portal under the heading "Personal Information"". - once you have completed the training, try and do it again. A confirmation sheet with a button that says "print this page" will appear. This is your confirmation you have completed it.

The required training modules this year are:
1.   Fire Code Safety Training
2.   Violence Awareness Training - Module 1 - Legislative & Information Sharing
3.   Module 3- Post Incident Review & Documentation
4.   Module 4 - Safe Schools and Employee Roles
5.   Module 5 - Harassment
6.   Module 8 - Domestic Violence in the Workplace
7.   Module 9 - Parking Lots
8.   Concussion Part I - Concussion Awareness
9.   Concussion Part II - Response, Management
10. Anaphylaxis & Asthma Management
11. September - Emergency Codes and Asbestos Awareness
12. November - Ladder Safety Awareness
13. December Slips, Trips and Falls

PLEASE NOTE:  Occasional Teachers on a Board approved leave of absence are not required to do the mandatory training however, must complete the WHMIS Review, Annual Offence Declaration and ITS Security Declaration prior to 2017 August 31.
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TVOT Book Club
Registration is now open for the TVOT Book Club - Lost at School by Ross Green.  Join your peers at our Local OT Office at 521 Nottinghill Road, Suite 8 in London, for two evenings to discuss Ross Green's Lost at School.  Our first book club date is on April 18, and the second is on April 27 from 4:30 - 7:00 PM.  A light meal will be served.
Spaces are very limited and you must be available to attend both evenings.
Please go to www.etfotvot.com to register.

Return of the TVOT Book Clubs; Paid mandatory online training; OTF Subsidies for AQs; Last weekend for Columbia store invitation;

TVOT Book Club - Lost at School by Ross Green
Join your peers at our Local OT Office at 521 Nottinghill Road, Suite 8 in London, for two evenings to discuss Ross Green's Lost at School.  Explore how to assist students with behavioural challenges using a novel approach that goes beyond traditional incentives and consequences. Learn to identify triggers and how to implement realistic strategies that will have a lasting positive effect on struggling students.  Our first book club will take place at the end of April with registration opening on our website next week and members can use their annual $50 Local Book Rebate to assist with the purchase of Lost at School.
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Mandatory Online Training
TVOT members are reminded that they are expected to reserve one-half day of their 2 days of paid professional development, for completion of the Board's mandatory online training modules. LTOs will have completed many of these during the course of their long-term assignments, and must verify this in the Portal and complete any modules that are outstanding.
The required modules must be completed by the last day of the school year in June but they will not be posted in the Employee Portal until April 1st.   Once you have logged into the Portal you will access the training just under the heading on the right hand, "Staff Development and Training".  The block for elementary Occasional Teachers will be clearly labelled and is regarded as .5 of a day of work for all purposes.  Further details will be sent out on First Class by the Board but do not hesitate to contact the Local should you have any questions.
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OTF Subsidies
The Ontario Teachers' Federation still has funding available for completion of certain AQ courses. Subsidies are still available for AQs in Kindergarten, Mathematics, and Integration of Information and Computer Technology (IICT). Go to www.oct.ca for further information or contact Tim Cunningham at ETFO Provincial at 1-888-838-3836.
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Columbia Employee Store Invitation
Just a reminder that this will be the final weekend that you can use your employee invitation to shop at the Columbia Sportswear Employee Store at 1425 Max Brose Drive in London.  To download the invitation and for further details log in to www.etfotvot.com your ETFO Occasional Teachers' website.

H&S Risk Assessment Survey; Columbia Store Invitation; Remembering Vimy Ridge; Upcoming Paid PD Event on March 23rd

Health and Safety Risk Assessment Survey
Just a reminder that Occasional Teachers have until the end of this week to let the Board know about their safety concerns by participating in the TVDSB Annual Risk Assessment Survey.  The process takes about 10 minutes and the link is: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/9FQ7ZRY. The survey is confidential with information summarized to identify concerns and direct policy development and implementation.
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Columbia Store Invitation
For any TVOT member interested in shopping for sportswear at the Columbia Employee Store, your initiation awaits you on the Local's website and is in effect from March 13th to April 2nd. Details are available after you log into Member Services.
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Remembering Vimy Ridge
Teachers who are considering activities to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Canada's heroic participation in the Battle of Vimy Ridge, are encouraged to visit veterans.gc.ca where there is a wealth of information and free resources. More than 3600 Canadians lost their lives to achieve victory at Vimy Ridge and another 7000 were wounded.  Call 1-866-522-2122 to learn more about this effort and/or for information about the contribution of the many indigenous soldiers who fought bravely during both world wars.
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We look forward to seeing over 100 members at tomorrow afternoon's paid PD Event at the Stoneridge Inn and Conference Centre from 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm.
There are still several spots available for workshops #2 Additive to Multiplicative Thinking and
#3 What Does Math Look Like in Kindergarten?
Registration is available via the Local website etfotvot.com

Once again, we share the following information:

"Due to an alarming number of "no-shows" at previous events, the Executive has passed the following motion:  All members will be responsible for the cost of the meal should that member not give notice of the inability to attend an event prior to the start of the event".

Please contact the office by telephone or email if you cannot attend a workshop/dinner you had registered for. Another member may be able to take your spot in the PD workshop and the meal that was paid for would not be wasted!
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We wish to thank the participants and presenters of yesterday's PD Event at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn.  Another beneficial and well-attended Professional Development for almost 100 members!
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New OTF website, another Paid PD Opportunity and Columbia Sportswear Employee Invitation

The Ontario Teachers' Federation (OTF) has developed the "Teachers' Gateway to Special Education" website at www.teachspeced.ca.  The Special Education Gateway is a collection of resources and strategies for elementary and secondary teachers of special education students and also provides searchable web-based resources.

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We are very pleased to announce another paid PD opportunity for our members.  The workshops being offered are the same as those offered for our last paid PD event on February 21st at the Stoneridge Inn & Conference Centre namely:

1) Number Talks
2) Additive to Multiplicative
3) What Does Math Look Like in Kindergarten?

This opportunity filled up very quickly last month and we are very happy to be able to offer it to those members who were unable to participate.  Accordingly then, priority will be granted to those members who did not participate last month.
This does not preclude those who would like to register and participate in one of the other math courses, those members will be placed on a 'wait list' and if spaces are available, you will be notified and you will not be paid for attending.
Dinner will be included for all ETFO -TVOT members.

Please go to www.etfotvot.com to register and avoid disappointment.

On another note, we generally have wait lists and dinner for these events run anywhere from $35 - $40 per person.  It has become a problem when registrants don't show up to events.  Please think about this, and advise the office accordingly by telephone call or email should you need to cancel your registration. Your consideration is appreciated by your fellow-members.

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Lastly, we have received a Columbia Sportswear Company Invitation to shop from March 13 - April 2, 2017.  You can find your invitation on the ETFO-TVOT website under Member Services.
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ETFO Tentative Extension Agreement; Book Rebate PLDF subsidies; Provincial ETFO PD opportunities; Teacher Supply Tax Credit

ETFO Tentative Extension Agreement
Members are reminded that the ETFO Provincial telephone town hall is tonight at 7:30 PM. Voting on the tentative extension agreement has already opened and will close Friday, March 3rd at 11:59 PM. Members will need to provide their ETFO ID number (on the red apple card and on Voice magazine address label) in order to participate in the vote. Details on the agreement and the process can be found at www.etfocb.ca. Your Local Executive has had significant discussions regarding the proposed extension agreement and we are pleased to discuss this matter or any of your other concerns. The office phone number is 519-641-3936.
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We have received numerous calls and emails asking questions about the Book Rebate and Professional Learning Development Fund subsidies offered by your Local. In a nutshell, the Book Rebate program offers up to $50/year per member.  Members may only purchase books or resources that are related to elementary professional practice. The Form along with the original receipt of purchase must be received at the ETFO-TVOT office- 521 Nottinghill Road, Unit #8, in London, N6K 4L4 by May 31st, 2017. 

The Professional Learning Development Fund (PLDF) offers members a chance to personalize their professional development.  Funding for this program is $300 per year/member for courses or workshops, whether in-person, on-line or by correspondence. All course funding must be pre-approved and the funding cannot be applied retroactively.  All courses must be related to the elementary education profession and to be eligible, applicants must have been on the TVDSB elementary OT Roster for a minimum of twelve months. Approvals are first-come-first serve until the funding limit is reached.

Application forms for both the Book Rebate and the PLDF are found in the Member Services area under "Useful Forms/Documents" link on the ETFO-TVOT website  : www.etfotvot.com.
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Did you know that ETFO Occasional Teachers are eligible to participate in any of the conferences offered by ETFO Provincial? Check out www.etfo.ca for upcoming conferences such as the FNMI Education Symposium being held April first, the Technology for Teachers Conference being held April 7-8th and the Kindergarten Conference being held April 28-29th.  Travel expenses, shared accommodation expenses and the cost of meals and resources are covered by ETFO Provincial for a small registration fee.  We encourage members to take advantage of these opportunities made possible through their ETFO fees.
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This will be the First Year that Teachers and Occasional Teachers will be eligible to claim the School Supply Tax Credit.  Unlike other Boards where there is a person designated to oversee these claims, in TVDSB this is an electronic process.  If you would like further information on allowable expenses etc. please visit the question and answer page at 
http://www.cra-arc.gc.ca/gnc/bdgt/2016/qa03/eng.html