Collapsed Classes/Coverage Assignments; January PD Day; Returning from a Mat Leave; Inclement Weather

Collapsed Classes / Coverage Assignments
In times of inclement weather, classes are often collapsed. Per Articles L18.02 & Article L18.03, the Occasional Teacher (OT), is to follow the exact time-table of the teacher they were hired to replace. Where an OT is hired for coverage purposes, that OT shall cover no more than 1 (one) Supervisory Duty.
Please don't hesitate to contact our office with any questions (519)641-3936.
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January 19, 2018 is a PD Day

Did you know that if you are a daily OT or in a long-term assignment of less than .5, you can be paid on Board professional development days as if you were working that day? This year, daily OTs have access to 6 half-days of paid PD (a half time LTO can access 3 half-days). One half-day must be reserved for mandatory training which will be posted in April, but registration is now open on the Employee Portal for Friday, January 19th.  There should be something for everyone in the selection, so we encourage you to have a look and register soon as spots go quickly.
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Returning from a Maternity Leave?
Since seniority in TVDSB is calculated by accumulated number of days worked, be sure to contact Corissa Parker in Human Resources on your return from maternity leave to have your seniority  adjusted to reflect the average number of days you have worked since being hired.  That way you will not be disadvantaged by taking this statutory leave.
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Inclement Weather and OTs/LTOs
The Board no longer routinely closes school when buses are cancelled. Regardless of whether you are in a daily or long-term assignment, the Collective Agreement in Article L10.08 provides that if you are delayed by local weather conditions but arrive at school as soon as possible during the regular working hours, you will not have any deduction of salary. "Local" is defined as the geographic area between your home and work site.  You are encouraged to notify the school to let them know you will be delayed.
Should a LTO not be able to attend school at all due to weather conditions, that LTO can enter an absence using one of their "Act of Nature" days as provided by Article L.9.04. This time will be deducted from the 5 care days (pro-rated for part-time and part-year assignments).
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Merrymount donations from Fall General Meeting; Award to Sandi Douglas; Renewed Math Strategy (RMS) Survey

Donations from TVOT members to Merrymount Children's Centre

On behalf of Merrymount Family Support and Crisis Centre, we thank those who so generously donated two teeming  tables of items to assist this unique facility serving more than 8000 families and children each year. 

We know they very much appreciate these items from our Fall General Meeting participants.

It was a pleasure to meet so many members this evening, many who came after working all day.

We very much appreciate your support!

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Outstanding Service to the Local Award to Sandi Douglas

Though it may seem peculiar for the Union to give an award to someone who has spent their career working for the Employer, your Executive was honoured to recognize former TVDSB Staffing Officer, Sandi Douglas for her years of fielding calls and later emails from tens of thousands of our members, generally with patience, professionalism and consideration.  Sandi enhanced the working lives of our members and helped us in the Local to meet the needs of our membership.  Congratulations Sandi!








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The Ministry of Education is currently reviewing the Renewed Math Strategy (RMS). ETFO is a part of the RMS workgroup which is assisting with the review. The workgroup feels it is critical to gather data from frontline educators to tap into their experience of the implementation the RMS since September 2016. This will assist the Ministry in making modifications to the strategy in years two and three. While the survey will be anonymous, respondents will include demographic information so that the survey findings can be generalized to different educator groups (e.g., elementary, secondary, lead teacher, administrator, level of math support at the school, etc.).  ETFO and the affiliates have provided feedback on the survey questions. Please go to the following link to take the survey:  Renewed Math Strategy Survey

- The survey takes approximately 10 to 15 minutes to complete.
- Participation is voluntary.
- Individual respondents will remain anonymous. Information will be aggregated and summarized for sharing.
- If you receive multiple invitations to complete the survey, please do so only once.
- The survey will remain open for the month of December.

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What to bring for Merrymount Dec. 6th; OCT Fee Increase; And Still we Rise

Join us for our ever-popular Fall General Meeting and Banquet on December 6th, 2017 at the Four Points by Sheraton London, 1150 Wellington Rd in London. This festive dinner event is free to ETFO-TVOT members and all those in attendance will receive a hard-copy of our newest Collective Agreement. Registration is available at www.etfotvot.com
This is also members' opportunity to donate goods to Merrymount Children's Center - a family support and crisis centre which has children up to 13 years of age from across the Valley staying in their Crisis Residential/Respite Program.
Merrymount tells us that these children are in need of:

• New children's clothing, all sizes
• Pyjamas
• Socks and Underwear, all sizes
• Shoes
• Pants, shirts and sweatshirts
• New books
• Gift cards
• Movie passes
• New toys for birthdays, holidays
• Non perishable food items
• Art and craft supplies
• Children's toothbrushes and toothpaste

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The Ontario College of Teachers (OCT) is considering another fee increase of between 11-19%.  ETFOTVOT wants members to be aware that one of the driving forces for this increase is the cost of OCT's real estate on Toronto's Bloor Street - one of that city's most expensive neighbourhoods.
The Ontario Teachers' Federation (OTF) asks all Teachers/Occasional Teachers to take a few seconds to click on the link and voice their opinion:
https://otffeo.us9.list-manage.com/track/click?u=990c4057179a7ed504464e546&id=1b5881604d&e=480089e244
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And Still We Rise: Did you know that ETFO Occasional Teachers are eligible to register for all ETFO Provincial conferences and workshops, including the annual women's leadership conference "And Still We Rise"? 
Registration for this particular event closes December 4th and preference is given to those who have not previously attended. The conference runs from the evening of Feb. 21 - 23, 2018 with ETFO covering travel, shared accommodations and payment as time worked (release time) for those who attend.  For more details visit www.etfo.ca.

Fall General Meeting : December 6th, 2017

We are looking forward to hosting you on Wednesday, December 6th, 4:30 pm - 7:30 pm at the Four Points Sheraton at our Fall General Meeting and Banquet.  This Event is always very well attended and along with enjoying a wonderful Festive Dinner and Door Prizes, you will be able to socialize with your peers and hear the most recent news from your President, Terry Card and your Executive.

Registration is open at www.etfotvot.com 

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TWO Grievances, Blocking time off in TVARRIS, Payment of Paid PD, Assignment Continuity, PD Event and Fall General Meeting

Two Grievances
Your Local has received numerous reports of schools altering the timetables of daily Occasional Teachers to assign duties or classes during prep periods etc. and of schools reassigning Occasional Teachers to assignments other than that which they accepted.  In response, your Local submitted two policy grievances over these violations of our Collective Agreement and we have been successful. Principals are to be notified of these provisions so please notify the Local immediately should you become aware of more infractions. 
As a reminder, these are the pertinent Articles:
L16.06 Job Integrity - An Occasional Teacher who accepts and reports for an assignment shall be placed in that assignment unless by mutual consent.
L18.02 Timetable - The timetable for an Occasional Teacher shall be the same as the timetable as the Teacher they are replacing...
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Payment for Paid PD Participation
Though the last pay was for time worked up to October 28th, October 27th was a Friday and since paid PD events have to be input manually into the system after receipt of the reflection forms, there is no way participation could be recognized in time for the November 10th pay period so those who attended should look for it on the next pay.
Hope this provides some clarification of the process.
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Not Available to Teach?
In order for the callout system to be most effective, it is important for Occasional Teachers to make themselves inactive for even single days when they are not available to teach. There is no penalty for being unavailable but remember that the Board requires elementary OTs to teach 10 full days to remain on the OT Roster. (N.B. two-half days equal a full day), As well, for a year to count for Teachers' Pension purposes, one must teach more than 10 days per school year.
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Continuity of an Assignment:
Just a reminder to members of the provisions of Article L5.07 (c) which states:
(c) A Short-Term or Long-Term Occasional Teacher hired to replace an absent Teacher, properly subject qualified for such position, will not be replaced by another Occasional Teacher other than by mutual agreement of the Occasional Teacher and the Board.
This means an OT who is replacing an absent Teacher should be asked back the following day(s) should that Teacher remain absent (so long as they had the qualifications). Of course, if the school recognizes that the absence will become a LTO, the position must be posted per Regulation 274. The OT would stay until the conclusion of that process and if interested and qualified, could apply.     N.B: Many LTO positions cannot be filled from the LTO List and so are being filled from applicants from the OT Roster, so we encourage members to apply even when you are not on the LTO List.
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PD at the Lamplighter - November 16, 2017
There are still spots available for tomorrow afternoon's PD event at the Best Western Lamplighter, 591 Wellington Rd. south from 4:30 pm - 7:30 PM.  Choose one of the following topics that will be presented:
1) No Daybook, No Problem : Writing Strategies & Activities
2) No Daybook, No Problem : Reading Strategies & Activities
3) Breaking Down the Barriers: Using Literacy
4) Your First LTO : Service to Thrive!
Please register at www.etfotvot.com
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You are Invited to our Fall General Meeting and Banquet taking place on Wednesday, December 6th, 2017 from 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM, at the Four Points by Sheraton London, 1150 Wellington Rd. in  London,
This event is a wonderful opportunity to come out and meet your peers and talk with your Local Executive. I it also our chance to collect new items for Merrymount Children's Centre for those who wish to make a donation of an item from the centre's wish list.
A wonderful evening has been planned along with a delicious meal that is free to all ETFO-TVOT members!
Register at www.etfotvot.com

TVDSB's Inclement Weather Policy, Earn a Day's Pay on November 17th and Gain Skills for the LTO Interviews, Columbia Sportswear Invitation to ETFO-TVOT Members!

TVDSB's Inclement Weather Policy

- Schools remain open in inclement weather even when buses have been cancelled

- Occasional Teachers, whether daily or long-term, should always exercise good judgement to ensure that they can arrive at work safely

- Article L10.08 states that a daily OT or a LTO who is delayed by the weather between their home and their work site but who arrives at school as soon as possible during the school day, he/she will be paid for that day of work.

- On snow days, LTOs may access the "Act of Nature Days" provided under Article L9.04 (b). This means that if the weather between the LTOs home and their work site, prevents them from getting to work safely, they have access to up to 3 days per year.  Note: there is a total of 5 days for act of nature and care days so the act of nature claim would be deducted from this total.

- If a daily OT arrives to find collapsed classes, please ensure: 1) you are not being asked to supervise an unreasonable/unsafe number of students and 2) that the timetable of the Teacher you are replacing is being honoured i.e., that you still receive the prep periods of that Teacher and that you take on no additional supervisory duties.
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Earn a Day's Pay on November 17th and Gain Skills for the LTO Interviews

Daily OTs have opportunity to earn a day of pay plus seniority credit, EI credit, and pension credit and gain skills necessary to succeed in the February LTO List interviews when they participate in any of these paid PD opportunities.

Learn how to accommodate the rising number of students in the Thames Valley whose first language is not English. OTs may wish to register for the half day session with Tara Brown/"You Can't READ a Book and RUN from a Lion at the Same Time: Priming the Brain" detailing the concept of "reframing our responses" then spend the other half day visiting a classroom where "Reframing our Responses" is put into practice. Spaces are still available in these sessions.

Remember:

- Three days (six half days) have been negotiated for this year but a half day must be reserved for mandatory training which is posted each spring

- Participation in these days counts towards the 10 full days needed to remain on the elementary OT Roster

-LTOs are eligible to attend if their assignment is less than .5 FTE

Registration is via the Employee Portal under "Conference/Session Registrations" Elementary Occasional Teacher PD (2017 - 2018)
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Our Invitation to Shop at the Columbia Sportswear Employee Store!

We are invited to shop at the Columbia  Employee Store.  You will need to download and print-off the invitation which is found on our website, www.etfotvot.com in the "Member Services menu".
Please read the instructions on how to participate found on the invitation!

PD PD PD! Moving to Microsoft Office 365

EARN WHILE YOU LEARN
The Board still has spots available for Occasional Teachers and those in less than a .5 LTO who wish to earn a day's pay while participating in the following TVDSB workshops on November 17th, a PD Day when members cannot normally work.

NB:  This year and next, OTs are eligible for 6 half days of paid professional development (a half day must be reserved for mandatory training both years):

• 21st Century Learning (Coding)
• Building Models of Addition and Subtraction
• Models of Multiplication and Division
• DRIVE - Student Centered Inquiry
• Reframing Our Responses - supporting students with challenging behaviours
• Support for OTs in French Immersion
• Supporting English Language Learners
• The Blanket Exercise
• You Can't Read a Book - looking at how student stress impacts their behaviour etc

Registration is on the Employee Portal under Elementary Occasional Teacher PD (2017 - 2018).

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Registration is open for our next ETFO-TVOT Local PD Event on Thursday, November 16, 2017 at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn, from 4:30 - 7:30 PM.

Choose one of 4 workshops being offered that afternoon (dinner is included):

1) No Daybook, No Problem:  Writing Strategies & Activities
2) No Daybook, No Problem:  Reading Strategies & Activities
3) Breaking Down the Barriers:  Using Literacy to break-down the barriers
4) Your First LTO:  Survive to Thrive  (registration to open Nov 2/17)

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Microsoft Office 365 will soon be the communication tool of choice for TVDSB.  Please take time to set up your account and familiarize yourself with this tool since the transition has already begun.  Details can be found in the Employee Portal just above Conference Registrations.