Remote teaching - OTF Webinars; ETFO's First Conference for Occasional Teachers; Your Right to Refuse Unsafe Work; Local Annual Meeting and Elections

 Well here we are again - back to our virtual classrooms. To assist you in this transition may we suggest - 

OTF Connects Webinars

This latest series of OTF webinars brings together a selection of great facilitators to share hands-on distance teaching strategies and approaches to well-being in a relaxed atmosphere.

Click OTF Connects for more information on sessions which include:

Introduction to Lynx Coding - Thursday, April 22: 4:00 – 5:30 pm

Marcia Piquette: In this webinar, we will explore the Lynx website and go through some introductory activities to get to know the programming environment. Lynx is easy to use because it is text-based and completely online. Nothing to download, and LOTS of resources to provide support at any entry level. Most of all, it is fun and engaging! I will share my experience using Lynx with my Grade 5 class and give you some tips and tricks for how you can use it in your class tomorrow!
 
Let Us Code! - Thursday, April 29: 4:00 – 5:15 pm

Amanda Deneau & Iain Brodie, OAME: Ready? Set. Code! Using a step-by-step infographic, this webinar will walk you through the new mathematics curriculum expectations from the very beginning and teach you tips and tricks to integrate coding into your classroom and discover what it takes for you and your students to be computational thinkers! Learn to pseudocode, debug and more. No tech or low tech? No problem. Unplugged coding is just as fun. Hosts are bilingual and happy to assist in both French and English.

 
Addressing the Data Analysis Expectations: Using Google Colab to Analyze and Graph Your Data - Thursday, May 6: 4:00 – 5:30 pm

Peter Beens & Grant Hutchison, ACSE: Data analysis is becoming a common theme in many curriculum areas, including Mathematics, Business Studies, Science, Social Studies, History, Geography, Sociology, and others. In this webinar, we will have a look at how Colab, Google’s implementation of Jupyter Notebooks, can be used in these curriculum areas. We will address what Colab is, how to input the data that we want to analyze, and explore different graphing options such as bar charts and scatter plots.
 
Student Centered: K-8 Culturally Responsive Coding Experiences - 
Thursday, May 13 and 20: 4:00 – 5:15 pm

Melanie Mulcaster, Amanda Williams-Yeagers & Mishelle Pitter-Adlam: In this hands-on two-part learning series, participants will explore culturally responsive pedagogy and a framework to design and implement coding learning experiences that reflect, honour and value the lived experiences of our learners. Together, we will investigate different modes for students to communicate their understanding. Providing an entry point for all learners, participants will have opportunities to tinker with no tech, low tech, and high-tech applications for learning that supports integrated instruction across the K-8 curriculum.
 
Integrating Minecraft and MakeCode Codebuilder into your Math Program - 
Thursday, May 27: 4:00 – 5:30 pm

Andy Forgrave, ECOO: Minecraft is an engaging platform to explore many different program areas. In this session, we’ll look at how MakeCode and the Minecraft Codebuilder can be used to explore coding concepts from the Grades 1-8 Math curriculum. We’ll look at the various event structures (sequential, concurrent, repeating, nested), conditionals, and controls referenced in the document and examples that show how these work together to develop problem solving skills as students grow. We’ll explore some appropriate and engaging activities to motivate learners along the way.

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ETFO Occasional Teacher’s Conference 2021 - The Occasional Teacher’s Toolbox -Friday, June 4 (evening) and Saturday, June 5, 2021 (Virtual Event) 

Join us for the first Occasional Teachers conference, The Occasional Teacher’s Toolbox. This exciting learning opportunity is designed to provide resources, strategies and networking opportunities for ETFO daily and LTO Occasional Teachers in the various positions they may encounter. The workshops will focus on activities and resources to ensure a day of teaching runs smoothly for all. You will hear from an engaging keynote speaker and presenters who will share practical applications and resources to support and engage students in your teaching practice. Each participant will attend two workshops from the choices provided. Participants will attend one workshop in the morning and one workshop in the afternoon. Participants are asked to select three of the workshop options in order of preference. We will do our best to accommodate your top two requests

Friday, June 4 6:30 p.m. - 7:30 p.m. Keynote by Danique Lewars Danique Lewars, RECE, B.A. Hons., is a Resource Consultant with EveryMind Mental Health Services. She has over 10 years of experience providing resources, strategies and coaching to families and educators of children, who have mental health needs. Danique uses a trauma informed lens to unpack and understand the possible reasons behind one’s emotions and behaviours. 

Saturday, June 5 9:30 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. Welcome 10:15 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Healthy Break 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. AM Workshop 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Lunch 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. PM Workshop 2:30 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Guide Questions Networking 3:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. Closing

Saturday Workshops

Workshop 1: Teaching Mental Math: No plans? No problem! With the release of the new mathematics curriculum, there is an even greater need for Ontario teachers to do number talks with their students. This session will provide teachers with open-and-go mini video lessons that highlight a variety of mental math strategies ranging from Kindergarten to grade 8. This workshop will investigate how to use these videos in classrooms to orchestrate number talks so ALL students can build fluency with numbers and be inspired to love mental math strategies for adding, subtracting, multiplying, dividing and more! 

Workshop 2: Strategies for Classroom Management: Every day in every classroom! This workshop will explore practical, simple to implement classroom and behavioural strategies that can be used every day and in every classroom. The focus will be on ideas and strategies that will support whole class instruction as well as working with individual students. Teachers will leave with a list of ideas that require no prep and, few if any, materials. 

Workshop 3: Ready Set Go Arts! Explore curricular ready to go arts activities that can be used on a moment’s notice. Children love to move and make believe. Harness this energy to provide rich, creative, fun and memorable learning opportunities. Whether you are a daily OT or working as an LTO, teachers will be given fun tools to teach music, movement, drama, games, and visual arts.

Registration Information • The registration fee is $30. • Open to all Occasional and LTO members. • A limited number of spots are available. Successful participants will be selected by random draw (within locals) with preference given to participants who represent a variety of locals from across the province. • Successful participants will be notified by email after registration closes. Applicants not selected will be refunded the $30 registration fee.   Register by May 5 at events.etfo.org/upcoming-events

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For more information, refer to the ETFO Covid Checklist for Members  and Your Rights and Your Employer's Duties tip sheet and the Ontario Federation of Labour's OFL Health and Safety Guide for Educators .

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TVOT Annual Spring General Meeting - Wednesday, May 19/21 at 4:30 PM

Consider joining and lending your voice to the Local's Executive Team. Monthly meetings are held after school and we would appreciate hearing your perspective. You can make a difference.

Candidate Forms are posted at www.etfotvot.com under "Events", click on "Read More" or contact us at mail@etfotvot.com to request a copy be sent to you via email.

Elections will be held for the following positions (the position of President is a two year term that will come up for election in 2022):

• First Vice-President – assists the President, coordinates preparation of the newsletter, attends committees Local Constitution 7.2.2 
• Second Vice-President - assists the President and First Vice-President and acts as liaison to the P.D. Committee Local Constitution 7.2.3 
• Secretary – records, prepares and circulates accurate minutes of past and present Executive and General Membership Meetings Local Constitution 7.2.4
• Treasurer - maintains financial records, pays expenses of the Local as signing officer, drafts budget and reports to Executive and membership Local Constitution 7.2.5 
• 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 all applicable training Local Constitution 7.2.7 
• Executive Members at Large (4) – great learning position with duties as determined by the Executive Local Constitution 7.1.1 – 7.1.13 
• Chief Negotiator - negotiates the collective agreement; maintains agreement and reports to membership Local Constitution 7.2.6 
• Collective Bargaining Committee (President, Chief Negotiator and 4-5 others) - collects information from membership and prepares Local preliminary submission Local Constitution 7.3.4 
• ETFO Provincial Annual Meeting Alternates (5) – pool from which delegate vacancies will be filled; a virtual meeting this year to be held in mid-August Local Constitution 10.1 – 10.3

We look forward to meeting you there!

REGISTRATION to attend - mail@etfotvot.com

TVOT Spring General Mtg; OCT Fees are Due; Retirement Workshop; ETFO on permanent virtual classrooms;

TVOT Spring General Meeting - Wednesday, May 19/21 at 4:30 PM

This year's Spring General Meeting and Elections will be a virtual Zoom event to be held Wednesday, May 19th after school. 

Consider joining and lending your voice to the Local's Executive Team. Monthly meetings are held after school and we would appreciate hearing your perspective. You can make a difference.

Candidate Forms are posted at www.etfotvot.com under "Events", click on "Read More" or contact us at mail@etfotvot.com to request a copy be sent to you via email.

Elections will be held for the following positions (the position of President is a two year term that will come up for election in 2022):

• First Vice-President – assists the President, coordinates preparation of the newsletter, attends committees Local Constitution 7.2.2 
• Second Vice-President - assists the President and First Vice-President and acts as liaison to the P.D. Committee Local Constitution 7.2.3 
• Secretary – records, prepares and circulates accurate minutes of past and present Executive and General Membership Meetings Local Constitution 7.2.4
• Treasurer - maintains financial records, pays expenses of the Local as signing officer, drafts budget and reports to Executive and membership Local Constitution 7.2.5 
• 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 all applicable training Local Constitution 7.2.7 
• Executive Members at Large (4) – great learning position with duties as determined by the Executive Local Constitution 7.1.1 – 7.1.13 
• Chief Negotiator - negotiates the collective agreement; maintains agreement and reports to membership Local Constitution 7.2.6 
• Collective Bargaining Committee (President, Chief Negotiator and 4-5 others) - collects information from membership and prepares Local preliminary submission Local Constitution 7.3.4 
• ETFO Provincial Annual Meeting Alternates (5) – pool from which delegate vacancies will be filled; a virtual meeting this year to be held in mid-August Local Constitution 10.1 – 10.3

We look forward to meeting you there!

REGISTRATION to attend - mail@etfotvot.com

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April 15th is the Deadline
Your Ontario College of Teachers fees are due by January first however Teachers have until April 15th to pay these fees to OCT.  If you were in a LTO as of January 1st, TVDSB has deducted your fees already and you can check your electronic pay stube to confirm this deduction. All other Occasional Teachers must submit payment by the due date in order to continue teaching in Ontario.  The cost to be reinstated by OCT is $130 in addition to the $170 annual fee so it pays to meet the deadline. 

Click OCT Fee Payment for access to online payment. 

IMPORTANT: TVDSB is not willing at this time to waive the requirement that elementary Occasional Teachers must teach 10 days to remain on the List. We remind members that paid PD counts for all purposes as a day of teaching. Should you not be able to teach due to Covid concerns you might apply to HR for Leave for Exceptional Circumstances under Article L10.15 . You can reach us at etfotvot@gmail.com to discuss this possibility.

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$50 TVOT Book Rebate

Just a remider that TVOT members can apply for this year's $50 Book Rebate.  Forms must be received at the Local office by May 31st, along with original receipts dated within the previous 60 days. Each year many of your colleagues  take advantage of this programme to build their professional library of resources.

 $350 Professional Learning Development Fund Subsidy

Again this year the Local will provide up to $350 to TVOT members who have been with the Local a year or longer, and who wish to take an AQ course or other professional course to support their practice. Congratulations to the many members who have already applied for funding and have successfully completed their courses.

Forms for the Book Rebate and the PLDF can be found at www.etfotvot.com in the Member Portal so be sure to register for access to this site as it is restricted TVOT members only.  You can contact us at  TVOT Local for assistance with access to the site or the application process. 

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Why Virtual Learning Should Not Be Permanent; Board sponsored Math AQ course; Call for Vision Teachers; Your T4

 

Why Making Virtual Learning Permanent, Concerns Us -

Under the Ford Government's new proposal to amend the Education Act and make virtual learning permanent, Teachers will be expected to teach/work online from Board sites (no longer restricted by pandemic considerations) and perform regular supervision duties, attend staff meetings etc. as if they taught in person classes. During snow days, and when students have prolonged absences from school (vacations etc.) Teachers would be expected to provide virtual instruction. The option to attend virtual classrooms would be at the discretion of the parents.

The Health Perspective: A recent research report from Sick Kids Hospital states: "Full time remote learning is insufficient to meet the needs of Ontario children and youth..." The report goes on to say: "One concerning finding for the study team was the significant proportion of otherwise healthy school-age children who experienced deterioration in a number of mental health domains, including depression, anxiety, irritability and attention span." Medical experts agree that prolonged screen time is known to promote eye-fatigue, nearsightedness, isolation and even obesity.  

The Equity Perspective: The pandemic has highlighted the inequalities amongst our student population with regards to their access to devices and reliable internet connectivity and so Boards purchased devices to loan out to students for the duration of the crisis.  These disparities widen the gap that a fully funded public education system was designed to address - socioeconomic, regional and class distinctions.  Remote learning disadvantages these students as well as English Language Learners and Special Education Students. Virtual learning was meant to be a temporary stop-gap measure and at the time, even the Minister of Education, Stephen Lecce acknowledged this.

The Cost Perspective: As school Boards struggle with stretched budgets due to the heavy demands of the pandemic, the government is adamant that it will not provide additional funding for virtual classes next school year. In factthe government has already down-loaded the cost of digital licencing fees to the School Boards. At this time, there has been no discussion of whether the proposal  includes a role for specialized Teachers and Occasional Teachers.

The Programming Perspective: The government wants to allow third parties such as TVOntario/TVO to prescribe the software and instructional tools under this new proposal, thus eroding the flexibility of School Boards to make this call and further diminishing Teachers' professional judgement to best serve the needs of individual students. TVO would be also allowed to control course and content creation, and to establish ways of data collection and sharing.

In Conclusion: Generations of us have seen how students flourish in bricks and mortar schools. It is there that children develop their emotional skills as well as their mastery of the curriculum. From the beginning of Ford's tenure, this government has made it clear that it intends to redirect the funds that support public education, thus weakening our world class system. We cannot allow this to happen. The cost is too high for this generation and for those generations to come!

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Vision Resource Teachers Are in Demand!

Have you been hesitant to accept daily jobs or LTO positions for classes with visually impaired, low vision or blind students because you are unsure of what will be expected in the assignment? Have you considered this area as an eventual career path in teaching? The Thames Valley District School Board has 12 Vision Resources Teachers and over 250 low-vision and Braille-using students and they are seeking Occasional Teachers to fill these daily and LTO assignments as needed. 

Here is a link from TVDSB to find out more about the role of a Vison Resource Teacher

Learn all about teaching the Expanded Core Curriculum assessment methods and more as you gain your qualification for teaching students with these vision needs. Currently Western University is the only university offiering a special 3 part AQ course and a certificate of Unified Braille Competence. 

This course qualifies for the TVOT Professional Learning Development Fund/PLDF and the application form is available at www.etfotvot.com . 

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Your T4 From TVDSB

Log into the Employee Portal for access to your 2020 T4 from TVDSB. For those who have called to ask about their contribution to Union dues, this information will be listed on the form in Box 44.

New Tax Credits for Home Office Costs

The Federal government has a new tax credit this year  that may be of use to ETFO members who have had to work from home. Supporting Canadians and Fighting Covid 19: Fall Economic Statement 2020 sets out two methods of making a claim which may be of benefit to members if they meet all of the following criteria:

- worked from home in 2020 due to Covid-19 or their employer required them to work from home;

- worked more than 50% of the time from home for a period of at least 4 consecutive weeks in 2020;

- the expenses are used directly in their work during the period;

- have a completed and signed T22000S or T2200 (applicable if using the detailed method to complete the claim) 

For more information click here Working from Home during Covid 19

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Your TVOT Local wishes everyone a lovely long weekend and reminds members that as a precautionary measure, the TVDSB suggests staff and students take home their devices and personal belongings, just in case we are suddenly directed to shift to remote learning. 

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Federal Benefits Extended; New Covid Resources for Teachers; Sick Leave for LTOs; TVOT Annual Meeting

 New Covid Resource for Teachers

The Ontario Federation of Labour has just released a new resource which clarifies workers rights under the Occupational Health and Safety Act during this pandemic.

Topics include refusing unsafe work as a Teacher and the complaint process.

To find out more click OFL Health and Safety Guide for Teachers

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Covid-19 Federal Benefits Extended

As the pandemic has drawn on, some workers are exhausting their benefits. In response, the federal government will be extending the provisions under several of the programs for those who are affected by the pandemic: 

1) Canada Recovery Sickness Benefit / CRSB: provides income support to those who are unable to work because they are sick or isolating due to Covid-19 or who are unable to work because they are at greater risk of contracting the disease because of an underlying medical condition. This plan now provides up to 4 weeks of coverage that can be used up to September 25, 2021. Here is the link for further information - https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/benefits/recovery-sickness-benefit.html

2) Canada Recovery Benefit / CRB: provides income support to those directly affected by Covid-19 who are not eligible for Employment Insurance/EI with coverage now up to a maximum of 38 weeks. For these details go to - https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/benefits/recovery-benefit.html

3) Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit / CRCB: provides income support to those who are unable to work because they must care for a child under 12 years of age or a family member who needs supervised care. The maximum duration of benefits is now 38 weeks and you can find out more at - https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/benefits/recovery-caregiving-benefit.html

4) Employment Insurance / EI - Regular Benefits: the number of weeks available will be increased to a maximum of 50 weeks, through legislation for claims made between September 27, 2020 and September 25, 2021. The details can be found at - https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/ei-regular-benefit.html

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LTOs Have Access to Sick Leave and Short-Term Leave Disability Plan Days

LTOs in full year, full FTE assignments with a posted end date have access to 11 days sick leave at 100% of your salary. After that, should they require additional sick leave, they can access 120 days from the Short-Term Leave Disability Plan / STLDP though the Board may require additional medical documentation at that time.

Please not that these days are pro-rated for part-time, part year assignments.  For more information on these benefits, please contact your TVOT Local at www.etfotvot.com or 519-641-3936. 

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TVOT Local Annual Meeting and Elections

Just a reminder to members that the Local will be holding our Annual Membership Meeting after school on Wednesday, May 19th. Unfortunately this will again be a virtual event but we look forward to meeting many of you that day and listening to your issues.

Elections will be held for the following positions (the position of President is a two year term that will come up for election in 2022):

• First Vice-President – assists the President, coordinates preparation of the newsletter, attends committees Local Constitution 7.2.2 
• Second Vice-President - assists the President and First Vice-President and acts as liaison to the P.D. Committee Local Constitution 7.2.3 
• Secretary – records, prepares and circulates accurate minutes of past and present Executive and General Membership Meetings Local Constitution 7.2.4
• Treasurer - maintains financial records, pays expenses of the Local as signing officer, drafts budget and reports to Executive and membership Local Constitution 7.2.5 
• 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 all applicable training Local Constitution 7.2.7 
• Executive Members at Large (4) – great learning position with duties as determined by the Executive Local Constitution 7.1.1 – 7.1.13 
• Chief Negotiator - negotiates the collective agreement; maintains agreement and reports to membership Local Constitution 7.2.6 
• Collective Bargaining Committee (President, Chief Negotiator and 4-5 others) - collects information from membership and prepares Local preliminary submission Local Constitution 7.3.4 
• ETFO Provincial Annual Meeting Alternates (5) – pool from which delegate vacancies will be filled; a virtual meeting this year to be held in mid-August Local Constitution 10.1 – 10.3

Why not join your Executive team and find out what is going on – you can make a difference!

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Quarantine Pay for TVOT members; Considering Retiring? Public Speaking Workshop; Health Conference for Men;

There are Quarantine Provisions for TVOT Members

Daily OTs: 

- if you are directed by the Health Unit to quarantine/self-isolate because of exposure at school, you will be paid during quarantine, based on your average work over the previous 4 weeks 

LTOs: 

- if you are directed by the Health Unit to quarantine/self-isolate because of exposure at school, code your absence as QUARANTINE and you will be paid with no loss of sick days

- if you fail the self-attestation, code your absence as COVID Personal Sick Absence and you will be paid with deduction of your available sick days 

- if your child has been directed to quarantine/self-isolate, LTOs may now code their absence as QUARANTINE and you will be paid during this period with no loss of sick days

As always, contact your Local at etfotvot@gmail.com or 519-641-3936 for more information.

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Thinking About Retiring from Teaching?

Did you know that Occasional Teachers can retire and remain on the OT Roster?

If you are considering retiring within the next 5 years, you may want to participate in one of these upcoming virtual presentations put on by the Ontario Teachers' Federation/OTF, overseers of your Teachers' Pension. Sessions are 1.5 hours in length and each presentations will be the same so select the date that best fits your schedule: 

• Mar. 23 at 4:30 PM 
• Mar. 25 at 6 PM 
• Mar. 30 at 4:30 PM 
• Apr. 1 at 6 PM 
• Apr. 6 at 4:30 PM 
• Apr. 8 at 6 PM 
• Apr. 20 at 4:30 PM 
• Apr. 22 at 6 PM 
• May 4 at 4:30 PM 
• May 6 at 6 PM

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ETFO Provincial Membership Survey 

Provincial ETFO will be emailing an invitation to all  members to participate in their 2021 Annual Survey.  The process will take less than 5 minutes so we urge  all members to participate.

If you do not receive a link, contact ETFO's Member   Records team at trecords@etfo.org for access.

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 SayOui.ca

 

 The Canadian Parents for French (Ontario)   organization has launched a new web portal to interest   more Teachers to become French qualified. With the   demand for French immersion classes growing by   almost 6% a year, this useful site sets out the path and   provides resources for those wishing to help fill the   need. For more information just click Say Oui!

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Statutory Pay for LTOs; Asymptomatic Testing for Covid-19; LTO Evaluations Unnecessary; Public Consultations; Strike Pay Deadline; ETFO Provincial Workshops

LTOs and No Payment for Statutory Holidays

As you will see in the list of pay dates in your TVOT pocket calendars, there is no pay allotted for statutory holidays. Teachers are exempt from parts of the Employment Standards Act and as such, neither permanent Teachers nor LTOs are entitled to pay for any statutory holidays. Thus information is available at the government site: Special Rules for Government Employees 

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TVDSB Asymptomatic Testing Sites (voluntary)

TVOT members can participate in the asymptomatic testing that is being conducted for all TVDSB employees. To access the registration links, log into the Board's SharePoint Hub (click on the 9 dots in the square beside the TVDSB logo when you're in Outlook and SharePoint is one of the options) > then Health and Safety > then Covid-19 Resources. The sites that are taking registrations are blue, will take you to a registration page when you click on them.

March 10th testing is at East Elgin Secondary School; March 11th is at Westminster Secondary; March 17th testing is at Glencoe Secondary School; and March 18th is at A.B. Lucas Secondary.

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LTO Evaluations Unnecessary with Revocation of Reg. 274

When Regulation 274 was the law, those on the LTO List who had successfully completed a long-term assignment of 4 months or longer became eligible for a permanent position. Successful completion was often based on an LTO evaluation. Since Reg. 274 was revoked in October 2020, there is no longer any need for those in LTOs to be evaluated in order to be eligible for permanent hire. 

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Have Your Say

With the next Ontario election due no later than June 2022, provincial parties are holding public consultations to help direct their election platforms. This week, the provincial Liberal Party is seeking feedback on two topics: 1) Education and Life-long Learning and 2) A Fair and Just Ontario. 

As front-line workers in education, it is up to us to advocate for a strong public system and here is the link where you can provide your input Liberal Party Consultations - the process takes just a few minutes.

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Only Two Weeks Left to Claim Missing Strike Pay

If you are owed strike pay from 2020, you have until March 20, 2021 to let us know. This is a firm deadline with no exceptions. If you miss the deadline, no payment will be issued.

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ETFO Provincial May Be Calling

Provincial ETFO has commissioned Stratcom Communications to develop focus groups from within ETFO's membership to test out different messaging regarding the elections for the Ontario Government, so if you are contacted, please consider participating.

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No "Bait and Switch" Assignments; LTOs and PD Days; Resources for ETFO OTs; PD event

No "Bait and Switch" Assignments

The TVOT Collective Agreement provides that an Occasional Teacher who accepts and reports for an assignment, is placed in that assignment, unless: 1) the OT agrees to be redeployed, or 2) there is a vacant classroom and the job the OT had accepted, was a non-classrooom assignment. (Article L16.07). In all other cases, TVOT members have a right to the assignment that they accepted in good faith - a right the Local has affirmed through the grievance process. Schools cannot arbitrarily switch assignments outside of these negotiated terms.

Please know that Administrators are not experts on our TVOT Collective Agreement, so you may need to remind them of this right. If you experience difficulties, do not hesitate to contact your OT Local at etfotvot@gmail.com or by phone at 519-641-3936. 

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LTOs and PD Days

The TVOT Collective Agreement states that LTOs will be paid for scheduled PA Days and will participate according to their FTE.  This includes March 5th and the final day of June, both of  which are scheduled PA Days. For more information, contact the Local office at 519-641-3936 or etfotvot@gmail.com.

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Resources for ETFO Occasional Teachers  

Did you know that ETFO Provincial has a dedicated website of resources for elementary OTs?

Look here for resources by subject and information on some of the nuances of occasional teaching. Click ETFO OT Site to find out more

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Professional Learning for Ontario Teachers

The Ontario   Ministry  of Education provides ministry-funded webinars and resources for Ontario educators online. Categories include the Elementary Math Curriculum; Virtual Teaching and Learning; Digital Tools and Strategies; Synchronous Learning; Mental Health and Well-being. You can also access recordings of previous webinars and self-guided learning modules by clicking here Webinars for Ontario Teachers Teachers are encouraged to subscribe on this site so as to receive email alerts when new webinars are posted.

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Professional Development Opportunity (unpaid event)

ETFO Provincial has developed "The Women's Equity Project Workshop" to provide Teachers in J/I classrooms with tools and activities related to gender and gender identities. The workshop will be held March 31/21 via Zoom from 4:30pm - 7:00 pm and enrollment is limited. Participants will receive resources on a USB stick so ensure that your mailing address is accurate in the Employee Portal, including apartment numbers and Postal Codes. To register email us at mail@etfotvot.com and include your full mailing address.

N.B. It is recommended you consider the needs of the classroom, your relationship with the students and the ties to the curriculum before addressing potentially sensitive topics.

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March 8, 2021 is International Women's Day - a global celebration of the achievements of women and girls, and recognition of the work that still remains.

For more information visit International Women's Day