Columbia Sportswear Store Invitation; Cell phones in School; Your Health and Safety Rights; Lots of Provincial ETFO Workshops

The new daily 

Occasional Teacher rate in TVDSB is $271.60 plus 4% which is shown on a separate line for a total per diem of $282.46.  The grid for LTOs will soon be published once all parties have had a chance to approve it.

NEW - School Board Policy on Enforcement of Restrictions to Student Personal Mobile Device Use

School boards must develop a local policy setting out how they will enforce the restrictions on student use of personal mobile devices at school. The policy must comply with the board’s obligations under the Education Act and other relevant provincial policy and legislation. The policy must, at minimum, align with the following direction provided in this memorandum:

All members of the school community must not use personal mobile devices during instructional time except under the following circumstances:

- for educational purposes, as directed by an educator

- for health and medical purposes

- to support special education needs

At minimum the local policy must require that for grades 7 to 12 students’ personal mobile devices are stored out of view and powered off or set to silent mode during instructional time, except when their use is explicitly permitted by the educator under the circumstances outlined above.

If the educator sees a personal mobile device that is not stored out of view, they must require the device be handed in for the instructional period and the device must be placed, by the student, in a storage area in a location in the classroom designated by the educator

For students in grade 6 and below, at minimum the local policy must require that students’ personal mobile devices are stored out of view and powered off or set to silent mode through out the full instructional day, except when their use is explicitly permitted by the educator under the circumstances outlined above.

If an educator sees a personal mobile device that is not stored out of view, they must require the device be handed in for the instructional day and the device must be placed, by the student, in a storage area in a location designated by the principal

The student is responsible for their personal mobile device, how they use it and the consequences of not following the school board’s policy on personal mobile device use.

If the student does not hand in their personal mobile device when required, they must be sent to the Principal’s office. Principals have discretion under PPM No. 145, Progressive discipline and promoting positive student behaviour, to consider a range of responses to address this behaviour including suspension.            To support the implementation of the above, the local policy must include:

- an approach to enforcement of the restrictions that includes clear expectations of responsibility for students, educators, principals and superintendents

- best practices for educators on classroom management related to responsible use of technology

- a requirement for schools to have an annual notification sent to parents and students reminding them of the policy, its requirements and consequences for non-compliance

- a requirement that the expectations and responsibilities under the local policy, the best practices for educators and the annual notifications for parents be shared with all educators and principals.

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You have a right to a safe worksite. To find out more visit https://etfohealthandsafety.ca/site/

A way to save at the Columbia Sportswear Outlet - time limited!

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Did you know that TVOT Occasional Teachers / LTOs are eligible to attend ETFO Provincial Events and Conferences? 

In many cases, ETFO Provincial will reimburse members with release time which counts for all purposes, as time worked. 

Here are a few programs you might find of interest (WP programs are only available to women members) -

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Happy September; New Daily Rate; TVDSB PD Registration has Moved!

 

The Wednesday Blog is Back for 2024 - 2025. Check us each week for opportunities and important news for TVOT members.Your TVOT Local also mails out an annual Reference Newsletter and Pocket Calendar so we ask you to ensure that your contact information with TVDSB is up to date - it is a condition of your employment and the Local also relies on this information.

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1) EXTRA PAID DAYS: Daily OTs and LTOs of .5 FTE or less, are eligible for 2 days of pay if they complete TVDSB's mandatory training (in the spring) and if they participate in paid PD opportunities. Currently there are 9 online eligible offerings in the Employee Portal under Conference/Session Registration, each of which counts as a half day of work. These can be completed at your leisure. Follow the steps and be sure to submit your reflection form to Staff Development to ensure payment.

2) RESOURCE REBATE: Your TVOT Local provides $75/year for members to purchase a professional book or resources related to their elementary teaching needs. Register at www.etfotvot.com to access the application form.

3) PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DEVELOPMENT FUND / PLDF  Your TVOT Local provides up to $500/year for members who have been with us for at least 12 months, who wish to take courses related to their elementary teaching. Register at www.etfotvot.com to access the application form.

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Starting the new school year off strong and supported

Welcome back to another school year! We hope you’re feeling refreshed and inspired after the summer break. Now is an ideal time to reflect on your accomplishments and plan for the future, both personally and professionally. We want to reassure you that our team is committed to supporting your health, wellness, and financial security so you can thrive in your pivotal role within the education community. You may be most familiar with Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP) as your group benefits provider, but did you know that we also offer personal insurance coverage?

Read on to learn more about what we’re proud of at www.otip.com/article185. #OTIPUpdate

As our way of saying thank you for getting an auto and/or home insurance quote, we'll send you a $20 gift card of your choice. Plus, when you get a quote throughout September and October, you'll be automatically entered into our Back to School Bonus Contest for a chance to win $1,000 cash! Get an online quote or call 1-888-892-4935 and mention this offer.

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FINAL REMINDER re Mandatory Training; New Look to Paid PD; Prep Payback; TVOT Summer Office Closure; Educator's Privacy Rights Decision and more

 

Mandatory Training Final Reminder:  In order to receive a 1/2 day of pay for the Mandatory Training found in the Employee Portal, it must be fully completed by this Friday, June 28th, 2024, by 4pm. All Mandatory Training must be completed by August 31 (unpaid) prior to returning to work. Remember that there are 13 videos to watch, along with your Cybersecurity and Privacy Training (3 quizzes in total) and your annual Offence Declaration.

If you are a teacher-retiree working as an Occasional Teacher and concerned that the Board's paid mandatory training may affect your pension, please contact: Terri Manning, TVDSB System Staff Development Specialist.  Email: t.manning@tvdsb.ca

A New Look to Paid PD!

Starting this fall, all paid PD registrations, PD online modules and the PD reflection form will be moving from their current location in the Employee Portal to their new home in TVDSB's Brightspace platform! Stay tuned for more instructions for access in September, 2024!

Prep Payback:

A new form for Prep Payback in the Board's Sharepoint will be used similar to previous times, and we are awaiting a beginning date. Please continue to record date/location/lost prep minutes as you have been doing.

A reminder that your Local ETFO TVOT Office will be closed after Friday June 28th and will re-open when school resumes in September. We do however check our etfotvot@gmail.com emails on a weekly basis.

Should an emergency occur where members require assistance from ETFO Provincial, you can contact them at 1-888-838-3836.

ETFO's 10-year Battle: A Supreme Court Decision on Educator's Rights to Privacy!

You might be interested to know about the recent, June 21st, 2024, Supreme Court decision that found employees still retain some reasonable expectations around privacy rights at work as outlined in Section 8 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Read more about ETFO's fight and the Supreme Court decision here:  https://www.etfo.ca/news-publications/media-releases/etfo-celebrates-supreme-court-of-canada%E2%80%99s-landmark-decision-to-uphold-educators%E2%80%99-privacy-rights

Remember, it is a condition of employment to update  your contact information in the Board's Employee Portal under View/Change my Personal Information. Please update any new home addresses or phone numbers as soon as they change.

Celebrate Thursday, June 27!

Celebrate the diversity of music, dance, and food from around the world at the annual Sunfest in Victoria Park. Free admission (donations accepted)!

Prep Payback; Heat Stress Information Sheet; International Travel and Access to Board Accounts; Mandatory Training Accounts; Columbia Employee Store Invitation and more..

 

Prep Payback: As a reminder there will be a new process for receiving compensation for lost prep time. Please record the date and lost prep minutes and keep for future reference. Stay tuned!

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International Travel and Access to Board Accounts

Are you planning to travel outside of Canada? If so, then your access to Board password protected accounts requiring log-in, including your Outlook account, might be restricted.

In advance of travel outside of Canada, all staff, requiring access to their TVDSB accounts, must ensure the following are completed a minimum of seven (7) days prior to leaving the country.

Submit a HelpHub request – Search for “Login Access for Travel outside of Canada” and complete request outlining travel dates, and appropriate approvals.

Setup of Multi factor authentication (MFA), Please follow the instructions on the attached (Set up MFA).

For further information and help with MFA, staff can access various resources through this link, Staff Passwords (which leads to the Board’s SharePoint page) or by contacting the ITS Service Desk at 519-452-2005.

 Please consult the following steps for setting up Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA) when travelling internationally.

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Mandatory Training:

Please note that in order to be paid for mandatory training, it must be fully completed by Friday June 28th, 2024 at 4 pm and must be completed (unpaid) by August 31st, 2024 prior to beginning work in September.

This is the complete list of mandatory training:

Part 1

Anaphylaxis

Asthma

Diabetes

Epilepsy

Concussion

Fire Safety Awareness

Preventing Slips Trips Falls

Employee Incident Reporting and Safe School Incident Reporting

Safe Schools Incident Reporting and Employee Incident Reporting Decision Too Flowchart

Domestic Violence

Violence Awareness and Handling Violent Situations

Hazard Awareness Training

WHMIS

Part 2

Cyber Security Part 1 and Part 2

Privacy Training

Your Annual Offence Declaration

Paid Pd: Did you know that section L20.06 (i) gives you 2 days of paid PD (including your mandatory training)? These paid days count as days worked for all intents and purposes, and count towards your 10-day, yearly requirement to remain on the OT List. Please see the Employee Portal under Conference/Session Registration on the right-hand side. These must be completed by Friday,  June 28th, 2024 in order to receive payment.   

Note: In Part 2 of the mandatory training, there are three quizzes: 2 quizzes for Cyber Security Training and 1 for the Privacy Training. If you have not completed 3 quizzes, then you are not finished!

If you are unsure if you have completed all required mandatory training, please contact Terri Manning, (TVDSB System Staff Development Specialist) at: t.manning@tvdsb.ca  

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June is National Indigenous History Month

To Remain on the OTE List; New Salary; Stroke Awareness; PD Opportunities

To remain on the TVDSB Elementary Occasional Teacher List,TVOT members just have until June 28th to:

- Teach 10 days in an elementary site 

- Complete the mandatory online training modules listed in the TVDSB Employee Portal under "Employee Training". These include the following:

- Anaphylaxis

- Asthma

- Diabetes

- Epilepsy

- Concussion

- Preventing Slips Trips Falls

- OCT Fire Code

- Video 1 Awareness

- Employee Incident Reporting and Safe School Incident Reporting

- Safe Schools Incident Reporting and Employee Incident Reporting Decision Too Flowchart

- Hazard Awareness Training

- Domestic Violence

- WHMIS

- Cyber Security Part 1 and Part 2 (highlighted in the Portal under Personal Information)

- Privacy Training (highlighted in the Portal under Personal Information)

- Complete the Annual Offence Declaration

- N.B. (participation in online paid PD sessions counts as a half-day of teaching, listed in the TVDSB Employee Portal under "Conference/Sessions Registration") 

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After the Bill 124 Remedy settlement, the new daily rate for TVDSB Occasional Teachers is $246.82 plus 4% vacation pay for a per diem daily salary of $256.69.

Now the Kaplan Arbitration Board has awarded ETFO’s 80,000 teacher and OT members salary increases of

11.25 per cent over the term of the 2022-2026 collective agreement - an 11.73 per cent

increase when compounded over the four years. This represents increases of three per cent for 2022-23, three per cent for 2023-24, 2.75 per cent for 2024-25, and 2.5 per cent for 2025-26. 

The compensation award applies to salary grids, wage schedules, applicable premiums

and allowances, and the daily OT rate, and represents the highest increase over the term of an agreement in over a decade.

The new salary should take effect by the end of June so TVOT members can expect another retro-payment then. 

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June is stroke Awareness Month

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Money 101: How to make the most of a lump sum cash flow boost (including Bill 124 remedy payments)

Regardless of where you are on the pay grid, it’s important to make every dollar count, especially in today’s economy. So, if you’ve recently come into an inheritance or received a settlement through the Bill 124 remedy, here are 5 ways to maximize every dollar so that you can achieve your financial goals faster: https://bit.ly/3X0hwZ9.

Learn more at an OTIP Webinar - https://www.educatorsfinancialgroup.ca/webinars/?utm_source=article_lump_sum&utm_medium=affiliate&utm_campaign=endorsement&utm_content=english

Brought to you by Educators Financial Group. Trusted by over 16,000 education members and their families to meet their financial goals. Book your complimentary consultation today: https://bit.ly/3wRqZHE.

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Deadline extended to 9 AM, June 5, 2024!

            Register now - courses fill quickly!

  June 12/24 - World Day Against Child Labour

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