Woodstock delivery of Red 4 Ed Shirts; April 29th Day of Action; Earn While You Learn; Columbia Store Invitation; Red 4 Ed Shirts; Kids Help Phone; OTIP Retirement Workshop; TVOT's OT Handbook and ETFO's new OT Resource;

 

April 29th is our Day of Action: On this day, all educators from every Union in Ontario will be standing up for public education by wearing red and ETFO's "Smaller Classes" buttons. 

Already more than 1,000 Red 4 Ed t-shirts have been distributed by our Local and the permanent Teachers' Local to the Thames Valley membership to be worn on Mondays at school, and now on the April 29th Day of Action. To get yours, contact our OT Office at mail@etfotvot.com or 519-641-3936 and let us know your size (S - 6X). 

Those living in Woodstock, can pick up a T-shirt after school Monday, March 30th (times and location to be determined.)

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It's worth $145! Spots are still available for the March 31st Paid PD Workshops and Dinner. One session is full but there are still spaces available for two after-school paid PD sessions being held at the Lamplighter Inn on Tuesday, March 31st at 4:30 PM:  - Proportional Reasoning, Grades 3 to 8: the development of efficient mental math skills using visual representations to simplify multiplication, fractions etc.

- Empower Your Multilingual Learners Through Drama: practical strategies to boost student engagement and accelerate language acquisition. 

These sessions count as a half-day of teaching and are hosted by your TVOT Local with a dinner as well. Register in the TVDSB Employee Portal under "Elementary /Dual Occasional Teacher PD" .

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ETFO Provincial Survey: members who identify as women can participate in ETFO's review of Women's Programming. The survey closes on Monday, April 6/26 at 9 AM so here is the link: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ETFOWP2026  

For more information, contact Zoey Jones at zjones@etfo.org

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Provincial ETFO has just released "Developing an Effective Classroom Environment and Culture" . This is a modern practical guide for Occasional Teachers.  To view and purchase this $15 ETFO Provincial resource, go to https://shop.etfo.ca/collections/resources/products/the-occasional-teacher-s-handbook-developing-an-effective-classroom-environment-and-culture

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Your TVOT Local has an online resource for our Occasional Teachers. The "Daily OT Handbook" is an excellent resource for all members. 

For example you can find info on: - TVDSB policies on Fifth Disease, conjunctivitis/pink eye, and head lice, as well as policies regarding copyrights, footwear, technology, disconnecting from work, harassment and discrimination. 

- Info about Brightspace, Brightspace Classroom and Brightspace Staff Learning Hub (where the PD reflection survey is found)

- Links to all the above and other resources such as accessing Outlook from outside of Canada, completing an Employee Incident Reporting and Investigation form, how to register for TVARRIS texts and much, much more.

Go to www.etfotvot.com and check it out. 

We urge members to open an account for access to our $75 Resource Rebate and our Professional Learning Development Fund worth up to $685 per year.

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The Kids Help Phone is Canada's only 24/7 e-mental health service offering free, multilingual and confidential support to young people. 

Kids Help Phone has developed a module to be used by elementary educators to support mental health in the classroom - Mental Health and Help-Seeking (Grades 4-12) . Part 1 of the module is a classroom activity while Part 2 includes a 45 minute phone or video call conversation between the class and a Kids Help Phone professional counsellor. The program aims to help students identify how they can seek support and feel confidents doing so. To learn more or to register, go to https://kidshelpphone.ca/get-involved/are-you-an-educator-check-out-counsellor-in-the-classroom

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New Paid PD and Dinner Sessions; Columbia Outlet Invitation; Police Record Checks; Mandatory Online Training; TVOT Office to Close for Spring Break

Additional Paid PD and Dinner Workshops: Your TVOT Local is pleased to host three new after-school paid PD sessions to be held at the Lamplighter Inn on Tuesday, March 31st at 4:30 PM. Registration opens in the TVDSB Employee Portal on Thursday morning at 8 AM and participation counts for all purposes as a half-day of teaching.

Full descriptions can found under "Elementary /Dual Occasional Teacher PD" in the Portal, but here is a snapshot of the workshops:

1) Proportional Reasoning, Grades 3 to 8: Explore the development of efficient mental math skills using visual representations to simplify thinking around multiplication, fractions etc.

2) Assessment and Evaluation with Digital Tools for Elementary Teachers: Find out how Google tools and extensions can help Teachers capture learning in action and strengthen everyday assessment practice

3) Empower Your Multilingual Learners Through Drama: This hands-on drama workshop equips Teachers with practical strategies to boost student engagement and accelerate language acquisition. 

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TVOT Members can bring up to 4 guests! March 20th to April 12th.

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Police Record Checks: TVDSB has now emailed notification to the first 900 employees whose deadline is April 30th for a police record check under the new Ontario legislation. If you received the email from the Board, and have additional questions about the process, please contact TVDSB at policechecks@tvdsb.ca

This is an enormous undertaking for all parties so employees are advised to wait until they receive official notification from the Board, before applying for a new police check.

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April Mandatory Online Training: Just a reminder that retirees must reserve a half-day to complete TVDSB's mandatory online training which will be posted in Mid-April. Those who do not complete the training by June 26th must complete it afterwards on unpaid time in order to remain on the OT List in September.  

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ETFO Provincial has developed a series of podcasts on issues of importance to educators in the public system. Recent topics include:

- Systemic changes and black  mental health

- Artificial Intelligence and climate justice

- How to improve Special Education in Ontario

- The importance of DECEs

Check out these podcasts at  https://www.etfo.ca/news-publications/publications/podcast-elementary

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Offer extended! Get $100* when you open and fund a new RRSP, TFSA, FHSA, or non-registered account with (please tag @Educators Financial Group on Facebook or @EducatorsFG on X/Instagram). This offer is live for a limited time. Lock in your $100 bonus today: https://bit.ly/4sjMvfj. #EFGtips

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Your TVOT Office will be closed after school on Friday, March 13th and will reopen when school resumes Monday, March 23rd.

Please take time to enjoy the break!

ETFO President and Your Collective Agreement; Learn About Your Teachers' Pension; Locking Classroom Doors; Talking Politics in the Workplace;

ETFO President Dave Mastin talks to Members about Bargaining 

https://youtu.be/Ybp8TbH28kg?si=CxgPlgsTJVnOzcqE

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1) Did you know that Your Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan/OTPP is one of your most important financial assets?  Here is the link to two virtual webinars to help you either find out about being a member of the plan or how to prepare for retirement: 

https://www.otpp.com/en-ca/members/news/plan-updates-and-news/upcoming-webinars/

Each session is 1.5 hours in length, with time for a Q&A .  Upcoming webinar dates are: March 5/26 at 6 PM; March 26/26 at 6 PM; March 31/26 at 5 PM; April 9/26 at 6 PM; April 21/26 at 5 PM; May 6/26 at 5 PM and May 13/26 at 6 PM.

2) Did you know that Occasional Teachers must have the ability to lock and unlock classroom doors? It's in the Central Collective Agreement so please let the TVOT office know if you find that a school does not provide you with a classroom key. Email: mail@etfotvot.com or call: 519-641-3936.

3) Were you aware that the minimum pay for a daily assignment as a TVDSB elementary Occasional Teacher is a half-day? After that, assignments can be pro-rated according to the FTE of the absent Teacher they are replacing.

4) Did you know that every TVOT Occasional Teacher can apply for the Local's $75 Resource Rebate? Application forms can be found in the Membership Area of www.etfotvot.com 

5) Want info on MOABs and SSIRs or need to know how to access TVDSB resources,? It's all there in our TVOT Handbook for Daily Occasional Teachers at www.etfotvot.com

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Want the truth? Rather than taking guidance from chatter in staff rooms, unauthorized Facebook groups or well-meaning friends and peers, call on your TVOT Local. We are the ones who have negotiated the terms and conditions of your working relationship with the Board. Your livelihood is too important to settle for incorrect interpretations so please never hesitate to contact the TVOT Office at 519-641-3936 or mail@etfotvot.com . 

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OTIP (the Ontario Teachers' Insurance Plan) offers four life insurance plan options, each with a range of coverage amounts and term lengths. Find the coverage that’s right for you.. Apply online: https://bit.ly/4tYmvrk  

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March 4 Membership Meeting; Smaller Class Size Petitions; Ordering T-shirts; ETFO Provincial Focus Groups; Police Record Check Changes; Accessing the Reflection Survey

 

1) Registration for our March 4th Membership Meeting at the Lamplighter Inn, 4:30PM - 7:00PM, will close on Friday.

Enjoy a lovely dinner (see  last week's Blog for the delicious menu), and spend some time with your peers. Those who register and attend will receive $15 for transportation costs.

To attend, contact us at mail@etfotvot.com 

2) This is the last week to sign ETFO's petition for "Smaller Class Sizes" so be sure to check in with the ETFO Steward and add your name to the cause.

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The Local's T-shirts have arrived and they look great, with our TVOT Logo on one sleeve and the permanent Teachers' Logo on the other!

We will bring T-shirts to our March 4 General Meeting so if you ordered one, you can pick it up then. There will be some extras there too!

Orders are still being accepted so contact us with your shirt size (S-6X) at mail@etfotvot.com - we look forward to hearing from you.

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1) ETFO Provincial will be holding 2 virtual focus groups of facilitated discussion on March 2nd (women who identify with designated groups) and March 4th (women members) as part of their Women's Program (WP) review. To apply to participate, click on  ETFO Women’s Program Review Focus Groups Application – Fill out form or contact Sabrina Sawyer in the Provincial office at ssawyer@etfo.org 

2) Provincial ETFO's t-shirts celebrating the International Day of Pink on April 8/26, are available for purchase until February 27th. To purchase  one click on https://shop.etfo.ca/collections/clothing

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Changes to Police Record Checks

You may have seen this week's email from TVDSB (in your Outlook account) about recent Ontario legislation mandating that all school board employees undertake a new Vulnerable Sector Check (VSC) every five years. Deadlines to comply are associated with the employee's birth month however, we caution members to wait for further information from both TVDSB and the Local as discussions on this process are ongoing.

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Accessing the Survey for Payment after Participation in TVDSB Paid PD - 

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https://www.develop.bc.ca/march-is-developmental-disabilities-awareness-month/