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/

TVOT March 4 Meeting and Dinner; Who Won $100? Teachers' Timetables; Prep Periods; Question about T4 slips; Sign the Petition

Join us for a March Membership Meeting and Dinner at London's Lamplighter Inn on March 4, 2026 from 4:30pm to 7:00pm.

The menu includes:

- Mixed green salad and vegetable crudites with dip

- Italian pasta salad, couscous salad, beet salad and potato salad

- Slow roasted Ontario top sirloin beef au jus

- Tortellini in pesto cream with butternut squash, tomatoes and peas

- Seasonal fruit and assorted sweets

- Coffee, teas and soft drinks

Register at mail@etfotvot.com or call the office at 519-641-3936.

There will be door prizes and those who register and attend will receive $15 gas money. We also hope to have the Red 4 Ed t-shirts ready for distribution at the meeting.

Check last week's Blog for the proposed constitutional amendments and we will look forward to meeting you!

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Thank you to everyone who completed our TVOT Membership Survey. 

The five lucky members who won $100 gift cards are:

- Ashley Brooks

- Dylan Di Girolamo 

- Linh Doan

- Eva Marcinowski

- Nancy Mathias

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- Daily OTs follow the timetable of the absent permanent Teacher, including no first duty on the first day of an assignment. In other words, swapping duties because there is an OT today is not allowed. Each time a member relinquishes this right it becomes more difficult for those OTs who follow. There is nothing wrong with responding that your Union will not allow you to accept alterations to the timetable. 

- If  you are asked by Administration to give up your prep period, note the date, school and number of minutes lost so that you can claim financial compensation in June.

- Members who taught in full year LTOs in 2023-2024 and again in 2024-2025 are surprised that their T4s for 2025 reflect less salary than their T4s for 2024. That is because of the Kaplan salary award retro-pay that was paid to members during the 2024 calendar year. Here is a link to that information: https://www.etfo.ca/news-publications/media-releases/arbitration-award-decision-issued-on-compensation-for-etfo-teachers,-occasional-teachers

- Did you know that the Thames Valley Board has lost $3,052.56 per student in funding since 2018? That's $1.48 million no longer available to support students at Old North PS. The students at East Oxford in Woodstock have lost more than $1 million and the students at Pierre Elliott Trudeau PS have lost $1.2 million. To see how funding cuts have hurt other schools in TVDSB click on https://www.buildingbetterschools.ca/education_cuts_tracker

- Daily OTs and LTOs should contact the ETFO Steward in the schools that they are in to sign the provincial Petition in Support of Smaller Class Sizes.

- Your TVOT Local has ordered Red 4 Ed T-shirts for our members so please let us know if you are interested by emailing us with your shirt size at mail@etfotvot.com.

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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, has a a Q&A session and is being offered on several dates.

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Does auto insurance cover belongings damaged in an accident?

If you get into an accident, you probably think first about making a claim, repairing your vehicle, or potential medical bills. But there’s something else that often gets overlooked: the fate of your personal belongings inside your vehicle. Items like your phone, laptop, or sports equipment can get damaged or destroyed in an accident. So, does your auto insurance cover these items, or will you have to pay for them yourself? Understanding what your policy covers can help you avoid unexpected expenses and make more informed decisions about your insurance needs.

Read more at www.otip.com/article200. #OTIPUpdate

 Need a cure for the winter blues? We’ve got you covered.

Get a car, home or leisure insurance quote in February or March for your chance to win $1,000 cash! PLUS: receive a $20 gift card of your choice when you get a quote!

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