Registrations and Professional Development

Registration for the April 20th, Designated paid PA event is moving at a very good pace with many sessions already filled.  Spots are still available in workshops such as "Protecting Your Voice", "Growing Success" and "Math/Trigonometry for Grade 3"  for math phobes. Earn a day's pay while you learn - register on-line via the TVDSB Employee Portal.  Once logged in, click on "Registration Access" and make your selections.  Don't overlook the plenary morning session with Karen Greenham, formerly of TVDSB and Dr. Peter Jaffe.  Shuttle buses will run from the Huron Flats parking lot at UWO.
Our 'Boutique-Style' PD events held at the Local offices were met with resounding success.  We are pleased to have been able to offer these invaluable sessions to our members once again.
Your next large group PD opportunity takes place on March 7th at the Lamplighter, from 4:30PM - 7:30PM.  Along with free supper and door prizes, this PD will offer 3 sessions which will focus on Math. There remains a few spots for Session C: "Differentiated Instruction in Junior & Intermediate Math, facilitated by Peter Van Dongen and Donna Norley, both TVDSB Math Coaches so come out and enjoy an evening with your peers. 
Also, don't forget about our Spring General Meeting and Banquet at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn on May 24th, 2012.  This meeting, while providing the opportunity to socialize and network with other OTs, will provide important information to you as we are heading into this period of Collective Bargaining.

Upcoming events; Caterpillar revisited

Our Focus on Math PD being offered at the Lamplighter on March 7th, is filling up quickly.  Only one session has room for registration:  Differentiated Instruction in Junior & Intermediate Math.  A lovely dinner and door prizes will be provided as well.  Registration for this event is to be completed at tvotpd@gmail.com. 

Althouse PD Registration is open and doing very well.  Just shy of 2 months before the event, we have more than 500 members registered for this Designated Paid Day of PD on April 20th, 2012.  Registration for this event is to be completed via the Employee Portal.  Spaces will be filled on a "first come- first serve" basis.
Avoid disappointment and register sooner rather than later.

Toronto Star article by Ken Lewenza - Published on Monday, Feb. 13, 2012 

I have likened recent events at Electro-Motive Canada in London, Ont., to an “economic home invasion.” The factory operated profitably and productively for decades. Then suddenly its workers and the whole community were confronted by an uninvited visitor — who barged in, demanded money, and then left, leaving a shuttered plant and immeasurable social despair in its wake.

When someone experiences a real home invasion, they call the police. In this case, however, the relevant authorities failed to protect the citizens of London. Indeed, the federal government’s Investment Canada process invited the invaders in, without so much as a cursory review of the possible effects of Caterpillar’s 2010 takeover of Electro-Motive.                                            

Caterpillar had no sooner digested its new subsidiary, than it began shifting production to Indiana (where new right-to-work laws effectively ban unions) and Mexico (where more straightforward, violent techniques are used to keep workers in line). But moving jobs out of Canada won’t stop Caterpillar from raking in billions in revenue here — including lucrative sales to Canadian mines, oilsands and government-financed infrastructure projects. Rich tax incentives (like corporate tax cuts, special writeoffs for locomotive purchasers, R&D subsidies, and government financing for exports) all sweetened the pie.

Yet nothing was demanded from Caterpillar in return for this largesse; that’s like offering a home invader a home-cooked dinner, while they’re rampaging through. Meanwhile, outdated labour laws gave the company free reign to lock out workers, bargain in bad faith, and ultimately close down entirely, with impunity.

The Electro-Motive debacle reflects an all-round failure of economic and social policy. Perhaps that’s why the issue touched such a chord with average Canadians. Indeed, I cannot recall another labour-management dispute in recent memory that garnered so much public support for the workers’ cause. This is partly because of the offensive nature of the company’s demands: imagine the arrogance of a global company that declares its highest profits in history one week, then demands 50 per cent cutbacks from Canadian workers the next.

But I believe the public spoke out because the Electro-Motive case symbolizes so painfully the negative social and economic trends that are destroying the Canada we love. If those 465 hard-working Canadians can lose everything just because an extremely profitable corporation demands it, then no middle-class Canadian is safe. The dream of inclusive mass prosperity, supposedly a core principle of our society, is very much on the ropes.

A union can fight for a better deal for its members, and for all working people. But a union cannot succeed on its own. Just as homeowners need the police to protect them against aggressive strangers, Canadians need governments to actively assert their authority and protect our interests.

Both the federal and provincial governments must intervene to assist the Electro-Motive workers in this desperate moment, using all the tools at their disposal. We’ve asked the federal government to reveal the specific terms of Caterpillar’s original notification to Investment Canada, and subject that data to independent audit. Ottawa should also utilize strategic trade policy (as other countries do), including the potential application of countervail tariff, in an effort to change Caterpillar’s decision. Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty should demand taxpayers’ money back from Caterpillar. Provincial labour officials can intervene, too, to make sure the workers receive a modicum of fairness in their final dealings with this shameless corporation.

But ultimately we need permanent policy changes that respond to the unprecedented flexibility, power, and arrogance of companies like Caterpillar. Foreign investments must be carefully scrutinized to ensure they genuinely benefit Canada. Companies cannot harm Canadians, and still expect unfettered access to our markets. Tax incentives must have genuine strings attached, so we get fair value for our fiscal support to companies. Labour laws must be strengthened and modernized to support fair treatment for unionized and non-union workers alike.

We must equip ourselves as a society to deal with the new power alignments of the global economy, so average people can build decent lives. Otherwise, the tragedy that has befallen 465 hard-working, productive Canadians and their families in London, will be repeated many times over in decent communities across our land.

Ken Lewenza has been national president of the Canadian Auto Workers since 2008.

PD Opportunities and Mandatory On-Line Training

The Local can now confirm that the following workshop selections will be offered at our "Focus on Math" PD event on March 7th, 2012 from 4:30 - 7:30 PM at the Lamplighter Inn in London.  This wonderful PD opportunity includes dinner,  door prizes and offers OTs a rare chance to mingle with your peers.  Please select one of:

A) Teaching Math Through Problem Solving & Math Games -
Engage students in mathematics using problem solving! Participants will explore teaching math through problem solving using the 3-part lesson.  Ann Pigeon, TVDSB Math Coordinator Registration CLOSED - All Spots have been filled.

B)  Teaching Math Through Problem Solving &Foldables - 
Engage students in mathematics using problem solving! Participants will explore teaching math through problem solving using the 3-part lesson.  Barb Seaton, TVDSB Math Coach

C)  Differentiated Instruction in Junior and Intermediate Math - 
Every class includes students at many levels of math development. Learn how to use the resources to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all your students. Participants will have an opportunity to develop differentiated questions to help your next unit to reach all of your students. As well, you will develop parallel tasks and learn how to open up questions to allow for multiple entry points.
Peter Van Dongen and Donna Norley, TVDSB Math Coaches

Register by email - tvotpd@gmail.com    Deadline - Friday, March 2, 2012 at noon

Please use your personal email addresses as we do not use the Board's First Class email system for union business.

The Board has announced that registration for the April 20th, designated PA day will be available via the Employee Portal today,  February 15th, at 7:00 AM.  We encourage you to make your selections early as the popular workshops fill quickly.

Lastly, we are receiving calls regarding the Mandatory On-Line Training.  Modules applicable for OT's will only be made available mid-April.  You will have until June 29th to complete these modules.  Don't forget, you complete these on your own time, there is no meeting place - it is not a workshop.

As always, don't hesitate to call our office with any questions or if you require any further information.

March 7th and April 20th Professional Development Updates

Today is Let's Talk Day and for every text message sent and every long distance call made by Bell and Bell Aliant customers, Bell will donate 5 cents to mental health programs. Let's end the stigma and support Canadian mental health.

 

The Local can now confirm that the following workshop selections will be offered at our "Focus on Math" PD event on March 7th, 2012 from 4:30 - 7:30 PM at the Lamplighter Inn in London.  This wonderful PD opportunity includes dinner,  door prizes and offers OTs a rare chance to mingle with your peers.  Please select one of:

A) Teaching Math Through Problem Solving & Math Games -
Engage students in mathematics using problem solving! Participants will explore teaching math through problem solving using the 3-part lesson.  Ann Pigeon, TVDSB Math Coordinator

B)  Teaching Math Through Problem Solving &Foldables - 
Engage students in mathematics using problem solving! Participants will explore teaching math through problem solving using the 3-part lesson.  Barb Seaton, TVDSB Math Coach

C)  Differentiated Instruction in Junior and Intermediate Math - 
Every class includes students at many levels of math development. Learn how to use the resources to differentiate instruction to meet the needs of all your students. Participants will have an opportunity to develop differentiated questions to help your next unit to reach all of your students. As well, you will develop parallel tasks and learn how to open up questions to allow for multiple entry points.
Peter Van Dongen and Donna Norley, TVDSB Math Coaches

Register by email - tvotpd@gmail.com    Deadline - Friday, March 2, 2012 at noon

Lastly, the Board has announced that registration for the April 20th, designated PA day will be available via the Employee Portal on February 15th, at 7:00 AM. 

Upcoming Professional Development Events and other Items of Interest.

If you've been thinking it's been a quiet beginning to 2012 - you're right.  In comparing jobs to last year at this time, we find there are several thousand fewer this year, possibly as a result of a lesser need for teachers to leave their classrooms, for either PD or illness.

On a more positive note, our PD Boutique (small-group) run has started to resounding success.  Registrations for the sessions being offered this winter filled up very quickly with extensive waiting lists.  We appreciate your input and attempt to offer workshops that you have expressed an interest in attending and participating in.

After these, our next PD Opportunity is:  "Focus on Math" on March 7th, with multiple sessions being offered after school at the Lamplighter Inn.  Registration for this PD is still open at tvotpd@gmail.com.  We are finalizing details for this event and we expect the selections to be available on our website : http://www.etfotvots.com/  in the middle of next week.

As always, please advise the office on email at tvotpd@gmail.com or by telephone 519-641-3936, if you need to cancel for any reason so that another member can take your place; we typically having waiting lists, especially for the "Boutique" PD and incur expenses for unused meals.
Lastly, we are working on arrangements for the Designated PA Day at Althouse College on April 20th, 2012.   This year, the parking lots around the building have been torn up due to heavy construction.  We are working on a shuttle service from one of UWO's parking lots to help with this.  More details will be provided on the Portal at the time Registration.  Fortunately we have arranged to have the cafeteria open that day so lunch will be available for you to purchase with sandwiches, wraps, (meat, egg, tuna, and vegetarian options) being available for about $5, soup, coffee, tea, juices, and for dessert, cookies, squares and fruit.   These items will be sold separately but also as combination meal deals. We're looking at a price per combo, anywhere from $10.00 - $12.00, before taxes.

Don't forget it's Black History Month!

Please if you get a chance to do something to show your support on the Caterpillar Line - do so!

"Their Fight Is Our Fight".