Bus Cancellation: October 1st Rally; News & Opportunities from Provincial ETFO; Retirement Planning Workshop

Due to low registration ETFO Thames Valley Teacher Local had to cancel the bus for October 1 Rally for Decent Work in Toronto.  If you are interested in going please contact CUPE Ontario, Dan MacKenzie 416-458-1126 or dmackenzie@cupe.on.ca to see if they have room on their bus leaving London.
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ETFO staff has developed a new document to support members in the completion of the Elementary Progress Report Cards.
ETFO Professional Judgement Guidelines for Completion of the Elementary Progress Report Card is included in this week's eNewsletter and can be found on the ETFO website under Advice for Members in the Professional Judgement Matters section.

Here is the link:  http://www.etfo.ca/adviceformembers/professionaljudgement/pages/default.aspx
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From ETFO Provincial:

In our last eNewsletter ETFO announced a new resource series for teacher and occasional teacher members entitled Professional Judgement Matters.

The new issues in the series are now available on the Provincial ETFO website:

- ETFO Professional Judgement Guidelines for Completion of the Elementary Progress Report Card
- ETFO Professional Judgement Guidelines for the Occasional Teacher Evaluation and the Teacher Performance Appraisal

To access all issues of this important publication, please visit Professional Judgement Resources on the ETFO website.

New FNMI Resources
  The following resources were recently posted on the ETFO Spirit Horse website:

ETFO FNMI Brochure - 'What have you heard? An introduction to the Indigenous Peoples of Canada'  This resource was designed to introduce ETFO members to FNMI people, the legacy of Canada's relationship with Indigenous peoples and to move to reconciliation by addressing common statement that exist in our society regarding FNMI people.

First Nations, Metis and Inuit Growth Chart Literacy Prompts, Grades K-8.  This companion resource supports members utilizing the FNMI texts listed in the ETFO Growth Chart by introducing diverse worldviews, perspectives and presence of Indigenous experiences, histories, knowledge and philosophies through the texts, literacy prompts and enrichment activities.

E-Women:  A new online networking site
E-Women is ETFO's new online networking site for Racialized, FNMI, Persons with a Disability and LGBTQ Women Members.

Members will participate in two face-to-face sessions and three online modules.  These will include discussions and readings to explore participants' leadership roles in both the school and the union.

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Provincial ETFO Online Book Clubs

ETFO Provincial Online Book Clubs are structured as four weekly online sessions, approximately two hours in length and feature small group sizes. Participants are expected to log in for an hour or two each week, read postings and engage in online threaded discussions.

There are currently two Online Book Clubs being offered:

Perspectives and the Truth and Reconciliation.  This program aims to engage members in rich dialogue while learning about the diversity of Aboriginal peoples, perspectives, the residential school system, and reconciliation.  Register by October 14.

Learning Together:  A Teachers' Guide to Combined Grades.  This online Book Club offers practical strategies, clearly defined criteria and sample templates which support the successful organization and management of combined grade classes.  Register by October 3.

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Canadian Labour Congress campaign in support of proportional representation
Members are encouraged to get involved in the new Canadian Labour Congress campaign in support of proportional representation.  For more information, please visit the ETFO website.
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RTO District 37 is hosting a Retirement Planning Workshop in Oxford County on October 20th from 4:30 - 7 PM at the Mount Elgin Community Center.

This workshop is for anyone who works in an educational capacity and is contemplating retirement within the next 5 years.  Presenters will cover the pension, health benefit and financial aspects of retirement.  Registration is $10 and a light supper will be provided.

Contact either Sandra Stock 519-462-2643 or Brian Armstrong 519-539-3964 by October 11th to register.

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New, easy web address to sign up for #ETFO eNewsletters:  http://enews.etfo.info  - Please share with your education colleagues!

Rally for Decent Work; First Paid PD Opportunity of the Year;

Rally for Decent Work - Queen's Park, Toronto Saturday, October 1, 2016

The Ontario Federation of Labour is holding a "Rally for Decent Work" at Queen's Park in Toronto on Saturday, October 1, 2016.


The ETFO Thames Valley Teacher Local and the ETFO Thames Valley Occasional Teacher Local will provide transportation for members to participate in the rally.

Transportation Information
- Buses will depart promptly from the Thames Valley Teacher Local office (2911 Bateman Trail) on Saturday, October 1, 2016 at 8:30 a.m. sharp (Please arrive 15 minutes before departure time).
- Parking is available at the Local office and car pooling is recommended.
- Buses will stop at the Woodstock Quality Inn at 9:00 a.m. to pick up ETFO members in the eastern portion of the Local.
- Please register to reserve a seat on the bus before 12:00 noon on Wednesday, September 28 by registering on-line (www.etfothamesvalley.com).
- Members are advised to bring a bag lunch.


Bus Information
Registration Deadline -

1. Website: www.etfothamesvalley.com
2. Select "Special Events" Located on the bottom right of the page
3. Select Event "Rally for Decent Work - Saturday, October 1, 2016"
4. Enter Password action then click on View Event
5. Click on "Register"
6. Enter Required Information
7. Click on "Complete Registration"

The Rally for Decent Work begins at 1:00 p.m. We plan to be back in the district around dinner time on Saturday.

For more information please contact the ETFO Thames Valley Teacher Local office at 519-474-3150 or the ETFO Thames Valley Occasional Teacher Local office at 519-641-3936.
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NEW - First Paid PD Event is this Friday, September 23/16

TVDSB has a few spots available for members to participate in paid PD sessions being offered on Friday. Registration opens at 3 PM in the Employee Portal under Conference/Session Registration and spots will go quickly.
Select either:
1) Project Wild Training Workshop for a full day of paid professional development, (Click register and submit and your timetable will be displayed for you to print.)
2) Recertification training for those who are already BMS certified. (Under Elementary Occasional Teacher PD, select Re-Cert BMS Training and the details will be displayed)

We encourage members to act quickly since registration closes on Thursday.

Latest news, reminders & ETFO Opportunities

Ontario's Anti-Racism Directorate to Hold Nine Community Meetings

Ontario is holding nine community meetings across the province over the coming months to engage with the public on addressing systematic racism and eliminating barriers for Indigenous and racialized communities.

The community meetings, hosted by Michael Coteau, Minister Responsible for Anti-Racism, will help further the public dialogue and identify priority areas for the province's Anti-Racism Directorate as it applies an anti-racism perspective to government policies, programs and services.
In our region the meeting will take place on Friday, October 7 in London

Meeting details, including times and locations, will be posted on Ontario.ca/antiracism

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Missed the latest issue of The ETFO eNewsletter Vol. 11 No. 1 - September 8, 2016?
Here are a few items which you may find of interest:

Professional Judgement Matters, a new resource series for Teacher and Occasional Teachers is now available on the ETFO website. It offers:
 - Diagnostic Assessment and Professional Judgement
 - Professional Judgement and the Individual Education Plan (IEP)

NEW ETFO Professional Learning Opportunities -
Infusing Aboriginal Perspectives into Math and Science, October 24-25. Register on the ETFO Events Portal by September 19th. See http://www.etfo.ca/CalAttach/InfusingFNMImathscience.pdf

ETFO ICT Conference for Women:  Technology for Teachers, October 28-29. Register on the Events Portal by September 21st. For more information visit: http://www.etfo.ca/CalAttach/ICT2016.pdf

New ETFO Online Networking Site for Racialized FNMI, Persons With a Disability and LGBTQ Women: Participants will meet twice in person and three times online to discuss leadership issues. Check out http://www.etfo.ca/CalAttach/eWOMEN.pdf

Registration for ETFO Fall AQ Courses closes on September 14, 2016.  For information, visit www.etfo-aq.ca.
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Just a reminder for members to register on our Local website: www.etfotvot.com to take advantage of our Local Professional Development Opportunities as well to find the forms for our $50 Book Rebate and $300 Professional Learning Development Fund / PLDF. 

Welcome Back all ETFO - TVOT Members!!!!

Where did the summer go??? We hope everyone had an enjoyable one. Time to get back to work educating and being there for our students.
Your OT Local has been meeting organizing PD opportunities for you so stay tuned for news in the near future.
We are pleased to advise that your ETFO 2016 - 2017 pocket calendars will once again be mailed to all members in the month of October.  Please continue to use the one mailed to you last Fall - it does include the month of September 2016 for you.

Also, please ensure your address is up to date with the following:
 - the Board (via the Employee Portal under "Your Personal Information"),
 - ETFO Provincial at www.ETFO.ca (on the right hand side click on "Quick Links" and go to      "Member Update Contact Information"),
 - Ontario College of Teachers,
 - Your Apply to Education Account (if applicable).
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Elementary Panel Implementation of Web Attendance

By the end of September, all elementary schools within TVDSB will be utilizing Web Attendance; to this end, instructional communications have been sent to the final set of schools.  Please ask at the school office for the "Web Attendance for Occasional Teachers" sheet when you check in, if you are not yet familiar with the system.
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ETFO's ICT Conference for Women 

Technology for Teachers, funded by the Ministry of Education, will take place at the Toronto Marriott Bloor Yorkville Hotel and OISE/UT on October 28-29, 2016.  The target audience is women members interested in learning about new technology and online resources to engage today's students.  The conference will feature keynote speaker Dr. Camille Rutherford.
This will be an exciting learning and networking opportunity for members from across the province.  Registration can be completed online by visiting the ETFO Events Management System at events.etfo.org, upcoming conferences and clicking on the ICT Conference tab.

Successful applicants will be notified by email prior to October 7.  For additional information, please contact Jill Aoki-Barrett (jaokibarrett@etfo.org).
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In honour of ETFO's endorsement to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) of Canada's Calls to Action, ETFO is committed to moving forward into reconciliation and commemorates the survivors of the residential school system by recognizing the Orange Shirt Day - Every Child Matters Campaign on September 30, 2016.

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