Paid PD and Mandatory Training & ETFO Project Overseas 2018 Opportunity

Just a reminder that daily Occasional Teachers Elementary (OTE) have access to 2 designated, fully paid PA Days (four 1/2 days).

One half-day must be used for the required OTE mandatory online training now posted in the TVDSB Employee Portal, with the deadline for completion of these modules being June 30th.

Additional paid  PD opportunities can be found on the Employee Portal under Conference/Session Registrations > Elementary Occasional Teacher PD 2016-2017. Many of these are online sessions however there will be additional in-person workshops posted soon for the PD Day on June 9th.

Your Local strongly encourages members to use this opportunity to beef up their earnings, seniority ranking, pension credit and eligible EI hours.

Note:  Members in full year LTOs are not eligible if their FTE is above 0.5.
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We have received calls from members inquiring about the required training modules for this year.
There are 13 modules in total for Occasional Teachers. These were listed in the April 4th BLOG and can be found in the Employee Portal > Employee Training with ours listed as 2016 - 2017 OTE Required Training, the last one of which for OTS is "December Slips, Trips and Falls".
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Do you have an interest in learning about other countries and sharing a global perspective with your students and colleagues? Do you have a passion for international development? Are you an experienced educator with five full years of teaching in Canada, who works well in a team, possesses strong curriculum and teaching leadership experience and is also knowledgeable and active in your teacher union? ETFO will sponsor 14 members to participate in Project Overseas 2018. If selected, teachers volunteer their time in the summer and ETFO, through the Canadian Teachers' Federation, covers all expenses. Working with teacher organizations in host countries, ETFO members present professional learning with experienced in-country teachers.

Application forms and information will be available August 2017 at the website listed below. For information on the program or the application process, contact Jim Giles at jgiles@etfo.org, or 416-962-3836 extension 2276.

VISIT --  etfot.ca/AdvocacyandAction/WorldIssues/ProjectOverseas

Deadline to register is October 31, 2017.

Upcoming Spring General Meeting and 2 TVOT Tech PD Workshops

Registration is now open for the Spring General Banquet at the Lamplighter Inn, 591 Wellington Road in London, N6C 4R3 on Thursday May 18, 2017 from 4:30 PM - 7:30 PM.

Meet your peers and enjoy this complimentary fine dinner:

Garden Lettuce with Slivers of Sweet Red Onion dressed in Sundried Tomato Vinaigrette;

Duo of Grilled Filet of Beef Tenderloin with a Shitake Mushroom Cabernet Sauce and Grain-Fed Chicken Breast with a Sauvignon Blanc Reduction; Olive Oil Roasted Mini Potatoes; Chef's Seasonal Vegetables; Freshly Baked Breads, Assorted Flatbreads and European Rolls;

French Style Lemon Curd Mousse Cake on a Swirl of Fruit Sauce; Coffee and Tea

Vegetarian Menu
Mushroom Raviolli with Alfredo Sauce

Have a say in the business of your Local and register at www.etfotvot.com
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Registration is open for the following after-school 2 TVOT Tech Workshops:

1- Google Apps for Complete Beginners:  Monday April 24th,  4:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Google's suite of applications are fast becoming the standard for collaborative learning and assessment. Come out and learn the basics of Google Apps for Education in a relaxed, supportive environment. Participants will be introduced to Google Drive, Docs and Slides, and will have the opportunity to see how Google Classroom can streamline teaching and assessment.

2- The Software Savvy Occasional Teacher:  Monday, May 1st,  4:30 PM - 7:30 PM
Occasional Teachers encounter many different software tools, apps, and websites during their daily assignments.  OTs in LTOs are eager to include relevant technology experiences for their students. In this workshop, participants will have the opportunity to explore common websites and apps that they might encounter in classrooms during their daily assignments. We will spend time looking at ways to incorporate the technology into lessons and experiment with creating activities. Content will include overviews of: green-screen apps, presentations apps, and common math websites and games.

Both workshops are being held at Westmount P.S., 1011 Viscount Road, London, N6K 1H5.
A light meal will be provided.

Spots are limited
Register at www.etfotvot.com
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Save the Date!!! Local Spring General Meeting and Banquet - LOCAL ELECTIONS

Please join us on Thursday, May 18, 2017 for our Spring General Meeting and Banquet taking place at the Best Western Lamplighter Inn, 591 Wellington Road South in London from 4:30PM - 7:30PM. Registration will be open on the ETFO-TVOT website: www.etfotvot.com by week's end.

Local Elections
Have you ever considered running for a position on the ETFO Thames Valley Occasional Teachers' Executive?  The Local's Spring Annual Meeting is when the membership selects its Executive officers for the coming year.  All active members are eligible and encouraged to submit candidate forms (posted on the Local website).  Meetings are held once a month after school at our Local office. Being a member of the Executive is a rewarding learning opportunity so find out what is going on and make a difference!

Elections will be held May 18, 2017 at the Lamplighter Inn for the following positions:

President - full-time position; official spokesperson and representative of Local; grievance officer; liaison and member of all committees; signing officer; (2 year term for this position so no election until 2018)

First Vice-President - assists the President, coordinates preparation of the newsletter, attends committees

Second Vice-President - assists the President and First Vice-President and acts as liaison to the P.D. Committee

Treasurer - maintains financial records, pays expenses of the Local, drafts budget and reports to Executive and membership

Secretary - prepares and circulates accurate minutes of past and present Executive and General Membership Meetings

Health and Safety Officer - acts as liaison with the Board's Joint Health and Safety Committee, the Local Executive and general membership; conducts annual audits of schools and participates in applicable training

Executive Members at Large (4) - duties as determined by the Executive

Chief Negotiator - negotiates the collective agreement; maintains agreement and reports to membership

Collective Bargaining Committee (President, Chief Negotiator and 4-5 others) - collect information from membership in preparation of preliminary submission

ETFO Provincial Annual Meeting Alternates (5) - pool from which delegate vacancies will be filled; Toronto August 14-17, 2017 (all costs paid)

Mandatory On-Line Modules now available and TVOT Book Club Registration Open

Mandatory On-Line Training
The following training initiatives are required for the 2016-2017 school year and must be completed on or before June 30, 2017 (with payment by July 21st, 2017). You must electronically confirm completion of each module. Please ensure you are using Internet Explorer to view your required training. If you are using an alternate browser (i.e. Google Chrome, Safari, etc.) then you may run into a compatibility issue. If you are using the newest version of Internet Explorer you may have to add TVDSB as a compatible website to your computer using the instructions attached. It is suggested that you take the time to complete all the training at once.

To access the training:
Log into the Employee Portal
To the right Under Staff Development and Training on the right hand side there's a link
"mandatory training"
Click on the link

Please note that the WHMIS, Offence Declaration and ITS Security Declaration (available in May)
will be accessible on the main page of the Employee Portal under the heading "Personal Information"". - once you have completed the training, try and do it again. A confirmation sheet with a button that says "print this page" will appear. This is your confirmation you have completed it.

The required training modules this year are:
1.   Fire Code Safety Training
2.   Violence Awareness Training - Module 1 - Legislative & Information Sharing
3.   Module 3- Post Incident Review & Documentation
4.   Module 4 - Safe Schools and Employee Roles
5.   Module 5 - Harassment
6.   Module 8 - Domestic Violence in the Workplace
7.   Module 9 - Parking Lots
8.   Concussion Part I - Concussion Awareness
9.   Concussion Part II - Response, Management
10. Anaphylaxis & Asthma Management
11. September - Emergency Codes and Asbestos Awareness
12. November - Ladder Safety Awareness
13. December Slips, Trips and Falls

PLEASE NOTE:  Occasional Teachers on a Board approved leave of absence are not required to do the mandatory training however, must complete the WHMIS Review, Annual Offence Declaration and ITS Security Declaration prior to 2017 August 31.
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TVOT Book Club
Registration is now open for the TVOT Book Club - Lost at School by Ross Green.  Join your peers at our Local OT Office at 521 Nottinghill Road, Suite 8 in London, for two evenings to discuss Ross Green's Lost at School.  Our first book club date is on April 18, and the second is on April 27 from 4:30 - 7:00 PM.  A light meal will be served.
Spaces are very limited and you must be available to attend both evenings.
Please go to www.etfotvot.com to register.