Earn While You Learn Opportunities; TVDSB BrightSpace Classroom; Payment for OTs on Statutory Holidays; Your $75 Dollar Resource Rebate

 

TVOT members have the opportunity to be paid for participating in professional development on  days when there are no teaching opportunities. Participation in such sessions counts for all purposes as teaching time. Options and registration for Paid PD sessions has been moved to TVDSB's Elementary / Dual Occasional Teacher BrightSpace classroom. Registration is no longer via the Employee Portal.

One option being offered on October 11th will be an in-person all-day session hosted by the Local - Classroom Management for the Daily Occasional Teacher. Look for details on this workshop and others to be posted soon in the OT BrightSpace Classroom. 

Please check out the accompanying directions below. Terri Manning t.manning@tvdsb.ca in Staff Development will be able to assist members experiencing difficulties.

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- Neither permanent Teachers or Occasional Teachers are paid for statutory holidays as we are exempt under the Employment Standards Act of Ontario. 

- LTOs are expected to attend PD days according to the FTE of their assignment and they will be paid accordingly.

- Daily OTs can earn money on PD days by participating in paid PD sessions. Online paid PD sessions can be completed anytime (evenings, weekends etc.) and then submitted to Staff Development for payment.

- TVDSB's email system is to be used only for Board purposes. The Local asks members to use their personal email accounts when communicating with the Union.

- OTs/LTOs have a right to Union representation from the OT Office at any meeting which might result in discipline. Contact us at 519-641-3936 or etfotvot@gmail.com .

- All TVOT members are elibible for a $75 Resource Rebate from the Local. Open an account at www.etfotvot.com to access the application form.

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The Ontario Library Association is campaigning to save school libraries. For more information, and to sign a petition of support, visit https://accessola.com/save-our-school-libraries/

Did you Know? Your Collective Agreement; What to expect at a daily assignment; ETFO Workshops open to TVOT members

 

Did You Know:

- To receive daily assignments, you must ensure that you have selected schools on TVARRIS and that your contact information is accurate. 

- While TVOT members have ratified a new Collective Agreement, the parties have not yet completed their reviews of the meshed new Agreement. We are working to get this finished and posted for TVOT member access.

- ETFO Stewards represent the permanent Teachers at a school. TVOT members are represented by the OT Office (519-641-3936 or etfotvot@gmail.com) as we are a separate Local with our own Collective Agreement. Please never hesitate to contact us - we are here to support TVOT members.

- Occasional Teachers can access information and PD opportunities directly from ETFO Provincial at members.etfo.ca

TVDSB and your TVOT Local agree that:
- L16.01/(L16.02) - An OT who is called for a half-day / (full day) assignment who reports and finds that their services are not required, shall remain at the school, receive pay for that assignment and perform professional duties as assigned by the Administrator.

- L16.05(a) - The Board shall give a minimum of two (2) hours notice of cancellation of a pre-arranged daily assignment.

- L16.07(b) - Where there is a vacant classroom assignment, reassignment from a non-classroom assignment may be necessary at the discretion of the Principal.

- L18.03(a) - A daily OT shall not be assigned supervisory duties before classes on the first morning of an assignment or prior to afternoon class for a half-day afternoon assignment.

- L7.03 - The minimum daily OT salary for a part day assignment is .5, however salary can be pro-rated after that if the OT is replacing a permanent Teacher who is less than full time.

Members must be registered on the Local TVOT website in order to access our $75 Resource Rebate and our $500 Professional Learning Development Fund (PLDF) subsidy.

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Check last week's blog for details about your invitation to shop and save!

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Columbia Sportswear Store Invitation; Cell phones in School; Your Health and Safety Rights; Lots of Provincial ETFO Workshops

The new daily 

Occasional Teacher rate in TVDSB is $271.60 plus 4% which is shown on a separate line for a total per diem of $282.46.  The grid for LTOs will soon be published once all parties have had a chance to approve it.

NEW - School Board Policy on Enforcement of Restrictions to Student Personal Mobile Device Use

School boards must develop a local policy setting out how they will enforce the restrictions on student use of personal mobile devices at school. The policy must comply with the board’s obligations under the Education Act and other relevant provincial policy and legislation. The policy must, at minimum, align with the following direction provided in this memorandum:

All members of the school community must not use personal mobile devices during instructional time except under the following circumstances:

- for educational purposes, as directed by an educator

- for health and medical purposes

- to support special education needs

At minimum the local policy must require that for grades 7 to 12 students’ personal mobile devices are stored out of view and powered off or set to silent mode during instructional time, except when their use is explicitly permitted by the educator under the circumstances outlined above.

If the educator sees a personal mobile device that is not stored out of view, they must require the device be handed in for the instructional period and the device must be placed, by the student, in a storage area in a location in the classroom designated by the educator

For students in grade 6 and below, at minimum the local policy must require that students’ personal mobile devices are stored out of view and powered off or set to silent mode through out the full instructional day, except when their use is explicitly permitted by the educator under the circumstances outlined above.

If an educator sees a personal mobile device that is not stored out of view, they must require the device be handed in for the instructional day and the device must be placed, by the student, in a storage area in a location designated by the principal

The student is responsible for their personal mobile device, how they use it and the consequences of not following the school board’s policy on personal mobile device use.

If the student does not hand in their personal mobile device when required, they must be sent to the Principal’s office. Principals have discretion under PPM No. 145, Progressive discipline and promoting positive student behaviour, to consider a range of responses to address this behaviour including suspension.            To support the implementation of the above, the local policy must include:

- an approach to enforcement of the restrictions that includes clear expectations of responsibility for students, educators, principals and superintendents

- best practices for educators on classroom management related to responsible use of technology

- a requirement for schools to have an annual notification sent to parents and students reminding them of the policy, its requirements and consequences for non-compliance

- a requirement that the expectations and responsibilities under the local policy, the best practices for educators and the annual notifications for parents be shared with all educators and principals.

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You have a right to a safe worksite. To find out more visit https://etfohealthandsafety.ca/site/

A way to save at the Columbia Sportswear Outlet - time limited!

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Did you know that TVOT Occasional Teachers / LTOs are eligible to attend ETFO Provincial Events and Conferences? 

In many cases, ETFO Provincial will reimburse members with release time which counts for all purposes, as time worked. 

Here are a few programs you might find of interest (WP programs are only available to women members) -

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Happy September; New Daily Rate; TVDSB PD Registration has Moved!

 

The Wednesday Blog is Back for 2024 - 2025. Check us each week for opportunities and important news for TVOT members.Your TVOT Local also mails out an annual Reference Newsletter and Pocket Calendar so we ask you to ensure that your contact information with TVDSB is up to date - it is a condition of your employment and the Local also relies on this information.

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1) EXTRA PAID DAYS: Daily OTs and LTOs of .5 FTE or less, are eligible for 2 days of pay if they complete TVDSB's mandatory training (in the spring) and if they participate in paid PD opportunities. Currently there are 9 online eligible offerings in the Employee Portal under Conference/Session Registration, each of which counts as a half day of work. These can be completed at your leisure. Follow the steps and be sure to submit your reflection form to Staff Development to ensure payment.

2) RESOURCE REBATE: Your TVOT Local provides $75/year for members to purchase a professional book or resources related to their elementary teaching needs. Register at www.etfotvot.com to access the application form.

3) PROFESSIONAL LEARNING DEVELOPMENT FUND / PLDF  Your TVOT Local provides up to $500/year for members who have been with us for at least 12 months, who wish to take courses related to their elementary teaching. Register at www.etfotvot.com to access the application form.

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Starting the new school year off strong and supported

Welcome back to another school year! We hope you’re feeling refreshed and inspired after the summer break. Now is an ideal time to reflect on your accomplishments and plan for the future, both personally and professionally. We want to reassure you that our team is committed to supporting your health, wellness, and financial security so you can thrive in your pivotal role within the education community. You may be most familiar with Ontario Teachers Insurance Plan (OTIP) as your group benefits provider, but did you know that we also offer personal insurance coverage?

Read on to learn more about what we’re proud of at www.otip.com/article185. #OTIPUpdate

As our way of saying thank you for getting an auto and/or home insurance quote, we'll send you a $20 gift card of your choice. Plus, when you get a quote throughout September and October, you'll be automatically entered into our Back to School Bonus Contest for a chance to win $1,000 cash! Get an online quote or call 1-888-892-4935 and mention this offer.

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