Annual Mandatory Online Training; About Prep Periods; OCT Fees; Call for Candidates;

The Mandatory Training Mondules for elementary Occasional Teachers, are now posted in the Employee Portal under "Employee Training".  Once there, scroll down to "2024 - 2025 OTE Required Training" and complete the following modules by June 27th for a half-day of salary to be paid in July:

Click here for eBase access for: Harassment, Bed Bug and Cockroach Awareness Training and Employee Incident Report Training

Anaphylaxis

Asthma

Diabetes

Epilepsy

Concussion

Ancillary & Non-Instructional Materials

It Can Happen To You - ETFO

Fire Safety Awareness

Head Injury Prevention

Health and Safety Program Awareness

Navigating WSIB

Violence Awareness - General Awareness

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 About Prep Periods -

- Prep periods are paid time so OTs cannot leave the school, even if the prep is scheduled for the last period.

- Just as a permanent Teachers cannot be directed how to use their prep periods, it is up to the OT/LTO to decide how they are going to use this time professionally.

- The timetable of the OT is to be the same as that of the absent permanent Teacher, including scheduled preparation periods. If a member is reassigned during their prep period, they are entitled to monetary compensation in lieu of this time so keep track of the assignment, date, minutes lost etc. as the form will be posted by the Board toward the end of June. (Letter of Understanding #5)

- If a daily OT is hired for a prep payback assignment, be aware that the Collective Agreement provides that the first 40 minutes (or as close to the beginning as possible), be set aside as a preparation period. (Article L18.03 (b))

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Important - OCT annual fees must be paid by April 15th in order to remain on the OT List. The penalty for late payment is $130 in addition to the $200 OCT fee. Here is OCT's link https://www.oct.ca/members/college-fees

Only those in a long-term assignment in January will have their fees deducted from their pay, as reflected on their TVDSB paystub.

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CALL FOR CANDIDATES for TVOT Local Executive positions -

Have you considered running for a position on the ETFO Thames Valley Occasional Teachers’ Executive? Members at our TVOT Spring Annual Meeting select their Local Executive each year.  

Why not join your Executive team? Find out what is going on and make a difference!

Meetings are typically held one afternoon a month at our TVOT Office. (LTOs are released from their assignments to attend.)

Elections will be held May 22, 2025 at the Lamplighter Inn for the following positions:

Executive Members at Large (4) – one year term; great learning position with duties as determined by the Executive: Local Constitution 7.1.1 – 7.1.13

Chief Negotiator - remains in office until new agreement ratified; negotiates the collective agreement; maintains agreement and reports to membership: Local Constitution 7.2.6 and 7.3.4

Collective Bargaining Committee:(President, Chief Negotiator and 4-5 others) - remains in office until new agreement ratified; collects information from membership and prepares Local preliminary submission: Local Constitution 7.3.4

ETFO Provincial Annual Meeting 7 Delegates and up to 5 Alternates – 10 representatives to attend and the others form a pool from which vacancies can be filled; Meeting is in Toronto from August 11-14, 2025 (costs paid): Local Constitution 10.1 – 10.6

The deadline for receipt of Candidate Forms is Friday, May 2, 2025 at 5 PM.

There will be no elections for the following positions as this is the first year of their two year terms: 

President, First Vice-President, Second Vice-President, Secretary, Treasurer , Health and Safety Officer 

Registration for the TVOT Annual Meeting opens next week.

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Local ETFO Survey re Violence in Schools; Accessing Board Emails when not in Canada; More Canva Opportunities; Keys for OTs; Perils of Social Media for TVOT Members

 

Have a Voice

The ETFO Thames Valley Teachers' Local and Occasional Teachers' Local would like to hear your stories. Please participate in this very short survey by clicking on the QR code or https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/BFF9TK7

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If Travelling Internationally -

Employees of TVDSB who travel outside of Canada generally cannot access their Board emails. To ensure access, employees need to notify the Board's IT Help Desk at least 7 days in advance in order to minimize complications with TVDSB's multifactor authentication. 

To do this:

1) From the TVDSB Employee Portal log-in page, select "Help Hub Help Desk"

2) Log-in with "Sign-in Using Office365 (SSO)"

3) You may be asked to sign-in with your Board Outlook account, TV#####@tvdsb.ca

4) Once in, type into the search bar: Request login access for travel outside of Canada

5) Select appropriate link for cellphones and enter the required information (Supervisor for this purpose is Roxanne Jones / roxanne.jones@tvdsb.ca

Important -

- This must be done at least 7 days prior to leaving the country.

- If you are already outside of the country, call the Help Hub at 519-452-2005 but you must be able to receive texts to your Board registered cellphone.

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- TVDSB Staff Development has opened up additional spaces for the virtual workshop on "Canva for Occasional Teachers". The session will be held from 9 - 11:30 AM on the April 11th PA Day, so here is an opportunity to earn money on a day when you cannot teach, while enhancing you practice at the same time. Registration is via the Employee Portal.

- Reflection Surveys: Only those who submit their reflection surveys will be paid for participating in paid PD so here is that link https://stafflearninghub.tvdsb.ca/d2l/home

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Keys for daily Occasional Teachers are vital

Daily OTs may arrive to find that their classrooms are unlocked and so the office does not offer them keys, however, the Ministry of Education, the Ontario Public School Boards' Association and TVDSB all agree that Occasional Teachers must "have the ability to lock and unlock the classroom door" as provided by the Central Agreement LOA #5. As the adult of authority in the room, it is our responsibility to be able to respond to unforseen situations such as an emergency lock down, should it be necessary.  Please advise the OT Office at 519-641-3936 or etfotvot@gmail.com if you have any difficulties obtaining a key so that we can resolve this and keep our students safe.

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Social Media Tips for TVOT Members 

- Maximize privacy settings and have someone who doesn't follow your social media, check to see what is observable.

- Do not identify that you are a TVDSB employee or discuss your employment on social media.

- Remember that you are a certified Teacher 24 hours a day and TVDSB's expectations of off-duty conduct apply to social media per Board policy.

- Assume that parents, Principals, the school community and Board officials can see both your recent and your historical posts so review your accounts with this in mind.

- Never post pictures of students on social media. Only take pictures of students using Board approved devices for educational or approved reasons per TVDSB policy.

- Maintain the confidentiality of your students and colleagues, including personal or medical  information.

(More tips on the perils of Social Media next week...)

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More Paid PD opportunities; Columbia Outlet Store Invitation; Cancelling daily assignments; If contacted by CAS or Police;

 

As well, TVDSB is presenting the following paid PD Sessions on the April 11/25 PA Day:

- AM - Canva for Occasional Teachers (virtual session via Teams) REPEAT

- PM - How to start the day off right! Working with students to create a successful day of learning. (in person) REPEAT

Registration opens March 20th in the Employee Portal. 

Only those who have not taken these before are eligible for payment. Reflection surveys are located in the Brightspace Classroom https://stafflearninghub.tvdsb.ca/d2l/home/11726

For further information contact Terri Manning in Staff Development t.manning@tvdsb.ca

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- An Occasional Teacher who cancels a previously accepted daily assignment cannot accept another assignment for that day without first contacting the TVARRIS Coordinator, and this is limited to three times per school year. (Article L16.05(c))

- Unless you were in a LTO assignment at the beginning of January, it is your responsibility to pay your annual $200 OCT fee no later than April 15th. If you miss the deadline, you will be required to pay an additional $130 for reinstatement. 

- QECO statements are personal information so it is up to those in LTOs to submit it (along with proof of any previous teaching experience outside of TVDSB) to the Board's HR department to ensure accurate placement on the salary grid. 

- The OT Office has several additional pottery pieces back from the kiln for pick up by participants from the PD event at the BMO Centre. Please call us at 519-641-3936 to make your arrangements.

- OTs and LTOs are represented by the ETFO Thames Valley Occasional Teachers' Local which is separate from the local for the permanent Teachers. We ask that members please remember not to use their TVDSB email accounts when contacting us at etfotvot@gmail.com as the Board's account is not for private correspondence.

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IMPORTANT

Your Columbia Outlet Store Invitation - 

Bring up to 4 guests!

OTIP offers four life insurance plan options, each with a range of coverage amounts and term lengths! Find the coverage that’s right for you and apply online: https://bit.ly/4gWlsQV #OTIPUpdate

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Also on March 20th -

About Prep Periods; Overpayments and Underpayments; Cancelling TVARRIS Assignments; More Paid PD (with dinner ) at Lamplighter Inn; Tiered Instruction

    

It's About Prep Periods

- Should an Administrator ask you to forfeit your prep period, note the date, assignment and length of the lost prep time as we have negotiated compensation for lost prep time to be paid at the end of the school year. (Letter of Understanding #5)

- Prep time is paid time, so members may not leave the school.

- Neither Teachers or Administrators can direct OTs on how to use their prep period.

- TVOT members follow the timetable of the absent Teacher. This includes supervisory duties and prep periods. (Article L18.02)

- TVOT members hired for prep coverage or meeting coverage assignments, are entitled to a 40 minute prep period as early in the day as possible. (Article L18.03b)

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- Article L7.12: An Occasional Teacher shall only be required to reconcile an overpayment for the twelve (12) month period prior to an error being discovered.

The Board shall only be required to reconcile an underpayment for the twelve (12) month period prior to an error being discovered.

Any overpayment reconciliation plan shall be with the mutual agreement of the Union and the Occasional Teacher. An overpayment plan shall commence within two months of the discovery of the error.

Any underpayment shall be made on the next possible pay date or in a manner mutually agreeable to the Union and the Occasional Teacher.

- Article  L18.01 c): The Occasional Teacher shall endeavour to provide written feedback to the Teacher being replaced at the conclusion of the occasional assignment. Such feedback will generally include comments on the progress of lessons taught, problems encountered and where appropriate, successes achieved and marks for work completed by students within the occasional assignment.

-Article 18.03 b) Where an Occasional Teacher is hired for a vacancy for preparation time or meeting coverage, that Occasional Teacher shall be assigned no more than one (1) supervisory duty. The Occasional Teacher will maintain a forty (40) minute uninterrupted lunch and shall be provided with a forty (40) minute preparation time period. The forty (40) minute preparation time will be scheduled as early in the day as possible based on the schedule of events requiring coverage.

- Article L16.05 c)  An Occasional Teacher who cancels a previously accepted assignment may not accept another assignment scheduled for that same day without first contacting the TVARRIS Coordinator up to a maximum of three (3) occurrences per school year.

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OPPORTUNITY - Your TVOT Local will be hosting 3 paid after-school PD workshops with dinner provided on Tuesday, March 25th (4:30 - 7:30 PM) at the Lamplighter Inn, in London. Registration for one of the following options, opens March 6th in the TVDSB Employee Portal > Conference/Session Registration > Elementary Dual Occasional Teacher Synchronous Sessions: 

1) No Prep Required: Quick Math Games for K-8

2) Empowering Students Through Drama
3) Unlock the Power of STEAM

N.B. Please advise the Local or the Board if you must cancel as there are often waiting lists of members who want to participate. It's the professional thing to do.

Paid PD is open to daily Occasional Teachers in the elementary panel and those in LTOs of .5 FTE or less.  _________________

Easy to Access Additional Support

 Check out ETFO's member-developed videos available on ETFO's YouTube channel https://www.youtube.com/user/etfoprovincial

Below is an example developed to address "Tiered Instruction" - 

The United Nations reports: "Before 1995, only 12 countries had legal sanctions against domestic violence. Today, there are 1,583 legislative measures in place across 193 countries, including 354 targeting domestic violence specifically."

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The Theme is - TOGETHER WE THRIVE