Personal Email Addresses; Some provisions of your Collective Agreement; ETFO's Class Size Campaign; TVDSB Occasional Teacher SharePoint Page; Upcoming Provincial Workshops

 

Just a reminder that the TVDSB Outlook email is not for private correspondence. Please use a personal email address when you are setting up your TVOT account or when you are contacting the TVOT Local so that we may respond. Never hesitate to contact the Local as all communications are confidential.  We will not use a member's name when addressing matters with the Board, without that member's knowledge. Our contact information is etfotvot@gmail.com or 519-641-3936. We look forward to working with you for a successful school year.  

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Article L7.03 Remuneration paid to Occasional Teachers will be pro-rated for assignments to positions on less than a full-time basis, but in no circumstances will a Short-Term

Occasional Teacher be paid for less than one-half (1/2) day. For the purposes of this article, one hundred and fifty (150) minutes equal one-half

(1/2) day.

Article L6.08 Removal from the List: An Occasional Teacher's name shall be removed from the List for the following reasons:

a) The Occasional Teacher requests, in writing, to have their name removed from the list.

b) The Occasional Teacher is removed in accordance with the provisions of Article L5.06. (termination)

c) The Occasional Teacher has had qualifications revoked by the Ontario College of Teachers.

d) The Occasional Teacher has not taught ten (10) elementary teaching days in the previous school year unless such Occasional Teacher has been granted an extended leave in accordance with the provisions of Article L10. 

e) The Occasional Teacher has failed to provide the Board with the information required under the provisions of Article L6.05. (changes of name address, telephone or number)

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ETFO Provincial is eager to hear your stories about large class sizes. Visit https://etfocb.ca/tell-us-your-class-size-story/ to have your say.

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TVDSB's SharePoint Page for Occasional Teachers

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OTF's Ici on parle français program  Our Ici on parle français program is back this year! Once again, participants can partner with other FSL teachers in a collaborative learning team of two to four teachers or apply for an individual grant. For those working in a team, the maximum grant is $500 per team member (maximum $2,000 per team), and for those working individually, the maximum grant is $250. You can use your PD grant to participate in a French as a Second Language (FSL) professional learning program/activity of your choosing or to purchase teacher/educator resources to support your own FSL proficiency and teaching.   You may also choose to use your PD grant to participate in the FSL Experiential Learning Resources for Educators and Students provincial program, which supports educators in connecting French language learning to STEM opportunities.   The deadline for applying for a grant is 5:00 pm on Thursday, October 16, 2025. Successful applicants will be notified by mid-November 2025   Find out more about the Ici on parle français 2025-26 grant program and apply.

The programs listed below are being offered to members by ETFO Provincial - expenses and release time for OTs/LTOs is be covered.

Please visit etfo.ca in the secure member area to view flyers and registration details for all upcoming events.

Visions Program 2025-2026 

From October 07, 2025 to October 08, 2025

This exciting program for women education workers (DECE, ESP, or PSP) highlights union involvement and focuses on developing an anti-oppressive and feminist framework.

Registration closes Thursday, September 18, 2025 at 1:00 p.m.

There is a $75 registration fee.

For more information, contact Catherine Inglis at cinglis@etfo.org.

 

Peer Learning for Inclusive Classrooms (WP) 

From October 07, 2025 to October 08, 2025

Registration closes September 18, 2025.

Women members who are actively working in classrooms are invited to apply to this exciting program, delivered in partnership with Gender at Work.

For more information, contact Punita Bhardwaj at pbhardwaj@etfo.org.

There is a $75 registration fee.

 

Building Allyship for Gender Justice 

October 07, 2025

 ETFO invites all members to join in this program that will enable teachers to build their practice as allies in the quest for gender justice.

Registration closes on September 18, 2025,1:00 p.m.

Registration fee is $75. 

For more information, please contact Mandisa Bromfield at mbromfield@etfo.org.

 

Indigenous Women’s Mentorship Program 2025-2026 

From October 23, 2025 to October 24, 2025

ETFO’s Indigenous Women’s Mentorship Program is now accepting applications for both mentors and mentees.

Registration closes on September 19, 2025.

Be sure to select the “mentee” option or the "mentor" option. 

For more information, please contact Kyla King, kking@etfo.org.

 

Code Black: Leaders with Purpose and Conviction 

From November 12, 2025 to November 13, 2025

ETFO is proud to offer CODE BLACK: Leaders with Purpose and Conviction in 2025-26. This program is open to all ETFO members who identify as Black.

Registration closes on September 23 at 12 noon.

Successful applicants will be notified by September 25.

For more information, please contact Sonia Ellis-Seguin, sellisseguin@etfo.org or Matthew Sinclair, msinclair@etfo.org.

 

Women's Health and Safety Conference: Labour Activist Training 

From November 03, 2025 to November 07, 2025

Become a health and safety activist! Women are underrepresented in occupational health and safety but face unique health and safety hazards.

Registration opens on September 18 and closes on September 29 at 5:00 p.m.

A $75 registration fee applies.

For more information, please contact Elizabeth Mitchell at emitchell@etfo.org

 

Facing Management 

November 01, 2025

Are you interested in learning how to engage with management and promote and defend your collective agreement rights at the school level?

To register, visit events.etfo.org by September 29

A $25 registration fee applies.

For more information, contact Heather Aggus, haggus@etfo.org

Todd Rimmington, trimmington@etfo.org or Mark Butt, mbutt@etfo.org.

 

Think on Your Feet 

From October 23, 2025 to October 24, 2025

 Members are invited to register for the Think on Your Feet women’s program, which is designed to transform how you think, write, speak, and lead.

Registration opens at 9 a.m. on September 18 and closes at 5 p.m. on September 29, 2025.

Registration fee is $50.

For more information, please contact Izida Zorde at izorde@etfo.org.

 

Union school 2025-2026 

From November 04, 2025 to November 06, 2025

 Join us for a year-long program to enhance your leadership skills, deepen your knowledge of ETFO, and gather new tools with Union School!

Session Dates:

November 4-6, 2025

February 4-6, 2026

April 30 - May 1, 2026

Registration opens on September 17 and closes on October 1, 2025.

There is a $75 registration fee, which will be refunded to those not selected.

For more information, contact Kelly Hayes, khayes@etfo.org.

 

WOMEN’S COLLECTIVE BARGAINING ISSUES Level 1

November 18-19, 2025

Are you interested in learning more about the collective bargaining process?

Do you want to get involved but aren’t sure how?

Visit events.etfo.org to register by October 14

For more information, please contact Heather Aggus, haggus@etfo.org; Toby Molouba, tmolouba@etfo.org; or Tui-Sem Won, tswon@etfo.org

 

Racialized Members Conference 

From November 18, 2025 to November 19, 2025

This two-day leadership conference is for racialized members who are committed to becoming involved in their union and creating a just society.

Registration opens October 2 and closes on October 14, 2025.

For more information, contact Matthew Sinclair at msinclair@etfo.org.

 

Building Labour Power 

From November 14, 2025 to November 15, 2025

Join us for presentations, workshops, and small-group discussions with guest speakers actively involved in labour and community organizing.

Registration opens on October 2 and closes on October 14, 2025. 

There is a registration fee of $50. 

For more information, contact: Denise Hammond dhammond@etfo.org or Kelly Hayes khayes@etfo.org.

 

Native Language Gathering 

From November 13, 2025 to November 14, 2025

Members who are actively working in classrooms and currently teaching Native Languages are invited to apply to this re-designed and engaging professional learning program.

Registration opens October 2 and closes on October 14, 2025.
For more information, please contact Kyla King, kking@etfo.org.ctober 2 to 14 at events.etfo.org

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To celebrate 50 years of serving Ontario’s education community, (please tag @Educators Financial Group on Facebook or @EducatorsFG on X/Instagram) is giving away 50 prizes of $500* to education heroes across the province! Nominate your hero today at https://bit.ly/41GaQRq. #EFGtips

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New Salary; Columbia Outlet Store Invitation; ETFO Provincial's website for OTs; TVDSB's Occasional Teacher Group; Grid Pay for LTOs; TVOT Pocket Calendar

NEW: The daily Occasional Teacher rate in TVDSB is $278.39 plus 4% which is shown on a separate line of your pay stub, for a total per diem of $289.53.  The grid for LTOs effective Sept/25 is appended to our Collective Agreement, available at www.etfotvot.com or on the TVDSB site.

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ETFO Provincial's OT Website  was developed to address the specific needs of daily Occasional Teachers/LTOs. To access this vast collection of web, video, print and audio resources, go to etfo-ots.ca and log into the ETFO member secure site. 

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The Occasional Teacher Group on TVDSB's Outlook is where the Board posts information specific to OTs. The Local encourages members to add this group so that these messages appear directly in your inbox. 

Here is how to add the group:

1) Sign into your TVDSB Outlook account and on the left side, scroll down to the bottom and click "Go to Groups".

2) "Occasional Teacher Elementary" should appear, so open this.

3) Once you are there, you will find 3 horizontal dots at the top. Click them and either "Add to Favorites" (visible when you click the group tab) or "Follow in Inbox" (which allows group emails to come to your personal inbox directly).

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Grid Pay for LTOs: Are you in a Long-Term assignment? As an LTO, you are eligible for salary that reflects your qualifications and teaching experience, however the onus is on you to provide the Board with a QECO / Qualifications Rating Statement (or a card indicating that your rating is in progress), prior to July 31st for retroactive adjustment. N.B. The QECO application process can take several weeks.

1.  To obtain a QECO rating, follow the instructions at www.qeco.on.ca or call QECO at 1-800-385-1030 and request an application form.

2.  Once you have received your rating, submit the results to TVDSB Staffing Officer Jessica Grison Roeder at j.grisonroeder@tvdsb.ca before the July deadline or forward a copy of the confirmation card if your application is in process but will not be available by the due date.

The same July 31st deadline applies to proof of any post-certification teaching experience outside of TVDSB. Be sure to submit those documents to HR so that you can advance on the salary grid. 

Do not hesitate to contact the ETFO TVOT Local at etfotvot@gmail.com for further details.

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Goodbye to the TVOT Pocket Calendars: After the frustrations around the production and mailout of last year's pocket calendar, and because most of our members track dates electronically, the TVOT Executive decided to discontinue the pocket calendar and move the pertinent information over to our annual "For Your Reference" mailout. This should be in the mail before the end of this month.

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Kick off the new school year recharged and ready

Welcome back to another school year! We hope you’re feeling revitalized 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.

Read more at www.otip.com/article194. #OTIPUpdate

Summer is over, but the fun continues with OTIP!

Get a car, home or leisure insurance quote in September for your chance to win $1,000 cash to start the school year off right.

PLUS: Receive a $20 gift card of your choice when you get a quote! Get a quote or call 1-888-892-4935 and mention this offer.

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NEW - ETFO CB Ad/Video

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Outstanding Mandatory Training; Enhancements to TVOT Professional Learning Development Fund/PLDF, Reflection Forms; Religious Leave

 

Our Wednesday Blog is Back for 2025 - 2026. Check us each week for opportunities and important news for TVOT members. Your TVOT Local also mails out an annual Reference Newsletter so we ask you to ensure that your contact information with TVDSB is up to date - it is one of the conditions of your employment and the Local also relies on this information.

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Mandatory Online Training is also a condition of employment with TVDSB. Failure to complete this training can result in termination from the Occasional Teacher List. 

To access the training that was due last school year, log into the Employee Portal and click on Employee Training on the right side of the page. Look for modules listed under "2024-2025 OTE Required Training". Remember to click "Submit" after completing each module. To ensure these have been received, log out of the Portal. When you log back into this area, if the check marks are still there, then they have been acknowledged.

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Professonal Learning Development Fund / PLDF: Going forward, your TVOT Local will now provide up to $550/year for members who have been with us for at least 12 months and who wish to take courses related to their elementary teaching. New this year, if eligible members register for a course offered by ETFO Provincial (see https://etfo-aq.ca/ ), then the Local will pay the full $685 registration fee!

Register at www.etfotvot.com to access the application form in advance of taking the course.

2) Resource Rebate: Your TVOT Local will continue to provide up to $75/year for any member to purchase a professional book or resources related to their elementary teaching needs. Register at www.etfotvot.com to access the application form. The deadline to sumit a claim is May 30/26.

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1)   EARN EXTRA PAY: 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)  RELIGIOUS LEAVE: Article L10.09 entitles LTOs to entitlement leave for religious holidays in accordance with the Board Policies found on the TVDSB website www.tvdsb.ca under "Our Board" > "Policies and Procedures" > "Equity and Inclusion".  Application for this leave is in the Employee Portal, in the Laserfiche section on the right hand side. The supervisor for this purpose would be Roxanne Jones roxanne.jones@tvdsb.ca

Postings for Permanent and LTO Positions; Mandatory Training; QECO Ratings for LTO Pay; Lost Prep Periods; If Changing Address; TVOT Office Closes for the Summer

 

Permanent Positions - 

Round 4 permanent teaching vacancies for September 2025 will be posted within "Job Applications" in the Employee Portal once the internal staffing process is complete, anticipated to be June 26th in the afternoon. Postings will closed on June 30th at 4 PM. The summary of vacancies that are posted in "Job Applications" will also be posted in SharePoint Job Postings so that applicants can review the assignment details. There is no limit to the number of interviews TVOT members can accept. Interviews may take place commencing July 2, 2025.

LTO Positions -

Option 1 (Principal inteviews): Positions will be posted from July 2nd AM until July 4th at 4 PM.

Option 2 (Central Placements): Positions will be posted the week of August 1-8/25 with placements during the week of August 11th. Calls will be made between 8:30 AM -12:30 PM and then from 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM. 

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Mandatory Training Final Reminder:  In order to receive a 1/2 day of pay for the Mandatory Training found in the Employee Portal, it must be fully completed by this Friday, June 27th, 2025 at 4pm. Your Annual Offence Declaration and all Mandatory Training modules must be completed by August 31 (unpaid) prior to returning to work. 

If you are a teacher-retiree working as an Occasional Teacher and concerned that the Board's paid mandatory training may affect your pension, please contact: Terri Manning, TVDSB System Staff Development Specialist.  Email: t.manning@tvdsb.ca

Submit Your Claim -Occasional Teachers in daily and long-term assignments "...who are not able to receive their preparation payback period in the course of their assignment will be entitled to money in lieu." (per Letter of Understanding #5)

The deadline to submit a claim for this current school year is July 2/25 at 4 PM. A link has been sent via TVDSB's Outlook -https://forms.office.com/r/CjuCVz6wib

TVOT members can also claim for lost prep where an Occasional Teacher is hired for a vacancy for preparation time or meeting coverage, and that Occasional Teacher does not receive 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. (per Article L18.03 (b)

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Remember, it is a condition of employment to update  your contact information in the Board's Employee Portal under View/Change my Personal Information. Please update any new home addresses or phone numbers as soon as they change.

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A reminder that your Local ETFO TVOT Office will be closed after Friday June 27th and will re-open when school resumes in September. We do however check our etfotvot@gmail.com emails on a weekly basis.

Should an emergency occur where members require assistance from ETFO Provincial, you can contact them at 1-888-838-3836.

The ETFO Thames Valley Occasional Teachers' Local Office will be closed from June 28/25 until September 2/25. 

ETFO AQ Courses; Accessing TVDSB accounts from outside Canada; June 27 PA Day; Mandatory Training; Overpayments and Underpayments'

 

ETFO AQ course registration has been extended until Tuesday, June 24 at 11:59 PM. Explore the full list of 33 courses today at etfo-aq.ca as some are only offered during the summer season. Don't miss this opportunity to elevate your professoinal learning . Don't forget that TVOT members who have been on the list are eligible to apply once a year for Professional Learning Development Fund (PLDF) assistance of $500.  Register at www.etfotvot.com for access to your PLDF form.

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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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LTOs and June 27th PA Day - 

Unless the absent Teacher is returning and being paid for the last day of school, LTOs are expected to attend and be paid for that day.  (Article L20.03). Itinerant LTO assignments end on June 26th - they do not participate that day. (Letter of Understanding #6)

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Overpayments and Underpayments of Salary

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.

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Mandatory Training for Daily OTs and June 27 PA Day - 

The deadline to complete TVDSB's mandatory training modules for payment is June 27th. Completion is a condition of employment. 

Modules are posted in the Employee Portal under "Employee Training".  Once there, scroll down to "2024 - 2025 OTE Required Training" and complete the following modules for a half-day of salary to be paid in July. Contact Terri Manning in Staff Development at t.mannning@tvdsb.ca if there are difficulties.

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

 

June 20, 2025