The District 14 Political Action / Excellence in Education Committee would like to announce that they are now accepting nominations for Excellence in Education Awards, and is offering funding for Special Projects done by our members in their schools.

The Excellence in Education Awards are aimed to recognize adults in our education community who normally would not receive recognition.  These include Teachers, Support Staff and Community Members.  Students are not eligible for this award.  Nomination Forms need to be completed and submitted District Office by April 20, 2010.  Award criteria and nomination forms are available on our website or from your Branch President.  Awards will be handed out at the Annual General Meeting on May 11, 2010.

The PAC / EiE Special Project Fund is available to members to help support a special, one time event that enhances the school community.  These projects may include art festivals, anniversary event, production of a CD or book, bringing in a special guest speaker, or any other similar activities which OSSTF District 14 members make a contribution to.  Application Forms are available on this website or from your Branch President.  Forms are due to District Office by April 15, 2010.

The OSSTF/FEESO Provincial Council Nominations Committee invites members who are interested in contributing to the work of the Federation by serving on a Provincial Committee or Council to consider making an application.

The committees and councils which require new members include: Benevolent Council, Certification Council, Collective Bargaining Committee, Comité des Services en Langue Française, Communications/Political Action Committee, Educational Services Committee, Finance Committee, Human Rights Committee, Parliamentary and Constitution Council, and Status of Women Committee.

To learn more about these councils and committees or to submit an application, follow the link to the Provincial Council webpage .  Applications can be submitted online, via fax or by mail.  Completed applications must be submitted to Provincial Office by March 1, 2010.

The Provincial Educational Services Committee is hosting its next biennial conference – “Tools & Toys…Technology in Education"  The 2010 Conference will be held at the Doubletree by Hilton-Toronto Airport, 655 Dixon Road, Toronto, Ontario from Wednesday, October 27- Friday, October 29, 2010. It will focus on the varied impact of technology upon educational settings in Ontario.

We are currently seeking proposals for workshops, highlighting new and innovative processes, technologies, techniques, and tools. All educational workers and related professionals are invited to submit a workshop application form relating to the theme of the conference. Suggested topics with respect to technology include:

• educating students;
• providing professional development for effective technology use;
• social networking;
• technology in the workplace;
• technology to improve student achievement;
• assistive technologies;
• wonders of technology in education;
• the use & abuse of technology;
• understanding terminology.

 If you have a workshop topic which you believe would be appropriate for consideration, please submit / fax your fully completed APPLICATION FORM no later than April 9, 2010 to:

Anne Marie Sutton, Conference Secretary, 60 Mobile Drive, Toronto, Ontario, M4A 2P3;  (Tel) 416-751-8300, ext. 326 or 1-800-267-7867 / (Fax) 416-751-7079

District 14 has a wealth of talent, and the Province is looking for more people to contribute their classroom and professional expertise! 

Due to the high demand for the for OSSTF/FEESO’s Effective Practices for Classroom Management and STAR workshops, the Educational Services Department is holding another Train-the-Trainer event on Feb. 10, 11 and 12th, 2010.   In order to be considered as a part of our presentation team, you must be able to obtain time release (paid for by OSSTF/FEESO) from your employer and be available to travel to deliver workshops in districts and bargaining units in various parts of the province.   If you are interested in applying to be part of this initiative, please send a detailed letter of application clearly outlining:

•      your current position, work location, district and bargaining unit;
•      demonstrated commitment to addressing this issue;
•      your suitability as a presenter;
•      your experience as a presenter;
•      two letters of reference from people(one from an OSSTF/FEESO member)  
•      a work and home telephone contact number;
•      a current personal e-mail address.

Please forward your letter of application with references to Catherine Renfrew, Executive Assistant by mail to 60 Mobile Drive, Toronto, Ontario, M4A 2P3 or if you have questions, please call Catherine Renfrew at 1-800-267-7867 (ext 254).  Applications are to be received by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, January 29, 2010.

Overwhelmed by the expectations of your school improvement team?   Seeking new ways to engage your students?  Want support and time to learn how to use the whiteboard in your classroom  more effectively?  Need a couple of days out of the classroom to revive your teaching mojo?
The following opportunity is just for you.  The Ontario Teachers Federation (OTF) is sponsoring a two day workshop in mid February that combines critical thinking approaches to teaching and use of technology to unleash the inner tech teaching wizard within you!   Almost all the cost of this workshop is covered by OTF: class coverage, accommodation, and much of the conference fees.  You only have to come up with $50 for registration.  (And you might even get your department, or administrator to cover that portion.)  If you are interested at all, please check the link at the bottom of the page, to read testimonials of previous workshops, and more information about this event.

This workshop will fill up, so if you are interested please register today!

Checkout OTF Workshop Feb 12 -13, 2010

February 28 is an important date in our Collective Agreement.  It is a deadline for a number of actions that members may wish to take when it comes to the next school year.

It is important that members who wish to apply for any of the items listed below do so before February 28 to ensure that they are received by the Employer in good time.  Members are urged to submit their applications well in advance of the deadline.

These items include, but are not limited to:

• Request for a transfer
• Request for an increase or decrease in FTE status
• Application for Self-Funded or Unpaid Leaves
• Application for Right to Recall for Surplus Teachers from the previous school year

 Members should refer to the Collective Agreement for more details about these and other important deadlines throughout the school year.  A poster will be made available to all branches by mid-January that highlights the above items, or can be viewed on our District 14 website by clicking HERE .

Members should note that February 28, 2010 is on a SUNDAY.  Therefore, no one will be available at the Board Office for technical support or to verify that your request has been received on that weekend.  Members are encouraged to submit their requests well in advance of the deadline.

Now that the first "snow day" has arrived and most of the buses have been cancelled, members need to be reminded of the KPR's Inclement Weather Policy when it comes to reporting to work.  A summary of the policy is located on our website by clicking the link on the left tool bar under "Important Articles", or you can CLICK HERE.

Also, you can go to the KPRDSB Inclement Weather Policy document on their website to see the entire policy. 

OSSTF / FEESO is looking for proposals for practical, stand-alone, progressive, classroom-ready lessons/unit plans of 4 to 5 lessons in length on social issues such as (but not limited to) globalization, world peace, anti-discrimination, environmental issues, universal child care, sexual harassment, aboriginal issues, poverty and other related issues.

These units must:

• be original material;
• not have been previously published or adapted from existing published material, nor directly include material from other copyrighted sources (note: copyrighted material, such as articles or photographs, may be referenced in the unit but not directly included without copyright permission). In other words, if you didn’t write it or create it, we can’t republish it without explicit copyright permission;
• not have been developed for a board or on board time;
• have been field-tested and proven effective in providing credible alternatives or supplements to fill gaps in existing curriculum.