OSSTF DISTRICT 21 TEACHERS REACH TENTATIVE SETTLEMENT WITH THE HWDSB

OSSTF District 21 Teachers have reached a tentative settlement with the Hamilton-Wentworth District School Board.

The settlement falls within the provisions set out by the Provincial Framework agreement.

Members will be notified with more information as soon as possible.

2nd Annual Social Justice Film Festival

Our 2nd Annual Social Justice Film Festival takes place every Thursday night in February. All are at the Downtown Arts Centre at 28 Rebecca Street in Downtown Hamilton. Films begin at 7pm and admission is a suggested donation of at least $5 to our participating charity which will change each evening.

5th - Secret of the Grain

12th - Water Front

19th - Un Poquito de Tanta Verdad (subtitled)

26th - Frozen River

Pension and Retirement Planning Workshops

Are you planning on retiring this year, or maybe even a couple of years down the road? Make sure that your financial and personal future is secure as it can be when taking the step out of the classroom for good.

On Thursday, February 12th the annual OTPP Workshop will be provided by our provincial Pension Officer, Ruth Kirkham. This workshop deals strictly with the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan and gives advice on how to calculate future income to determine whether you will be able to live the lifestyle you want in your retirement.

Tuesday, February 24th is a Financial Planning workshop for soon-to-be retirees that will focus on benefits packages and costs along with investment strategies. Representatives from OTIP and the Teachers’ Credit Union will be on hand to present and answer questions.

Both workshops begin at 4pm at the District office which is located at 1423 Upper Ottawa Street, Unit 2. Registration for both workshops begins on Thursday, January 22nd. Call Joanne Stirling at the District Office and specify which workshop you wish to attend.

Both workshops will include a light supper. Be responsible if registering other people as these are very popular workshops and no-shows prevent other from attending.

Please call if you find that you will be unable to attend.

Teachers' Unit - TGIF This Friday

TGIF Friday, January 30th at Kelsey's across from Westdale High School. From 3:30pm until 6pm. If you're driving across the city on the way home, please stop by. Start off Semester Two with some good food and traditional social networking.

OCCASIONAL TEACHERS RATIFY NEW COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT

OSSTF District 21 Occasional Teachers and the Hamilton Wentworth District School Board have ratified a new collective agreement. This agreement will be in place from August 31, 2008 to August 31, 2012, and is in accordance with the Ontario Government's Provincial Framework.

Occasional Teachers will receive a copy of the new Collective Agreement when it becomes available. For more information, please contact the District 21 Office.

PLEASE DONATE TO THE UNITED WAY

Dear Colleagues,

You may have heard from news reports that the United Way is $400,000 short of our campaign target this year. With the economic turmoil, job loss in Hamilton has meant that more and more families are turning to the United Way for community services and support. We need to be there for them, now more than ever.

I am a Board member of the United Way, and I do not want to be faced with the situation of having less funding for the community organizations that depend on us for support. These organizations help our students, their families, and our own members and their families on a daily basis.

Think of the difference that just $20 could make if every OSSTF 21 member made a similar donation.

Please, please consider donating to the United Way. You can do this online at http://www.uwaybh.ca/donate-now.php

OSSTF SIP VISIT ADVICE FOR TEACHERS

OSSTF SIP Visit Advice for Teachers

The Board has informed us that Principals will be making daily 30-minute visits to classrooms in order to report on the success of their School Improvement Plans. Principals do have the right to visit classrooms, even unannounced. Teachers, however, should clarify with Principals that the visit is a SIP visit. If it is, the following applies:

1. Teachers have the right to ask what SMART goals/ 4 pillars are being observed and what the indicators are.

2. Principals should not be asking for any documentation, eg. teacher plans, student work, etc.

3. Principals have been permitted by the Board to take notes. However, these are to be non-evaluative and should be observational only. They should not go into any teacher file. Principals have also been directed to provide you with a copy. All teachers should ensure they get a copy, and if notes are evaluative, they should call the District Office.

4. Observations are to be shared with the individual teacher only, not with others. If this becomes evaluative in any way, and/or a meeting to follow up the visit is called by the Principal, an OSSTF representative must be present with you. Teachers have the right to stop any such dialogue/meeting in order to get OSSTF representation.

5. Teachers should not dialogue about the performance of other colleagues with the Principal.

6. Teachers have the right to consult OSSTF on anything related to their job, and should feel free to do so. In the event that a teacher feels that the process has been in any way evaluative of their performance, they should speak to an OSSTF representative.

OSSTF OCCASIONAL TEACHERS REACH TENTATIVE AGREEMENT

A tentative agreement has been reached between OSSTF District 21 Occasional Teachers and the HWDSB. Occasional Teachers will be receiving a confidential copy of the new tentative agreement via mail.

A ratification vote will be held at the OSSTF District 21 Office, 1423 Upper Ottawa Street Units 2 and 3, on Thursday, January 15th between the hours of 9 AM and 5 PM. Please make yourself available to vote on this date.


Brian Radke, President, Occasional Teachers

SNOW DAYS

Members are reminded that the Board WILL deduct a sick day if you have called SEMS, even if that day turns out to be a snow day where schools are closed. In order to avoid this, members are advised not to call SEMS if there are inclement weather predictions until it is certain that schools will be open (usually after the 7 am news.)