June 2014

Volume 14, Issue 6

Inside this issue

2. President’s Year End Message 3. President Elect’s Message 4. Provincial Elections 2014 5. World Pride 6. TSU Elections and UAGM 8. Teacher Appreciation Night 12. Legislation

13. Professional Development 14. Blue Jays Game 15. The Aisle Seat Review 16. Important Dates

Reminders

June 30th—teachers informed of their assignments

September 1—Labour Day Parade (Check e-mails / TSU Website: tsuoecta.org)

For timely and accurate Bargaining and other news join the TSU

News List: http://tsuoecta.org/newsletter/lists/

Have a safe and enjoyable summer !

Join us for the Labour Day parade on Monday

September 1st, 2014! Meet your Colleagues

and get into the EX for free.

From Your TSU Executive Check www.tsuoecta.org or follow the TSU New list for details

From Dave Szollosy’s presentation

speech, to Rene’ Jansen in de Wal, on

his receiving the TSU Service Award:

“...The most important aspect of his talents

however, is revealed through his true

practice of servant leadership. With

Rene’, the person is always more im-

portant than the event. The relationship is

more important than result. Because of

this, he has empowered a whole new group

of teachers and affirmed the growth of the

busiest hub of teacher activism anywhere

in my experience.

...As one of the nominators said in their

letter, ‘it is the duty of TSU to formally

recognize Rene Jansen in de Wal for the

outstanding contribution and dedication as

an exemplary TSU member.’ And it is

my duty and privilege to say, thank you

Rene’ for your service, your guidance and

your friendship.”

Outgoing President Rene’ Jansen in de Wal, with his wife Lisa and incoming President, Dave

Szollosy, being presented with the TSU Service Award, at this year’s Teacher Appreciation Night.

Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association

TORONTO SECONDARY UNIT

Highlights is published monthly by the Toronto Secondary Unit of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers’ Association and is the result of the

collaborative efforts of the members of the communications committee.

G. Ardanaz (Chair), L. Hörhager,

B. Hudec; (Executive Liaison);

A. Orino.

All submissions are welcome. Please note that the next deadline for submissions is September 30, 2014.

Send articles to:

highlights@tsuoecta.org

Editorial Policy:

In accordance with the TSU by-laws, Highlights publishes opinions and other items of interest to our members as

Catholic teachers from a variety of viewpoints. The Edito-rial Board must approve articles prior to publication. The

editor may edit articles for reasons of length. The opinions expressed are those of the authors, not of OECTA-TSU as a

whole. Anonymous material will not be published, alt-hough names may be withheld on request.

Page 2 H IGHLIGHTS

2013—2014

TSU EXECUTIVE

“...A community needs a soul if it is to become a true home for human beings. You, the

people, must give it this soul.” (St.—Pope John Paul II)

It has been an absolute privilege serving the members of TSU. I have loved the chal-

lenge and learning every single day. I know some suggest this enthusiasm means I am

crazy. But the members, the executive team, and our committees are exemplary. I

have been the luckiest president in Ontario.

Yes, in the past few years there have been several other opportunities which I put off

until my commitment to TSU was complete. Some members have urged me to reconsid-

er these and other opportunities that have come forward. I appreciate the encourage-

ment. What great fortune I have to be excited about returning to a classroom at JPII to a

job I always loved, while having other potential opportunities that are also interesting

and challenging. I do not know what will come of those other opportunities now that I

have finished at TSU. What I do know is that I have loved the experience of working at

TSU. I also know I have driven past JPII every day and wondered who was getting

ready with “my kids” at the school. I know I am returning to 3 Geography, 2 PE and a

CR class in September. I know I will return to coaching and to my son who is at the

school playing on most of the sports I have coached.

I thank all members for your passion, professionalism and your pride. We are the heart

of one of the best education systems in the world. I will forever be grateful you have

blessed me with the privilege of representing you. I am proud to have the opportunity to

work again with colleagues in our schools and classes. I wish you all a most peaceful

and restful summer.

“Leadership has a harder job to do than just choose sides. It must bring sides together.”

Jesse Jackson

———————————————————————————————————————

LTD Plan going to Mediation with Provincial OECTA – Be sure to read the MCT

LTD Bulletin, visit the website and follow TSU News List

President’s Message: Returning to the Class

By Rene Jansen in de Wal, TSU President

Top Row left to right

Mike Nicolaidis Councillor Rosemary Lavery Treasurer Sabina Barbagallo Executive Assistant Pete McKay Councillor Steve Watson Councillor Bottom Row left to right

Veronica Tuzi Recording Secretary Bianka Hudec 3rd Vice President Gillian Vivona 2nd Vice President René Jansen in de Wal President Dave Szollosy 1st Vice President

WWW.TSUOECTA.ORG Page 3

The Year Ahead by Dave Szollosy, 1st Vice President (President Elect)

The 2014 TSU Executive elections were particularly successful in-

sofar as they represented a very large increase over the last year in

the number of people voting. The increased participation rate

speaks well of the efforts to engage people and invite them to a

deeper sense of ownership over the union. “My OECTA” must re-

main our theme going forward.

This deeper concern for the welfare of the profession and each other

was also reflected in the participation rates of teachers canvassing

and working E-day for “education friendly” candidates in the recent

provincial election. Anxiety and uncertainty over the outcome of

the election caused me to delay finishing this article, as the tone

could have been very different, depending on the results.

Provincial Collective Bargaining

Our current collection of documents governing the terms and condi-

tions of employment (which includes the previous collective agree-

ment, the Provincial Memorandum of Understanding 2012, various

amendments to the MoU, Grievance Arbitration decisions) will ex-

pire this August.

With the re-election of the Liberals, we can assume that Bill 122

(the legislation that created a provincial bargaining model) will re-

main as the modus operandi governing the financial aspects of our

contract. OECTA provincial has appointed its bargaining team as

has the Catholic Trustees’ Association. Their first task (after deter-

mining when to meet – which does not appear to be until September

now) will be to determine the scope of their bargaining. In other

words, what areas other than salary and benefits will be under the

auspices of negotiation by the provincial body?

The OECTA Council of Presidents and Bargaining Chairs have met

in workshops and meetings to establish the priorities for bargaining

in this first official round of the era of Provincial Bargaining.

Do not expect anything resolved early in the fall.

Local Collective Bargaining

Although our Local Collective Bargaining Team, under chief negoti-

ator Claire Bonk, has been hard at work reviewing local needs and

priorities and researching background information (watch for contin-

uing member survey in September), they will not actually begin the

face-to-face negotiations on the local aspects of the Collective

Agreement until after the Provincial Process is complete. In many

ways, the determination of the respective spheres of responsibility is

a work in progress and until the upper-tier negotiations are com-

plete, we will not know precisely the areas to be considered locally.

As we begin the new school year in September, without a newly

negotiated Collective Agreement, the terms and conditions under

which we have worked for the last two years will continue, as all

Collective Agreements have rolled over in the past. This includes

the 97 day delay in recognizing additional year experience and addi-

tional qualifications.

Ratification

Some of the fears concerning contract stripping and massive lay-offs

have been deflected by the defeat of the Hudak Tories and their anti-

worker agenda so that at this point we have no expectations of hav-

ing to undertake job action. Things can change.

Regardless, because of changes in our Provincial Handbook at the

2013 AGM, thanks in no small part to the efforts of TSU, a situation

such as developed with the 2012 MoU cannot take place again.

Before any agreement is approved, it must come back to the mem-

bers for ratification. Every teacher will have a vote on whether to

accept the terms of the new Collective Agreement, both those nego-

tiated at the Provincial table and the local table.

TSU Organization

All Teacher Representatives are to be elected by the end of the third

week of June. LSSAC members are not elected until September.

Committee appointments and Executive Liaisons will be completed

before the end of June as well, as some groups (eg. Labour Liaison)

need to work over the summer.

Executive assignments will leave 1st Vice-president, Gillian Vivona,

as the lead on SSP matters as she has developed a very effective

model for dealing with the short term leave issues and relationships

with those members. By by-law, she will also be overseeing com-

munications. 2nd Vice-president, Pete McKay will assume the role

of Grievance Officer, an easy transition for him as he has been

working intensely in this portfolio as a member of SSSAC and the

Grievance Committee. 3rd Vice-president Bianka Hudec will retain

the role of lead on WSIB cases. Other portfolios will be decided as

the new term begins.

Challenges

The lead up to the provincial election has shown us the area of vul-

nerability that the anti-worker forces seek to exploit, that is, member

alienation. Some of this, admittedly, has been exacerbated by the

internal conflicts with the Association, but we have seen how quick-

ly we could lose everything: hard won gains to working conditions;

job security; even collective rights, completely. We will be building

on the great work done by the Beginning Teachers’ and other Com-

mittees to expand in the inclusive, invitational aspect of TSU.

TSU has a great opportunity to enhance the context of our teaching

vocation and guarantee rights in working conditions through the

series of Joint Committees with the Board. These are an expression

of an ongoing evolution of rights through our Collective Agreement.

However, like the Collective Agreement itself, they remain only as

strong as the energy we are able to put into the research and prepara-

tion of the topics.

The changes to our working conditions created since the imposition

of the MoU have accelerated demands for support and challenged

our capacity to meet the needs of all members, especially when they

are facing a crisis or in a vulnerable state. This is when the union

must be at its peak and most responsive. How we re-allocate re-

sources or augment our capacity is a problem that has fallen to us.

Regardless of all, I am confident that the release officers, executive,

Teacher Representatives, and members will continue to work togeth-

er to meet the challenges and work together to the mutual support

and benefit of all.

The provincial election of June 2014 began with a bang that scared

many across the province. Hudak’s reckless claim that he would fire 100,000

public servants, cut taxes and yet continue to reduce services for the

average citizen, was roundly defeated as the Liberals won a majority govern-

ment.

To many, the Liberals did not earn a majority win on their record.

The majority came about as the votes were split in a desperate effort to stop

what was seen as a return to the Harris past. A past which has haunted this

province for the last 20 years.

The Political Advisory Committee, chaired by Sean O’Connor,

along with the Executive Liaison, TSU Second Vice President Gillian Vi-

vona, deserve much praise in their work to help out TSU map out a voting

strategy. It is worth noting that the TSU voting strategy centered on how to

best protect our publicly supported educational system along with the gov-

ernment services that make us a great and caring society to live in. TSU and

OECTA has always supported policies that support public education.

TSU teachers gave up their time and energy to work in many cam-

paigns, especially to support the following: Peter Tabuns (NDP—Toronto

Danforth); Yvan Baker ( Liberal, Etobicoke-Centre ); Peter Milczyn (Liberal,

Etobicoke-Lakeshore) ; Rosario Marchese (NDP, Trinity– Spadina); Mitzie

Hunter (Liberal, Scarborough-Guildwood); Monte Kwinter, (Liberal, York

Centre)

Provincial Election 2014

By Gerard M. Ardanaz, St. Mary’s & Veronica Tuzi, TSU Recording Secretary

OECTA Marches in World Pride this June!! By Veronica Tuzi, Recording Secretary, on behalf of the Human Rights Committee

More than 600 delegates representing 45,000 members at the Annual General Meeting of the Ontario English

Catholic Teachers’ Association (OECTA) adopted the following motion on March 10:

That the Association show its support for Gay-Straight Alliances (GSAs) and its lesbian, gay, bisexual,

transgendered, two-spirited and queer (LGBTTQ) members by registering for and marching in the World

Pride Parade on June 29, 2014.

There is no doubt that students and teachers in Catholic schools, like other publicly funded schools in

Ontario, face bullying and discrimination that sometimes has fatal consequences. Few in our society would

disagree that more must be done to change the culture of our schools in order to allow individuals, without

exception, to lead healthy lives free of harassment and prejudice

OECTA believes that taking the public stand of marching in the World Pride Parade 2014 will provide

comfort and support to our students and teachers who frequently struggle in a hostile environment that does

not offer them the support and protection they are owed as citizens of Ontario and Canada.

(http://www.oecta.on.ca)

There has been a great deal of feedback and controversy surrounding this decision to march in the Pride

Parade this year. Many are concerned that this is against Catholic values, and it can seen by some as a divi-

sive issue. However, what needs to be understood is that support for the dignity and compassion for

members of the LGBTQ community does not mean we do not support Church teachings on chastity

and morality. It is a matter of supporting those who are discriminated against and made outcasts in our so-

ciety. The Gospel message asks us to care for our brothers and sisters, regardless of any perceived differ-

ences we may have.

OECTA is a registered participant in the Toronto World PRIDE Parade on June 29, 2014. Parade participant

groups are limited to 100 marchers. Therefore the OECTA marchers will be limited to members and their

families and staff and their families. We will be communicating with OECTA participants by email on

parade details.

TSU members look for the TSU Flags to find each other! Suggested time to gather is 1:00 pm for a 2:00 pm

parade start.

W WW. TSU OE CT A. OR G Page 6

TSU Election Results & Unit Annual General Meeting

Election results for May 22, 2014 (elected candidates are in Bold)

President o Frank Bruno - 312

o Dave Szollosy - 570

1

st Vice President

o Antonella Di Carlo - 330

o Gillian Vivona - 539

2

nd Vice President

o Pete McKay - 678

o Steve Watson - 170

3

rd Vice President

o Bianca Hudec

(ACCLAIMED) Treasurer

o Rosemary Lavery (in middle

of 2 year term) Secretary

o Veronica Tuzi

(ACCLAIMED) Councillor

o Sheila Gatensby - 568

o Christopher Premdas - 326

o Michael Nicolaidis -510

o Angela Tersigni -596

Congratulations

to our new 2014-2015 TSU Executive.

Page 7 H IGHLIGHTS

OECTA’s Communication Awards program honours achievement among OECTA units for their communication projects, websites and publications.

PUBLIC RELATIONS / MEDIA RELATIONS

Toronto Secondary Unit – New Hire Day at TSU

Teacher Appreciation Night 2014 By Highlights Committee

Page 8 H IGHLIGHTS

On Tuesday, June 10 2014, TSU members made their way to the annual Teacher Appreciation Night, traditionally held at the Fantasy

Farm Banquet Hall. This event celebrates and honours TSU members who are retiring this year and also recognizes members currently

serving as Teacher Representatives and TSU Unit Committees, ranging from Beginning Teachers to Human Rights, Political Advisory

to Communications. The evening started off with beverages and mingling, to a fine dinner, courtesy of their buffet and barbeque. The

dinner was followed by recognition of the retirees and ended with the presentation of TSU Awards. Teacher Appreciation Night is our

final celebration of the school year, a final chance for our members to enjoy refreshments and dinner, a chance to celebrate our achieve-

ments, a chance to introduce and re-acquaint us with members of other Unit Committees. Special thanks go out to all the TSU mem-

bers who came out and last, but not least, extra special thanks goes out to Theresa Oakley, Sabina Barbagallo and the Membership Ser-

vices Committee for organizing this event.

Iole Bada Karen Brinkos Paul Colautti Halina Cosentino

Omega De Mello Paul Gagliano Linda Gollick Hendrika Haason

We respectfully remember those unit members who have passed away, and are now in the light of Christ:

Liliana Lacavera, Brian Rumboldt, Eugene Andrew Sztuka

Page 9 H IGHLIGHTS WWW.TSUOECTA.ORG Page 9

Sam Pupo Kate Richardson

Judy Omelan Sergio Pancino Doris Elaine Pitts

Krystyna Posylek

Molly Hart-Cosgrove Gregory Kelly Barbara Kenney

Antoniette Liscio

Teacher Appreciation Night 2014 By Highlights Committee

Walter Rubino

Marsha Lecour

W WW. TSU OE CT A. OR G Page 10

We would like to add our congratula-

tions and express our gratitude to the

following retiring teachers who were

not able to join us:

Sean Allen, Paula Badali, Salvatore

Beniamino, Evert Bogerd, John

Chapko, Louise Chaput-Ross, Vito

Colangelo, Jacek Cygan, Marcello

D’Agostino, Anna Fiume, Beverly

Funnell, Larry Kavalek, Roman

Kuczuk, Timothy Lee, Mark Madej,

Morris Maragoni, Duane McDonald,

Elisabeth Molnar, Michel Morneau,

Rose Murphy, Pamela Neundorf-

Novack, Savino Quagliara, Edward

Raposo, Lisa Selinger, Teresa Silla-

Sabotig, Linda Thomson, Richard Van

Boxmeer, Claudio Vitullo.

Joan Treacy Xavier Wynn-Williamns Catherine Temple

Page 11 H IGHLIGHTS

Teacher Rep Award: Luciano Perfetti

Presented by Rosemary Lavery

Award of Recognition: Helen Kennedy, EGALE Canada Human Rights Trust, Presented by Pete McKay

Award of Recognition: Royson James, The Toronto Star, Presented by Rene Jansen in de Wal

Service Award: for Rene Jansen in de Wal

Presented by Dave Szollosy

Teacher of the Year Award: Veronica Tuzi

Presented by C. Steven Watson

Beginning Teacher Award: Ralph Sette

Presented by Veronica Tuzi

Sacha Richard-

son is congratu-

lated by Bianka

Hudec for re-

ceiving a Com-

munications

Award from

OECTA for

“New Teacher

Hire Day”

Dr. Gabriel

Ayyavoo receives

congratulations

from Bianka

Hudec for receiv-

ing the Prime

Minister of

Canada’s Teach-

ing Excellence

Award 2013

Linda Gollick is

thanked for her

“Reply on behalf of

Retirees” by TSU

1st Vice-President,

Dave Szollosy

Recognition of Toronto Police Service Division 22: P.C. Mark

Hannah, P.C. Luke Anderson, and P.C. Sebastian Szulc

Presented by: Gillian Vivona

W WW. TSU OE CT A. OR G Page 12

Legislation by Christopher Premdas, Pope John Paul II CSS

The legislation committee is

tasked with the study of the constitution, by

-laws, statement of policy, action directives

and procedures. This includes studies and

reports of legislation to be submitted to the

Unit Annual General Meeting. When we

receive resolutions from the membership,

the legislation committee needs to determine

the constitutionality and make any sugges-

tions. Any resolutions deemed out of order

by the legislation committee will be re-

turned to the member for resubmission.

All Unit resolutions were submit-

ted before the floor for the UAGM on May

14, 2014. Below is a summary those resolu-

tions that passed. The by-laws that were put

forward were:

Section 7: Unit Executive begin-

ning 2016 the term of the Office of Presi-

dent, first vice-president and second vice-

president will be elected for two terms, the

term of office for the Treasurer will be two

years, elected in alternate cycle and the term

of the other executive members will be one

year.

The second by-law Section 9-local

schools OECTA council is an environ-

mental Steward Representative.

The third by-law Section 10 that all

Standing Committees shall conduct

confidential sessions ‘in camera’ in

order to demarcate precisely for mem-

bers which parts of the meeting are

confidential and which are not.

The fourth by-law Section 1 budget be

amended by an insertion of a part that if

the Executive assigns an expense to a

committee budget line, this does not

reduce the committee budget approved

at the Budget meeting.

Procedures passed were:

All Unit General Meetings shall be

minuted (which confirms current prac-

tice);

With exception of the Minutes of the

Unit AGM all Unit General meeting

minutes shall be approved at the subse-

quent Unit General Meeting.

Procedure 5-Standing Committees by

insertion of a new section: Environ-

mental Stewardship Committee: This

will connect with teachers who have

taken a leadership role on the Steward-

ship under the TCDSB’s EcoSchools

Certification Process.

Procedure 8: Payment of expenses be

amended by the deletion of $15 and

substitution of $20. That the allowance

be $20 for authorized TSU business.

The resolutions to the 2014 TSU-Bargaining

Unit AGM

For article II-Section 3-Duties of the

Bargaining Unit Executive Officers

(Legislation Committee) that the sec-

ond highest ranking officer shall be

released from teaching duties full time

(which confirms current practice).

TSU-BU executive shall maintain

a list of qualified Bargaining Unit

members for occasional replace-

ment of Designated Worker mem-

ber, for the purpose of replacing

the Designated Worker Members

in their absence.

Article II-Section 8-Local School

Staffing Advisory Committee

(Legislation): the procedure will

adjust timelines for LSSAC elec-

tions.

Action Directives

That TSU-BU strike up a working

group to study and propose chang-

es to the Unit and Bargaining

Unit by-laws and procedures to

separate and present the budgets

for the two parallel units.

The TSU-BU Executive will re-

view the question of whether a

Designated Worker Member can

simultaneously serve on the Exec-

utive. There will be a report back

to the membership by March

1,2015.

The UAGM was successful as resolu-

tions were debated on the floor. When

votes were too close to call, the Speak-

er could call for division which would

be a standing vote. It is an experience

to see members engaged in the demo-

cratic process .

The Executive donned pink shirts at the April

Executive meeting, in order to show support

for the Day of Pink. The Day of Pink is

meant to draw attention and awareness to

homophobic and transphobic bullying,

especially in schools.

Page 13 H IGHLIGHTS

Attending the OBEA Conference on May

1st and 2nd was a fabulous experience.

They had an excellent selection of work-

shops and presentations to choose from.

The main focus this year was on financial

literacy, SHSM, technology and teaching

strategies. However, a variety of work-

shops covering all areas of Business Stud-

ies was offered. It was difficult to choose

which presentations to attend as they all

were very applicable. The keynote speak-

er, Steve Levine, from Investor Education

fund, provided the financial literacy

“Funny Money” presentation, which was

spectacular, especially if you won money.

I would definitely encourage schools to

reserve the Funny Money presentation for

their students.

Presenters shared many resources/

materials, experiences and knowledge,

highlighting strategies that worked and

ones that did not work for them. As well

as workshops, vendors and corporate spon-

sor displays were available for educators to

view. The Economic Club of Canada is an

example of a vendor who provided infor-

mation regarding their programs. A “Day

on Bay” program is provided each year to

high school students across Ontario.

This field trip gives students a first-hand

experience of Toronto’s Financial District.

They also provide a “Bay Street Boot

Camp” which runs in the summer. Check

out their website for more information

(http://www.economicclub.ca).

In addition to OBEA competi-

tions, there is also the “Financial Literacy

Competition” which usually runs in May.

Students need to sign up for the FLC in

advance in order to receive practice ques-

tions and tips to prepare them for the com-

petition. For more information and details

about the FLC, visit www.uwaterloo.ca/

school-of-accounting-and-finance/teachers

-and-counsellors/financial-literacy-

competition.

Overall, the conference was a

success and it gave me a chance to learn,

share and collaborate with my colleagues.

If you haven’t been to an OBEA confer-

ence, I encourage members to attend at

least one day; I know you’ll enjoy it.

The TSU Special Individual-

ized Professional Develop-

ment Grants ($500 and

$1000)were a big hit this

past year!

We are going to continue the

program into the new

school year, but remember,

these are awarded on a first

come, first served basis.

Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed

our PD reviews and have

some ideas of your own!!

The Professional

Development Committee

On Saturday April 5, 2014, the Ontario

Advanced Placement Conference took

place at the Fairmont Royal York hotel,

Toronto. It was a huge gathering of teach-

ers who prepare students to write AP ex-

ams. The representatives were not only

from Ontario, but also from many places in

Canada, and even Australia. AP exams are

popular because when a student prepares

for an AP exam, she or he prepares to

study successfully at a university. Moreo-

ver, some universities accept grades from

AP exams as 1st year credits. The history

of Ontario students’ participation in AP

exams is more than 25 years long, and

every year more and more Ontario schools

join the cohort.

At the AP Calculus workshop, the skills

and knowledge that AP Calculus AB and

BC exams assess were identified and ex-

plained. It gave us the opportunity to iden-

tify the tasks and materials for which stu-

dents might need more preparation. The

presenter had an enormous experience in

preparation, administration and marking of

the exam. We got first-hand information as

to how exams are marked, what types of

mistakes students usually make, and how it

is possible to prepare students to avoid

common preventable mistakes.

There was a discussion among Ontario

educator participants about challenges in

designing instructions, following the AP

Syllabus, and meeting the Ontario curricu-

lar requirements for the Calculus and Vec-

tors course. Many schools face the same

difficulties wherever AP programs are not

supported by a school administration in

terms of proper scheduling and resource

distribution. The success of students in the

AP Calculus exam is not only the result of

the hard work of students and teachers in

grade 12, but also it is in an effective im-

plementation of pre-AP strategies, teaching

advanced topics for vertical teams, and

support of a school community.

The conference was an excellent profes-

sional development opportunity that ener-

gizes and inspires towards the growing of

student success.

OBEA Conference by Teresa D’Addario, Francis Libermann

AP Calculus Conference by Svitlana Kalashnikova, Francis Libermann

W WW. TSU OE CT A. OR G Page 14

Beginning Teachers Blue Jays by Veronica Tuzi, Recording Secretary

The 190 teachers who turned up for the

Blue Jays game on Friday May 30 could

not have asked for better weather or a

better experience! Teachers at all levels

of experience came together to have a fun

night out. The Jays didn’t end up win-

ning, but that didn’t dampen their spirits!

And the feedback has been very gratify-

ing, with many people expressing thanks

and admiration at how well organized the

night was. A very big thank you goes out

to the Beginning Teachers Committee,

spearheaded by Angela Tersigni, who has

held fantastic events all year for the be-

ginning teachers in the TCDSB.

We intend to have another Jays night next

year, but we have a surprise in store for

that event! Stay tuned!

WWW .TSUOECTA.ORG Page 15

Irish writer-director Mark Carney brought attention to independ-

ent cinema with his emotionally-raw musical drama Once, starring

Glen Hansaard and Marketa Irglova, a film that went on to earn an

Oscar for Original Song, and also became a Tony Award-winning

Broadway hit musical. Mark Carney goes from the overnight streets

of Dublin across the Atlantic to the streets of Manhattan with Begin

Again, his new movie starring Keira Knightley, Mark Ruffalo, Adam

Levine, Hailee Steinfeld, James Corden and Catherine Keener.

Dan (Ruffalo) is an eccentric, washed-up record-label executive

in need to new talent in order to stay alive in the ever-changing mu-

sic industry. On top of that, his estranged daughter (Steinfeld) has

come to live with him after a miserable time with her equally-

estranged mother (Keener). At the same time, Greta (Knightley) is

lovelorn when her songwriting partner and college sweetheart

(Levine) is led astray by newfound fame after landing a deal with a

record label. She takes her raw talent to a local nightclub that Dan

just happens to frequent. One song of love lost has Dan immediately

hooked and he begins to imagine a proper musical arrangement with

the right professional musicians – fully determined to take her under

his wings. Dan comes up with a unique way of recording an album:

Each track will be recorded in different parts of New York City. The

result is a collaborative effort not only to establish them profession-

ally, but also an opportunity to move forward in their personal and

emotional lives.

Three things caught my attention about this film when I first saw

this as a repeat screening last September during the Toronto Film

Festival, a film that was originally titled Can A Song Save Your

Life? The first is the fascinating pairing of Keira Knightley and

Adam Levine as a screen couple, albeit briefly in the beginning and

then in flashback: Keira as an established actress singing for the first

time; Adam as an established singer is acting for the first time.

Though not a professional singer by any means, Keira Knightley,

nonetheless, pulls off an impressive singing debut. Her voice is gen-

tle, but subtle enough to mask her character’s true uncertainty and

sadness. Adam Levine makes an impressive acting debut as a newly

-discovered rock singer riding the roller coaster that is fame.

The second thing worth noting is the pop-infused soundtrack fea-

turing original songs written by Gregg Alexander, Danielle Brisebois

(both have written for New Radicals and Ronan Keating), Rick

Nowells, John Carney, and Glen Hansaard, to name but a few. Sure-

ly, a soundtrack will have to be available any minute now and I’m

sincerely hoping that it will be worth the wait and will enjoy the

same impact and success as the soundtrack for Once did for its mov-

ie.

The third thing is just how great New York City looks in this

movie. From one iconic location to another, from one hidden gem to

another, whether the characters recording the songs are sitting on

stairwells on brownstone houses, or atop the apartment roofs of

Manhattan, or even inside a busy subway station, Mark Carney sets

the film as if it were a love letter to the city. If it is his intention to

do so, then he deserves to be very successful for his efforts, allowing

the viewer to easily feed off his affection and affinity for this place.

Begin Again is an upbeat, light-hearted film about second chanc-

es, of being able to move forward in life. It moves gracefully as a

breeze on a warm summer afternoon. You can’t help but be attracted

to a vibrant New York City in the summertime in all its nooks and

crannies from the East Side to Manhattan to Washington Square to

Bethesda Fountain in Central Park. All of this set to a great sound-

track featuring Keira Knightley and Adam Levine. This was one of

the very last films I saw on the final day of TIFF’13 and it put a

smile on my face as I left the theatre. I look forward to watching this

film again to see if it still holds well since last September. Here’s

hoping that, when I’m back in NYC early July, I’ll be able to check

it out in their best movie theatre and be able to walk out of there with

the same warmth that I got out of it the first time around.

On a personal note, it occurred to me that I’ve been writing The

Aisle Seat for a decade now. As I look back and reflect on these past

writings, I am absolutely amazed how fast ten years of writing movie

reviews can go by. To that end, I would like to take this opportunity

(once again) to thank the TSU Communications Committee and the

Executive (both past and present) as well as those who’ve sent kind

words and compliments over the years – thank you for your continu-

ing support. However, if I may indulge for a brief moment, I would

like to acknowledge one person in particular. He asked me years ago

if I could write a review for a particular movie for TSU Highlights.

Though a bit adamant at first, his encouragement allowed me to step

up to the plate and give it my all. Who knew that what seemed to

have been a one-time only article would lead to this? Gerard Arda-

naz: Many Thanks!

To everyone else:

Thank you for read-

ing, have a great

summer, and looking

forward to writing

again next year.

The Aisle Seat - Review: Begin Again By: Alan Orino, St. Mary’s CSS

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TSU, in cooperation with Divine grace and in solidarity with the

Catholic community, serves the professional and contractual needs of its members.

CORE VALUES

Dignity of the Individual * Professionalism Catholic Education * Faith Based Community

VISION

to be a proud community of Catholic educators

to collectively establish and protect members rights

to create, maintain and broaden respectful and collegial relationship with partners in Catholic education

to have a commitment to strategic planning cycle

to have a have established effective communications

to be recognized and respected advocates for public Catholic Education

to network with the broader community

to model Christ by supporting each other as brothers and sisters

to assist in professional and spiritual development of our members

to be effective Catholic advocates of social justice in the broader community

Page 16

TSU Mission Statement

H IGHLIGHTS

Important Dates

The TSU Executive has approved Solidarity funds for the following organizations in

May & June 2014:

Opening the Closet on Aging: Wired to Connect

Beit Zatoun

Lake Joe (CNIB Youth Camp)

Day of Reflection for Catholic Parents of

Lesbian Daughters

Toronto Palestine Film Festival

Adventure Learning Experience Program

Cuban Schools Project Toronto Friendship School

Cuban Schools Project Ingles Para Ti English

Impact Malawi

Camp Micah Youth Social Justice Camp

Gaza’s Ark Turtle Island Humanitarian Aid

Birthright

Solidarity Funds

June 29 World Pride March

June 30 Teachers will be informed of their

assignments for the following school year.

(Article 6.07)

Sept 1 Application forms for related experience to

be made available. (Article 4.06 (d))

Sept 1 Labour Day Parade (meet at University

and Queen)

Sept 15 Local School Staffing Advisory Committee

(LSSAC) established (Article 5.05 (a))

Sept 15 Board must post in each staff room copies

of the Occupational Health & Safety

Act and the Asbestos Regulations

including the TCDSB Asbestos

Management Program (AMP)

The Board shall also make available the

WHMIS regulations.

Have a great summer!!