Sea to Sky Teachers’ Association Suite 104-40775 Tantalus Road, Squamish, BC V8B 0N2 Phone 604-892-3056 Fax 604-892-2296 . . . . . Please visit our website at: www.bctf.ca/ssta . . . . September 16, 2016 Steve Lloyd SSTA President 604-892-3056 [email protected]the voice of the SSTA: make yours heard Taking Care of Ourselves and Each Other Greetings SSTA colleagues and friends. Hope you had a wonderful summer! All but the most youthful among us appear ten years younger now than we will on the last day of autumn - that day before the solstice when we look up from the last marked project/essay/papier- mache dinosaur for 2016 and say to our partner/friend/ mirror “What just happened?” No pressure. In all seriousness, ‘no (added) pressure’ is what the SSTA seeks for you in 2016/17, this first full year of K-9 new curriculum implementation; of 10-12 new curriculum exploration; of SD48’s new Assessment Plan; of contin- ued weaving aboriginal ways of learning and knowing into curriculum and pedagogy; of more about Pathways, and Competencies, and Learning by Design; all while our classrooms remain under the most intense resource stresses in Canada here in beautiful BC. Your suggestions are the source and foundation of SSTA efforts this year. The Teacher Survey on “your experi- ence of educational change” last spring identified posi- tive aspects, issues, and suggestions. From SD48 Super- intendent Lisa McCullough’s response letter, the District heard these Suggestions for Improvement. • Take time to learn and consolidate learning • Provide additional strategies and supports for com- plex student needs • Blend successful past practices with innovative new practices There it is. More time to go forward thoughtfully, blend- ing existing experience and practises with ‘new’ ones, with demonstrated respect in our schools for both. More supports for all complex needs, including what teachers of Special Education, meaning all teachers, know to be “special needs.” In addition you asked for more time and opportunity to collaborate with your colleagues, to share making sense of the new and the old and of blending them, ensuring the results of our experimentation over time are increasingly valuable to you and your students and the school community; in a phrase, to “consolidate learning.” Productive discussions have begun with the District toward implementing your requests. I hope and expect that you’ve noted a lower ‘temperature’ or stress-level in your school startup this year. It should help that we do not have a new callout system (Atrieve), a new contract (post-and-fill), a new management system (MEBC), and entirely new curriculum in K-9, to begin with. ‘No pressure’ we all surely deserve with so much inher- ent in the work: ongoing, constantly updated research; writing the ‘scripts’ for ‘performances’ by ourselves and classroom participants; performing and co-directing 4+ hours of daily performances with and for everyone; do- ing moment-by-moment ‘improv’; ensuring content from all performances is engaged in and understood by every participant, no matter what else is going on in their lives; co-creating proof of understanding by, for, and with everyone present; adding performance(s) of vary- ing kinds with and for those who have difficulty; holding and/or attending meetings about participants, perfor- mances, the class, the school as a whole; and participat- ing formally and informally in individual, classroom, and school problems, successes, trials, and joys. Then, we go back and do it all again the next day. And the next. And I’ve left things out, extra-curricular for one. What you do every day is near-miraculous. What you do not need, at all, is added ‘pressure.’ My email address is [email protected]. Please send, if and when you find one, a description of any job demanding more formal and informal education, training, skill, en- ergy, and full-on devotion from a human being, not just in this society but anywhere. You make the world better, one child one class one school at a time. Expect to be respected for it. Accept nothing less. The BCTF and the SSTA will try to reduce ‘the pressure.’ If we help elect a new government next spring, heck, we might even bask in a raise. Cheers. SSTA Fall Social Come share your summer travel stories, from Brohm lake or Borneo! Friday, September 30 th 4:00 - 6:30 @ SSTA Office
Transcript
Sea to Sky Teachers’ Association Suite 104-40775 Tantalus Road, Squamish, BC V8B 0N2 Phone 604-892-3056 Fax 604-892-2296
Taking Care of Ourselves and Each OtherGreetings SSTA colleagues and friends. Hope you had a wonderful summer! All but the most youthful among us appear ten years younger now than we will on the last day of autumn - that day before the solstice when we look up from the last marked project/essay/papier-mache dinosaur for 2016 and say to our partner/friend/mirror “What just happened?”
No pressure.
In all seriousness, ‘no (added) pressure’ is what the SSTA seeks for you in 2016/17, this first full year of K-9 new curriculum implementation; of 10-12 new curriculum exploration; of SD48’s new Assessment Plan; of contin-ued weaving aboriginal ways of learning and knowing into curriculum and pedagogy; of more about Pathways, and Competencies, and Learning by Design; all while our classrooms remain under the most intense resource stresses in Canada here in beautiful BC.
Your suggestions are the source and foundation of SSTA efforts this year. The Teacher Survey on “your experi-ence of educational change” last spring identified posi-tive aspects, issues, and suggestions. From SD48 Super-intendent Lisa McCullough’s response letter, the District heard these Suggestions for Improvement.
• Take time to learn and consolidate learning• Provide additional strategies and supports for com-
plex student needs• Blend successful past practices with innovative new
practices
There it is. More time to go forward thoughtfully, blend-ing existing experience and practises with ‘new’ ones, with demonstrated respect in our schools for both. More supports for all complex needs, including what teachers of Special Education, meaning all teachers, know to be “special needs.” In addition you asked for more time and opportunity to collaborate with your colleagues, to share making sense of the new and the old and of blending them, ensuring the results of our experimentation over time are increasingly valuable to you and your students
and the school community; in a phrase, to “consolidate learning.”
Productive discussions have begun with the District toward implementing your requests. I hope and expect that you’ve noted a lower ‘temperature’ or stress-level in your school startup this year. It should help that we do not have a new callout system (Atrieve), a new contract (post-and-fill), a new management system (MEBC), and entirely new curriculum in K-9, to begin with.
‘No pressure’ we all surely deserve with so much inher-ent in the work: ongoing, constantly updated research; writing the ‘scripts’ for ‘performances’ by ourselves and classroom participants; performing and co-directing 4+ hours of daily performances with and for everyone; do-ing moment-by-moment ‘improv’; ensuring content from all performances is engaged in and understood by every participant, no matter what else is going on in their lives; co-creating proof of understanding by, for, and with everyone present; adding performance(s) of vary-ing kinds with and for those who have difficulty; holding and/or attending meetings about participants, perfor-mances, the class, the school as a whole; and participat-ing formally and informally in individual, classroom, and school problems, successes, trials, and joys.
Then, we go back and do it all again the next day. And the next. And I’ve left things out, extra-curricular for one. What you do every day is near-miraculous. What you do not need, at all, is added ‘pressure.’
My email address is [email protected]. Please send, if and when you find one, a description of any job demanding more formal and informal education, training, skill, en-ergy, and full-on devotion from a human being, not just in this society but anywhere. You make the world better, one child one class one school at a time. Expect to be respected for it. Accept nothing less. The BCTF and the SSTA will try to reduce ‘the pressure.’ If we help elect a new government next spring, heck, we might even bask in a raise. Cheers.
SSTA Fall Social Come share your summer travel stories,
PD Chair ReportWelcome back to another year of Professional Learning! With summer fading and a new year with a new curriculum facing us, many of our minds are thinking about how best to meet this new challenge. The first thing to remember is that you are not alone. Unlike any other time in my memory at least, we are all engaging in this process together. There is a lot of comfort in that. It is my hope that we can all support each other as we head down this new road. Myself and the PD committee are certainly going to do our best with the 5 PD days that we have to offer whatever it is that teachers need to help with this transition.
The first PD day in October, as always is devoted to professional development in subject strands and as such each of you should be looking to your school PD rep who will point you in the direction of many things offered by the various BCTF Provincial Specialist associations. This day gives us all a chance to see what is going on throughout the province, to mingle with different teachers and to go deeper in our area of interest.
The next day where we can go deeper with the new curriculum is Friday November 4th. This is an additional day that has been added to the calendar specifically for the purposes of familiarizing ourselves with the new curriculum. This day, will be run in much the same way as it was last year, with teachers as facilitators and with teams of teachers working together to create plans using our new “road map.”
December 5th is the next opportunity for Professional Learning. The Learning Forward conference is a ”biggy” and it will be in Vancouver for this day. While it is a 5 day conference teachers may choose to attend Monday December 5th as a single day and that day has been defined as BC day, where many of our provincial “names” in education will be available to share their expertise. I highly recommend this conference as it helps us all to see the broader picture in education.
In January and February, the district and the PD committee are working together to link the learning on these two big days. Leyton Schnellert, a BC boy, an expert in Understanding by Design, will work with teachers in Sea to Sky to help us all develop a better understanding of this key element that was used in designing the new curriculum. Leyton is not only an expert in this area but he has an engaging presentation style and will work to meet teachers where we are at and will work to move us on to the next step. We are very excited that Leyton has agreed to work with SD 48.
In addition, there is the Instructional Leadership team. These colleagues are here to facilitate teams of teachers in much the same way that teacher leaders facilitated the last Curriculum Implementation day. I can always give contact information for the ILT, as can school Principals.
That leaves us with May and June. At this point, we will be in a better position to know what teachers still need and hopefully it will be apparent to the PD committee what our next steps might be. As always if there is something that individuals would like to see or if there is someone that particular schools would like to bring in, we are always here to assist. Professional Development is why we are here and we always welcome new ideas.
Friday, September 30th 4:00 - 6:00 SSTA OfficeFall Social
Wednesday, October 5th
8:45 - 4:00 SSTA OfficePD Rep Training & Meeting
Monday, October 10th Thanksgiving
LIVING WITH BALANCE WORKSHOPWe are excited to announce that the Living with Balance group program for teachers will be offered in the Sea to Sky school district. This program has been initiated by the BCTF Teacher’s Health and Wellness Program, and is jointly funded between the BCTF and School District 48 so there is no cost to teachers who participate. There are a very select number of BC communities where this program is being offered this school year, and Sea to Sky is one of them.
This group is open to anyone who wants to consider their wellness, and how to balance the challenges associated with teaching and the rest of day to day life. The holistic approach of this program will equip teachers to make simple lifestyle changes that will positively affect their physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
This 6-week group program will provide opportunities for:
• Education and self evaluation for examining the importance of maintaining lifestyle balance
• Discussing the importance of nutrition, sleep, and exercise and how to fit these in
• Considering how to manage low mood, anxiety, stress, boundaries and conflict
• Considering the relationship between how we think and how we feel
• Learning strategies that increase awareness of factors that contribute to decreased wellness
• Defining what balance between work and life means, and developing a goal focused plan to improve this balance
• Examining the challenges teachers face in maintaining wellness, and finding time for themselves
This program will run six Tuesdays: Oct. 18-Nov. 22 at the SSTA Office. If you are interested please reg-ister directly at: <http://www.bctf.ca/forms/LWB-registration.aspx>
For more information contact Lori Keith at 604.341.4220 or [email protected].
Thursday, October 13th3:45 - 5:00
SSTA Office, MPCS, Signal Hill
PD Calendar 2016-2017
SSTA PD daysOct. 21st Provincial PD Day (PSA)
Dec. 5th School-based PD
Feb. 20th SSTA PD Day!May 12th School-Based PD
June 2nd School-Based PD
SD #48 NI Days
Nov. 4th Curriculum Implementation Day
Jan. 16th Implementation Day
MentorshipAre you a new teacher this year?Do you have a new assignment this year? Would you like some support and the opportunity to work as a team?
Consider our mentorship Program! The Mentorship Program pairs new teachers (or teachers with a new assignment) with an experienced teacher. The program:
• Improves teaching performance• Increases retention of beginning teachers• Promotes personal and professional well-being of beginning teachers• Transmits the culture of the education system to beginning teachers
The goal of our Mentorship Program has been to move away from a “buddy” system toward more traditional mentorship between an experienced teacher and a teacher within his/her first 5 years of teaching. The BCTF has identified this model of mentorship as a need, given statistics showing that teachers in the first 5 years are vulnerable and many leave the profession.
As always has been the case, funds are limited and participants will be chosen based on the following criteria. First priority will go to mentorship pairs that include an experienced teacher and a teacher within the first five years. Second priority will go to pairs that include an experienced teacher and a teacher new to an assignment.
If you are interested in this opportunity please download the mentorship application off of our SSTA website under the “PD” tab and submit that paperwork to your PD rep, who must have it into the SSTA office on or before the PD Committee meeting on October 5th.
ARTICLE D. 24 STAFF MEETINGS
1. The right of principals to schedule staff meetings is recognized, as is the responsibility of teachers to attend.
2. Such meetings shall, wherever possible:a. be scheduled in advance and on regular dates, at reasonable intervals;b. normally not be scheduled prior to one hour before classes begin, during recess, during noon
intermission, nor normally conclude later than two (2) hours after regular dismissal time;c. not occur during times that classes are in session, or on days when school is not in session for
teachers;d. include items submitted by staff members;e. have actions recorded in written form, minutes kept, and distributed to teachers.
3. Attendancea. part-time teachers with half-time (0.5) or less assignment normally shall be required to attend not
more than one (1) staff meeting per month;b. part-time teachers with more than half-time (0.5) assignment may be required to attend all staff
meetings;c. where attendance at a staff meeting is problematic, alternate arrangements may be agreed to by the
principal and the teacher.
Know Your Contract - Art D. 24 STAFF MEETINGS
Summer ConferenceThe BCTF Summer Conference doesn’t create ‘in lieu’ days. Colleagues who volunteer learn a great deal and do much work on your behalf because they want to, as do local leadership teams from around BC. There’s time for a bit of fun too. Here are a few tidbits from Summer Conference 2016.
Grievance process – an overview
• A grievance is alleged, usually by an employee (though grievances can be started by the union on all employees’ behalf - ed.) The employee takes it up with the union, and someone in the union takes it up with an official of the employer.
• At some stage, if not summarily resolved, the grievance will be put in writing
• There will be a number of stages or “steps” where the union and the employer themselves try to resolve the grievance
• If the grievance cannot be resolved by these means, the union may refer the matter to arbitration.
Shout out to the Sea to Sky Gondola for donating 2 passes to the BCTF 100th Anniversary raffle!
“What’s the real story behind BC’s education funding crisis?” at www.policyalternatives.ca, made the mainstream news cycle during the Conference. Take a look.
Pensions Online
Visit tpp.pensionsbc.ca > Resources > Member Education
1. Getting to know your pension – for new or potential members of the pension plan
2. Making the most of your pension: a 2-hour workshop for mid-career members.
