Halton Highlights - February Issue

Halton Highlights

February/March 2017 - Volume 5

Pope Francis calls again for the end of indifference towards those who suffer. He does so in this year's
Lenten message entitled, "The Word is a gift. Other persons are a gift."

http://www.romereports.com/2017/02/08/lent-2017-the-pope-proposes-to-see-others-as-a-gift

February 2017

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
29 30 4
31 1 2 3
5 6
Halton Catholic Groundhog Day • Grade 1-8 PA

teachers (Wave Day - Report

2) transition to Card Writing

OECTA • K teachers PA

Benefits Plan Day

(permanent and • OT - Paid PA

eligible LTOs) Day

• 98th Day

7 8 9 10 11

OT Labour-
Management

Meeting

12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Young Author's • Happy School Year • Arbitration

Submissions Valentine's Day Calendar • HEU
Entries due to • Joint PD Meeting Executive
Meeting Meeting
Staff Reps • Step ll

Grievance

Meetings

19 20 21 22 23 24 25

Happy Family Young Author's Joint Staffing • HEU UGM #3 Young Author's Coldest Night

Day! Submissions Workgroup Unit Office Submissions of the Year -

Put in Board Meets • Term 1 Report Entries due at Fundraiser for
Courier Bag Cards Go Home HEU Office Homelessness

26 27 28 1 2 3 4

• Shrove

Tuesday

• Due date for

Seniority List

appeal to be
made to HR

March 2017

SUNDAY MONDAY TUESDAY WEDNESDAY THURSDAY FRIDAY SATURDAY
26 27 34
28 1 2

• Ash HEU Executive

Wednesday meeting

• Young Authors' (tentative)

Committee

Meeting

5 6 7 8 9 10 11

Pre-AGM • PD day AGM 2017
delegates' • AGM 2017

meeting begins 5:00 pm

12 13 14 15 16 17 18
25
• AGM 2017 MARCH BREAK MARCH BREAK MARCH BREAK MARCH BREAK MARCH BREAK 1

• Daylight • AGM 2017 • St. Patrick's
Day
Savings Time -

"spring

forward"

19 20 21 22 23 24

First Day back • Joint PD Young Author's
at Work Committee Submissions
Entries due at
meeting Provincial
• Joint staffing OECTA

committee
meeting

26 27 28 29 30 31

In Memoriam

Our sincere sympathy and prayers go out to the following members,
as well as to their family and friends:

William (Bill) Brush, father of Jane Tielemans, an educational assistant at Bishop P.F. Reding
Catholic Secondary School in Milton and grandfather of Darryl Tielemans, an elementary teacher at

Queen of Heaven Catholic Elementary School in Milton, passed away on January 17, 2017.

Charles Maggio, father of Robert C. Maggio, a retired elementary principal of our Board; father-in-law
of Francesca Maggio, a retired elementary teacher of our Board, and grandfather of both Jason

Maggio, Application Analyst, Information Technology Services at our Catholic Education Centre and
Roberta Maggio, an elementary teacher at St. Dominic Catholic Elementary School in Oakville,
passed away on January 24, 2017.

Manuel Falcao, father of Tina Carubba, an elementary teacher at St. John Catholic Elementary School
in Burlington and father-in-law of Joe Carubba, an educational assistant at Assumption Catholic
Secondary School also in Burlington, passed away on January 26, 2017.

Giuseppina Bruna Macri, mother of Mirella de Fazio, a French as a Second Language (FSL) teacher
at St. John Paul II Catholic Elementary School in Oakville, passed away on February 1, 2017.

Corrado Simeoni, father of Ann Koritko, a retired Elementary Principal of our Board and father-in-law
of Paul Koritko, a retired secondary teacher of the Board and the grandfather of both Jennifer

Nicholson, an elementary teacher on leave from Lumen Christi Catholic Elementary School in Milton
and Michelle Koritko, an elementary teacher at St. Joseph Catholic Elementary School in Oakville,

passed away on February 12, 2017.



Your OECTA Bene ts Plan:

You have just over one week left to enrol in your OECTA Benefits

Plan The deadline for enrolment in the new OECTA Bene ts Plan is
fast approaching.
Eligible members are invited to enrol in the second transition wave, and have until
March 3rd to complete enrolment. Visit www.otip.com/loginhelp to learn more
and watch a video tutorial on how to enrol.

What you need to do:

1. Refer to the email you received from OTIP for your personal enrolment instructions. (This email was
sent to your board email address.)

2. Register online at www.otip.com/enrol.
3. Review and con rm your personal information and your coverage details to complete your enrolment.
4. Designate a bene ciary for your life insurance.
5. Finish submitting outstanding eligible expenses incurred up to and including January 31st under your

previous SunLife plan. Please note you will have to submit any outstanding SunLife claims via Canada
Post for reimbursement. Please keep copies of all outstanding SunLife claims for your records.
If you incurred a claim on or after February 1st but before you had a chance to enrol in the new OECTA
Bene ts Plan, your claim may not be processed electronically. You will have the opportunity to submit
it for a paper reimbursement.
If you haven’t received an email with enrolment instructions and are an eligible member, please contact
OTIP Bene ts Services at 1-866-783-6847, Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Saturday between
9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
IMPORTANT: If you miss the March 3rd deadline, new coverage and/or coverage changes will be subject
to approval by the insurer along with any required new evidence of insurability. This could mean limita-
tions or potential denial of coverage.
If you have questions about who is eligible and what is covered under the new plan, review the Q&As in
the Members’ Area of catholicteachers.ca or contact the Unit o ce by phone or from your personal email
address.

OECTA Proposed Extension Agreement

As per the Provincial Bargaining Update sent to OECTA members’ personal email addresses on February 2,
2017, the OECTA Provincial Bargaining Team reached a negotiated Extension Agreement with the Provincial
Government and OCSTA.

To view the “read only” copy of the proposed Extension Agreement, Summary and FAQs, use your member
login and password at www.catholicteachers.ca.

If you have misplaced your OECTA number, please contact Membership Services at 1-800-268-7230. You will
need to know your membership number to vote on this Extension Agreement.

A province-wide ratification vote will take place over a 24-hour period on March 1-2, 2017.

On Thursday, February 23, 2017, there will be a Unit General meeting held in the HEU office on 1182 Blair
Road, in Burlington.

The agenda will include the following:

o Proposed Extension Agreement discussion and Q&A
o Benefits plan comparison
o AGM 2017 Financial resolutions review
o Meet some AGM 2017 candidates for election

2017 OTIP Teaching Awards: Nominations are now open!

The OTIP and the Ontario Teachers’ Federation (OTF) are proud sponsors of the OTIP Teaching Awards. For
many years, these awards have recognized the excellence of our teachers in publicly funded education.

There are three categories of awards: elementary school teacher, secondary school teacher and beginning
teacher in the first five years of teaching. A teacher may be nominated by anyone – professional colleagues,
students, parents, or the general public.

Winning teachers are hosted at a fall awards ceremony in Toronto, where they are presented with a personal
award of $1,000 and a certificate of recognition. Their schools are recognized as well with a $1,000 prize and
a certificate of recognition.

The deadline for nominations is March 31, 2017. For more information, visit www.teachingawards.ca

Nina March,

President | OECTA, Halton Elementary Unit
[email protected]
Toll Free (800)610-4299
Fax (905)335-6684

Tara’s Topic of the Month, February/March – Coldest Night of the Year
It’s cold out there…

On the evening of February 25, members of the HEU Human Rights/Status of
Women Committee will be walking together in the Coldest Night of the Year to
raise money for those in need in our community.
The Coldest Night of the Year is a walk fundraiser that began in 2011. It has grown to be a Cana-
da-wide event that occurs in over 100 communities across the country. The walk is to help local chari-
ties raise money for the hungry, homeless and hurting. As a committee, we are walking in the Burling-
ton event that will support Open Doors.
Open Doors provides 13 community based programs at St. Christopher's Church, which focus on food,
children, youth, parenting, and community resources. Over 3100 people in the community are
supported through these services, which include emergency food services, a free clothing store, after
school programs and other weekly and monthly events.
Our goal as a team is to raise $500 to help Open Doors. If you would like to support the Human
Rights/Status of Women Committee team “Halton Catholic Teachers,” the team link is
https://secure.e2rm.com/registrant/TeamFundraisingPage.aspx?teamID=734604.
All HEU members are welcome to join us in this cause and walk with the members of the Human
Rights/Status of Women Committee. If you are interested in joining the team, please email
[email protected] for more information.

Yours in Solidarity,
Tara Hambly
HEU 1st Vice President

Health and Safety Minute

Critical injuries must be reported if there is a connection between the hazard and worker health and
safety. Critical injuries with respect to ngers and toes have recently been clari ed by the Ministry of
Labour.

In the past, fractures of a wrist, ankle, hand or foot would constitute a critical injury if they were
serious in nature. The fracture of more than one nger or toe is now included as a critical injury.

This is also true in the case of amputation. The amputation of more than one nger or toe does
constitute a critical injury if it is serious in nature.

If you notice a hazard or other health and safety concern, please be sure to email your site Joint Health
and Safety Rep and your administrator as soon as possible. Health and safety is everyone’s
responsibility.

Krista Hutchinson
OECTA, Health and Safety Chairperson and HEU Treasurer

Occasional Teachers’ Updates

1) Thank you for participating in the annual
Occasional Teachers’ Professional
Development Day on Friday, February 3, 2017.
Our topics of discussion included
Concussion Protocol, Health & Safety: Accident
Reporting, Safe Schools, Classroom
Management Strategies, and Special Education:
The Individual Education Plan. It was a great day
of learning with 205 registered participants .

2) Employment Insurance Changes – E ective January 1, 2017, Service Canada has
changed the waiting period from two weeks to one week. You may wish to register
during the March Break and have that week count as your one-week waiting period.

3) Reminder: The annual membership fee is due to the Ontario College of Teachers by April
17, 2017, for Occasional Teachers. The payment of $150 can be made online on the Ontario
College of Teachers’ website. For the Long-Term Occasional teacher who was in an LTO
assignment during the month of January, the Board O ce deducts the OCT fees from your
pay in two instalments and submits them on your behalf. You will see this payroll deduction
on your January pay stubs.

4) OECTA Registration for Spring 2017 courses closes March 17. Courses start
April 3 and end June 16. Please check the website for course selections:
www.catholicteachers.ca

T Heytens
Occasional Teacher Representative
Halton Elementary Unit Executive

Keep Calm and Make Your Life Colourful!

www.bostoncatholic.org

The colours of the liturgical year help us to celebrate the di erent seasons. The priest’s vestments and
the Church’s hangings change throughout the year, re ecting where we are on the Church’s calendar.
Green: This colour is used to symbolize life and hope. It is the colour of Ordinary Time. Ordinary Time
doesn’t mean time that is ordinary but rather the time between special seasons.
Purple: Purple, or sometimes violet, symbolizes a time of preparation, renewal or penance. This colour
is used during Advent and Lent while we are waiting for Christ, either as a baby or as risen. Purple is
also displayed during the sacraments of the sick or reconciliation.
White: Joy, light and triumph are all represented by this colour. We see white at Christmas, Easter,
feasts of the angels and saints, and at the sacraments of baptism, marriage and holy orders.
Red: Red is the colour of re and blood. Pentecost, the Lord’s Passion, Palm Sunday and Good Friday
are times when red is used to symbolized blood. During Con rmation, we see red as the symbol of the
Holy Spirit.
Pink: Like white, pink also represents joy. The third Sunday of Advent and fourth Sunday of Lent uses
the colour pink to remind us that we are awaiting the joy of Christmas and Easter.
Blue, Gold, Black and Silver: Although these colours are not clearly outlined on the Church’s liturgical
calendar, we may sometimes see them as special exceptions, during solemn holidays honouring the
dead or at the feasts of our Mother Mary.
Jill Mercer
Councillor, Halton Elementary Unit Executive

Celebrating HEU Catholic Teachers

Top Left: Matthew Griffin
Matthew Griffin is the grade 4/5 teacher at St. Mary Catholic Elementary School in Oakville, ON.
After becoming inspired by Terry Fox's journey across Canada for cancer research, Mr. Griffin's class was motivated to walk across
Oakville to raise money for others. The class researched charities and found that Jumpstart Canada donates 100% of funds to children
in the community where the money has been collected. Jumpstart Canada gives children from families in financial need the same
opportunities to participate in sport as their friends, neighbours and the other kids in their schools.
In preparation for their own journey, the class raised pledges and created signs with inspiring quotes to carry along the way. Their goal
was not only to raise money for Jumpstart but also to inspire people in the community to help others, too.
On October 19, 2016, the grade 4/5 students, led by Mr. Griffin and joined by their grade 5 peers and several parents, walked over
15km along Lakeshore Rd., from Burloak Drive to Ford Drive. Several members of the community who were out and about became
very engaged with the group and after speaking with them made donations on-the-spot. Mr. Griffin and his class raised $1,593 and this
spring they intend to go back and finish their journey across Oakville.
Their amazing story was in the Oakville Beaver. Here is the link:
http://m.insidehalton.com/news-story/6921441-terry-fox-inspires-oakville-students-to-take-action
Mr. Griffin, we appreciate the work that you do to inspire your students to make a difference in the lives of others.
Thank you to Vanessa Hurley, who made us aware of this great initiative.
The Unit would like to continue to highlight the great initiatives that Halton Elementary Catholic teachers are involved in relating to
social justice and community outreach. These can be activities that are conducted at school or in your personal time.
To send a submission, please email the following details to [email protected]:

• Name of teacher
• School Location
• Personal email or personal phone number to contact
• Is this a school or personal initiative?
• The details of the social justice/community outreach project
• If possible, a picture

Please provide submissions no later than the 15th of each month.



The OTF Connects Spring Calendar is now open for
registration! Please check out our exciting new
webinars!

Don't forget to share this information
with your colleagues!

February

Feb. 13 Get into Coding Shape in Math Class, Lisa Floyd
Feb. 16 Get Kids Talking using Tech Tools!, Anja Kitchen and Carrie Daniels
Feb. 22 Infusing a Spirit of Inquiry in Social Studies, History and Geography,

Garfield Gini-Newman, TC2
Feb. 23 Gaming to Riches! Making Cents of Number Sense, Brian Aspinall
Feb. 28 Coding the Mathematics Curriculum in Primary, Scott McKenzie

March

Mar. 1 Making Writing Genuine, Cheryl Emrich and Tracy Sims
Mar. 2 Creating an Effective Critical Math Inquiry, Maria Vamvalis, TC2
Mar. 7 Less Input, More Output: Managing Your Online Class Content in Meaningful Ways,

Christina Rzazewski

Mar.2 Creating an Effective Critical Math Inquiry, Maria Vamvalis, TC2
Mar. 7 Less Input, More Output: Managing Your Online Class Content in Meaningful Ways,

Christina Rzazewski
Mar. 8 Creating a Thinking Classroom for Primary Mathematics Part 2,

Laura Gini-Newman, TC2
Mar. 21 Nurturing Quality Thinking in Mathematics, Maria Vamvalis, TC2
Mar. 22 From Counting to Multiplication: A Developmental Perspective on Primary Number Sense, Matthew
Oldridge
Mar. 23 The Kindergarten Addendum Part 2: Documenting Learning, Vera Teschow and

Laura Christmann
Mar. 28 Exploring Patterning and Movement on a Grid Through Coding, Lisa Floyd
Mar. 29 The Power of Materials in Learning, Tessa Heffernan
Mar. 30 The Progression of Multiplication: From Arrays and Area Models to the Standard Algorithm and Beyond,
Kyle Pearce

Get a car or home insurance quote and receive a $25 Amazon.ca or
WINNERS | HomeSense | Marshalls Gift Card*

OTIP gives you choices on more than just insurance. You can choose to receive a $25 Amazon.ca or
WINNERS | HomeSense | Marshalls Gift Card* when you get a car or home insurance quote.
For more information, visit www.OTIPinsurance.com/shop

*Restrictions apply. You must speak with an OTIP broker on the telephone to be eligible for the $25 gift card. Must be a resident of Ontario and a
member of the education community. Valid on quotes for policies expiring in the next 60 days. Promotion ends May 31, 2017. Maximum of one $25
gift card per household. Visit OTIPinsurance.com/shop for full terms and conditions.