Monday Memo – June 4, 2012
MEMO TO: Staff Reps
COPIES TO: STA Executive Committee
FROM: Denise Moffatt, President
Date: June 4, 2012
If you have questions or concerns regarding this memo please email to the following STA presidents: moffatt_d@sd36.bc.ca; wadge_jennifer@sd36.bc.ca; barker_l@sd36.bc.ca
Parent Forums: June 6 and June 11
You should have received by now the letters home to parents and invitations to our two upcoming Parent Forums. Please seal them into the envelopes provided and send them home with your students. Also consider inviting personally some parents whom you think would be most interested and likely to attend, participate, and take action in defense of public education. The letter home to parents is now available in both Punjabi and Chinese. We have not translated the invitation to the forums as the sessions will be held in English, but the letter contains important information for parents regardless of whether they attend the forum. Please let Lorna Sheh know how many copies or extras you need. You may want to pick them up at the STA office in order to get them in time.
Criminal Records Check – Associated Professionals
If you are not a member of the BC Teachers’ Council you may have received a criminal records check form from the School District. Although there is a requirement to have a check completed, we are disputing the fee being requested from teachers. We will update your in our progress.
Convention
Thank you to the 644 who responded to the 2012 Surrey Teachers’ Association Convention survey.
Congratulations to Christina Smith from A.J. McLellan as the winner of the Fine Pix XP 20 Underwater Camera.
Mark the date for May 3rd, 2013. We will open presenter registration in the fall. Start thinking now about what presentation you would like to see and if you or a colleague could help present or facilitate the session.
Support the Cowichan Board
We will be sending 8 teachers to Duncan on June 6th or June 20th to rally in support of the Cowichan Valley board of Education’s restoration budget. If you are interested in supporting the Board in their bold decision to submit a budget based on real needs, please send your name to Lorna Sheh. This is a historic moment and the trustees need your support. Please see the attached letter that was sent to the Board on behalf of the STA.
Surrey Students, Teachers, and CUPE members to support Anti-Homophobia Policy
On June 21st, Surrey student teachers and CUPE workers will be making a presentation to the Board of Education requesting a standalone anti-homophobia policy. It is time for Surrey to take a leadership role on this issue and to protect all students and employees from homophobic bullying. Many other school districts have already taken this important step. Come out to the meeting and show support for this important initiative.
University professor speaks out about Teachers Critics
You may find the article an interesting read.
http://thetyee.ca/Opinion/2012/05/25/BC-Teacher-Critics-Sexist/
Teacher Regulation Branch Fees
The Teacher Regulation Branch (TRB) requires school boards to deduct and remit fees “from the wage of a certificate holder employed with the board.” Boards will have deducted this fee in May 2012 and should have submitted that fee directly to the TRB.
The practice of boards with respect to teachers who are not in receipt of a wage at the time of deductions may vary. Some boards might only remit fees for teachers who have earnings during the pay period in which the deduction is made. TTOCs or teachers on leave may not have their fees deducted and remitted by the board.
If the fee is not remitted for these teachers, the teacher will be subject to a late fee of $30 for a payment that is received between June 1 and 30. If the annual fee continues to be outstanding after June 30, the teachers’ certificate will be suspended and an additional late fee of $30 becomes due and payable for a total of $140. The TRB will cancel the teachers’ certificate if the annual fee is not paid by October 31. If the certificate is cancelled, the teacher will have to apply for a new certificate under the certification requirements in place at that time.
Teachers can check to see that their fee has been received by the TRB at: http://www.bcteacherregulation.ca/CertificateServices/FindATeacher.aspx
Please remind TTOCs and teachers on leave to check their certificate status online. If the board has not remitted the fee, these teachers can pay the $80 certificate fee online before Thursday, May 31, 2012 to avoid late charges.
Targeted funding for K-3 reading
All superintendents received letters from the deputy minister yesterday detailing the spending rules for their district’s share of the $10.7 million added to the block funding for K–3 reading support.
The letter encourages funding additional staffing for in-class support and/or release time for teacher collaboration, teacher action research groups, inquiry projects, and/or buying additional teachers; e.g., to assign four teachers to three classrooms, etc. The letter asks that the funding not be spent on the “purchase of materials, resources and technologies, or paying conference speakers and workshop admissions.”
School districts must either submit a K–3 early reading plan to be approved by the ministry and report on progress in the Superintendent’s Report, or participate in Changing Results for Young Readers, a program headed by the newly appointed provincial superintendent for reading, Maureen Dockendorf, and involving inquiry-based teacher learning teams.
BCTF French Language Services
Teachers who speak French as a first or working language may be interested to view many BCTF materials in French. Check out http://bctf.ca/Francais.aspx. Le FECB fait un effort d’offrir plus des materiaux en francais. Par exemple, on peut lire les alertes du FECB en Francais.