Monday Memo – October 11, 2011

MEMO TO: Staff Reps

COPIES TO: STA Executive Committee

FROM: Denise Moffatt, President

Date: October 11, 2011

Please forward to all teachers at your school.

Interim Reports
Teachers will not “provide any student assessment data to Administrative Officers or the school office, except Grade 12 marks required for graduation, post-secondary applications and scholarship purposes”.

This means we are not doing interim reports. Teachers should not replicate these processes by distributing marks to all students/parents.

Teachers may provide feedback to students individually and as necessary by:

• Providing comments and marks on individual assignments
• Speaking with a student about his/her progress
• Providing a list of incomplete assignments

Teachers may communicate with parents about student progress individually and informally by:

• Speaking with a parent, face to face
• Calling a parent if a student is struggling
• Sending a note in the planner
• Requesting that a marked assignment be returned with a parent signature
• Sending a quick email

Parent Teacher Night/Interviews
We are not doing parent teacher night. Teachers can meet informally with parents as necessary, but should not replicate a parent teacher night/interviews by scheduling meetings with all parents.

Posting Marks
Some teachers have asked if they can post student marks on the wall. It is the STA’s advice that teachers do not post marks on the wall. Teachers have a responsibility to protect confidential information about students and cannot share that information with others. Posting marks, even when done by student number can put you at risk of a complaint.

Grade 12 Marks
Teachers will not “provide any student assessment data to Administrative Officers or the school office, except Grade 12 marks required for graduation, post-secondary applications and scholarship purposes.”

Teachers must only provide this data when requested for the purposes listed above.

Member Survey
Executive motions carried today:
1. THAT prior to the BCTF Representative Assembly, the STA survey members regarding:
a. the impact of Phase One, and
b. actions to be considered as part of a possible Phase Two job action.
2. THAT the STA Executive meet on October 25th to review the survey results and consider possible motions for the October 26th Special General Meeting.

Special General Meeting – October 26th Agenda attached
The following motion from a member will be debated “in committee” under item #7 and should only be shared with STA members.

Please see your staff rep for more information.

Executive Committee Vacancy – Local Representative to the BCTF
There is a vacancy on the STA Executive Committee for the position of Local Representative to the BCTF. The position involves attending bi-weekly STA executive meetings and attending the BCTF Representative Assembly three times per year. Some weekend commitment is required. Please forward a brief statement of intent to Lorna Sheh on First Class by October 19th, 2011. The election will be held at the October 26th Special General Meeting.

For some inspiration and comic relief
Songs of the BC Public Education System http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CjlOpmQQgK8

For some not-so-comic relief
Here is the transcript of Christy Clark’s speech announcing the legislation that stripped our collective agreement in 2002

http://blogs.vancouversun.com/2011/04/13/christy-clarks-proud-defence-of-stripping-teachers-contract-in-2002/

You may want to note the groups that supported this legislation in 2002: Christy Clark said:

“the B.C. School Trustees Association, have indicated their support for this bill. These are people who, by the way, are locally elected, who represent their local communities in all their diversity. The B.C. Principals and Vice-Principals Association — dedicated people, almost all of whom have been teachers, all of whom are certainly dedicated to making sure that their schools run well for the needs of the children in them.

The B.C. School Superintendents Association was here in support of the legislation. They also have students’ best interests at heart.”