Skip to main content
ARTICLE

Your Federation: A Roundup of Federation News

Summer 2007

Tags

  • At its last meeting before the next provincial election,  delegates  attending  ETFO’s  Representative  Council heard from Education Minister Kathleen Wynne. Wynne outlined the Liberal government’s improvements to education  during  its  four  years  in  office. Representatives  of  Fair  Vote  and  Student Vote  also  made  presentations.  Representative  Council  brings  together  presidents and delegates from ETFO locals across the province.
  • Closing the Gap is ETFO’s campaign for improved funding for elementary education. During the first phase of the campaign, the message highlighted the work teachers are doing to close  the gap between student potential and student achievement. Magazine ads appeared in Chatelaine,Maclean’s, Canadian Living, and Today’s Parent, and 324 billboards went up around the province. The website  closethegap.ca  has received more than 110,000 hits since it was created on February 19. The next phase of the campaign will lead into the provincial election, to be held in October, and the 2008 round of collective bargaining.
  • ETFO’s website, etfo.ca  has undergone a major overhaul. The  new  site  launched  in  May  features multimedia components including webcasts, podcasts, and RSS feeds. You can sign up for ETFO’s new e-newsletter on the homepage.
  • The first two sessions of ETFO’s Union School were held in March and May. Fifty-eight local leaders from 49 locals are participating in this inten- sive  three-part  program  to  enhance  their  leadership skills, knowledge, and effectiveness. The program includes an online component, with participants working in home groups, having live chats and discussions, and completing assignments.
  • ETFO member Felicia Samuel (above) is shown making a speech during a campaign simulation at the first ever Women in Politics conference in April. The 100 participants heard from keynote speakers Maureen McTeer, a lawyer and wife of former prime minister Joe Clarke, and Dr. Sylvia Bashevkin, a University of Toronto political scientist. Panellists included elected politicians and party activists. The conference was a joint venture of ETFO and Equal Voice, an organization promoting  women’s  participation  in  electoral politics.
  • The Face of Adolescent Learning brought together  170  Intermediate  teachers  from  across  the province  for  lectures  and  workshops  focused particularly  on  adolescent  development  and behaviour, and on areas of the curriculum where teachers often receive limited professional support. Garfield Gini-Newman (above), a lecturer at OISE, outlined what science now knows about the physiology of the adolescent brain and how it affects learning. Videos of the conference will be posted on the ETFO website, etfo.ca.
  • Beyond the Presenter’s Palette provided advanced training for members who wish to become ETFO curriculum workshop leaders. Participants learned about developing an effective  voice and presentation style, and about strategies for audience engagement.
  • Earlier this year the Avon Maitland   Teacher   Local   donated $12,441 to charities. Local Presi- dent Annie Dozois (right) pres- ents a  $500 cheque to Michele Hansen,  executive  director  of the Goderich  Women’s Shelter. The local also donated $500 to Stratford’s Emily Murphy Centre, which provides services and programs  to  abused   women, and contributed $11,441 to the ETFO Humanity Fund.

  • The 2006–07 Premier’s Awards for Teaching Excellence : Congratulations to these ETFO members who received awards:

  • Excellence in Numeracy: Gretel Reid-Willis,  North Kipling Junior Middle School, Toronto DSB
  • Excellence in Special Needs: Peggy Morris,  Broadview PS, Ottawa-Carleton DSB
  • Enterprise in Teaching:  Kathy M. Elmer, Halton DSB

  • For more information about recipients go to http://www.edu.gov.on.ca/eng/teachers/

  • Math 4 Every 1, held in Kingston, was a joint venture of ETFO, the Limestone Teacher Local, the Limestone DSB, and Queen’s University. Parents and children were invited to the conference’s Family Math Night. Teachers used a professional development day and a personal day to learn the latest strategies and techniques for delivering an effective and engaging math program.
  • Almost 100 elementary teachers participated in Understanding Differences with an Under- standingHeart, sponsored by ETFO, the Blue- water Teacher  Local, and the Bluewater DSB. Juno Award winner Jack Grunsky performed with  two  local  elementary  choirs.  Dr.  Blye Frank,  a  professor  at  Dalhousie  University, spoke about  his equity research. Workshops offered  practical  ideas  on  creating inclusive classrooms  and  using  the  arts  to  celebrate diversity and learning.
  • Have your say : Starting with the October 2007 issue, Voice will devote a space to readers’ letters.  Letters  should  be  short  and  to  the  point  (150–200  words)  and should relate directly to articles in the magazine. See the Editor’s Column on page 3 for additional details.