What's happening in D3 this month:

Feb 8th:  ESSU PSC meeting - 4:30 pm
Feb 8th: Finance Committee meeting - 4:30 pm
Feb 9th: PSSP Executive meeting - 4:30 pm
Feb10th: PORKETTA BINGO at the Beef 'N Bird (Sold out!) 
Feb 13th: Equity/Human Rights Committee meeting - 4:30pm
Feb 15th: T/OT Executive meeting - 4:30 pm
Feb 16th: CPAC Committee meeting - 4:30 pm
February 20th:  Family Day 
Feb 22nd:  Health &* Safety Committee meeting - 4:30 pm
Fed 27th:  OTPP Pension Workshop - Little Current Rec Centre - 5:00 pm
Feb 28th:  OMERS Pension Workshop - Little Current Rec Centre  - 5:00 pm

 

For those members working in secondary school environments, welcome to semester two. We want to acknowledge those members who were hired as full-time employees recently, some as a result of semester one retirements. We would be remiss not to salute those long-time members who have transitioned to a new life stage and we wish them the best in all their new ventures.

 

Although central negotiations continue at a slow pace, OSSTF sought counsel from presidents and lead negotiators from across the province at a special meeting on January 18th. Productive discussions were had, and the pulse of the membership was shared to inform next steps. Locally, bargaining units are at various stages of building their negotiating briefs, and some have selected their table team in anticipation of beginning contract talks with the employer.

 

Despite the various groundhog predictions, let's hope for many consecutive days of sunshine and mild temperatures as we crawl towards spring. Have a happy and blues-free February.

                                                                           
Regards,                       
Eric Laberge
District President

         

Curling-For-A-Cause
 
Curling-For-A-Cause this year was, (IMO), a huge success. Twelve teams signed up and came out to show off their curling skills. Some may have had more skills than others, but that’s beside the point. The point was to have fun and raise a little money for a good cause. We ticked both of those boxes. This year, we raised $1000 for the Sudbury food bank. Hurray!! This is an organization that is in need of support, given the rising cost of food and the increasing number of people that rely on this service. I think we can all feel good about this.

If you were unable to get together a team this year, start working on one for next year. You don’t want to miss it! Scroll to the end of the Link to see some photos of the action!
 
 
Pension Workshops
 
If you live in the Espanola/Manitoulin area and you are within 8 years of retirement, please grab a pen and mark your calendar. There will pension workshops taking place for both OTPP and OMERS employees.
I encourage anyone who is within 8 years (or even 10 years) of retirement to plan to attend this very worthwhile presentation. It is never too early to begin planning and often individuals benefit from attending this workshop more than once.
 
 
When: Feb 27, 2023 for OTPP (Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan)
            Feb 28, 2023 for OMERS (Ontario Municipal Employees Retirement System)
 
Where: Little Current Recreation Centre (The Lion’s Den Room)
 
Time: 5:00 pm
 
Presenter: Glen Hodgson
 
RSVP: Please confirm your attendance no later than Feb 20^th. Call: 705-692-3923 or email:
 osstf@d03.osstf.ca  to let Donna know you will be attending.
 
Applications to Provincial Standing Committees and Councils
 
Applications are out to apply for OSSTF/FEESO standing committees and councils.
Why not apply?
 
Joining a provincial committee or council is a great way to meet members from other districts and bargaining units. It gives you an opportunity to see what is going on with OSSTF at the provincial level. And it also allows you to become involved in something you feel passionate about. (You also get paid mileage and accommodations for your travel to Toronto!)
 
Helpful tips when applying to committees and councils:
Indicate what work you’ve done locally, provincially or in your community
Link what you’ve done to how those skills will benefit the committee(s) to which you are applying
Ensure the application is complete
Get your application in before the deadline date of March 1
Ask your local representatives for help
Check out the ‘Terms of Reference’ and/or committee ‘Statement of Needs’ for the committee(s) you are interested in to determine if that committee is a good fit for your skills
 
Financial Assistance Awards for Further Education
 
OSSTF has a number of financial awards in various categories. The application deadline for these awards is April 1^st. These awards include:
 

• I.M. (Brick) Robb Fellowship This Fellowship is designed to assist OSSTF/FEESO members in good standing with Doctoral studies at a university of their choice.
• Dr. S.G.B. Robinson Travelling Grant This Grant shall provide the opportunity for OSSTF/FEESO members in good standing to travel for t he purpose of serving education. It will not normally be awarded for studies toward a degree.
• J. W. Ansley Grant for Educational Research This Grant is designed to assist OSSTF/FEESO members in good standing to support research projects of a practical nature which are currently topical and the results of which will primarily benefit the classroom practitioner and/or educational programs or curriculum.
• OSSTF/FEESO Educational Enhancement Grant The purpose of this Grant is to assist OSSTF/FEESO members in good standing with their studies leading to a first undergraduate degree or diploma at a university or community college of their choice or in gaining a secondary school diploma from a publicly-funded secondary school.
• S. Hunter Henry Grant The purpose of this Grant is to assist financially OSSTF/FEESO members in good standing with studies at a publicly-funded university or college of their choice that leads to a degree, diploma or certificate/certification (except for Doctoral studies).
• Federation Family Education Fund

This fund was established to assist financially the children of OSSTF/FEESO members in good standing in the year of application to obtain their first degree/diploma/certificate or apprenticeship. Bursaries are awarded through a lottery process and are conditional upon the recipient being enrolled in the program and proof of tuition paid equal to or greater than the value of the bursary.
 

Battery care: Avoid the hazards!

 
Rechargeable batteries are perishable, slowly fading from the day they are manufactured. No need to worry, though; there are ways to charge and store your batteries properly.

Here’s what you need to know.

Read more at www.otip.com/article159.
 

                                                                                                      

Treat yourself because you’ve earned it! Enter for your chance to win 1 of 12 monthly $1,000 cash prizes, plus the grand prize of $3,000!

Enter now: http://bit.ly/3HbJura #OTIPUpdate
 

TFSA or RRSP: an education member’s guide to making the right choice    
                   
One of the most frequently asked financial questions out there is whether to invest in a tax-free savings account (TFSA) or a registered retirement savings plan (RRSP). While TFSAs and RRSPs both offer tax advantages that can help you achieve your saving and investing goals, which is right for you?

To help you decide, check out this education member’s guide to making the right choice: http://bit.ly/3WG9tgc.

Brought to you by Educators Financial Group.                     

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                       https://www.otip.com/Why-OTIP/Teaching-Awards
                                                   

Cateura is not an actual town.  It is the name of the landfill site situated just outside of the capital city, Asunción, in Paraguay.
Every day, about 3 million pounds of solid waste gets dumped in Cateura. 

Many families eke out their existence by scavenging trash from the landfill to resell, and kids regularly get pulled out of school to help. During rainstorms, the landfill floods, and residents must wade through highly contaminated water.

The Recycled Orchestra was founded in 2006 by Favio Chavez, who went to work in Cateura as an environmental engineer.  Chavez says. "I saw that there were a lot of children there, and I had the idea to teach them music in my free time."

             
Chavez' classes became so popular that they soon ran out of donated instruments. He asked Nicolas Gomez, a talented carpenter in the community to make new instruments for his group — out of stuff from the landfill.

Noelia Rios, a violinist and one of Chavez’s music students, stated "there was practically nothing in Cateura. What there was most, was drugs."

Her violin, like many in the orchestra, is made from reclaimed cans, wooden spoons and bent forks. One of the ensemble's cellos uses an oil drum for its body. String pegs are created from detritus like old cooking utensils and even the heel of a worn-out women's shoe. 

Drumheads are made from old X-ray film, held in place with copious amounts of packing tape. A fifteen-year-old plays a saxophone made from a drainpipe, melted copper, coins, spoon handles, cans and bottle caps.

In 2012, the orchestra caught the attention of a team of filmmakers led by executive producer Alejandra Amarilla. She knew that most people outside Paraguay had no clue about her home country.
"It was mostly to be able to create awareness on children's issues," Amarilla says. "The uniqueness of the story that I ended up filming, was that it contained a very strong emotional component, and was very inspiring."

The film team made a short video, hoping to raise $175,000 to make a full-length documentary. Not only did they raise the money — the video went viral.  The documentary, "Landfill Harmonic" was released in 2015 and went on to win more than 20 awards at independent film festivals that year.

                 

      

Since then, the Recycled Orchestra has performed for politicians, monarchs and Pope Francis. The group plays Mozart, Paraguayan folk music, even Frank Sinatra. And the young musicians have backed up artists like Stevie Wonder, Metallica and Megadeth!

Money the orchestra has generated from its international touring has funded the building of new, safer homes for several members of the group and their families.

Chavez says there's also been a bigger change. "What we have achieved," he says, "is that in the community, children are respected. And respect for the need to get an education.”

“It's something sacred. Before I gave music classes, the mom or dad would take the kid away by the hand because they had to go to work. Today, that's unthinkable, impossible for it to happen. And we've already achieved the most difficult thing, which is to change the community."

 

 

The greatly anticipated return of the annual Curling for a Cause Bonspiel - January 28, 2023