What's happening in D3 this month:

Nov 1st:  T/OTBU Executive Meeting - 4:30 pm
Nov 8th - ESSU Executive Meeting - 4:30 pm
Nov 7th:  Status of Women Fall Gathering - 4:45 pm (pre-registration required)
Nov 9th:  Ponderings & Potations 🍺 🍷 at M.I.C. Falconbridge Road 3:30pm - 5:00 pm (see details in President's report)
Nov 13th:  Equity & Human Rights Committee Meeting - 4:30 pm
Nov 14th:  CPAC Committee Meeting - 4:30 pm
Nov 16th:  Education Services Committee Meeting - 4:30 pm
Nov 28th:  Health & Safety Committee Meeting - 4:30 pm
Nov 28th:  Status of Women Committee Meeting - 4:45 pm
Dec 3rd:  Kid's Christmas Party 🎅🎄🎁  1:00 pm - 3:00 pm  (details for registration in District Officer's Report)
 

Happy November to everyone!
 
With the October 27^th deadline behind us, OSSTF’s focus has now shifted to the production of their submission ahead of the voluntary binding arbitration hearing sometime in early 2024. This will be preceded by the Bill 124 voluntary binding arbitration hearing scheduled for January 15 & 16, 2024 as a joint submission with ETFO Education Workers. Now that formal central negotiations are over, locals are turning their attention to bargaining unit contract talks with the employer. While some units are putting the finishing touches to their briefs, some are waiting for OSSTF to approve their submission. Members of each bargaining unit will be kept informed when negotiations begin.
 
The last four weeks have been extremely busy with a number of worksite visits including a smattering of provincial-level meetings. Several members from our District 3 bargaining units took the time to attend several conferences including the provincial Health & Safety/Workplace Insurance Act Conference, the provincial Education Services Conference, the regional Communication & Political Conference, and the inaugural provincial Equity Conference. With a variety of workshops offered and networking opportunities, our District 3 members were richer for the experience and will bring back valuable information to their respective bargaining units and committees.
 
Another important event that also took place recently, and needs to be highlighted, was the Women’s Advocate Program Regional Training. District 3 is proud to have Alicia, Janet, and Vicki who can assist members experiencing domestic violence or members who know of someone who does. The tragic events of October 23^rd in Sault Ste-Marie are still fresh for many people and highlight the intimate partner violence epidemic in our society. It is incumbent on all of us to shine a light on this issue. Members who are seeking support can call the District 3 Women’s Advocate Program hotline at 249-879-8730 or email womensadvocate@d03.osstf.ca.

 Ponderings and Potations - Round 3

Free drinks and Appetizers!  Good conversations!  What's not to love!
This event is open to all member of District 3.
Get a group together and join us on November 9th, from 3:30 pm - 5:00 pm,
at M.I.C. on Falconbridge Road for our 3rd round of Pondering & Potations! 

Please RSVP if you plan to attend: osstf@d03.osstf.ca
 

Yours in Federation,
Eric Laberge
District President
 

As I sit here and write this today, it is Hallowe’en. But it is not Hallowe’en I’m thinking about, it’s Christmas. The reason being that the lovely members of ESSU are diligently planning this year’s Children’s Christmas Party.


                                                                                                     

This party is a great opportunity for all members with children (or grandchildren) 12 years old or younger, to join us for an afternoon (ok, 2 hours!) of fun.
There will be crafting (colouring, puzzles, cooking decorating, ornament making), treats (pizza, cookies, snacks) and a visit from Santa himself.
And of course, there cannot be a visit from Santa without a gift to open and enjoy. The cost for this fabulous Sunday afternoon activity is a mere $10. You cannot go wrong. Plan to attend.

Please RSVP by November 20^th to reserve your spot and ensure your child has a present for them to open.   

Registration form can be found at link below - please fill out the form and email to osstf@d03.osstf.ca  The $10.00 registration fee can be e-transferred to osstf@d03.osstf.ca 

Kids' Christmas Party Registration Form  

I’m also thinking about snow and winter activities.

As much as I don’t really like the winter or the cold, alas, we live in Northern Ontario.

The social committee met last week to talk about possible events, and Curling for a Cause surfaced as the best possible choice to entertain a large group in the dead of winter.

This event has been well attended in years past so I guess we can use the line of reasoning that if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.  

We have settled on Sunday January 28^th as the date. Please start getting your team together and thinking of a creative team name.



This promises to be a tried, tested and true way to shake off the winter blues and raise money for a worthy cause at the same time.

We will once again be donating to the Sudbury Food Bank.
All Bargaining Units are welcome to enter a team.

Katrina Ross,
District Officer.

What you need to know about umbrella coverage
 

If you’ve ever heard the term “umbrella coverage,” your first thought might have been weather-related. So, what is umbrella coverage? How does it work? And who should buy an umbrella policy?

Read more at www.otip.com/article172.   #OTIPUpdate

 

 

RESP 101: what you need to know about contributions, withdrawals, and taxes
 

RESP contributions: once you get into the groove of making them, it can be easy to adopt a ‘set it and forget it’ approach to investing (until it’s time to access the funds). But before you put your RESP completely out of mind, here are the key things you need to be mindful of in order to protect that investment: https://bit.ly/497Ygg3.

Brought to you by Educators Financial Group.     

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What are they talking about!!??

Slang through the decades.
 

The term “slang” was firstly recognized by Francis Grose in 1785. He defined it as “cant or vulgar language”. considered forbidden.

Francis Grose was an English antiquary, draughtsman, and lexicographer.
He produced A Classical Dictionary of the Vulgar Tongue in 1785 - a  dictionary of slang terms used among the working population of London in the eighteenth century.

The origin of the word "slang" is unclear. It was first used in print around 1800 to refer to the language of the disreputable and criminal classes in London.

By the early nineteenth century, it was no longer exclusively associated with disreputable people, but continued to be applied to usages below the level of standard educated speech.

Slang includes not just words, but words used in a special way in a certain social context.
Slang stems from conflicts in values, sometimes superficial, often fundamental. When an individual applies language in a new way to express hostility, ridicule, or contempt, often with sharp wit, they may be creating slang, but the new expression will perish unless it becomes mainstream.

In the 1950s and 1960s, the slang of North American teenagers was shaped in large part by fast-talking AM radio disk jockeys, who drew upon the black urban vernacular for their vocabulary and syntax - the arrangement of words and phrases to create well-formed sentences in a language.

Many recent slang words have come from three specific sources - popular music, politics, and the Internet. Popular music - especially rap and hip hop, has led to many slang words.

Here is a look back on the slang of the last few decades. 

The flower-power, peace and love movement of the late 60s and early 70's crafted up these groovy terms and phrases. 

                 

Slang terms and phrases of the 80s

             

One of the defining linguistic phenomena of the 1980s and Gen Xers was Val-speak, a dialect of English spoken by Valley Girls. These were the mostly white, upper-middle-class young women who lived in the San Fernando Valley near Los Angeles. 

The 1980s were the heyday of Gen Xers, frequently called the “lost” or “forgotten” generation because the more prominent and vocal baby boomers and millennial generations have eclipsed them.

Gen Xers have come to be known as one of the least parented, least nurtured generations in history, with parents divorcing at historic rates or with both parents working towards their career goals – they were often referred to as “latchkey kids.” 

Slang words and Val-speak phrases that became popular during the 80s.

Gag me with a spoon! (that’s disgusting!)                              Gnarly! (can be amazing or disgusting)
Grody or  grody to the max! (gross!)                                      No duh! (no kidding)                
Don’t have a cow! (be overly emotional)                                 Psych! (saying something that is not true, then taking it back)
Phat! (exceptional)                                                                    Barf me out! (that’s sick)
Hella (more than)                                                                      Bite me (revulsion)
Homeboy / homegirl                                                                Veg Out (chilling, relaxing)
Yo! Greeting replacing hello                                                      Tubular (cool, remarkable)

 

 

2000s slang terms and phrases 
 

A decade’s slang represents the largest cultural forces at play, particularly among teenagers (young people are the most likely to invent new words and phrases). In the 2000s, it was the millennials who were coming of age amidst wars in the Middle East, a major recession, the first Black president of the United States and the dawn of social media.

Chillax: chill ‘n relax
Noob: new to something
Sick:  cool
Soof: swear on our friendship.
Neek: essentially another word for geek
Parr:  insult - 'you got parred' meant 'you got insulted'
Chav: 'a young lower-class person who displays brash and loutish behaviour and wears real or imitation designer clothes
Cray Cray: something or someone really crazy
Meh:  indifference or ack of enthusiasm
Buzzin:  excited
Boied: you were insulted.
Chirpz: to make a move on someone
Swerve: telling someone to go away
Catfish: refers to someone who is pretending to be someone they're not.
Guap: A lot of money. Lots of it.
Molly: The pure form of MDMA (ecstasy)
FOMO: Fear of missing out
Derp: a person who acts foolishly
Totes: totally
  

"Millennial slang has low-key worked its way into the modern vocabulary. And I’m totes OK about it and not shook in the least."
 

You may have already heard some of these words and phrases in the school hallways - there is quite a list!  

Use at your own risk! 😄

Bussin’ - awesome or great
Chad - a physically fit, overly confident man
Chasing Clout - doing things just to become popular
Cheugy - someone who is untrendy, out of date or trying too hard
Dench - cool or awesome (can replace sick, dope and fresh)
Drip - Sophisticated or stylish in appearance.
Epiphanot - an idea that seems amazing or brilliant at first but is really terrible.
Fire - used to refer to something that is really cool and amazing.
Flex - to boast or brag; show off
Finna - another way to say ‘gonna’.
Gucci - Good, cool, or going well
Highkey - used when you're sincerely or assertively into something.
Kiki - a party or festive gathering to celebrate, or to share gossip.
Lit - something's amazing, exciting, high-energy – can also mean drunk
Lowkey: means slightly, secretly, modestly, or discretely.
Lunchin’ – doing something unintelligent, typically brought on by the influence of drugs or alcohol
Mad - a substitute word for “very” when talking about their great skills or personality.   Can also be used in place of  “great” or awesome” when talking about a person’s skills.
No Cap - for real
On Fleek - on point
Ratchet - generally used to describe someone as obnoxious, rude, or trashy
Rizz - Romantic appeal or charm
Sus -  a shortening of "suspicious."
Salty - to be annoyed, upset, or bitter, usually about something minor.
Spreading the salt - complaining about someone or something
Snatched - Looks good, perfect, or fashionable
Shook - If someone's "shook," they're affected by something, usually negatively and very emotionally.
Slaps - something: a song, your meal, new shoes, anything - that strikes you as good, that's impressive
Slay - To be extremely stylish or successful
Stan -  an overzealous and obsessive fan
Tea - Gossip, situation, story, or news
Thirsty - overly eager and desperate, usually for attention, approval, or compliments.
Throw shade - To publicly disrespect a person, also known as talking trash about someone.
Wig – a slang term for amazing, incredible, or awesome - when someone is surprised by something in a good way -  you are so impressed that your wig flies off your head.
Whip – a slang reference to any type of vehicle
Woke - ‘well-informed’ or used to describe someone who’s aware of the current social/political climate.
Yas - to express praise for something or someone
Yeet - Usually exclaimed very loudly this is a verb or to narrate the process of discarding things at high velocity

 

The Go Give Project

 

On October 19th, the OSSTF D3 Equity Human Rights Committee gathered to prepare a warm meal to support the outreach initiatives of the Go Give Project. Committee members prepared over 100 chilli dinners to feed those living in poverty in the Sudbury Downtown community. 

ESSU member, Cindy Harbottle, dropped off the dinners  at the Go Give Project.  The Go Give Mobile Outreach team go out every night from 9:00 pm to 2:00 am,  to provide nutrition, harm reduction, blankets, etc., and help with any other needs those on the streets may need. These hours were chosen, as this is when other services are closed.

The Go-Give Project is a non-profit charitable organization founded in Greater Sudbury in 2020. Their mission is to ensure that individuals who are experiencing substance use disorders have access to the education and supplies they need to stay safe. Learn more here. 
 
To get involved in other equity initiatives, participate in events, and find useful in-school resources visit our web page or send us an email! OSSTF D3 Equity & Human Rights Committee


 

 

Remembrance Day is significant because it honours the sacrifice of those who gave their lives for peace. This day is a time to remember and not take for granted the freedoms Canadians enjoy today because of their sacrifice.  

The Battle of Vimy Ridge was part of the Battle of Arras, in the Pas-de-Calais department of France, during the First World War. The main combatants were the four divisions of the Canadian Corps in the First Army, against three divisions of the German 6th Army. 

The Battle of Vimy Ridge was fought during the First World War from April 9 to 12,1917. It is Canada's most celebrated military victory, but it was victory at a heavy cost: 3,598 Canadians were killed and another 7,000 wounded. The capture of Vimy was more than just an important battlefield victory. For the first time all four Canadian divisions attacked together: men from all regions of Canada were present at the battle.

Retired teacher, Lorne Romanko, an active member of the District 3 ARM Chapter, has shared this video which includes his pilgrimage to Vimy Ridge in 2007 on the 90th anniversary of this victory and defining moment for Canada.