news

Teachers break world record for teaching a single lesson

More than 11, 600 Canadians - from Victoria, BC to Hammond Plains NS and Qikiqtarjuaq NU - joined 7.5 million children, adults, teachers and campaigners in over 100 countries around the world to break a world record for the World’s Biggest Lesson as part of the Global Campaign for Education’s Global Action Week!

The world record for the largest simultaneous lesson in history has been broken already – and the numbers are still coming in. The World's Biggest Lesson focused on providing a quality basic education to everyone, especially the 72 million children and 774 million adults who are currently missing out. All over the world Politicians and Ministers – including 5 Canadian MPs, 4 MPPS, and numerous local officials - went back to school, were taught the lesson by children and asked what they planned to do to make sure everyone gets a quality education.

The World's Biggest Lesson was the highlight of the Global Campaign for Education's (GCE)'s Action Week which is taking place 21st – 27th April. Every year civil society across the world takes part in this week that pressurizes all governments to keep their promises and meet the Education for All goals, which were signed up to by 164 governments in Dakar in April 2000. With the phenomenal success of the World's Biggest Lesson, 2008 is having the biggest Action Week since the beginning of the Global Campaign for Education in 1999.

To view an updated list of the schools in Canada who pre-registered, visit: http://www.campaignforeducationcanada.org/en/index.php

To see what has been happening around the world, visit the GCE website: http://www.campaignforeducation.org/action/2008/action_2008_country.html

Students from Winnipeg and Riverton receive Young Humanitarian Awards

Aidan Notarianni, Stephanie Melsted, Breanna Wiebe and Francesca Possia’s Grade 2/3 class from Lord Wolseley School will be honoured for their humanitarian work next Monday night, April 28 as this year's recipients of the MTS Young Humanitarian Awards.

“The MTS Young Humanitarian Awards recognize students for good works and kind hearts,” says The Manitoba Teachers’ Society president Pat Isaak. “They are truly an inspiration to their families, schools and communities.”

The youngest YHA recipient this year is Aidan Notarianni. A Grade 3 student from Grosvenor School, Aidan was inspired by his long-time hero Terry Fox. After the annual run, which Aidan has participated in since he was four years old, he decided to create his own event called Bikes in Motion so he and others could bike from Winnipeg to Lockport to raise funds for The Cancer Research Society. Aidan has created the concept, designed his own posters and done the legwork in approaching various companies for sponsorship. The event is set for August 24.

Stephanie Melsted is a Grade 7 student from Riverton Early Middle School near Arborg. Stephanie’s compassionate heart drives her to seek out those who need help—whether it’s a South American student learning English, or a classmate who needs tutoring in math. Stephanie is friendly, warm-hearted and always eager to pitch in for charities such as World Vision and the Rainbow Society. After much work collecting donations for the Terry Fox Run, and participating in the run herself, Stephanie cut off most of her beautiful red hair to donate to cancer patients. She often supervises in early years classrooms. Younger students like her because she’s patient and fair. Her peers respect her, too. One month, during Riverton School’s Character Counts program, every nomination written up by Stephanie’s classmates included her name for exhibiting the character trait of the month. When Stephanie is not helping others, she relaxes by riding and grooming her horse Root Beer.

Oak Park High School’s Breanna Wiebe has a strong humanitarian heart. This cheerful young woman balances her school work with a heavy humanitarian agenda. Breanna takes a hands-on leadership role in every cause she champions—whether it’s attending the Landmines Campaign conference, taking part in the 30-hour Famine, helping to raise $20,000 for Cancer Care Manitoba, organizing the largest Manitoba high school blood drive for Canadian Blood Services, delivering poinsettias for Hospice and Palliative Care Manitoba, fundraising for UNICEF, feeding the homeless at the Agape Soup Kitchen and preparing food and mopping the floors at Siloam Mission. At school, Breanna sits on her grad committee as well as the community services committee. Two years ago, Breanna went on a two-week mission trip to Mexico where she cooked and helped feed to the homeless, and painted and fixed up a church building. The day after she graduates this year, Breanna will be leaving for Mexico to help build a school. Her life’s goal is to travel as an optometrist and missionary to Uganda to help fill the “huge need” to treat people’s eye conditions there.

Last fall, the 23 students in Francesca Possia’s Grade 2/3 class at Lord Wolseley School embarked on a project to raise funds to help their classmate Jordan Rogodzinski, who has Cerebral Palsy. Someone asked a simple question: where in the community does Jordan go every Wednesday and what does he do there? After viewing videos and studying what happens at the Movement Centre of Manitoba they found the centre doesn’t receive government funds. They gave up many of their recesses, made posters, sold popcorn and candy and raised $1,000 to help keep the centre open. But that wasn’t enough. They personally visited 21 area businesses and dropped off rocks they had painted to represent the organizations they were pitching. Then they asked to leave donation boxes. After raising $2,000 from that effort, they presented a cheque for $3,000 to the Movement Centre at an open house at their school.

Three public school teachers win provincial awards for excellence

Three public school teachers have won the province's Celebration of Excellence in Teaching awards.

"Manitoba's schools are among the best in Canada and our government recognizes the role that teachers play in unlocking the potential of the students whose lives they touch," Education Minister Peter Bjornson said. "These awards recognize the achievements of the everyday heroes who have inspired their students with their words and deeds."

A total of 29 nominations were received for the five award categories including three teacher excellence awards and an outstanding new teacher award.

Awards were presented in the teacher excellence category to Brian Borkowsky of Teulon Elementary School in the Interlake School Division who received the award for early years; Joan Duerksen of John Pritchard School in River East Transcona School Division who received the award for middle years; and the award for outstanding new teacher went to Danys Dorge of École Précieux-Sang in the Division scolaire franco-manitobaine.

Award recipients received a certificate of recognition and a $500 cash award at a luncheon held at the Legislative Building. Award recipients' schools will also receive $500 for school projects or equipment. Partners in the awards include the Manitoba Association of School Trustees, the Manitoba Federation of Independent Schools and the Manitoba Association of Parent Councils.

Students celebrating human rights anniversary piece by piece

With a little help from Headlingley Correctional Centre’s Tailor Shop and COR Enterprises in Brandon, Manitoba students are embarking on a project in celebration of the 60th Anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

The project, called Peace by Piece is part of the Manitoba Human Rights “Our World, Your World, My World” Youth Conference to be held on April 24 in Winnipeg and April 25 in Brandon.

The “Peace by Piece” session, which challenges students to take on the values and goals of the Universal Declaration is one of the highlights of this year’s conference. The students will be given one hour to work on a piece of material and design a personal message.

Their message will be part of a larger banner. When assembled, the banner will be approximately a 24 by 24 foot circle, and delivered to the Manitoba Legislature on International Human Rights Day December 10, 2008. Students in the North, who attended a similar conference in The Pas during March, have completed their sections.

Inmates at the Headingley Correctional Centre Tailor Shop will be sewing the pieces together. Trades Instructor Polly Cook says that this type of project is a gift for both the giver and receiver. “The inmates that work in the shop are learning a useful skill that they take with them when they leave. Many have gone into their own business making star blankets,” she says.

Also helping with this project is COR Enterprises in Brandon, which is a vocational training center for developmentally challenged adults.

New measures proposed by provincial government to fight cyber-bullying

Efforts by school boards to protect students from cyber-bullying would be strengthened and supported under proposed amendments to the Public Schools Act, Education, Citizenship and Youth Minister Peter Bjornson has announced.

The amendments would define cyber-bullying and require school divisions to take additional steps to develop plans and codes of conduct to prevent and respond to cyber-bullying.

"Under the Safe Schools initiative, school divisions have developed numerous resources for teachers, students and parents to help them deal with bullying," Bjornson said. "These proposed amendments respond to emerging concerns that cyber-bullying is becoming increasingly common across North America with the rapid development of electronic tools such as digital cameras, cell phones with cameras and text messaging."

Cyber-bullying involves using the Internet or other information and communications technologies to support deliberate, repeated and hostile behaviour by individuals or groups intending to harm others.

The Manitoba government recently partnered with the Canadian Centre for Child Protection on International Safe Internet Day to increase awareness about the types of threats that children may find online. Brochures that provide parents, caregivers and children the knowledge and tools they need to stay safe online were sent to schools across the province.

Student curlers can apply for provincial scholarships

Over the last few years, the Manitoba Curling Foundation and the Manitoba Curling Association have worked together for the betterment of the sport throughout Manitoba, in particular, the support of junior curlers.

The Junior Development Program is designed to assist Manitoba curling clubs and Manitoba schools in hosting curling clinics for juniors up to the age of nineteen. The foundation assists in this regard by subsidizing a portion of the cost.

The Foundation also awards up to four $1,000 post-secondary education scholarships to any junior curler actively involved in community/school involvement. The 2002-2003 season introduced the Manitoba Curling Foundation Sport Award to two junior curlers from each Provincial Sport Region, with an annual award of $250.

COLA for this year set at .71 per cent

The COLA increase for teachers' pensions will be set at .71 per cent by the Teachers' Retirement Allowances Fund July 1, 2008.

The government has committed $130 million to implement the Sale report on teachers’ pensions, but implementation has been opposed by some retired teachers.

The COLA would double to 1.4% this year if the report was implemented.

Show your support for improved COLAs by emailing MTS President Pat Isaak at pisaak@mbteach.org

Proposed fee hike for MTS members of 3.2 per cent

The proposed 2008-2009 budget for The Manitoba Teachers’ Society continues a decade long trend to keep fee increases at or near the rate of salary increases that teachers have received.

The budget being presented to the MTS Annual General Meeting in May proposes a fee increase of 3.2 per cent. This is near the three per cent salary increases that were achieved by the first 13 associations with signed contracts for 2008-2009.

As can be seen by the graph on this page, over the past 10 years the average yearly increase in teachers’ salaries has been 2.9 per cent. Over the same period, the average yearly increase in MTS fees has been 1.7 per cent.

Last year marked the only time in the past decade that a fee increase was noticeably more than the salary increase. At the time, members were told this did not reflect the beginning of a trend.

The proposed budget this year remains generally unchanged with no major increases in any areas of revenues or expenditures. Delegates to the Annual General Meeting can still change the budget, adding or deleting expenditures.

On the revenues side, fees from substitute teachers continue to grow as more and more collective agreements recognize substitute teachers as part of their bargaining units. In the past couple of years, the amount collected in substitute fees has doubled to more than $225,000. At the same time, expenditures to ensure substitute teachers receive MTS services have also grown.

Vincent Massey students head to Sweden for international competition

A group of students from Vincent Massey Collegiate in Winnipeg learned last week that their environmental project, “The Alternative Energy Array, (AEA)” had been chosen as one of only fourteen projects from over 300 submitted world-wide to participate in the prestigious Volvo Adventure Competition to be held in Goteborg, Sweden May 9-14, 2008.

All expenses are paid for 5 students and 2 adults to travel to Sweden. They will prepare a 5 minute presentation for judging. The top three projects will be awarded $10,000, $6,000 or $4,000, to be used towards the group's project.

The students have been working on an ambitious 4-stage Alternative Energy Array project for the past three years. The first stage of the AEA, known as, "Riding the Winds of Change," is a small-scale wind turbine to be assembled and installed on the school's roof by May 5, 2008. It will be integrated into the school's existing power grid system.

The second stage, "Array of Sunshine," will involve the researching, purchasing, installation and integration of solar panels into the same system.

The final two stages will be greening projects. Students will install a green roof then a green house to be heated in the winter by the first two stages. Vegetables grown in the greenhouse will be sold in the school cafeteria providing nutritious meals according to the Manitoba Food Charter. Food will also be donated to a nearby mission for the homeless. Any excess will be used as compost to help replenish the soil in the greenhouse.

One of the group’s adult facilitators, Mr. Ken Corley, stated, “Our goal is to produce a sustainable closed-loop system where the inputs which begin the loop, wind and sun, are carbon-neutral and renewable and the outputs which conclude the loop, healthy, nutritious food, are consumed on-site. This becomes a marvelous on-site learning opportunity for students. After all, it will be up to them to create the next generation of institutions to provide a sustainable future.”

Operation Donation soars to new heights

This year’s school-based food drive, Operation Donation, shattered records for food collected and schools involved.

The ninth year of the campaign saw 95 schools collecting produce for Winnipeg Harvest.

Donations by students and teachers almost doubled to 55,000 pounds. One of the sponsors of the drive, Manitoba Public Insurance, raised another 2,900 and Peak of the Market matched both those totals for a final tally of 110,029 pounds.

Last year’s total was just under 72,000 pounds.

“Manitoba teachers and students have embraced Winnipeg Harvest to help Manitoba families,” said David Northcott, executive co-ordinator of Harvest. “The strength of caring for one another through Operation Donation is a testament of how this community is stronger together.”

Northcott said he was amazed at the effort by students and teachers and that it bodes well for the future that today’s students can be so caring.

Teacher Frank Restall, organizer of all but one Operation Donation, credited the surge in participation over the past two years to the involvement of The Manitoba Teachers’ Society, which helped promote the campaign.

In 2005, just before the Society became involved, there were 18 schools collecting food. That jumped to 50, then 70 last year and up to 95 this year.

MTS President Pat Isaak praised the work of teachers and students and said the Society would continue to help the annual food drive. In fact, given that next year will be the 10th anniversary, she sees MTS playing an even greater role.

Fitness program offered for teachers, volunteers sought for teams

Hundreds of Manitoba teachers are spending four minutes for fitness thanks to a new initiative by The Manitoba Teachers’ Society’s Primary Prevention Team.

This year the PPT, made up of classroom teachers who volunteer their time, is offering training for teachers in a four-minute fitness program. At a wellness day in Brandon last month, the program attracted more than 300 participants.

The initial training session takes two hours to learn and understand the moves in the tai chi-based program. Once that is done, the routine takes only four minutes a day.

Eight of the 12 members of the Primary Prevention Team have been trained and are available to large and small groups.

The fitness program was initiated as a complement to the other services offered by the Primary Prevention Team.

The goal of the PPT is to promote health and wellness in the teaching workplace through presentations on such issues as stress, balanced lifestyles and time management. The team is made up of teachers who have donated five days of personal time a year to learn and make half-day or full-day presentations.

Currently, MTS is looking for more teachers interested in becoming members of the prevention team. The team would especially like to increase its number of francophones to help offer services to French and immersion schools.

Along with that, MTS is also looking for new members to join its Teacher Action Cohorts, trained facilitators who make presentations and conduct discussions on issues such as homophobia, racism and teachers’ roles in school planning.

The TAC also offers half and full-day sessions on issues that affect staff and students.

New members, who also donate five days of personal time a year, are trained in leadership and facilitation skills.

Teachers interested in becoming involved in either the Primary Prevention Team or Teacher Action Cohorts can fill out an application now available here.

Bullying video game condemned by MTS president

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society is condemning a new videogame that encourages bullying, physical assaults and other violent behavior in schools.

"A ban on something this outrageous shouldn't be necessary,” said Society President Pat Isaak referring to Bully: Scholarship Edition, a new interactive videogame from Rockstar Games in Vancouver. “Frankly, any responsible adult in a child’s life wouldn't need a ban, they'd just boycott it."

Rockstar Games is the Vancouver company that developed the first version of Bully in 2006. Bully: Scholarship Edition is an update to the controversial original. In the new version, players can dunk pupils heads in the toilet, photograph other students naked and physically assault both students and teachers. The game also depicts young women as either cheerleaders or losers.

“Just how much “un-doing” are schools expected to do to counter violent, sexist messages coming at students from media and videogames like this one?” says Isaak. “These are the same people who gave us Grand Theft Auto. The new edition of Bully is loaded with abusive messages and it’s demeaning to women and girls.”

Bully: Scholarship Edition is available for XBOX 360 and the Wii. Because the Wii features highly interactive wireless controllers, game players will be able to physically act out some of the most objectionable moves in the game.

“There is no good that can come of this game,” says Isaak. “It doesn’t help students. It doesn’t help schools. And it certainly doesn’t help teachers and the work they do.”

Class delivers food as Operation Donation begins collections

Teacher Kyle McKinstry’s Grade 5 class from MacGregor Elementary School visited Winnipeg Harvest as part of the MTS-backed Operation Donation.

Twenty-two students, along with several parents, filed in the front door personally delivering 590 lbs of food in boxes, bags and even backpacks.

One of the students, Tamara McVannel, presented Harvest executive coordinator David Northcott with a cheque for $1,500.

The class had collected non-perishable items, sold pizza pockets, and canvassed MacGregor area businesses for funds—all as part of a class project sparked by a unit on becoming better global citizens.

The children worked in the Winnipeg Harvest warehouse sorting foodstuffs alongside Society president Pat Isaak. Isaak commended the students and their teacher for their generous contribution to feeding Manitoba’s hungry.

MTS pleased as province keeps public schools' funding stable

Today’s announcement of a 5.6 per cent funding increase for the next school year is welcome support for public schools, says Paul Olson, vice-president of The Manitoba Teachers’ Society. “The funding schools receive for operating support has always been foremost in teachers’ minds. This year’s public schools funding announcement demonstrates it’s also a priority for the provincial government.”

“Teachers are pleased to see a $5.8 million dollar increase directed to Level II and III special needs students and a $5.1 million increase targeted to English as an Additional Language. Also welcome is $18 million more in equalization for divisions.”

The three-part funding increase—$36.4 million (a figure higher than the rate of economic growth), $16 million tagged as a tax incentive grant to school divisions and $1.1 million for capital support—signals a continuing commitment to keep public schools funding stable.

“We are pleased the provincial government continues to keep its funding promise—and has gone beyond that this year,” says Olson.

School divisions across the province have until mid-March to finalize their budgets.

MTS president urges retired teachers to accept COLA report

MTS President Pat Isaak is calling on retired teachers to accept the recommendations of a provincial government report into the teachers' pension plan Cost of Living Adjustment.

In a letter to retired teachers, Isaak says retired teachers should read the recommendations carefully before making up their minds.

MTS has already voiced its support for the proposals.

Isaak's letter follows.

Dear retired teacher,

In December 2007, the provincial government released a report that contains a plan to provide retired teachers with an improved cost of living adjustment. The proposal could put more money in the pockets of retired teachers this year. MTS supports the recommendations contained in the report and is urging the Retired Teachers’ Association of Manitoba to accept them, as well.

Please read the enclosed report, and make up your own mind. It contains eight recommendations:

“Implementation of these recommendations in 2008 would allow COLAs to immediately reach the proposed ceiling of 2/3rds of CPI in 2008, assuming that CPI remains below 3%. At the same time they will begin the process of slowly rebuilding the PAA over a ten year time frame so that further improvements could be discussed at that time.” (Page 8)

Former cabinet minster Tim Sale was asked in March of 2007 to assist MTS, RTAM and the government to address the pension adjustment account (PAA) and COLA issue. The parties considered many options. In his report, Mr. Sale outlined the factors that led to the current difficulties. Beginning in 1984 the plan paid out 100 per cent or close to 100 per cent COLAs every year. This occurred despite the actuary’s warnings that the plan was designed to pay only a two-thirds COLA.

Mr. Sale also commented on RTAM’s stance on the COLA issue:

“RTAM officials, faced with the dilemma of a weak PAA have taken a militant stand that this problem must be resolved; and have sought 100% COLA guarantees. Retired teachers have adopted the position that “we have paid for COLA and we should get it”. Unfortunately, this is not completely accurate. The COLA plan provides for a Fund, the PAA, which was initially established by capital payments in the 1970s, and the earnings of which are used to pay past COLAs. If there are excess earnings above what is needed for past COLAs, these earnings can be combined with current 16.6% of current contributions to make each year’s new COLA award. Thus, retired members’ contributions have not actually built up funds for new COLAs. Rather, they have paid (actually, they have underpaid) for COLAs now in force.

“This may be somewhat understandable, given that full COLAs were paid until 1998, in spite of the former Actuary’s warnings that this payout level was not sustainable. Most retired teachers would not likely, have seen these warnings. While RTAM’s position may be recognized as a bargaining stance, it is simply not realistic given the weak state of the PAA. In fact, no teachers’ retirement plan in Canada provides unlimited 100% COLA guarantees. However, it is also clear that the current PAA COLA capacity places Manitoba far down in inter-provincial comparisons. I believe that all parties to the present discussions agree that it is desirable to improve this situation incrementally, and then to put in place policies that will ensure that past problems do not reoccur.”

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society made a significant concession during discussions. RTAM requested a change to how the PAA was calculated. Currently the Pension Adjustment Account that funds COLA earns only the fixed income rate of the pension plan fund, currently two per cent lower than the total return of the fund. After much discussion, The Manitoba Teachers’ Society agreed To RTAM’s proposal that this policy should be changed and that the PAA should be granted the better of the equity or fixed income returns for the main fund for a period of time. This was a major compromise on the part of the Society and will put more money in the PAA to pay COLAs.

Implementing the Tim Sale report is a win-win-win for government, 15,000 active teachers and 11,000 retired Manitoba teachers. It balances the need to provide an improved COLA for retired teachers with the amount of money that active teachers and government are required to pay to support it.

For the sake of the 11,000 retired teachers and every teacher who will retire one day I am appealing to you to contact RTAM and ask their executive to support the Sale report’s proposal. It is the only way we will get an improved COLA quickly.

RTAM
#204 - 2281 Portage Avenue
Winnipeg, Manitoba, R3J 0M1
Winnipeg Voice Mail/Office Phone: (204) 889-3660
MB Toll Free Voice Mail: 1-888-393-8082
RTAM Office email: rtam@mts.net

Thank you,

Pat Isaak
President

New resources offered to help teachers counter bullying

Some new resources about bullying and cyberbullying have been developed for teachers and administrators in Canada.

The Canadian Teachers' Federation has created a brochure of tips for teachers to help combat cyberbullying. The brochure can be downloaded here.

The anti-bullying organization, bullying.org, has launched a website specifically aimed at teachers.

The site, www.bullyingcourse.com, offers affordable and easily-accessible online courses and webinars about bullying and cyberbullying for professional educators and parents.

"I have had the dream of creating this kind of educational resource for some time," said Bill Belsey, the Canadian educator who founded both bullying.org and National Bullying Awareness Week.

"I went to a great Canadian university, but during my entire four years of teacher-training, I never had a class, let alone a course, about bullying. Bullying is often seen as the number one non-academic issue that teachers face today, and yet educators feel that they need more information, help and support to address the issue more effectively."

Elections Manitoba offers program to get students involved in voting

Voter turnout in the May 2007 provincial election was 56.75 per cent, but the number of voters aged 18 to 24 was less than half that. In an effort to get more young people to the polls, Elections Manitoba has developed Your Power to Choose, a curriculum resource that introduces students to the values of citizenship, democracy and the power of choice.

“Our hopes and our desires in being involved in this are to engage students from the outset in the habit of participation and getting used to election terminology so that when it is time to vote, they hopefully will participate,” said Angela Chalmers, education coordinator for Your Power to Choose. “What goes beyond voting day is teaching young people how to make informed decisions and how to have their voice be heard. Making a constructive choice and the effect that choice has on their surroundings. It’s being able to make the choice, but also being able to justify it.”

While still an education student, Anita Pachikara was hired to develop the education component of the program. She is now in her second year teaching science at Miles Macdonell Collegiate in Winnipeg. “I thought this is interesting because I’d never voted before. As soon as I started working I started to see the importance of what I was doing. It was almost like the more information I got from here, the more I thought. ‘Oh, my gosh I haven’t voted yet and I’m 21.’ ”

In keeping with the provincial curriculum, Your Power to Choose is geared to Grades 6, 9 and 11, although it is adaptable to every level, particularly Grades 4 and 5.“Each lesson starts with an activating strategy so that they’re interested right from the top. All of these lessons are self-contained. That way it’s flexible for teachers. I designed it so every lesson is independent. All the materials that you need are contained after each lesson as well. Everything the teacher needs is here and we don’t have to find extra information and we don’t have to make up any worksheets, quizzes or answer keys,” said Pachikara.

The program is divided into four phases: the pre-election experience, the election experience begins, the political experience and the democratic experience. The goal is to make students more at ease with the voting process. According to Mary Skanderbeg, manager of elections operations and communications, they hope that “when it comes down to the actual marking of the X, it will be a natural feeling for them.”

For Grades 9 and 11, there is also a student council election kit. Elections Manitoba’s research showed that each school has its own way to run their elections, so the kit comes with a with a checklist on how to run an election in school and a CD that contains adaptable templates that allow schools to personalize posters, ballots and tally sheets.

For more information on the kit or the workshops contact Angela Chalmers: 945-7376 or
1-800-628-6837 or email achlamers@elections.mb.ca

CTF renews efforts to get tax break for teacher expenses

The Canadian Teachers’ Federation is once again lobbying the federal government to implement tax breaks for teachers who spend their own money for classroom purposes.

Surveys have shown that teachers spend hundreds of dollars a year on such items as educational materials yet are not allowed to claim such expenses on their taxes.

The CTF, at the urging of member organizations such as The Manitoba Teachers’ Association, has been pursuing such a tax change for more than 10 years.

Some provincial jurisdictions have had success. For example the Prince Edward Island Teachers’ Federation was successful in negotiating a provincial tax credit on allowable expenditures up to $500.

The CTF says it will soon renew efforts at the federal level.

“We will target a number of key individuals for meetings during the current sitting of Parliament in an effort to build support for the changes we are seeking as we move into budget consultations for 2008.”

Further information from CTF, including background on the issue

Student behaviour now No. 1 concern among Manitoba teachers

For the first time since 1999, student behaviour has surpassed class size as Manitoba teachers’ number one concern, according to a recent opinion poll sponsored by The Manitoba Teachers’ Society.

Each year, teachers are asked to name their single biggest concern as a teacher today. The responses are not prompted. Since 1999, class size or having too many students has been the concern cited most often by MTS members. In 2001, it reached an all time high when 23 per cent of teachers said it was their top concern. In 2006 and 2007 it was the top concern of 15 per cent.

In November of 2007, when teachers were asked to name their top concern, 17 per cent said student behaviour, discipline and violence was their biggest concern. That is up from 14 per cent in 2006. In third place is too many demands and job stress, selected by 14 per cent of teachers.

“It’s not surprising that student behaviour is a growing concern for our members,” said Pat Isaak, president of the society. “Class size and composition and student behaviour are closely related issues for most teachers. Whenever I talk to teachers in staff rooms across the province they tell me that it’s not only the number of students in their classroom, but the composition of their class that can make a huge difference in the learning environment. One disruptive student can make even a small class size seem huge.”

Operation Donation hopes to get at least 100 schools involved

After setting records last year for schools’ food donations, Operation Donation is aiming even higher this year.

Teacher Frank Restall, organizer of the program, says it hopes to get at least 100 schools across the province involved in the food drive in 2008.

Last year more than 70 Manitoba schools participated, collecting almost 34,000 pounds of food for Winnipeg Harvest. Totals raised by schools are then matched by Peak of the Market.

Most schools involved were from Winnipeg, but this year organizers are looking to get schools from all parts of the province interested. Donations from those schools would then go to food banks and other organizations in their areas.

“We’re making a concerted effort to make this province-wide,” Restall says.

Operation Donation has been running for eight years and has seen rapid growth in the past few years.

Since it began it has collected more than a quarter of a million pounds of food for the needy.

The drive runs for one week in March. This year it will be March 3-7. Participating schools can collect food on a single day or during the whole week. Some schools have targeted certain donations, others have organized events around the program.

Restall says it is up to the schools to determine how to go about collecting donations. The program has had the goal of having at least one donation per student.

“On its own, one donation doesn’t seem like much, but collectively it makes a world of difference to Harvest and people in need,” Restall says. “The key to success is working collectively.”

Restall says his dream is to one day see every student in Manitoba donate one item during the Operation Donation week.

Information will be sent to all schools in the coming weeks by The Manitoba Teachers’ Society, one of the supporters of the project. Restall says the support of MTS has been key to the growth of Operation Donation. MTS became involved last year and the number of schools jumped from 50 to 70.

Other sponsors of the program are Peak of the Market and the Manitoba Public Insurance Corporation.

Schools wanting to become involved can contact Bruce Michalski, Special Events Coordinator at 982-3663 or events@winnipegharvest.org.

Updated information on the project will also be published to The Manitoba Teachers’ Society website.

Eight recommendations in report to improve pension COLA

In December 2007, the provincial government released a report that recommends a plan to provide retired teachers with an improved cost of living adjustment. MTS is hopeful that the Retired Teachers Association of Manitoba will accept the proposals contained in the report.

Former cabinet minster Tim Sale was asked in March of 2007 to attempt to assist MTS, RTAM and the Labour Relations Division, Treasury Secretariat to address the pension adjustment account and COLA issue. The pension adjustment account (PAA) is a $145 million fund that provides the Teachers’ Retirement Allowances Fund with the ability to provide cost of living adjustment increases

The report contains eight recommendations that, if implemented in 2008, would allow the cost of living adjustment to reach the proposed ceiling of two-thirds CPI in 2008, assuming that CPI remains below 3 per cent.

The Society is awaiting RTAM’s official response to the Sale report. The complete report is available here.

Canadian Teachers' Federation adopts plan to combat cyber-bullying

The Canadian Teachers’ Federation (CTF) has adopted an action plan to address the many challenges presented by cyberbullying within the context of schools and the professional lives of teachers.

CTF President Emily Noble said the action plan is one piece of an overall strategy being mapped out by a National Work Group established last July at the CTF Annual General Meeting.

The work group -- representatives of CTF member organizations, researchers in education and education experts in communications technology -- looked at issues related to the creation of new technologies and their effect on teaching and learning environment.

“Bullying is bullying, whether it’s done online by the latest technology or whether it’s done in person and it is unacceptable,” said Noble. “We want our schools to be safe and secure places for learning.”

CTF will be collaborating with teacher, parent, law enforcement agencies, policy-makers and legislators to find solutions and support that will allow teachers to teach and students to learn, in an environment safe from any bullying, she said

Two schools recognized by human rights commission

Two schools have been awarded the Manitoba Human Rights Commission Certificate of Achievement for promoting equality and human rights in their schools and communities.

At Manitoba human rights youth conferences, MHRC Chairperson Jerry Woods encourages students to take back to their schools and communities what they learned during the workshops.
He believes that the key to a successful conference is the action that follows it, saying “we hope to give students some tools so they can take the message of respect, equality of opportunity and freedom from discrimination back with them and act on it.”

St. Laurent School in St. Laurent and Margaret Barbour Collegiate in The Pas accepted the commission’s “Making a Difference Challenge”.

The commission says the students at St. Laurent are proud of their Métis heritage and decided to invite another school from the Prairie Rose School Division, Elm Creek, to experience, for a day, Métis customs and traditions. Over 400 students participated.

In the Pas, a different project was emerging. After attending The Pas Youth Conference, students at Margaret Barbour Collegiate put together a presentation for younger students who were asked to respond to such questions as: “What are your rights and responsibilities?” and “If racial discrimination could be eliminated, how would the world be different?

The schools will receive a Human Rights Certificate of Achievement for their work, and $500 towards continuing projects.

Student Read-A-Thon for MS celebrates its 30th birthday

The MS Read-A-Thon is adding some special perks this year to celebrate its 30th year promoting literacy and teaching students about multiple sclerosis.

“We’re delighted to have some Manitoba children’s authors join us in our school presentations,” said Alice Ramsay, coordinator of the program run by the Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada, Manitoba Division. “Joe McLellan, Bonnie Murray and Larry Verstraete are on board and will read to students at select schools.” This is possible in part to a grant from the Manitoba Arts Council administered by the Manitoba Writers’ Guild.

The MS Read-A-Thon is run by staff and volunteers of the MS Society who visit Manitoba schools. They give a short interactive presentation, explaining the symptoms of MS and how they affect people as they go about their day-to-day tasks.

The presenter also emphasizes the importance of reading and speaks about the enjoyment and learning that comes from what is unfortunately becoming a lost pastime. Last year, Manitoba Read-A-Thon participants read for a total of 432,202 minutes and raised over $34,000.

“We have many new resources on our MS Read-A-Thon website,” said Ramsay. “There are fun sections for kids where they can tell us about their favourite books and even do puzzles. There are tips for teachers about motivating their students and we just added a parents’ section as well.”

For more information or to register your school, call Alice Ramsay at 943-9595 ext. 240 or email: msreadathon.mb@mssociety.ca
You may also visit the website: www.mssociety.ca/manitoba and click on MS Read-A-Thon.

National Media Awareness Week Nov. 5–9

Media Awareness Network (MNet) and the Canadian Teachers' Federation (CTF) are pleased to announce that CTVglobemedia is continuing its longstanding commitment to media literacy in Canada by becoming the presenting sponsor of National Media Education Week, November 5-9, 2007.

Media Awareness Network and the Canadian Teachers' Federation are the lead partners in National Media Education Week, created in 2006 to promote media education and encourage media literacy activities throughout Canada.

“Canada is ahead of much of the world when it comes to integrating media education into our schools and communities, but we have a long way to go before it becomes a part of every child’s education,” says Cathy Wing, Acting Executive Director of Media Awareness Network. “This pivotal sponsorship from CTVglobemedia enables us to spread the word about the importance of media education as a forward- thinking strategy for creating thoughtful, engaged and informed young people.” Her comments support the observation by CTF President Emily Noble of “the importance of a major media network recognizing the need for media awareness on the part of Canadian youth.”

“CTVglobemedia is pleased to support Canada's second annual National Media Education Week,” says Vice-President of Public Affairs Sarah Crawford. “We applaud the Canadian Teachers' Federation and Media Awareness Network, who have created this week to promote media literacy as a key component in the education of young people, and to encourage the integration of media education into Canadian schools, homes and communities.”

For more information on National Media Education Week 2007, visit www.mediaeducationweek.ca or contact Media Awareness Network info@media-awareness.ca

Unions hailed as champions of United Way
A.P. (Ben) Benton
United Way Winnipeg

United Way is celebrating a proud heritage in the labour movement as we get all fired-up for Campaign 2007.

An enthusiastic Heather Grant-Jury, director of the UFCW Local 832 Training Centre, heads up the efforts as this year’s Campaign Chair. “Over the years, I’ve been a proud supporter of United Way,” said Grant-Jury. “And as you know, so has the labour movement.”

United Way of Winnipeg was conceived in 1965 as a partnership between the Winnipeg Labour Council and the Winnipeg Chamber of Commerce who shared a vision of a stronger community.

United Way Winnipeg website

Workers in Winnipeg continue to play a significant role in workplace campaigns consistently raising more than 50 per cent of the total campaign annually. Teachers and students in Winnipeg raised nearly $390,000 for last year’s campaign. Thousands more dollars flowed to United Ways across the province thanks to teachers and students.

No lone organization can address the social, political or economic factors that may cause barriers in our efforts to reduce poverty, encourage youth and build neighbourhoods. But by working together we can create positive, sustainable change. That’s why we’re so excited to have this opportunity to renew our partnership with the labour community.

Unions share not only a historical relationship with United Way, but a philosophical one too. Unions have always promoted a strong message of community and take an active role supporting United Way’s mission—to improve lives and build community by engaging individuals and mobilizing collective action. United Way targets three key areas:

Reducing poverty;
Encouraging youth throughout our city to be successful;
Building strong neighbourhoods.

Teachers are active participants in all three aspects. As educators involved in the academic and extra-curricular activities of young people, teachers help to ensure that our future leaders have the best opportunities to realize a bright future. By being active community participants on so many levels, teachers ensure that neighbourhood schools are vibrant.

United Way depends on this kind of supportive, participatory action. There is so much that we can accomplish when we work together. Campaign 2007 is your call to action. Invest in your community by giving to United Way’s campaign, become a union counsellor, volunteer, and join with us as we work towards better lives, improved conditions and stronger, safer and more vibrant communities for everyone who lives here.

Nominations open for youth human rights award

Nominations for the Manitoba Human Rights Youth Award are now being accepted.

The award is one of two given out each year by the Manitoba Human Rights Commission. The other is the human rights commitment award.

“Every year, on International Human Rights Day, we acknowledge work done in various communities that has had an impact on the advancement of human rights,” says Dianna Scarth, Executive Director of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission.

“We are asking Manitobans to consider submitting a nomination for either the Commitment or Youth Award,” she says, adding, “the work and effort of many often goes unnoticed by those outside their community. This event is a celebration and gives individuals or groups the recognition they deserve.”

This year the Commitment Award will recognize work, which has advanced human rights by overcoming discrimination based on mental disability. The youth award will recognize a youth group or young person who has promoted respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms within Manitoba.

Past human rights award recipients include teacher Chuck Duboff, Winnipeg Harvest, and Phil Fontaine. The Dr. Sybil Shack Youth Award, which began in 2005, has been awarded to the Maples Collegiate Unity Group and Tasha Spillett.

The deadline for nominations is November 9, 2007. For more information on the award criteria, you can contact the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, The Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties or the Canadian Human Rights Commission. Criteria information can also be found on the Manitoba Human Rights Commission website www.gov.mb.ca/hrc

Retired teachers again rally in support of improved pension COLA

About 400 retired teachers rallied at the Legislature Oct. 10 to again call on the provincial government to fund a full cost of living adjustment for their pensions.

The COLA for this year was .63 per cent. The rally was organized by the Retired Teachers’ Association of Manitoba. The retired teachers’ concerns and the provincial response were the same as in previous years.

Education Minister Peter Bjornson told the teachers that the government continues to work on the pension plan, including ways in which to improve the COLA.

“Over the past year, government representatives have been working with the members of the Teacher Pension Task Force and RTAM with the goal of finding a COLA solution that all parties at the table could accept,” he said. “It is important that any step taken to provide a better COLA to retired teachers be endorsed by all parties currently at the table.”

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society declined an invitation to address this year’s rally.

See the minister’s full remarks
See the MTS letter declining an invitation to speak at the rally

Environmental lesson plans now available for EAL students

EcoKids, the Canadian environmental education program, has now developed special lesson plans to address the needs of English as an Additional Language students.

The materials focus on environmental education themes and topics.

The lesson plans are available on the ecokids.ca website.

EcoKids, operated by Earth Day Canada, has been promoting environmental awareness for young Canadians for 10 years.

It says its new initiative “addresses the increasing number of new immigrants in Canada’s classrooms who arrive speaking neither English nor French.”

Turtle River teachers get guaranteed prep time

Turtle River is a tiny school division that employs fewer than 60 teachers.

But for three years those teachers stood behind their collective bargaining team, finally winning a significant arbitration to get guaranteed prep time.

In 2004, when the teachers entered negotiations, prep time was non-existent for most and minimal for other teachers in Turtle River. Local association members decided that their No. 1 priority was to get a guaranteed amount of prep time written into their collective agreement.

The school division adamantly opposed the move throughout negotiations and through a first round of arbitration that began in 2006.

Even when an initial arbitration award was handed down last March, the division had another chance to negotiate a settlement on the prep time issue. While ruling on all other issues, the arbitrator sent the parties back to further negotiate prep time.

No agreement was reached so the two sides found themselves before the arbitrator again, with teachers arguing the need for prep time and the school division arguing that it could not afford to provide it.

The arbitration board was not persuaded by the division’s argument that it could not afford to enshrine prep time in the collective agreement.

Apparently to ease the impact on the division, the arbitrator ordered that the clause, ensuring 150 minutes of prep time per week, not come into effect until the next school year.

Francophone teachers win precedent-setting arbitration

Teachers in Manitoba’s francophone teachers’ association, l’Association des éducatices et éducateurs franco-manitobains (AÉFM), are now covered by the most comprehensive public school harassment policy in the province. The precedent-setting policy includes protection from discrimination, harassment as defined in the human rights code, sexual harassment, and for the first time, mental or psychological harassment.

“This represents more than five years of work for our association and we are extremely happy it has ended this way,” says Richard Alarie, president of the AÉFM. “It gives so much more protection to our members than they’ve had in the past, and the policy cannot be changed without the association’s consent.”

The Division scolaire franco-manitobaine (DSFM) policy is the result of an arbitration ruling directing the policy be applied as of August 13, 2007. Implemented just last week, the policy defines mental or psychological harassment as:

“Any unwelcome or unwanted conduct that constitutes moral or psychological harassment, including abuse of power, use of excessive control, and any conduct that threatens, intimidates, coerces, humiliates, belittles or embarrasses a staff member, either verbally or physically, on a single occasion or repeatedly…”

The new policy also directs that a harassment and discrimination officer—agreed upon by both the AÉFM and the DSFM—be retained by the division, and that a delegated manager at the division spread awareness about workplace discrimination and harassment to all division staff.

"The AÉFM deserves all the credit for their commitment to this issue," says Pat Isaak, president of The Manitoba Teachers’ Society. “This raises the bar in terms of protection for teachers.” The Society has fully supported the AÉFM on this issue, says Isaak, and “would like to see this for all teachers.”

Read more about the case in the October/November issue of The Manitoba Teacher.

See full harassment, discrimination policy here

New MTS handbook sent to schools, copies available for substitutes

The 2007 MTS Handbook and Calendar for Society members was being delivered to schools in the first to weeks of September.

This year's theme is humour in the classroom.

Substitute teachers who are Society members can also obtain a copy of the handbook by contacting MTS. They can request copies by email or phone, but in either case must provide:

First and last name (please spell last name if leaving a voice message)
Address including postal code
Division(s) that they are working for
Indicate French or English version of handbook

The contact options are as follows:

831-3076
1-800-262-8803 ext 6076
handbooks@mbteach.org

Handbooks will be provided as supplies last.

Anti-landmines group reports another successful year

Another successful fundraising campaign to help those injured by landmines came to and end on June 30 and a total of $10,635.15 was raised, including nearly $9,000 raised by 41 Manitoba schools, says the co-ordinator of the Manitoba Campaign to Ban Landmines.

Teacher Darryl Toews says the schools and Teaching War Affected Children Class at the U o W participated in the 2006-2007 "100 Schools Challenge."

The entire amount was wired to the One Love Project, which assists people in Rwanda who have been siabled by landmines, on Aug. 14.

"Meredith Daun (the other coordinator of the MBCBL) and I had some discussions this summer about our funding support of the One Love Project. We decided that we would continue to support that organization and its work and would again invite schools and the public to engage in fundraising activities over the next year. I've sent a letter to all of the schools participating in last year's challenge which includes our flier for this year's "100 Schools Challenge". It will also be available in English and French very shortly on our website," Toews says.

"We decided that it was important to offer the One Love Project continued support because that gives them a stable funding source. We also feel a close connection to that organization and its staff after our two visits to Rwanda."

For more information about the "100 Schools Challenge" and the One Love Project, please visit www.mbcbl.org or email info@mbcbl.org.

Group looks to have classrooms become greener

Being “green” in the classroom is directly connected with environmentally responsible citizenship, and Waste Reduction Week, October 15-21, is an exciting way to make environmental education come to life, says the project co-ordinator.

Coral Maloney says Resource Conservation Manitoba wants to encourage more students and teachers to get involved.

“We want to support the positive actions people are taking towards sustainability,” she says. “Manitoba students and teachers are composting, walking to school, and reducing their waste in all kinds of creative ways, all year round. We want to celebrate that, and encourage more to join in!”

The event highlights some of the creative, educational and interesting ways to integrate “green” learning into the classroom. Waste Reduction Week is celebrated in all Canadian provinces and territories, and is in its seventh year in Manitoba. The event is an opportunity to celebrate the waste reduction and resource conservation efforts that already exist, and it’s also a chance to highlight new initiatives and programs – from educational projects or experiments to an environmental awareness event. Schools, communities and businesses can register to participate and join the nation-wide community of people committing to waste reduction efforts.

The project is coordinated by Resource Conservation Manitoba, a non-profit, non-governmental organization dedicated to providing practical, sustainable solutions for everyday living. Waste Reduction Week is supported by Manitoba Conservation, the Manitoba Product Stewardship Corporation, Manitoba Hydro, and the City of Winnipeg.

Maloney says it’s difficult to promote recycling in schools when there is no institutionalized program to deal with recyclables in place already. It’s a deep concern that children are being taught about recycling in the classroom but the modeling they receive doesn’t match up. Nonetheless, promoting Waste Reduction Week needs to be about more than recycling, she says.

“Remember those 3Rs? At RCM, we make them four: Rethink, Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Just examining these four together, in the order that they are, helps us think a little differently about waste.”

Classroom activities related to Waste Reduction Week fit easily into the curriculum with activities such as poster designs, science experiments, media and advertising studies, and composting projects, she says.

For more information and to get involved, contact Coral Maloney, Waste Reduction Week Coordinator at (204) 925-3775, email: wrw@resourceconservation.mb.ca or browse the WRW wesbite at www.resourceconservation.mb.ca.

Four Manitoba schools make magazine's list of top 25

Four Manitoba schools made the grade in Today’s Parent magazine’s fourth annual Top Schools Survey. The magazine called for nominations from its readers in nine different categories, based on research with experts, parents and educators. The Manitoba schools that made the list are: Lakewood Elementary School and Ecole Seven Oaks Middle School in Winnipeg, Hazel M. Kellington School in Neepawa, and Inglis School in Inglis, Manitoba. Twenty-five elementary and middle schools from across Canada were recognized in the survey, including three stand-out schools for special recognition.

Lakewood Elementary in Winnipeg was one of these stand-outs in the “best extra-curicculars” category. Besides traditional activities such as volleyball, basketball and choir, the school also offers its students juggling, a morning fitness program and a boys’ writing club, among others. The school was a stand-out because of “its commitment and fun approach to keeping students’ minds and bodies active”.

“It makes us feel really good to be nominated,” says Principal Linda Daniels. “There’s a feeling about this school—it’s a very friendly and accepting place.”

Hazel M. Kellington School in Neepawa received the “terrific teacher” award. Phys.ed teacher Heather Douglas’ innovative approaches to fitness earned her a Manitoba Physical Education Teachers Association award last year. The school features “Movement Spectacular”—a performance show set to music which can include hockey sticks, ribbons, scarves and dance. Fitness activities are designed to make every child feel included and recognized—awards are given for personal bests, earning most kids a ribbon on track and field day.

“It was nice to have a parent feel so strongly about our school to nominate it,” says Douglas. “I think the magazine liked our whole process of looking at individual needs of each child and how it comes through in so many ways.”

Principal Allen Hanke says the staff is the strength of the school. “We like to offer different opportunities for the kids to have fun,” he says.

As one of the smallest public schools in Canada, Inglis School in Inglis, Manitoba was included in the “one of a kind” category for its cultural diversity and resourcefulness. Heather Davidson serves as principal and teacher in Inglis School and says what makes her school special is that “Because we’re a small school we are able to do a lot of activities that involve the whole student body - every child is included. We also try to give back to the community such as going out and doing garbage clean up,” she says.

Rounding out the list is Ecole Seven Oaks Middle School in Winnipeg. The “all round cool schools” category that Seven Oaks was included in is fitting, says Principal Gwen Birse. “That’s what middle school is all about,” she says. “Kids thinking of school as ‘cool’.

The school’s 600 students can explore a wide variety of activities including robotics, curling, nutrition and multimedia. Two out of three students play on school teams, while school’s theatrical productions—such as last year’s Anne of Green Gables” sells out seats in Winnipeg’s Pantages Playhouse Theatre.

You can locate the Today’s Parent Top 25 schools article online at www.todaysparent.com/education/general/article.jsp?content=20070807144712_4676 to read about more special schools across Canada.

Society continues to press for improvements to pension COLA

The Manitoba Teachers’ Society continues to urge the provincial government to allow an increase in pension contributions to improve the plan’s cost of living adjustment.

This year the Teacher’s Retirement Allowances Fund has advised retired teachers that the COLA for this year will be .63 per cent.

The Society realizes that this news will be disappointing for retired teachers. In the past four years, the Society has spent a great deal of time talking with government about the COLA issue and is working closely with the government and the Retired Teachers’ Association at the Pension Task Force to try and find a satisfactory solution for both active and retired teachers.

There are three main reasons the COLA is so low:

For two decades active teachers were making the same contributions to their pension plan while at the same time pension benefits were improving.

Full COLAs continued to be paid despite warnings from the pension plan’s actuary that by paying out a full COLA every year, the plan was using money that would be needed to pay for future COLAs.

At the same time, the number of active teachers paying contributions into the fund decreased in relation to the number of retired teachers collecting benefits.