Newsbulletin #1, August 22, 2018

Wecome Back Happy Hour
We hope you all had a wonderful summer and we wish you an excellent semester.  Kick off the semester by celebrating with your colleagues over a summer dinner while raising a glass of your choice.  All retirees are welcome.

  • Reserve with Sheree X 7053.
  • See you behind the D-cafeteria, in the courtyard, Thursday, August 30th at 4:30 pm!

General Assembly Dates – with correction
We have established the General Assembly dates for the 2018 fall semester.  As was the case last year, we are varying the times so as to accommodate teachers’ different schedules.  Please mark these in your calendars now so you can come and participate at your GAs.

  • Wednesday, September 5th – 6 pm (corrected)
  • Wednesday, October 3rd – UB
  • Wednesday, December 19th– 2pm

VCTA Website Rollout
All summer long, the VCTA’s web team has been working on updating the design of our website and our logo (see above). Thanks to Vanier grads, Michaela Eftene and Brandon Aspromonte (Office Systems Technology), along with professor Hugo Casanova and VCTA Vice-President Internal Sheila Das.  The new site will be up and running next Monday, August 27th!  As we will be continuing to tweak our new site as the year progresses,  please share with us your comments!

IPESA – Institutional Policy for the Evaluation of Student Achievement
The IPESA policy is being revised this year, which will have an impact on all of us as teachers as it is the guiding policy of the College regarding pedagogy and evaluation.  We will be discussing it at our first General Assembly.  Stay tuned for these discussions and the recommendations that arise from them.

On this note, we were pleased to hear the PED Day key-note speaker, Angela Mastracci, emphasize that competency-based assessment is not black and white, but involves finding the balance that works for you as a teacher in the classroom.  Let’s keep her advice in mind as we move forward with these discussions.

Coffee Machines and Union Lounges
We have just given our Bunn Coffee Machines a deep cleaning and descaling and re-stocked the tea (green and black) so that your caffeine hit will be ready quick and tasty as you begin your courses.   We have also cleaned the cupboards in the N-lounge, and added cleaning items.  This was necessary, though beyond our duties as an Executive, due to the pile-up of dirty, stored, personal items.

  • Please help keep the lounges clean.  While you may use the fridge to keep your lunch, do not store any personal items long-term in the fridge, freezer or in the cupboards.  Unclaimed items will be pitched.
  • Enjoy the coffee and tea in the teacher lounges C-101 and N-127!

Ten Consecutive Days of Substitution in CI
Please know that you have a chance to be paid in CI for the first 10 days of a substitution if they are consecutive (i.e. two-week period), and include office hours, corrections etc.  The College further indicated at our CRT meeting August 17 that in order to benefit from these conditions, one teacher needs to complete all of the substitution.

  • Let us know if you meet these conditions and do not get paid in CI.

FNEEQ Newsletter
Catch up on the latest in the FNEEQ network.  From the new FNEEQ Executive, to distance supervision, to college financing, make sure you know what is being tackled across the province!