2021 General Assembly Feedback

Last month the PSTA PD Committee sent a survey to gather feedback for the 2021 General Assembly. There were nearly 200 respondents and 65% preferred the remote GA over in-person and 83% were in favor of a keynote speaker for the 2022 General Assembly. The PD Committee has begun planning for the 2022 General Assembly and will be asking for member input in the new year.

STF COVID-19 Information & Response

If you have questions about Vaccine Policies, Quarantine Leave, Double Duty, Duty to Accommodate and COVID-19 Information & Response and Travel Advice, check the STF COVID-19 Information & Response page where you will find information about these topics and more. There is also a series of frequently asked questions and links to other supports and resources available to teachers who are feeling overwhelmed.

Four Seasons of Reconciliation Course Free for a Limited Time

Through a partnership with First Nations University of Canada and Reconciliation Education, the Royal Bank of Canada is offering free registration to the 4 Seasons of Reconciliation program. This self-paced online program offers 10 modules on truth and reconciliation. Upon completion of the online course, you will be awarded a “Certificate of Completion” issued by First Nations University of Canada. 

Free seats to the online truth and reconciliation course are available now until December 31st .

Register before December 31st at https://reconciliationeducation.ca/rbc  to be automatically added to the program. You will have 6 months to complete the course at your own pace.

Prairie Spirit Education Bursary

The deadline to apply for the 2021-2022 Education Bursary is Saturday, January 8, 2022.

The amount of $45,000.00 plus the 2020-2021 carry-over of $653.48 is available to PSSD teachers and PSTA members for Education Bursaries. The priority areas are Administration, Early Learning, English as an Additional Language, Educational Technology and Design, French Immersion, First Nations & Metis Education, Music Education, Practical and Applied Arts and Special Education/Psychology.

Courses submitted for consideration in the priority areas must be part of an approved program. PSTA members may also apply to have courses outside of these priority areas considered for bursaries.

More information and the application form can be found on the PSTA website.

How changes to Section 6.1 of our LINC Agreement will affect payday

One update to the PSTA LINC Agreement (2020) was made to reflect how teachers are paid now. In the past, you might remember receiving your paystub and cheque in your school mailbox. Section 6.1 of the previous LINC Agreement stated, “Cheques shall be issued electronically on the last school day on or before the 25th of each month” so your cheque would be in your mailbox before break began so you wouldn’t have to wait until returning to work.

The updated Section 6.1 now states, “Pay will be issued electronically on or before the 25th of each month” because we receive our pay electronically and can be deposited on or before the 25th of the month.

This change to our LINC Agreement means that you will not receive your December pay early like previous years. December 25th is a holiday so you will see your December pay deposited on December 24th.

Nominations are open for the position of STF Councillor

The PSTA currently has an STF Councillor vacancy. STF Councillors sit on the PSTA Executive and represent teachers within the STF. They also attend annual meetings of Council where they learn about educational issues in Saskatchewan, elect the STF Executive, and discuss and debate resolutions to guide the Federation.

On behalf of the PSTA Nominations/Electoral Committee, I invite any PSTA member interested in joining the PSTA Executive to submit a nomination form for STF Councillor.

Nominations are now open. An election will be held on October 19th at the Representative Assembly. PSTA members are invited to submit nominations to fill a councillor vacancy on the current PSTA Executive. The term will be from Oct 19, 2021-June 30, 2022.

The deadline to submit a nomination form is October 19, 2021.

Send Nominations to:
Chief Returning Officer, Amy Korver and PSTA President, Scott Woods-Fehr.

PSTA Executive and Committee Member Farewell

The PSTA is stronger because of the history and knowledge experienced members bring to the work of the PSTA Executive and Committees. It is also important to bring fresh voices and perspectives to help the PSTA evolve and grow. While I am excited to see new PSTA teachers join the Executive and Committees, it means we must say goodbye to some as well.

Jeff Joanette joined the PSTA Executive as an STF Councillor in 2012 and has since filled roles on the PSTA including Vice-President in 2015 and numerous working committees like the PSTA Student Scholarship Committee and the PSTA Teacher Wellness Committee. We might be saying good-bye for now, but we hope to see Jeff back again.

Amy Orth has represented PSTA members as an STF Councillor since 2014 and was instrumental in the 2016 PSSD/PSTA Teacher Time and Workload Intensification Survey. Amy is currently on leave and we hope to see her return to the PSTA Executive in the future.

Brenda Epp has been a consistent member of the PSTA LINC teams since 2015 and has represented PSTA members in several rounds of LINC negotiations.

Justin Sauer has been an active school staff liaison for many years and joined the PSTA Executive as a STF Councillor. 2020 was a tough year to join the PSTA Executive where all meetings were held online and we missed out on many of the typical opportunities learn from others and to network with teachers across the province at the STF Fall Council and the Annual Meeting of Council. Justin will be representing his school as a school staff liaison in 2021.

In 2020 we saw both Brandon Debert and Justin Olnhoff join the PSTA’s Professional Development Committee. Because of other commitments, Brandon and justin have stepped down from the PD Committee.