This year the PSTA received 12 applications for the 2021 PSTA Scholarship. With so many great applications it was difficult for the committee to decide, but in the end the committee chose KC Barron, Kayla Blom, Eryn Kielo and Rochelle Wright as the four lucky recipients of the $1000 scholarship. Thank you to all those who applied.
2021-2022 PSTA Executive and Standing Committee Nominations
Vice President
The Representative Assembly elects one vice-president to preside over general meetings of the membership and assist the president in carrying out the responsibilities of the office and assumes the role of president in representing and chairing meetings in the event the president is unable to attend.
Nominees:
- Jason Brose
STF Councillors
There are ten (10) STF Councillor positions available for 2021-2022. 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.
Nominees:
- Diana Jemieff Hayes
- Amy Korver
- Cary Pepper-Martens
- Mark Perry
- Brett Rowland
- Gina Smith
- Chad Williams
Local Implementation and Negotiation Committee
There are six (6) LINC positions available for 2018-19. LINC members implement, monitor, and negotiate our Local Collective Bargaining Agreement. The PSTA has ratified a LINC Agreement for 2020-2023 so there will not be any negotiation meetings this term but it is a good opportunity to learn the role and prepare for future negotiations.
Nominees:
- Jason Brose
- Amy Korver
- Cary Pepper-Martens
- Chad Williams
- Heather Wolfe
Professional Development Committee
There are five (5) PD Committee positions available for 2018-19. The PD committee consults and collaborates with PSSD to help meet the professional learning needs of PSTA members. They also plan the PSTA General Assembly, and work to ensure that all provisions related to professional development/adult learning contained within LINC are implemented.
Nominees:
- Brandon Debert
- Lisa Kuchler
Communications Committee
There are three (3) Communications Committee positions available for 2018-19. The Communications Committee works to enhance communication within the PSTA, and with our education partners and communities. They also work to promote the PSTA and enhance the image of the teaching profession.
Nominees:
- Melissa Murray
2021 PSTA General Assembly Call for Presenters
On behalf of the PSTA PD Committee, I would like to extend the opportunity to all staff to put forth proposals expressing their interest to present for our membership at the 2021-2022 General Assembly. Due to the current circumstances, it has been decided to have our general assembly online as it was earlier this year, so please keep this in mind if you are interested in presenting a breakout session. It is our plan to present using Microsoft Teams as the platform but can be flexible.
We are looking for any and all topics! Hot topics of the past include: assessment, technology, teacher wellness, workshop model, math, writing, cultural responsiveness, trauma informed education, MPSC. These are just a few ideas, but we are open to anything!
Proposals to present a breakout session can be submitted through the attached form and submitted to lisa.kuchler@spiritsd.ca
March Well-Being Team Meeting
The PSTA Well-Being Committee held the second school team meeting on March 17th. Patrice Palmer, author of The Teacher Self-Care Manual and Wade Repta of Human Works presented to the school teams.
A special thanks to Wade for filling in for a sick speaker and presenting with only 1 hour notice. His wellness map exercise provides a great visual to show all the 8 components of wellness. Get a copy of the wellness map exercise and other free resources at humanworkspress.com.
Cara Taylor will be joining us at our final meeting on May 17, 2021.
2021-2022 PSTA Executive and Standing Committee Elections
The PSTA Election will be held at the next representative assembly on May 11, 2021. Anyone with an interest in the PSTA is encourage to consider running.
Information about the roles and duties of each position can be found in the PSTA Policies and Guidelines: Offices and Duties.
Positions:
- Vice President (1 position)
- STF Councillor (10 positions)
- LINC (6 positions)
- Professional Development (5 positions)
- Communications (3 positions)
The deadline for nomination forms and biographies is May 11, 2021.
2020 LINC Ratification Results
The Prairie Spirit Teachers’ Association has officially ratified the 2020 PSTA LINC Agreement. This agreement will come into effect immediately upon approval of the Board.
Thank you to the PSSD Negotiation Committee and PSTA LINC for their hard work in negotiating this agreement.
A total of 633 votes were cast with 482 (76%) in favour and 149 (24%) opposed.
This new agreement includes revisions that will improve clarity of interpretation, as well as a $20,000 teacher wellness fund. It also includes an increase of 1% on-calendar preparation time beginning next school year. This will mean 2 additional prep days during the school year, while keeping us below the assigned time limit of 1044 hours and maintaining instructional time by adding 3 minutes to each contact day.
2021 PSTA Student Scholarship
The Prairie Spirit Teachers’ Association is pleased to announce the PSTA Student Scholarship awarded to four Prairie Spirit students has increased from $500.00 to $1000.00 for 2021. All Prairie Spirit School Division students graduating in 2021 who are enrolled in a post-secondary institution are eligible to apply.
Prairie Spirit teachers value lifelong learning and the positive impact lifelong learners have on their communities. Successful applicants will demonstrate significant academic growth and a commitment to supporting and sharing learning within their community.
The deadline to apply is Saturday, April 17, 2021 and the four successful applicants will be notified on Saturday, May 15, 2021.
To view more information and download a copy of the application form, go to the PSTA Student Scholarship page.
Tentative LINC Agreement Information Sessions
The PSTA LINC Team will be hosting two information sessions to discuss the changes in the Tentative LINC Agreement before the ratification vote on March 10th and 11th.
Ratification Timeline:
- February 26 – The PSTA Executive will meet to review the Tentative Agreement and vote on a motion to send the Tentative LINC Agreement to PSTA members for a vote
- If the Executive pass the motion:
- March 1 – Copy of the Tentative LINC Agreement will be sent to all teachers
- Information Session for PSTA Members:
- March 4 at 3:30
- March 9 at 4:30
- March 10-11 – Vote to approve Tentative Agreement
- March 12 – Vote results announced
Well-Being School Teams First Meeting
The PSTA Well-Being Committee held their first school team meeting on January 28th. Thank you to Herb Seesequasis Sr. and Linda Peters for sharing their knowledge.
Cara Taylor and Patrice Palmer will be joining us at our next meeting on March 17, 2021.
2020 Education Bursary
As part of our LINC agreement, Prairie Spirit teachers can apply to have 65% of tuition expenses to a maximum of $500 per class covered for classes taken while employed by Prairie Spirit. The PSSD-PSTA Local Negotiations Subcommittee met in January to finalize the applications to the Education Bursary Program and the 2020 Education Bursary funds have been disbursed.
With a carry over of $7,483 from the 2019-2020 school year, there was a total of $52,483 available to support teachers’ professional learning. We saw the greatest number of applications this year and all but $653 of the available funds were disbursed.