VSTA Connect – October 3, 2022

Issue 3

Dear Colleague,

 

It is inspiring to hear about all of the enriching activities our members have been organizing and participating in this week as we prepare for our second National Truth and Reconciliation Day tomorrow. Our BCTF president, Clint Johnston, sent out a message last week with resources and ideas for actions. Be sure to check out the Truth and Reconciliation resources available on the Indigenous Education page of the VSTA website . We would be honoured to share on the VSTA website photos taken by our members as part of these events. Please feel free to submit them liz@vsta.ca.  

Municipal Election – Oct. 15

Don’t live in Vancouver? Want an idea on which candidates are pro-labour? Check out the Vancouver and District Labour Council endorsed candidates for local municipal elections (https://vdlc.ca/vdlc-endorses-municipal-candidates/ ). The Canadian Labour Congress provides a list of endorsed candidates for cities and municipalities throughout the province: https://bit.ly/3rmbQaF.

Decentering Whiteness Discussion Group

Next Session: Wednesday, October 12, 2022, 4:00-5:30 PM – Free and Online via Zoom

George Kanavos and Andrew Schofield are organizing The Decentering Whiteness Discussion Series, offered in association with UBC through the Edith Lando Virtual Learning Centre. This series will explore how colonial histories structure our racialized present to center whiteness. Each session will cover a different topic and refer to a number of resources as a means of exploring the topic. The last two sessions look towards a decentered future. https://elvlc.educ.ubc.ca/decentering-whiteness/ 

BAA Course Development Timeline

BAA review timeline for this year is the following:  

  • October           BAA Committee reviews applications (submissions due 10:00 AM, Oct14) 
  • November       Submissions back to schools for edits  
  • November       Resubmission of applications that require changes/edits; second review  
  • January           BAA Rec. for approval to Student Learning and Wellbeing Committee  
  • January           Final approval by Board of Trustees   

The deadline for submissions is Friday, October 14, at 10:00 AM (~3 weeks from now), with all submissions to be sent electronically via email to baacoursesubmissions@vsb.bc.ca.   Follow these links for the most recent BAA Framework document (https://bit.ly/3rgGTF2) and BAA Course template (https://bit.ly/3ynQlun ). Please contact us in the office if you have any questions. 

School Union Team Training

We will have our school union team training on October 19. Information will be provided to Staff Reps this week. 

In Solidarity,
Terry, Carmen and Carl

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