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Allison McCaffrey
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September 2022 Message
Welcome back colleagues to the 2022-2023 school year! On behalf of the Calgary Catholic Teachers’ Local 55 of the Alberta Teachers’ Association, it is my hope that you had a summer filled with warmth, surrounded by those you love and were able to find time to recharge. Many of you probably couldn’t sleep last night with the excitement of being back with your colleagues and the knowledge that you will be seeing your students in just a few days. Our teacher friends, in our two modified calendar schools, St. Anthony and Our Lady of Lourdes, have been back for some time now and we hope that their start-up went smooth. Much has been going on at the Local to prepare for this coming school year. Our Executive are meeting this week to plan programming for their committees, our office staff are hard at work supporting our members and our Executive Assistant, Murray Outtrim has been taking calls to assist teachers with their back-to-school questions regarding the collective agreement. Should you wish to speak with Murray, feel free to reach out at (403) 265-2755. Advocacy for our members is at the forefront of the work we do at the Local. Times continue to be challenging and the Local is here to help support and encourage every teacher to engage with educational stakeholders to bring attention to the issues that most affect our students, our colleagues and ourselves. On that front, the ATA is planning a province-wide education rally on Saturday, October 22, 2022 at 1:00 pm at the Legislative grounds in Edmonton. This family focused event will allow the 46,000 teachers across Alberta to stand together, with families, neighbours, friends, and other advocates of public education with the united goal of having our provincial elected officials put the students of Alberta as a priority in their policy making. Let’s join our voices together to stand up for better classroom conditions, stand up for a strong curriculum, and stand up against the erosion of public education. Will you join us? We are booking busses to travel to Edmonton and will be sending information out in the very near future (and posting on our website www.atalocal55.ca) how you can reserve your seat. It looks to be an exciting day and a great kick-off to a year of advocating for public education in advance of the Provincial Election next May 2023. We look forward to seeing your school representative at our CSR (Council of School Representatives), 5:00 pm on Tuesday, September 27, 2022 at the Glenmore Inn. Each school/worksite is entitled to elect one representative per 20 certificated teachers (or part thereof). Forms have been forwarded to principals to sign up the successful CSR reps. If you are teaching alongside a new teacher (they have joined CSSD within the past 2 years), or are a new teacher yourself, please “Save The Date” of Thursday, October 13th from 5:00pm – 6:00pm for an ATA Orientation. We will be hosting a wine and cheese event at the Local offices (6815 8th Street NE) to provide our newest members the opportunity to find out, in more detail, the supports they can access through the Local and Provincial offices. Posters with signup information will be sent to schools shortly, or they can call the office (403-265-2678) or send an email ([email protected]) to register. Do you want to get more involved in the Local? We are looking for members to sit on many of our committees (Member Engagement, Professional Development, Guest Teacher Committee, Social Committee, etc.). You can self-nominate yourself and we would love to have your voice and support on our committees. No experience is necessary. Go to www.atalocal55.ca/committees to sign up by September 20, 2022. Finally, the easiest way to keep abreast of the happenings at the Local is to follow us on any of our social media channels (Instagram, Facebook or Twitter) @atalocal55. Please feel free to call us anytime to discuss any issue or concern at (403) 265-2678. We are here to help. Enjoy the organization and staggered entry days and may God bless you with a safe and successful year in your school. Peace and Blessings, Allison McCaffrey
President Calgary Catholic Teachers’ ATA Local 55 |
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