VTA
  • Calendar
  • About Us
    • Your VTA Officers
    • VTA Site Reps
    • Committees
    • ByLaws & Standing Rules
  • Members
    • Member Benefits >
      • Health Insurance
    • Discounts & Travel
    • Forms
    • Dues Structure
    • Elections
    • Retirement
    • Are you a member?
    • FAQ
  • Resources
    • VTA/VUSD Contract >
      • VUSD Salary Schedules
    • Membership Enrollment Form
    • President's Message
    • Bargaining Updates
    • Board Speeches
    • Scholarships >
      • Grants & Funding
    • Disability
    • California Casualty Insurance
    • California Teachers Association
    • NEA
    • Student Loan Forgiveness
  • Contact Us

President's Messages.

December 2016 President's message

12/7/2016

0 Comments

 
It’s hard to believe that 2016 if almost over. What a year it’s been. Here’s hoping that 2017 is a bit more routine. However we do know that we will be starting a full contract bargaining and your bargaining team is going to need to hear from you. Please let your site rep know if you have issues you would like to suggest to the bargaining team.
Thursday, Dec 8 is a special board meeting. Our two newest board members (Rosemary Smithfield and Cirpriano Vargus) along with incumbent Rich Alderson  will be sworn in and start their tenure. Please consider attending the board meeting. It you decide to attend the meeting starts at 7 and you could probably make an early exit by 7:30.
Also, I would like start 2017 with some ideas for a new VTA T-Shirt. While I am proud of our current Valued Educators + Inspired Students = Excellence ones I think we can do better. So I am announcing a VTA logo contest. I also would like some help with a catchy acronym. We are VTA, the Vista Teachers Association, who can come up with the best Very Terrific Always type slogan that we could use with the letters V, T, A.

So soon you will be saying goodbye to your students and headed home for some needed R and R. I hope you can all use the time to reconnect with family and friends that maybe you haven't had enough time for during your busy schedules.  May your holidays be full of joy and laughter. Soon it will be 2017 and we will have another chance to make next year, the best ever.  

Happy Holidays,
Tod Critchlow


Important Dates - Please contact your site rep or the VTA office if you have questions about these events.
HS PD Day
- Jan 3, non student day (K-8 release day)
Students Return
- Jan 4
District Professional Development Day
- Jan 13, MVHS/Sites
Teacher LCAP Forum #2
- Jan 19, 4:00 - 5:30, Innovation Center, 836 Olive Ave
Rep Council Meeting
- Jan 23, VTA Office
New Teacher 100 day celebration
- Feb 3, location and time TBD
Good Teaching Conference South
- March 17-19, Orange County

It’s A Good Idea to…
Follow the union code of conduct. Click HERE to Print
  • I will not criticize any Union colleague except to the individual directly.
  • If any Union Colleague is being criticized in my presence, I will confront the criticism and ask that it stop.
  • I will not participate in any conversation with management that criticizes, or negatively speculates about, any Union colleague.
  • I will settle my differences with colleagues within my Union.
  • I will engage in debate, offer others every opportunity for debate and respect minority viewpoints, but I will observe and support the majority mandate of my Union.
School Board Update
At the Dec 8 school board our newest school board members will be sworn in. Congratulations to Rosemary Smithfield, Cirpriano Vargus and Rich Alderson. With that said I would like to include a brief introduction of our two newest elected officials. I will include similar info in coming months for the other board members if they are willing.

Rosemary Smithfield has been a teacher in Vista since 1993. She has primarily taught K-2, first at Mission Meadows and then Grapevine. She has a variety of experiences as an educator including, but not limited to, presenter and a trainer of trainers. She was a BTSA support provider and a district mentor to elementary teachers for literacy. Rosemary was also an active member of VTA. She served in various roles over the years from Site Rep to Vice President. Rosemary will bring a unique perspective to the VUSD School Board. But most importantly Rosemary is a fierce defender of the “children”. Rosemary will take care of the students of VUSD. You can contact her at
rosesmithfield@gmail.com.

Cipriano Vargas is a proud graduate of Vista Unified Schools, having attended Breeze Hill Elementary, Washington Middle School and Vista High School. As a former student of Vista High School, he was an active participant of the Future Farmers of America (FFA) and Character Leaders. Those programs and with the help of his teachers, Cipriano was the first one in his family to pursue a college degree. At Cal State San Marcos, Cipriano served on student government and was later appointed by the governor to the CSU Board of Trustees. After graduating from college, Cipriano went on to teach Kindergarten in the urban core of San Antonio. Currently, Vargas serves on the Alumni Board for California State University San Marcos and has two siblings who attend schools in the Vista Unified School District.
 You can contact him at 760- 213- 4498 (calls/text) or cvargas.trustee@gmail.com

Bargaining Update

By now salaries should have been adjusted and most of you should have seen the 3 months retro pay in your Nov paystub. If you think there has been a mistake you should contact payroll to insure that you have received your appropriate salary. For Adult Ed and Hourly teachers the fix is going to take a bit longer, but I have been assured that everyone will get their 1.9% and their retro. Thank you for your patience.

VTA Scholarship Fund
It’s the Holidays. What a great time to give a gift that keeps on giving. This year will mark 30 years of generosity on the part of VTA members. Please consider using our monthly payroll deduction to contribute directly to the
VTA Scholarship fund. Please consider giving $3, $5 or even a bit more every month. For more information please check out the website. Or click HERE to get the payroll deduction form. Together we can make an even bigger difference.
What better time to increase your donation.
CTA Conference Opportunities
CTA Conferences are a great place to meet CTA members from other districts. A CTA conference is also a great chance to participate in events that help shape the focus of CTA. CTA conferences can be great learning experiences. VTA sponsors members to attend various conferences. Please contact
VTA if you are interested.
2017 NEW EDUCATOR WEEKEND
Date:
March 10, 2017

GOOD TEACHING CONFERENCE SOUTH

Date:
March 17-19, 2017

Joint Ethnic Caucus Issues Conference
Date: May 5, 2017

SUMMER INSTITUTE - Info available soon

Date:
July 30 – August 3, 2017
Your CTA
Did you know you can represent VTA/CTA at the NEA Representative Assembly.  As a member of VTA you are also a member of CTA and the NEA.   The NEA is governed by the NEA Representative Assembly, the largest democratic deliberative assembly in the world. California sends more than 1,000 delegates to the NEA RA each summer. During this annual meeting, CTA members help set policy and chart the direction of NEA business through participation on various committees, constituencies, caucuses, and leadership groups. The NEA Representative Assembly for 2017 will be held July 2-5 in Boston, MA with the first caucus meeting set for June 30. Deadline to submit the official Declaration of Candidacy form is Jan. 31. The 2017 Declaration of Candidacy form will be available soon. Please check this WEBPAGE for additional information.   Last year VTA was represented by Kim Lunde and Paula Keen. Barbara Dawson also attended. If you want to have an impact on the state of education in America, please consider running for one of the open positions. I would love to have as many VTA members as possible attend the NEA - RA.
And remember you can access lots of info at the CTA Website. You can find out About CTA. Or read the CTA Mission Statement. And I want you to know that our State Council Representatives are Tod Critchlow, Reagan Duncan, Paula Keen and Therease SilvaBaroa (alternate)  
Member Benefits
Another aspect of being a member of VTA and thus CTA and NEA are the many benefits. Click on the link above or go to
www.CTAMemberBenefits.org for more information.  You might be able to REDUCE DEBT (Student Loan Forgiveness), save time by watching this Video on Benefits, Save Money by ACCESSING DISCOUNTS and prepare for your future with these RETIREMENT TOOLS.
LOGO/Slogan Contests
VTA needs a new logo and a new T-Shirt. I am very proud of our current
Valued Educators + Inspired Students = Excellence ones, but I think we can do better and a new shirt is always fun. So I am announcing a VTA logo contest. I also would like some help with a catchy acronym. We are VTA, the Vista Teachers Association, who can come up with the best Very Terrific Always type slogan that we could use with the letters V, T and A. Entries are due by Jan 31 and will be judged by the Executive Board. A Free T-Shirt and other prizes will be provided. More details to follow. The Slogan and Logo can be separate or together.
0 Comments

    author

    Picture
    Keri Avila,
    ​VTA President

    Archives

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    January 2020
    August 2018
    May 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    March 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    December 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed




​Vista Teachers Association
(760) 758-2690
2142 Industrial Court, Suite D, Vista CA 92081

​

  • Calendar
  • About Us
    • Your VTA Officers
    • VTA Site Reps
    • Committees
    • ByLaws & Standing Rules
  • Members
    • Member Benefits >
      • Health Insurance
    • Discounts & Travel
    • Forms
    • Dues Structure
    • Elections
    • Retirement
    • Are you a member?
    • FAQ
  • Resources
    • VTA/VUSD Contract >
      • VUSD Salary Schedules
    • Membership Enrollment Form
    • President's Message
    • Bargaining Updates
    • Board Speeches
    • Scholarships >
      • Grants & Funding
    • Disability
    • California Casualty Insurance
    • California Teachers Association
    • NEA
    • Student Loan Forgiveness
  • Contact Us