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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
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.
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Keri Avila,
VTA President Archives
June 2022
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