Welcome to the Good Spirit School Division's Job Action webpage, your go-to resource for updates and information related to any job actions within our organization. At GSSD, we understand the importance of transparent communication during such times, and this platform serves as a central hub for families, employees, stakeholders, and the community to stay informed. Here, you'll find timely updates on any ongoing job actions, details on negotiations, and the impact on our educational community. We are committed to keeping you well-informed and engaged throughout any job action situations, fostering a collaborative and understanding environment within the Good Spirit School Division. Thank you for visiting and staying connected with us during these critical moments.
GSSD Job Action Contingency Plan
The Good Spirit School Division has developed a comprehensive contingency plan to ensure the smooth operation of schools and the well-being of students during potential job action. A dedicated committee, including various leadership roles, has been formed to oversee and implement this plan.
- Key aspects of the plan include:
- Maintaining High-Quality Education: Despite job action, the focus remains on providing students with the best possible learning experience.
- Ensuring Student Safety: Extra measures are in place to ensure that students are safe before, during, and after school.
- Clear Communication: The school division will keep parents, students, and the community informed through regular updates via various platforms.
- Supporting Staff: Guidance and resources will be provided to all staff to understand their roles and responsibilities during this period.
- Community Engagement: The division is committed to maintaining strong relationships with families and communities, emphasizing respect, responsibility, and perseverance.
We understand the potential stress and uncertainty that job action brings. Our plan is designed to minimize disruption and ensure that our students' education and well-being remain our top priority. We are committed to transparency and will continue to provide updates and support to our community throughout this period.
Saskatchewan Teacher's Federation (STF) Updates
Please see the attached letter regarding a statement from the GSSD Board of Education:
Timeline: November, 2023 - ongoing
April 12, 2024
Linked below is the letter sent to all GSSD families and staff regarding the announced suspension of job action, beginning April 12, 11:59 p.m.:
Letter to all GSSD Families & Staff Re: Suspended Job Action as of April 12, 11:59 p.m.
Linked below is the letter sent to all GSSD families and staff regarding support for noon-hour supervision, should the withdrawal of noon-hour supervision be imposed again:
Letter to all GSSD Families & Staff Re: Noon Hour Supervision Support, April 12/24
April 11, 2024
Linked below are letters that were sent to the GSSD Community and Staff regarding Work-to-Rule job action and information:
Letter to GSSD Community Re: Work-to-Rule Information, April 11, 2024
Letter to all GSSD Staff & STF Members Re: Work-to-Rule Job Action, April 11/24
April 5, 2024
The following linked letter was sent to all GSSD staff regarding the announced provincewide work-to-rule that begins Monday, April 8, 2024:
Letter to all GSSD Staff Re: Work-to-Rule, Monday, April 8, Until Further Notice
The following linked letter was sent to all GSSD families and staff regarding the announced provincewide work-to-rule that begins Monday, April 8, 2024. The announced work-to-rule includes the withdrawal of noon-hour supervision and the withdrawal of extracurricular services until further notice:
Letter to all GSSD Families & Staff Re: Work-to-Rule, Monday, April 8, Until Further Notice
March 22, 2024
The following linked letter was sent to all GSSD families and staff regarding the announced province-wide four-day withdrawal of extracurricular activities from Monday, March 25-Thursday, March 28, 2024:
Letter to all GSSD Families & Staff Re: Extracurr Withdrawal March 25, 26, 27 & 28, 2024
March 18, 2024
The Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) has announced that on Wednesday, March 20, 2024, there will be a one-day provincewide strike by all STF members. There will no school for all GSSD schools on Wednesday, March 20, 2024.
Additionally, the STF has announced a two-day provincewide withdrawal of all extracurricular activities for Thursday, March 21 and Friday, March 22, 2024. The withdrawal of extracurricular activities includes before school, during the lunch hour, after school and the evening, for all STF members. This affects all Good Spirit School Division schools. This job action is part of the collective bargaining process.
The following linked letter was sent to all GSSD families regarding the announced strike on Wednesday, March 20, and the withdrawal of extracurricular activities on March 21 & 22, 2024:
The following linked memo was sent to all GSSD staff regarding the announced strike on Wednesday, March 20, 2024:
Memo To All Staff Mar 18, 2024 Re: STF Strike, Mar 20
March 15, 2024
The following linked letter was sent to all GSSD staff regarding the announced rotating withdrawal of noon-hour supervision on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, that will include GSSD:
GSSD Staff Noon Hour Supervision Withdrawal March 15, 2024
The following linked letter was sent to all GSSD families regarding the announced rotating withdrawal of noon-hour supervision on Tuesday, March 19, 2024, that will include GSSD:
Letter to all GSSD Families Re: Noon Hour Supervision Withdrawal March 19, 2024
March 8, 2024
The following linked letter was sent to all GSSD families and staff regarding the announced province-wide three-day withdrawal of extracurricular activities on Monday, March 11, Tuesday, March 12, and Wednesday, March 13, 2024:
Letter to all GSSD Families & Staff Re: Extracurr Withdrawal March 11, 12 & 13, 2024
March 5, 2024
The following linked letter was sent to all GSSD families regarding the announced rotating withdrawal of noon-hour supervision on Friday, March 8, 2024, that will include GSSD:
Letter to all GSSD Families Re: Noon Hour Supervision Withdrawal March 8, 2024
February 29, 2024
The following linked letter was sent to all GSSD families and staff regarding the announced province-wide withdrawal of extracurricular activities on Tuesday, March 5, and Wednesday, March 6, 2024:
Letter to all GSSD Families & Staff Re: Extracurr Withdrawal Mar 5 & 6, 2024
February 27, 2024
The following linked letter was sent to all GSSD staff regarding the announced rotating withdrawal of noon-hour supervision on Friday, March 1, 2024, that will include GSSD:
Letter to GSSD Staff Re: STF Withdrawal of Noon Hour Supervision on March 1, 2024
The following linked letter was sent to all GSSD families regarding the announced rotating withdrawal of noon-hour supervision on Friday, March 1, 2024, that will include GSSD:
Letter to GSSD Families Re: STF Withdrawal of Noon Hour Supervision on March 1, 2024
February 25, 2024
The following linked letter was sent to all GSSD families and staff regarding the announced rotating withdrawal of extracurricular activities on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, that will include GSSD:
This job action is in addition to the previously announced withdrawal of extracurricular activities on Monday, February 26, 2024, which means there will be no extracurricular activities for GSSD schools on both Monday, February 26, and Wednesday, February 28, 2024. These both are one-day withdrawals. Extracurricular activities will run as normal on Tuesday, February 27, 2024.
February 23, 2024
The following linked letter was sent to all GSSD families and staff regarding the announced withdrawal of extracurricular activities on Monday, February 26, 2024:
Letter to GSSD Families and Staff Re: STF Withdrawal of Extracurricular Activities on Feb 26, 2024
On Monday, February 26, 2024, there is also an announced one-day rotating withdrawal of noon-hour supervision. This does not involve GSSD on Monday, February 26, 2024. Good Spirit School Division STF members will provide noon-hour supervision as normal on Monday, February 26, 2024.
February 14, 2024
The following linked letter was sent to all GSSD staff:
Letter to GSSD Staff Re: STF Noon Hour Supervision Withdrawal on Feb 16, 2024
The following linked letter was sent to all GSSD families:
Letter to GSSD Families Re: Noon Hour Supervision Withdrawal Feb 16, 2024
The STF has announced that all STF members will be withdrawing their noon-hour supervision duties for one-day on Friday, February 16, 2024. Please note that GSSD has contingency plans in place to ensure that students that remain at school over the noon hour will remain safe and supervised.
Extracurricular activities and before and after school programs will still run on Friday, February 16, 2024. For further details, please contact your school directly.
February 7, 2024
The following linked letter was sent to all GSSD families and staff at 7:30pm:
Letter to GSSD Families And Staff Re: Suspended Job Action, Feb 7, 2024
We are pleased to announce that effective immediately, the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation has decided to suspend all job action, including the provincewide withdrawal of noon-hour supervision, which was previously scheduled for Thursday, February 8, 2024. This decision comes in light of the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee expressing a renewed mandate and extending an invitation to the Teachers’ Bargaining Committee to return to the bargaining table.
As a result of this latest development, GSSD will continue to operate under normal conditions February 8, 2024, with staff providing noon hour supervision as they normally would.
The following message was sent to all GSSD families and staff at 4:30pm:
Good afternoon GSSD Families and Staff,
We're reaching out to clarify that the upcoming withdrawal of noon-hour supervision on February 8, 2024, will only impact the noon-hour period at GSSD schools. Due to STF members withdrawing their services during the noon hour tomorrow, there may be a reduction in the noon-hour activities available. However, we're pleased to inform you that before and after school programs and extracurricular activities will still run on Thursday, February 8, 2024.
For inquiries about specific activities at your school, we encourage you to contact your school directly.
Thank you for your understanding.
February 5, 2024
The linked letter below was sent to all GSSD families on February 5, 2024, regarding the withdrawal of noon-hour supervision on February 8, 2024.
Letter to GSSD Families Re: Noon Hour Supervision Withdrawal on Feb 8, 2024
School as normal on February 7, 2024, for all GSSD schools:
On February 4, 2024, the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation declared further job action, planning rotating full-day strikes by local teachers' associations for Wednesday, February 7, 2024. A rotating strike means that only certain school divisions will strike on that day, leaving others unaffected.
The upcoming strikes on February 7, 2024, will not impact Good Spirit School Division (GSSD) schools. Classes, activities, and transportation will proceed as usual, and students should attend school normally on February 7, 2024.
Should there be any additional job action announced by the STF in the future, it's important to note that they might affect the Good Spirit School Division. We are committed to keeping our families and staff informed of any developments through updates on our website, social media platforms, and Edsby.
January 29, 2024
The linked letter below was sent to all GSSD families and staff on January 29, 2024, regarding the announced rotating strikes beginning February 1, 2024.
GSSD January 29/24 Letter Re: Rotating Job Action
Important: All academic and extracurricular activities will proceed as normal on Thursday, February 1, 2024, for all Good Spirit School Division Schools.
Once an update has been posted that will affect GSSD schools and operations, we will contact families and staff in a timely matter through emails, our official website, EDSBY, and social media platforms.
January 18, 2024
The linked letter below was sent to all GSSD active staff on January 18, 2024, regarding the one-day provincewide strike on Monday, January 22, 2024.
Memo to all GSSD Staff, Re: Jan 22/24 Job Action
The linked letter below was sent to all GSSD families and staff on January 18, 2024, regarding the one-day provincewide strike on Monday, January 22, 2024.
January 18, 2024, Memo To All Families & Staff, Re: STF Job Action
January 17, 2024
The linked letter below was sent to all GSSD families and staff on January 17, 2024, regarding the announced job action that will begin on Monday, January 22, 2024.
January 17, 2024, Memo To All Families & Staff, Re: STF Job Action
January 12, 2024
The linked Memo below was sent to all in-school Administrators, Student Services Consultants, Student Support Teachers and Educational Assistants.
Memo to EAs, SSTs, SSCs and Admin Jan 12, 2024, Re Job Action, EA Plans
The linked letter below was sent to all GSSD families on January 12, 2024, to provide some clarifications regarding the upcoming job action announced by the Saskatchewan
Teachers' Federation (STF).
Follow Up Job Action Letter From GSSD Jan 12 2024
The below information was shared on Edsby and GSSD Socials for GSSD Families and Stakeholders.
Good morning GSSD Families, we hope this message finds you warm and well!
We are writing to address several inquiries we've received about the recent job action announced by the STF.
•Duration of Job Action:
-Please be informed that the STF has planned a job action (walkout) for one-day on Tuesday, January 16, 2024. This means that all scheduled academic and extracurricular activities on this date will be suspended.
•Resumption of Activities:
-We are pleased to announce that all normal academic and extracurricular activities will resume on Wednesday, January 17, 2024. This includes the reinstatement of classes, bus services, and all extra-curricular activities.
•Cancellation Notice for January 16, 2024:
-All classes will be canceled. Students will not attend school.
-Parents and schools do not need to submit a student absence in Edsby for this day. Students will be marked as “NOT IN SESSION” on Edsby at the Division level.
-Bus services will not be operational.
-All extracurricular activities will be suspended.
-Before and After School programs housed in GSSD school will not operate during full walk outs.
•Daycares housed in GSSD schools:
-These are not division operated programs. They will continue to function as usual during job action.
•Future Updates:
-As of now, the STF has not announced any additional sanctions beyond January 16. However, should there be any further developments, rest assured that GSSD is fully prepared to support our students' learning and well-being. We are committed to keeping our staff, students, and families well-informed and will provide updates as soon as more information becomes available.
We understand that these disruptions may cause inconvenience, and we appreciate your understanding and cooperation during this time. Our priority remains the education and well-being of our students. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to us.
January 11, 2024
The linked letter below was sent to all GSSD staff on January 11, 2024, regarding the confirmed job action of STF members.
January 11, 2024, Memo To All Staff, Re: STF Job Action
The linked letter below was sent to all GSSD families on January 11, 2024, regarding the confirmed job action of STF members.
January 11, 2024, Letter to all GSSD families, Re: Confirmed Job Action
Summary:
1. Provincewide Strike on January 16, 2024: The letter informs families about a recent announcement by the Saskatchewan Teachers' Federation (STF) regarding a provincewide strike scheduled for January 16, 2024. This strike will involve the withdrawal of services by all STF members for the entire day, leading to the cancellation of classes and extracurricular activities within the Good Spirit School Division. Also note, GSSD buses will not run-on January 16, 2024.
2. GSSD's Position and Support for Teachers: The letter clarifies that the Good Spirit School Division (GSSD) is not directly involved in the collective bargaining process, which is managed at the provincial level. It expresses full support for teachers and emphasizes that the strike actions are part of the collective bargaining rights, not reflecting the operational decisions of the school division.
3. Contingency Plans for Minimizing Disruptions: The letter reassures families that GSSD has proactively developed contingency plans to minimize disruptions in the event of a strike. It highlights the commitment to providing timely updates through various communication channels, such as emails, text messages, the official website, EDSBY, and social media platforms. Families are encouraged to update their contact information with their child's school to receive these communications.
4. Support and Contact Information for Families: The letter acknowledges the challenges and uncertainties families may face during this situation and assures them that GSSD's focus is on supporting them and their children. It provides contact information for the Division Office and encourages families to reach out with any inquiries or concerns. The letter expresses gratitude for understanding and cooperation during these challenging times, reiterating the commitment to maintaining a positive and supportive environment for students and families.
January 5, 2024
The linked letter below was sent to all GSSD families on January 5, 2024, regarding potential job action of STF members.
January 5, 2024, Letter to all GSSD families, Re: Potential Job Action
Summary:
1. Notification of Potential Job Action: The letter informs families about the STF's consideration of job action after January 15, 2024, due to an impasse in negotiations with the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee.
2. GSSD's Commitment to Communication: GSSD reassures families of their commitment to keeping them informed, prioritizing student well-being, and emphasizes that they are not directly involved in the collective bargaining process, which is handled at the provincial level.
3. Anticipated Disruptions and Support for Teachers: The letter discusses potential disruptions to school routines, such as reduced extracurricular activities and strikes, clarifying that these are part of teachers' collective bargaining rights and not reflective of the school division's decisions.
4. Contingency Plans and Communication Channels: GSSD outlines the development of contingency plans to minimize disruptions and highlights various communication channels, including emails, text messages, the official website, EDSBY, and social media, encouraging families to update their contact information for timely updates.
November 23, 2023
The linked letter below was sent to all GSSD families on November 23, 2023, regarding potential job action of STF members.
November 23, 2023, Letter to all GSSD families, Re: Potential Job Action
Summary:
1. Negotiation Impasse: Ongoing negotiations between the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation (STF) and the Government-Trustee Bargaining Committee have reached an impasse, raising the possibility of job action by dedicated teachers within the Good Spirit School Division (GSSD).
2. Potential Disruptions: In the event of job action, schools may experience disruptions, including reduced extracurricular activities, limited noon-hour supervision, and potential strikes ranging from half-day to full-day durations. Strikes may be rotating or, in some instances, a general strike, leading to temporary school closures.
3. Provincial-Level Bargaining: GSSD emphasizes its respect for the rights of teaching professionals, clarifying that it is not directly involved in the bargaining process. Bargaining at the provincial level is managed by the Provincial Bargaining Committee.
4. Conciliation Board: To facilitate resolution, a conciliation board has been established at the STF's request. The board, consisting of representatives from STF, the Government-Trustee Committee, and an independent Chairperson, will meet on December 5, 6, 7, 11, and 12 to assist in reaching a new collective agreement.