About
Who are we?
Our organization is structured into four main components: an executive branch, a liaison branch, and several committees.
At the core of our organization is a commitment to listening and responding to the needs of our members. We consider and act upon the views and requests presented to us by the members of the GSTA. This approach ensures that we remain responsive to the needs of our members and are always working towards their best interests. By prioritizing the views and requests of our members, we are able to foster a strong sense of community and a shared vision for success.
Executive Members
The Executive branch of our organization has several key responsibilities. They organize meetings and create agendas, ensuring that important issues are addressed and decisions are made efficiently.
Stuart Wilson
President / STF Councillor
School: MCS
CHRISTA SCHMELINSKY
Vice President / STF Councillor / LINC Chairperson
School: YCS
PATTI JO DONOVAN
Secretary
School: CJES
Lisa Dyck
Treasurer / STF Councillor
School: NOR
Tanis Sandercock
Social Committee Chairperson
School: YCS
Julie Parisloff
STF Councillor / CNRE Chairperson
School: MCK
Tim Kempton
STF Councillor Chairperson / Equity / Scholarship Committee
School: LCS
KAREN HOVINd
STF Councillor / AP Committee Chairperson / LINC / Equity / Scholarship Committee Chairperson
School: MCS
Kendra Helfrich
STF Councillor / Equity Chairperson
School: GSEC
Tara Carey
PD Committee Chairperson
School: EHS
STF Councillors
Councillors are elected at the AGM and serve a two-year term. The number of councillors in each local is determined by the number of teachers in a local (full and part-time).
Stuart Wilson
President / STF Councillor
School: MCS
CHRISTA SCHMELINSKY
Vice President / STF Councillor / LINC Chairperson
School: YCS
Tim Kempton
STF Councillor Chairperson / Equity / Scholarship Committee
School: LCS
KAREN HOVINd
STF Councillor / AP Committee Chairperson / LINC / Equity / Scholarship Committee Chairperson
School: MCS
Julie Parisloff
STF Councillor / CNRE Chairperson
School: MCK
Lisa Dyck
Treasurer / STF Councillor
School: NOR
Kendra Helfrich
STF Councillor / Equity Chairperson
School: GSEC
Committees
The committees in our organization have specific areas of focus and are responsible for a variety of tasks. Committees play an important role in advancing our organization’s goals and objectives.
Communication Committee
Duties of the GSTA Communications Committee:
- Radio ads – a mode of communication between the GSTA and the public – the main goal of these ads is to inform the public about what is current in our schools, as well as to promote education.
- To compile a teaching directory for staff throughout the division. This directory is posted on the GSTA web-site.
- To help identify GSTA executive at meetings we provided each member a lapel pin in a consistent format for each executive member of the GSTA.
Jana Martinuk
Communication Committee
School: YRHS
Lindsay Ostafie
Communication Committee
Ryan Lambert
School: KCI
PD CommitTee
- Promote in-service education through an assessment of the teacher needs in various subject areas and to plan workshops and conventions
- Work with the Director of Education to promote professional activities
- The professional development committee is actively finalizing the details for our May AGM. We have spent considerable time discussing a theme for the event, shortlisting and contacting potential speakers, and of course arranging all the other details that are required during the day, including the venue for the speaker and ensuring that approximately 450 attendees are provided with lunch.
Brittany Simmons
PD Committee / Scholarship Committee
School: MCS
Tara Carey
PD Committee Chairperson
School: EHS
Cindy van Eeden
PD Committee
School: GSEC
Laura Blender
PD Committee
School: KCI
Kelly Lambert
PD Committee
School: VIC
CNRE
- The GSTA has a constitution which governs how the Good Spirit Teachers’ Association conducts itself as an organization. The CNRE Committee reviews this constitution and proposes amendments from time to time. The committee also accepts and originates resolutions as required to make changes to the constitution.
- The Constitution must meet specific criteria and must be approved by the STF Provincial Executive on an annual basis
- Elections are held each year for various positions on the Association Executive within the GSTA. The CNRE Committee is responsible for developing and conducting fair election procedures and executing them at the Annual General Meeting.
Julie Parisloff
STF Councillor / CNRE Chairperson
School: MCK
Patti Jo Donovan
CNRE
School: CJES
Carla Lewis
CNRE
School: SCS
CHRISTA SCHMELINSKY
Vice President / STF Councillor / LINC Chairperson
School: YCS
Stuart Wilson
President / STF Councillor
School: MCS
Desiree Lorenzo
CNRE / Social Committee
School: YCS
Social Committee
Two main focuses:
- Create and distribute “Welcome Boxes” for all teachers new to the GSTA. Those new teachers are also acknowledged at our AGM with a certificate and pin.
- Superannuation Banquet – held in June to celebrate those teachers finishing their teaching career.
Tanis Sandercock
Social Committee Chairperson
School: YCS
Desiree Lorenzo
CNRE / Social Committee
School: YCS
Chelsea Zelionka
Social Committee
School: SAL
Edralin Badowich
Social Committee
School: DRB
Tanya Breitkeuz
Social Committee
School: YCS
Kristen Nagy
Social Committee
School: DRB
Laura Blender
PD Committee
School: KCI
Sharalee Kulcsar
PD Committee
School: YCS
Administrative Procedure Committee
- Section 17.1 of LINC states that “when a review of administrative procedures and board policy occurs that are relevant to teachers duties, the director shall solicit input from the GSTA”.
- The Administrative Procedures Committee ensures that draft AP are fully distributed and feedback is collected and forwarded to the Division. This serves to allow teachers to provide feedback anonymously, and to allow the GSTA Executive to discuss feedback prior to submission to ensure that they understand how teachers are reacting to new or revised Administrative Procedures.
KAREN HOVINd
STF Councillor / AP Committee Chairperson / LINC / Equity / Scholarship Committee Chairperson
School: MCS
LINC
- Perform all duties related to local bargaining as specified in Sections 235 and 237 of The Education Act, 1995.
- Shall bargain the following articles: educational leave, sabbatical leave, salaries for substitute teachers, special allowances, pay periods, and the duration of the local agreement.
- May bargain other matters other than those that are bargained at the provincial level (i.e. salaries).
CHRISTA SCHMELINSKY
Vice President / STF Councillor / LINC Chairperson
School: YCS
KAREN HOVINd
STF Councillor / AP Committee Chairperson / LINC / Equity / Scholarship Committee Chairperson
School: MCS
Andrew Rondeau
LINC
School: MCS
Cory Johnson
LINC
School: YRH
Sarah Greensides
LINC
School: YRH
Stuart Wilson
President / STF Councillor
School: MCS
Equity
Goals:
- To promote the affirmation and enhancement of equity in education
- To provide teachers/staff of GSTA/GSSD PD opportunities and/or Resources involving equity related issues.
Our year so far:
- Books for babies –project that GSSD/GSTA have partnered for at least the past 6 years.
- Facebook page – to give members a place to share information, network, promote events, etc. (Equity GSTA)
- Resource Draw – for all GSTA members. This is not a draw they need to enter – they are randomly selected and surprised when a resource shows up at their school!!
- Coffee House Chats – Our committee brings in different speakers covering a wide range of topics and invite all GSSD staff to attend. We have partnered with Sunrise Health Region and GSSD to help cover costs which is greatly appreciated!
Kendra Helfrich
STF Councillor / Equity Chairperson
School: GSEC
KAREN HOVINd
STF Councillor / AP Committee Chairperson / LINC / Equity / Scholarship Committee Chairperson
School: MCS
Tim Kempton
STF Councillor Chairperson / Equity / Scholarship Committee
School: LCS
Lesley Miles
Equity
School: YCS
Scholarship Committee
The Scholarship committee’s mandate is to manage, deliberate and distribute six $750 scholarships to GSSD graduates who have chosen education as a potential career.
The six scholarships are funded by teachers through the Good Spirit Teachers’ Association fees and chosen based on specific criteria.
- Any full-time Grade 12 student of any GSSD high school may apply, as long as they intend to study Education in a post-secondary institution and have met the criteria as outlined in the application package.
- During deliberations, the committee scores each application on a rubric, from which the committee establishes the ranking of the applicants. The top six applicants are then notified by letter of congratulations during their school’s awards night by a GSTA member (normally the school’s principal).
This year, the Scholarship Committee also felt it would like to work on a promotional campaign to promote the profession of teaching through a series of posters. Four variants of the poster were created that highlight one GSTA member and their reason for choosing teaching. Two posters were distributed to each GSSD high school for display.
KAREN HOVINd
STF Councillor / AP Committee Chairperson / LINC / Equity / Scholarship Committee Chairperson
School: MCS
Perry Ostapowich
Scholarship Committee
School: YRH
Tim Kempton
STF Councillor Chairperson / Equity / Scholarship Committee
School: LCS
Ryan Lambert
Scholarship Committee
School: KCI
Rick Heise
Scholarship Committee
School: EHS
Brittany Simmons
PD Committee / Scholarship Committee
School: MCS
Administrator's Representative
Chad Lechner
Administrator’s Representative
School: MIL
