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About

Who are we?

Our organization is structured into an executive branch, a liaison branch,  several committees and a new ad hoc wellness committee!

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
School: MCS

CHRISTA SCHMELINSKY

Vice President
School: YCS

PATTI JO DONOVAN

Secretary
School: CJE

Lisa Dyck

Treasurer
School: NOR

Chad Lechner

Admin Representative
School: EHS

Denise Lovas

AP Committee Chairperson
School: COL

KAREN HOVIND

Councillors Committee Chairperson
School: YRH

Julie Parisloff

CNRE Chairperson
School: MCK

Jana Martinuk

Webmaster & Social Media Committee Chairperson
School: YRH

Cory Johnson

LINC Committee Chairperson
School: YRH

Ryan Lambert

Scholarship Committee Chairperson
School: KCI

Tanis Sandercock

Social Committee Chairperson
School: KCI

Cindy Van Eeden

PD Committee Chairperson
School: GSEC

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

STF Councillor
School: MCS

CHRISTA SCHMELINSKY

STF Councillor
School: CCS

jANA mARTINUK

STF Councillor
School: YRH

KAREN HOVINd

STF Councillor
School: YRH

Julie Parisloff

STF Councillor
School: MCK

Kendra Helfrich

STF Councillor
School: GSEC

Ryan Lambert

STF Councillor
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.

WEBSITE & Social Media Committee

Duties of the GSTA Website & Social Media Committee:

  • Regularly update, monitor, and maintain the GSTA website and social media accounts for educational purposes.
  • Post information relevant to GSTA members.
  • Liaise with the STF.
Jana Martinuk

Wellness & Social Media
Committee Chairperson
School: YRH

Joel Blair

Wellness & Social Media Committee
School: CPS

Ryan Lambert

Wellness & Social Media Committee
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.
Cindy van eeden

PD Committee Chair
School: GSEC

Tammy Danylko

PD Committee
School: YCS

Laura O'Brien

PD Committee
School: YCS

Vacant

PD Committee
School:

CNRE Committee

  • 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

Stuart Wilson

President / STF Councillor
School: MCS

Erika Bilan

CNRE
School: CPS

Vacant

CNRE
School:

Social Committee

Two main focuses:

  1. 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.
  2. Superannuation Banquet – held in June to celebrate those teachers finishing their teaching career.
Tanis Sandercock

Social Committee Chairperson
School: YCS

Desiree Lorenzo

Social Committee
School: YCS

Tia Cleverly

Social Committee
School: YCS

Kristen Nagy

Social Committee
School: DRB

Sharalee Kulcsar

PD Committee
School: YCS

VACANT

PD Committee
School: 

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.
Denise Lovas

AP Committee Chairperson
School:  COL

LINC Committee

  • 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).
CORY JOHNSON

LINC Committee Chairperson
School: YRH

CHRISTA SCHMELINSKY

LINC Committee
School: YCS

KAREN HOVINd

LINC Committee
School: YRH

Erika Bilan

LINC
School: CPS

Stuart Wilson

LINC Committee
School: MCS

Nicole Grocholski

LINC Committee
School: NOR

Nolan Matthews

LINC Committee
School: MCS

Wellness Ad HOC Committee

  • The GSTA Wellness committee will provide opportunities for all members to engage in activities and programs relating to mental and physical health.
  • We will strive to partner with local wellness practitioners and businesses to allow teachers to utilize various programs and resources in person and online.
Christa Schmelinsky

Wellness Committee
Co-Chairperson
School: YCS

Erika Bilan

Wellness Committee
Co-Chairperson
School: CPS

Tanya Breitkreuz

Wellness Committee
School: YCS

BlaiR Drader

Wellness Committee
School: EHS

Kendra Helfrich

Wellness Committee
School: GSEC

Stuart Wilson

Equity Committee
School: MCS

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.

Ryan Lambert

Scholarship Committee Chair
School: KCI

Perry Ostapowich

Scholarship Committee
School: YRH

Patricia Ives

Scholarship Committee
School: KCI

Brittany Simmons

Scholarship Committee
School: MCS

Administrator's Representative

Chad Lechner

Administrator’s Representative
School: MIL