If the chilly September weather is any indication, fall is upon us as are the first few days of school. I had the privilege of a restful yet busy summer, filled with visiting family and friends, lake time, staying outside as much as humanly possible and enjoying the warmth from the sun. I hope you all had a chance to rest and recharge for another school year.

This is going to be an interesting year. It’s the 100th anniversary of the Manitoba Teachers’ Society, it’s a provincial and federal election year, and the provincial government is in the midst of a review on education. We will see the details of this review early next spring, but in the meantime I encourage you all to sign up for an MTS MyProfile account and to keep your ears open (https://memberlink.mbteach.org/). We will be sharing any details we can as they come.

I welcome back returning teachers, and welcome new teachers. Chris and I had an opportunity to meet new teachers to the division- both experienced teachers and teachers new to the profession. Whether you’re a new, returning or experienced teacher, I strongly encourage you all to seek the support of your colleagues, your school contact representative, us at the RETTA office or MTS.

Our school RETTA Contact Reps can be a great source of support and information on things such as the Collective Agreement. Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the Collective Agreement which can be found on our website (www.retta.ca). Again, your Contact Rep can help you with any questions you may have about the Agreement but you should never hesitate to call us at the RETTA office. That’s what we are here for and all calls are confidential.

We are also excited to host a New Member Welcome evening. All RETTA members in their first three years, as well as the contact reps from those schools, are welcome to join us at Smitty’s on Henderson at 4:30 p.m. to meet Chris, myself, our Executive Board, and learn about our Association and MTS. Please see the link on our website for information and to RSVP. We will provide the food, you just need to show up!

Have a tremendous start to the school year and take care of yourself.

Kirsten Mundle
Vice-President