The first Wednesday of April is Paraprofessional Appreciation Day. While we may not use the term ‘paraprofessional’, those CUPE728 members that fall under the Student Support Department would be considered Paraprofessionals.
Student Support members play important roles in schools and help make classrooms more inclusive. They add another layer of support to the classroom, allowing students to have more opportunities each day. When students, teachers, and families embrace paraprofessionals as key members of the education team, everyone benefits.
This meeting is for ALL CUPE728 members. This meeting will be in-person and on-line. On top of the agenda items, we will be having 3-minute statements from those that were nominated at the March member meeting. As a reminder, no speeches will be on the actual election day, however, you can be nominated on election day.
Check back for more information
Please note the date change for the Union Elections. They were moved up one week so they didn’t fall on Easter weekend. Check back closer to April for more information.
Posted Nov. 7 2024
Have you ever looked at a school and though that it just looks inviting and beautiful? We have our amazing GroundsKeepers to thank for that. Thank you to each GroundsKeeper for all that you do to keep our schools looking beautiful and safe for staff, students and the community. On April 14, we celebrate all the hard work that our GroundsKeepers do on a daily basis.
Administrative Professionals’ Day, also known as Clerical Day or Admin Day, recognizes the clerical staff who keep the school office’s and worksites running smoothly every day. CUPE728 celebrates our clerical members on the Wednesday of the last full week in April. We, along with all our members, recognize the work of all clerical staff, administrative assistants, receptionists, and other administrative support professionals. Central to any school and worksite, clerical members keep an office and the schools organized and running efficiently.
Today, and every day, we want to Thank all our school nutritionist professionals and those that work with the food services. They help prepare healthy meals and snacks for the students that we work with. They help ensure that those students are fed before school starts, during the day and sometimes after school hours,
Children’s book author Jarrett Krosoczka shares the origins of the Lunch Lady graphic novel series, in which undercover school heroes serve lunch…and justice! His new project, School Lunch Hero Day, reveals how cafeteria lunch staff provide more than food, and illustrates how powerful a thank you can be.
More information will be posted soon.
CUPE728 and CUPE402 will be hosting the annual Red Dress Gathering honouring MMIWG2S+ at Bear Creek Park in Surrey. Join us for the Red Dress Gathering.
The National Day of Awareness for the MMIWG2S+
Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, Girls, Two Spirit and Non-Binary people
Today we want to recognize the hard work our CYCWs do on a continuous basis. CYCWs are an integral part in support students, staff, and families. CYCWs focus on helping students thrive in our schools and, in the end, help schools become a better place for everyone. This day is honored on different days throughout North America. On May 4th, and every day, we want to say a big THANK YOU to all our CYCWS.
Today, we recognize and honor the many skilled tradespeople in our local for their essential skills and hard work in building and maintaining our schools and worksites. Tradespeople help with the upkeep, repair and maintenance of our schools. Our members rely on the skilled and dedicated tradespeople in our schools.
This is the perfect day to set aside a little time to learn about some famous people who got their start in the world by working with their hands. You probably don’t know it, but a few famous folks got their start in the trades. Women also have their own rich history in the trades. During WWII, 37% of the US workforce was female. Women worked in aviation, munitions, and other roles. Take a look at these people, for starters:
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Harrison Ford was a Carpenter
A carpenter by trade, this actor who portrayed Indiana Jones, needed to make a living and feed his family so he remodeled houses and built furniture. But when George Lucas offered him the role of Han Solo in Star Wars? Well, obviously he couldn’t turn it down.
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Winston Churchill was a Bricklayer
One of the most famous British Prime Ministers of all time, Churchill was a member of the Amalgamated Union of Bricklayers. In his spare time, he still built small creations, such as a garden wall, goldfish pond, and swimming pool.
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Whoopi Goldberg was a Builder
Under her given name Caryn Elaine Johnson, this now famous actress, comedian and personality was apparently building walls at the San Diego Zoo before she got her big break.
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Elvis Presley was an Electrician’s Apprentice
Sure, a lot of people know that this crooner was in the Army, but many people don’t know he also worked as an apprentice for an electrician for a time. Music was just something Elvis did in his spare time. Perhaps the guy he worked for appreciated hearing him sing while he worked?
If you were in a POSTED position (meaning you got a position from the June meeting) and lost those hours in the 2024/2025 school year, you may have bumping rights. Please talk with your Shop Steward to make sure you do have Bumping Rights. You will NEED verbally state at the June Posting meeting that you want to exercise your bumping rights
Posted Feb 12, 2025