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Award Category |
Eligibility |
1 |
Teacher of the Year |
All certified elementary and secondary teachers (including occasional, part-time and recently retired teachers). |
2 |
New Teacher of the Year |
Certified elementary and secondary teachers (including part-time and occasional teachers) who have up to three years of teaching experience. |
3 |
Excellent Support Staff |
All school and board support staff (educational assistant, secretary, library technician, custodian, etc.), including occasional, part-time and recently retired staff. |
4 |
Excellence in Leadership |
All certified elementary and secondary teachers (including occasional, part-time and recently retired teachers). |
5 |
Lifetime Achievement |
All certified educators with at least 25 years of experience (including occasional, part-time and recently retired educators). |
6 |
Team of the Year |
A team of 2 to 10 individuals who have worked together to achieve a common, specific goal. Teams can include educators, support staff or both. They can work in a board office or a school, or in different schools and boards. |
- Do educators have to be certified by the Ontario College of Teachers?
Yes. To be eligible in any category, teachers, principals, supervisory officers/ superintendents and directors of education must be certified by the Ontario College of Teachers and be members in good standing. This also applies to occasional teachers and retired educators.
However, support staff do NOT need to be certified. - Is a Letter of Permission acceptable instead of certification?
No. However, teachers with a Letter of Permission (LOP) can only be nominated as part of a Team of the Year award. - How do I find out if my nominee is certified?
Visit the Ontario College of Teachers website. The “Find A Teacher” page lets you search for anyone who has been certified to teach in Ontario. - Are educators or staff employed in private schools or federally funded schools eligible for a Premier's Award?
No. Only individuals who work in schools and boards funded by the province of Ontario are eligible. - Are occasional teachers eligible for an award?
Yes. Occasional teachers are eligible in all award categories open to teachers if they meet the criteria for that award category. - Are Early Childhood Educators eligible for an award?
Yes. Early Childhood Educators who are employed in the publicly funded education system are eligible for the Excellent Support Staff award and as part of the Team of the Year award. - Are retired educators eligible for an award?
Yes, if they are in their first year of retirement. They must have been employed by a publicly funded school or board/authority during the prior school year (e.g. September 2008 to June 2009 for the 2009-10 awards). - Are consultants/coordinators eligible for an award?
Yes. Consultants and/or coordinators are eligible if they are directly employed by a school board in the publicly funded education system (must be on the board's payroll). - Can I nominate a teacher for the New Teacher of the Year award if they have just completed their third year of teaching?
No. Teachers now in their fourth year of teaching are not eligible in this award category. - What about staff who are on leave – are they eligible for the awards?
Yes. If they have been on leave since September 2008 or later and are still employed by a school board, they are eligible. - Can someone receive more than one Premier's Award?
No. Individuals may only receive one Premier's Award for Teaching Excellence in their lifetime. Previous award recipients are not eligible.
Nomination Questions
- I nominated someone last year but they did not receive an award. Can I nominate the same person again this year?
Yes. You can nominate someone for the same award category or a different one. You can use the same information, but you must submit a new and updated nomination package. The Ministry of Education or Curriculum Services Canada, who administers the awards program on behalf of the Ministry, cannot retrieve letters of support from last year's nomination package on behalf of the nominator. - Can I nominate myself for an award?
No. A colleague, parent of a student, student or person familiar with your professional work and accomplishments should nominate you for an award. - Can a family member nominate an individual for an award or write a letter of support?
No. A colleague, parent of a student, student or person familiar with the individual's professional work and accomplishments can nominate or write a letter of support. - I want this to be a surprise. Can I nominate someone without telling them?
No. The nominee must agree to be nominated and sign the consent form.
Although there are many outstanding educators and support staff in the province, not all are comfortable in the spotlight. Whether to accept or decline a nomination is up to the nominee. - Can additional information be included with my nomination package (i.e., photos, letters from a teacher's students, additional letters of support over and above the 2 requisite letters)?
A complete nomination package includes the nomination form, the nominator's letter of support, and two additional supporting letters. If additional items are included in the submitted nomination package, this material will not be considered nor evaluated. The items will not be returned to the nominator. - Is there a limit on the size of a team being nominated for an award?
Yes. A team can only be comprised of between two and 10 individuals. - Can I fill out my nomination form electronically?
Yes. The nomination form is a fillable PDF file, so you can complete it electronically. Please print out your completed form, sign it and submit it with the rest of the nomination package by mail or courier. - Can I submit a scanned version of a nomination form?
No. Original signed copies of the form are required for legal reasons. - Can I submit my nomination by email or fax?
No. All submissions must be sent by mail or courier, as we require original signed copies for legal purposes. - Where do I send my nomination package?
Mail or courier the complete package to:
Premier's Awards for Teaching Excellence
Curriculum Services Canada
439 University Avenue, Suite 1450
Toronto, ON M5G 1Y8
Packages must be postmarked on or before 11:59 p.m. on February 1, 2010. - Why am I required to send my nomination package to Curriculum Services Canada and not to the Ministry of Education?
In order to ensure the transparency and integrity of the Premier's Awards program, an external party (Curriculum Services Canada) has been contracted to administer the nomination and evaluation process on behalf of the ministry. - If my nomination package is received after the deadline but is postmarked on the deadline date, will the package be accepted?
Yes. Any nomination package will be accepted if postmarked on or before 11:59 p.m. on the deadline date (February 1, 2010). - How will I know if my nomination package was received?
Curriculum Services Canada has been contracted by the Ministry of Education to administer the award applications. They will send a letter to the nominator confirming receipt within two weeks of receiving the nomination package. - What happens to the information in the nomination package?
Personal information provided on the nomination form, any letters of support and discussions with the nominator will be used by the Premier's Office and the Ministry of Education (the "ministry") to administer the Premier's Awards for Teaching Excellence. Third party vendors and an independent selection panel will be used to assist with the administration.
If you are selected for an award, the ministry will use the information contained in the nomination package to feature your accomplishments in a variety of media including the ministry's website, news releases, and other promotional products to publicize the award in 2009-10 and in subsequent years (with provided consents).
All personal information is collected in compliance with ss. 38(2) and 39(1)(e) of the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. F.31, as amended. For more information about the collection, use and disclosure of personal information, please contact:
Senior Public Inquiries Officer
Ministry of Education, Public Inquiries Unit
14th Floor, Mowat Block
900 Bay Street
Toronto, ON M7A 1L2
(416) 325-2973 or Toll-free in Ontario: 1-800-387-5514
TTY/TDD 1-800-263-2892
Award Selection Process
- How are the award recipients determined?
Award recipients are chosen by an independent selection panel that will review the nominations and make recommendations on who should receive an award in each of the categories. - How is the selection panel chosen?
Members of the selection panel will be appointed by the Minister of Education to represent the different perspectives of students, parents, teachers, support staff and principals. - Who is chairing the selection panel this year?
The chair of the selection panel for the 4th annual Premier's Awards will be chosen in winter 2010. - When will the winners be announced?
We expect an announcement on the award recipients to be made in spring 2010. You can check our website for all the latest developments. - Will the award recipients be recognized?
Award recipients will be recognized at a special awards ceremony during Education Week (May 2010).
Can't find the answer to your question? Call 1-800-387-5514