“Strong teachers don’t teach context; Google has content. Strong teachers connects learning in ways that inspire kids to learn more and strive for greatness.”
~Eric Jensen

We are amidst the busy time of year with many end-of-the-year events and activities happening in our schools and across our district. From Battle of the Books competitions to Young Athletes and Special Olympic Events to rocket launches and graduations. Enjoy these last few weeks with your students and the many celebrations and culminating activities starting to happen!

A Reminder to the Field Leaders

If you are a field leader and plan to meet with you district teams on the 3^rd Wednesday of the month send you list of dates and meetings for to Dr. Myers. Our contract says to send this information to Human Resources, but with Dr. Hannigan leaving, much of our HR contact next year will be with Dr. Myers or Diana Peters.

IEA Score Grants

If you are an early career teacher and have a great idea for a community service project or other school project, consider applying for IEA’s Score Grant. 2019-2020 Score grant applications are not being accepted and are due by 11:59 PM on July 15, 2019. Early career teachers may partner up with someone who is not an early career teacher and write the grant together. To apply or for SCORE highlight videos, visit the SCORE Grant page on the IEA Website.

Save the Profession: Repeal the 3%

It’s not too late to make a difference. Contact your legislator and tell your family and friends to contact their legislators to explain why it is important to repeal the 3% salary cap for educators. We will have postcards available at our Building Rep meeting today. For language on what you can say if making phone calls, check out our SEA Facebook Page.

Last day to contribute to NEA’s Fund for Children and Public Education

The SEA Building reps in the building will be bringing any donations to the NEA Fund to today’s rep meeting. Any last minute donations would be appreciated. Reps, please remember to bring the envelopes to today’s meeting.

Volunteering at the Community Closet

Thank you to the team of SEA members who served at the last Community Closet of the year: Cynthia Dressler (ELC), Steven Kitowski (MacArthur), Julia Morris (and her husband)(Enders-Salk), & Kara Zielinski (Enders-Salk). I witnessed a great team who worked hard to get as many of the clothing donations sorted, boxed, and/or on the shelves of the Community Closet. If you have never volunteered in the past, grab a team of your colleagues and sign-up together next year.

Last Building Rep Meeting of the Year

The last SEA Building Rep Meeting of the year is today. We will be celebrating our District 54 retirees and welcoming our new buildings reps at today’s meeting. Additionally, the Jason Eliasek Scholarship winners will be recognized at this meeting as well.

Volunteering at the District 54 Foundation’s Golf Outing
The Foundation still needs volunteers to work at the District 54 Education Foundation’s Golf Outing on June 10^th. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Jennie Waldorf at the RAC. Also, we are looking for a few volunteers who are interested in attending, but don’t play golf, to see at the hold sponsored by the SEA, SEEO, and Region 35. Email me if you are interested!

Here are some fun ways to celebrate this week:

May 20^th: National Pick Strawberries Day

May 21^st: National Strawberries and Cream Day (makes sense after yesterday…)

May 22^nd: National Buy a Musical Instrument Day

May 23^rd: National Lucky Penny Day (look to pick one up…heads up of course)

May 24^th: National Road Trip Day (perfect for the long 3 day weekend!)

Important Dates in May:

May 20^th: SEA Building Representative Meeting 3:30-5:00 PM in the Board Room; current reps, newly elected reps, & retirees are invited to attend

May 27^th: Memorial Day – No School

Have a great three-day weekend just ahead.  Take some time to celebrate Memorial Day weekend by attending Patriotic events or local ceremonies, showing your respect and gratitude by flying a flag at half-staff, or take time to recognize anyone who has served honorably.

Lori Mobley

Schaumburg Education Association President

lorimobleysea@gmail.com

Cell: (847) 344-5249

Office @IKE: (847) 357-5450

www.sea54.org

“A good teacher is like a candle – it consumes itself to light the way for others.” ~Mustafa Kemal Atatürk

Happy Monday morning! The sun is shining this morning…a great way to start the week ahead!

NEA’s Fund for Children and Public Education

What you may not know, is every SEA and SEEO delegate sent to the NEA Representative Assembly each summer in July is asked to make a $200 out-of-pocket donation to NEA’s Fund for Children and Public Education. The donations our members make are brought to the NEA-RA to offset the cost of what the SEA and SEEO delegates are asked to contribute. So on behalf of our SEA and SEEO delegates, thank you! If you would like to make donation the FCPE Fund, the SEA building rep(s) in your building have an envelope and will be taking donations until the end of this week. Also, thank you to those people who elected to make the electronic donation which was reflected in last week’s paycheck.

Volunteering at the Community Closet Tomorrow

If you have signed up to volunteer at the Community Closet tomorrow, Tuesday, May 14^th, from 6-8 PM. Please send me a quick email just confirming you will be there. I do have a couple openings available if you are able to lend a hand at Addams.

Last Building Rep Meeting of the Year is NEXT Monday

The last SEA Building Rep Meeting of the year is next Monday, May 20^th. If you are a newly elected building rep you are invited to attend with your current building rep. Also, if you are a retiree who was unable to make it to the General Meeting, we will be recognizing you at this meeting as well. Please send me an email so we can confirm your attendance and add you to our guest for the meeting. As a reminder, any SEA member is welcome to attend our monthly building representative meetings. The Jason Eliasek Scholarship winners will be recognized at this meeting as well.

Volunteering at the District 54 Foundation’s Golf Outing
The Foundation needs volunteers to work at the District 54 Education Foundation’s Golf Outing on June 10^th. If you are interested in volunteering, please click here to fill out the Volunteer Interest Form. Did you know SEA, SEEO, and Region 35 make a donation to be a Hole Sponsor at this event each year?   Let’s start hoping for BEAUTIFUL weather for this event as it the Foundation’s largest fundraisers of the year. For more information, check the email sent out by Jennie Waldorf last week.

Here are some fun ways to celebrate this week:

May 13^th: National Frog Jumping Day (wonder if the frogs Orange?)

May 14^th: National Dance like a Chicken Day

May 15^th: National Chocolate Chip Day

May 16^th: National Do Something Good for Your Neighbor Day

May 17^th: National Bike to Work Day (who’s up for the challenge?)

Important Dates in May:

May 14^th: Volunteer at the Community Closet at Addams Jr. High 6-8 PM Click here to volunteer with the SEA.

May 20^th: SEA Building Representative Meeting 3:30-5:00 PM in the Board Room; current reps, newly elected reps, & retirees are invited to attend

May 27^th: Memorial Day – No School

Lori Mobley

Schaumburg Education Association President

lorimobleysea@gmail.com

Cell: (847) 344-5249

Office @IKE: (847) 357-5450

www.sea54.org

“Obstacles don’t have to stop you. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.”   ~Michael Jordan

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week! Enjoy the extra special acknowledgments you receive this week in your buildings! Even though it is on the calendar once a year, remember the work each of you is appreciated on a daily basis. We all know it is NOT easy work…but it is IMPORTANT work!

NEA’s Fund for Children and Public Education

Some of you have elected to make a one-time donation to NEA’s Fund for Children and Public Education. This one-time union dues deduction for FCPE will be taken out of this Friday’s (May 10^th) paycheck. The NEA fund speaks on behalf of NEA’s three million members and supports pro-public education candidates. The NEA does NOT use dues dollars for this purpose.

If you would like to make donation to this fund, the SEA building rep in your building has an envelope and will be taking donations over the next two weeks from SEA and SEEO members. If you would like to be added for the 2019-2020 school year for the one-time donation in May, please let me know. SEEO President Kathy Jesuit and I thank you ahead of time for your donations.

Assignment Letters for Next Year

If you did not receive your assignment letter for next year on May 1^st, please reach out to Dr. Hannigan in HR. The district tried something new this year by sending it out electronically. I know a few people did not receive their letters so it was probably due to an electronic error.

Volunteering at the Community Closet at Addams

The SEA has one remaining volunteer opportunity at Jane Addams Jr. High’s Community Closet next week. We will have openings available. If you would like to join us on Tuesday, May 14^th, click here to let us know your availability.

SEA Executive Board Openings

There are a few open positions on the SEA Executive Board for the 2019-2020 School year: Historian, Jr. High Liaison, Membership Recognition, & School Board Relations Chair and team members. Attached is a description of each position and how to apply if you are interested in being appointed to any of these roles.

Here are some fun ways to celebrate this week:

May 6^th: The Kickoff to National Teacher Appreciation Week

May 7^th: National Teacher Appreciation Day

May 8^th: National School Nurse Day

May 9^th: National Lost Sock Memorial Day (I have hundreds of those!)

May 10^th: National Clean-Up Your Room Day (maybe the lost socks would be found?)

Important Dates in May:

May 6^th: SEA Executive Team Meeting 3:30-5:00 PM in the Board Room

May 6^th-10^th: Teacher Appreciation Week

May 14^th: Volunteer at the Community Closet at Addams Jr. High 6-8 PM Click here to volunteer with the SEA.

May 20^th: SEA Building Representative Meeting 3:30-5:00 PM in the Board Room; current reps and newly elected reps are invited to attend

May 27^th: Memorial Day – No School

Lori Mobley

Schaumburg Education Association President

lorimobleysea@gmail.com

Cell: (847) 344-5249

Office @IKE: (847) 357-5450

www.sea54.org

“It is easier to build strong children than to repair broken men.” ~Frederick Douglass

Hard to believe in just a few days it will be May, and we have probably had all four seasons hit us in the last week. This last full month of school definitely has the students EXTRA excited, as they start to think summer is right around the corner. Be sure to definitely find time for self-care, and take time to breathe in order to enjoy the weeks ahead!

May 1^st Happenings in Our District

May 1^st signals not just the start of a new month, but according to our contract all members will be given notice of their teaching assignments for the forthcoming year no later than this date. If this is not the case, be sure to talk to your SEA building representative.

Also, May 1^st will is our final staff in-service day. If you haven’t thought about what your plans are for lunch that day, consider ordering Lou Malnati’s to support the District 54 Education Foundation. Maybe it will be your dinner pick-up on the way home like I am hoping to do!  Attached is the flyer.

Building Trauma-Informed Systems Training

Last week, SEA sent a team of teachers to attend another three-day ‘Building Trauma Informed Systems’ training presented by the IEA. Joining the SEA team was Superintendent DuRoss, Dr. Knoll, and Dr. Goldberg for two of those three days. The SEA looks forward to partnering with District 54 to ensure our schools are trauma-sensitive schools in which all of our students are provided with caring relationships and positive experiences to cultivate the resilience necessary to move forward in despite any adverse childhood experiences.

We now have 60-70 members who have attended this training over the past two years, and SEA hopes to continue to provide opportunities to send more of our educators. One of the #1 takeaways we hear attendees share is the mind-shift that takes place and makes us think not “What is wrong with child?” but “What has happened to this child?”

Last Day of School

As Superintendent DuRoss shared, the last day of student attendance on June 6^th will be a half-day of school for the students. The remainder of the day will be considered the first half of what has been referred to as our “Record’s Day”. Friday, June 7^th, will now be only a half-day of staff attendance and is considered the second half of “Record’s Day”.   According to our contract, the purpose of this day will be completing required students related reports and teacher-directed activities.  Please note the revised time of the report card grade posting timeline as well.  I was able to get the time changed on June 6^th from 3 PM to 10:45 AM to reflect the half-day schedule.

Volunteering at the Community Closet at Addams

The SEA has one remaining volunteer opportunity at Jane Addams Jr. High’s Community Closet. If you would like to join us on Tuesday, May 14^th, click here to let us know your availability.

Here are some fun ways to celebrate this week:

April 29^th: National Peace Rose Day (it’s quite beautiful…I had to look it up too!)

April 30^th: National Honesty Day

May 1^st: School Principal’s Day

May 2^nd: World Password Day (is it time to update your passwords?)

May 3^rd: National Two Different Colored Shoes Day (go for it…you have a reason to!)

Important Dates in May:

May 1^st: Half-Day In-Service

May 6^th: SEA Executive Team Meeting 3:30-5:00 PM in the Board Room

May 6^th-10^th: Teacher Appreciation Week

May 14^th: Volunteer at the Community Closet at Addams Jr. High 6-8 PM Click here to volunteer with the SEA.

May 20^th: SEA Building Representative Meeting 3:30-5:00 PM in the Board Room; current reps and newly elected reps are invited to attend

May 27^th: Memorial Day – No School

Lori Mobley

Schaumburg Education Association President

lorimobleysea@gmail.com

Cell: (847) 344-5249

Office @IKE: (847) 357-5450

www.sea54.org

“Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better.
It’s not.”   ~The Lorax

Is spring finally here? I hope everyone had an enjoyable three-day weekend and had an opportunity to spend some time outdoors!

Thank you for attending the SEA/SEEO General Meeting

The leadership of the SEA and SEEO want to thank everyone in attendance at our Annual General Meeting last Monday afternoon. It was nice to kick-off one of many celebrations for the Class of 2019 District 54 Retirees. We appreciated having the following distinguished guests in attendance: IEA President Kathi Griffin, IEA Vice-President Al Llorens, Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison, and NEA Director Amy Biancheri, our key note speaker.

Continuing to serve as your SEA President

During the business portion of our General Meeting, Victoria Mikos was elected as your SEA Vice-President for the next two years. Additionally, I was elected to continue as your SEA President for the next two years. This first year as interim President has been quite a learning experience, but it is one that I have thoroughly enjoyed. I look forward to continuing to work closely with our building reps and Executive Team members and supporting all of our members of the SEA!

Felicia Cichy Award Winner

Congratulations to Daniel Argueta from Stevenson School who was SEA’s 2019 recipient of our Felicia Cichy Award. At the local level, Dan has served as our ethnic minority representative to the Region 35 council as well as to the IEA-RA. At the state level, he has served as the Northern Vice-Chair for the IEA Minority Caucus and as a member of the Human and Civil Rights Committee. Previously, Dan was the Midwest Director for the NEA Hispanic Caucus and as Secretary after that. As an officer of the Hispanic Caucus, he also sat on the Ethnic Minority Affairs Committee at NEA, which also monitors issues of race equity in the Association and advocates for racial and social justice in education and serves as an advisory board to the NEA President, Lily-Eskelsen Garcia. Dan is a great advocate for our students and for our members.

In Need of Volunteers

This Saturday, the SEA will be sending a team of members to volunteer at the Community Closet at Addams Jr. High 10 AM – 12 PM. We need a few more volunteers to fill up our allotted spots. If you are available, please click here to volunteer with the SEA.

Here are some fun ways to celebrate this week:

April 22^nd: National Earth Day

April 23^rd: National Picnic Day

April 24^th: National Administrative Professionals’ Day

April 25^th: National Take our Daughters and Sons to Work Day

April 26^th: National Pretzel Day

Important Dates in April:

April 27^th: Volunteer at the Community Closet at Addams Jr. High 10 AM – 12 PM; Click here to volunteer with the SEA.

Lori Mobley

Schaumburg Education Association President

lorimobleysea@gmail.com

Cell: (847) 344-5249

Office @IKE: (847) 357-5450

www.sea54.org

“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Join us at the SEA/SEEO General Meeting

We are excited to have our members in attendance at today’s SEA/SEEO General Meeting at the Stonegate. Doors open at 3:15 PM today. Please stop by the sign-in table to pick up your table assignment. The District 54 Jazz Band will be performing at 3:30 PM and we will start our program at 4:00 PM. Although this is an event free for you to attend, SEA does have to pay for each member who RSVPd for this event. If something has come up and you are no longer able to attend, please let me know by noon today.

I am looking forward to honoring the District 54 Retirees and our 2019 Felicia Cichy Award recipient at our event today. Also, we will be welcoming several distinguished guests including IEA President Kathi Griffin, IEA Vice-President Al Llorens, NEA Director Amy Biancheri, and Cook County Commissioner Kevin Morrison, in addition to our District 54 School Board and Cabinet members.

Building Representative Elections Today

Please be sure to stop by your designated voting location today in your buildings to help elect your building representatives for the 2019-2020 School Year. Good luck to everyone who is running today! We look forward to having your serve the SEA next year. Building Reps, be sure to bring the ballots to today’s General Meeting.

March Election Results

I am attaching the March 2019 SEA Election Results to this email as there was an error on the previous document that was sent out. Congratulations to all of the members voted to attend the NEA-RA this summer, as well as those elected to serve on our Region 35 Council!

Illinois Education Association Representative Assembly Recap

Thank you to the delegates from the SEA who attended the IEA-RA this past April 11^th -13^th. One of my own personal highlights was having Illinois’ Lieutenant Governor, Juliana Stratton, as one of the guest speakers. As the daughter of a teacher, she spoke heartfelt words of encouragement to the educators in the room and let us know the education will be one of the priorities with the new leadership in Springfield. You can find other highlights from the 165^th Representative Assembly on IEA’s Facebook page, our SEA Facebook page and Twitter. Thank you to IEA President, Kathi Griffin, for letting voices be heard and for running such a smooth, organized event.

Changes to the DEW Process

Last year a change was made to our contract regarding the Dispensations/ Exceptions Waiver (DEW). Art, Music, Physical Education, Library Resource Teachers, Media and related service staff wishing to designate the third Wednesday of the month as an additional team plan time, would be allowed to

do so without submitting a DEW. Additional staff could request to meet with approval of the Superintendent or designee. A calendar of meeting dates will be submitted to Human Resources by September 1st of the current school year. You no longer need to submit the DEW to the SEA President.

Here are some fun ways to celebrate this week:

April 15^th: National Tax Day (hopefully your taxes have been filed!)

April 16^th: National Wear Your Pajamas to Work Day

April 17^th: National Haiku Poetry Day

April 18^th: National High Five Day

April 19^th: National Hanging Out Day

Important Dates in April:

April 15^th: SEA/SEEO General Meeting afterschool at the Stonegate – ALL MEMBERS ARE WELCOME!

April 19^th: Schools and district office closed

April 27^th: Volunteer at the Community Closet at Addams Jr. High 10 AM – 12 PM; Click here to volunteer with the SEA.

Lori Mobley

Schaumburg Education Association President

lorimobleysea@gmail.com

Cell: (847) 344-5249

Office @IKE: (847) 357-5450

www.sea54.org

“Spring unlocks the flowers to paint the laughing soil.” ~Bishop Reginald Heber

Join us at the SEA/SEEO General Meeting

If you did not yet RSVP to next Monday’s General Meeting at the Stonegate, we will have spots available for you to be able to attend. Please email Victoria Mikos (victoriamikos@sd54.org) and let her know your name and the school in which you work at. We will do our best to get you added to your school’s table for our annual meeting.

Renewing Your Teaching License

If your teaching license is expiring this summer, the window to renew your license opened on April 1^st. You should register your license prior to June 30^th. Anyone who has not renewed prior to September 1^st may incur a $500 penalty, unless proof of nine semester hours of college credit within the last five years is provided. Login to the Educator Licensure Information System on the ISBE Website to get started. Make sure you have all your professional development updated. Then select the blue ‘Renewals’ in your action center. District 54 is part of Region 05 North Cook ISC 1. For more information, check your email from ISBE.

IEA’s Representative Assembly

This Thursday, April 11^th through Saturday, April 13^th, a group of delegates from the SEA will be attending the 165^th Illinois Education Association Representative Assembly in Rosemont. During this RA, there will be debates and decision made by the assembled delegates to help set the direction of IEA for the coming year. This year’s delegates voted on in December and attending on behalf of the SEA include: Victoria Mikos, Cynthia Dressler, Michelle Mason, Amy Grasso, Maria Barba, Kelly O’Reilly, Carolina Arroyave, Daniel Argueta, Lori Mobley, Stephanie Krizmis, Rachel Rosone, Dan Levin, and Phyllis Ardagh. Be sure to check in with any of these members next week to find out about their RA experience.

State Delegates to the NEA-RA

Take time to vote online for the state delegates to this summer’s National Education Association Representative Assembly in Houston. You received your voting information via mail to your home address. There are some familiar names on the ballot, including Schaumburg’s own, Kathi Griffin, IEA President.

Volunteering at the Community Closet at Addams

The SEA has two remaining volunteer opportunities at Jane Addams Jr. High’s Community Closet. If you would like to join us on Saturday, April 27^th or Tuesday, May 14^th, click here to let us know your availability. Thank you! Have a great week!

Here are some fun ways to celebrate this week:

April 8^th: National Zoo Lovers Day

April 9^th: National Name Yourself Day

April 10^th: National Siblings Day

April 11^th: National Pet Day

April 12^th: National Grilled Cheese Sandwich Day

Important Dates in April:

April 11^th-13^th: IEA Representative Assembly in Rosemont

April 15^th: SEA/SEEO General Meeting afterschool at the Stonegate – ALL MEMBERS ARE WELCOME!

April 19^th: Schools and district office closed

April 27^th: Volunteer at the Community Closet at Addams Jr. High 10 AM – 12 PM; Click here to volunteer with the SEA

Lori Mobley

Schaumburg Education Association President

lorimobleysea@gmail.com

Cell: (847) 344-5249

Office @IKE: (847) 357-5450

www.sea54.org