“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

“No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.”   ~Proverb

Welcome back! Hope everyone had a great week doing whatever you needed to do to relax. And just think, you have an extra day tomorrow to sleep in, but we are glad you are back with your students today!

RSVP to the General Meeting

Your SEA Building Representative is in the process of gathering RSVPs to this year’s SEA/SEEO General Meeting coming up in two weeks. The deadline to RSVP for this event is this Wednesday, April 3^rd. Please let your building reps know if you will be in attendance for this event. This event is for ALL of our SEA and SEEO members. Heavy hors d’oeuvres will be served and a cash bar will be open. We would love to have a table full of people from each school in attendance. Retirees will be honored and members of the District 54 Cabinet and School Board will be joining us as well.

Transfair

As a reminder the Transfair will be taking place today afterschool at Keller School. If you signed up to attend, you should have already received information from Dr. Hannigan. Thank you for your flexibility as all afterschool activities have been cancelled for today in order to allow staff to attend. We know this has impacted many staff and students, but it has been past practice and we thank you for your flexibility today.

Nomination Forms for President and Vice-President

Just a reminder nomination forms for SEA President and Vice-President are due to Kelly O’Reilly by this Wednesday, April 3^rd. A copy of the nomination form has been attached to this email.

Enjoy the day off tomorrow and be sure to go out and vote in your local elections tomorrow.

Here are some fun ways to celebrate this week:

April 1^st: National One Cent Day

April 2^nd: National Peanut Butter and Jelly Day

April 3^rd: National Find a Rainbow Day

April 4^th: National School Librarian Day…thank your librarian!

April 5^th: National Deep Dish Pizza Day

Important Dates in April:

April 1^st: School Resumes

April 2^nd: Students/Staff Non-Attendance Day

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

April 19^th: Schools and district office closed

Lori Mobley

Schaumburg Education Association President

lorimobleysea@gmail.com

Cell: (847) 344-5249

Office @IKE: (847) 357-5450

www.sea54.org

“No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.”   ~Proverb

We have made it to the last week before Spring Break! Celebrate report cards are now done for second trimester and we have a week of ‘me-time’ right around the corner!

Appraisal Feedback

In April, the District 54 Appraisal Committee will be meeting. Members of the SEA will be convening with some of the Cabinet members and principals to review our current Appraisal Plan. We are looking to gather some feedback from you our members to see what the strengths and challenges are with the current appraisal practice. Here is the link to the Appraisal Survey. Please take a few minutes this week to complete a short survey. The survey will close at the end of the day this Friday, February 22^nd. Thank you for your time as our members’ input is valued.

SEA Building Elections

Please stop by your designated voting location in your buildings today to vote for the delegates who will be sent to the National Education Association Representative Assembly in Dallas, Texas, this July.

Building Rep Nomination Forms

Today is the due date to submit your nomination forms to be a SEA building representative for the 2019-2020 school year. If you have not submitted one yet, email it today to Kelly O’Reilly or give it to your building rep to bring to today’s rep meeting. Here is the link to the Building Rep Nomination forms.

Here are some fun ways to celebrate this week:

March 18^th: National Awkward Moments Day

March 19^th: National Let’s Laugh Day

March 20^th: THE FIRST DAY OF SPRING!

March 21^st: National French Break Day

March 22^nd: National Goof Off Day…great way to kick off spring break!

Important Dates in March/April:

March 18^th: SEA Building Representative Meeting 3:30-5:00 PM in the Board Room; Report Card Comments/Grades need to be completed by 8 AM
March 19^th: Report Card Website closes

March 20^th: Parents can access report cards

March 25^th – 29^th: SPRING BREAK ~ Enjoy the week off!

April 1^st: School Resumes

April 2^nd: Students/Staff Non-Attendance Day

Lori Mobley

Schaumburg Education Association President

lorimobleysea@gmail.com

Cell: (847) 344-5249

Office @IKE: (847) 357-5450

www.sea54.org

“When it comes to luck, you make your own.” ~Bruce Springsteen

Top o’ the morning to ya’! Happy St. Patrick’s Day Week! This has to be one of the biggest holidays celebrated regardless of whether or not you are Irish, but do go pull out something green to wear and maybe check out the Chicago River if you have never seen it dyed green. It is quite the site in person!

Building Rep Nomination Forms

Whether you are wishing to continue being an SEA building representative or you would like to start getting more involved in our association by being a building rep, we are in need of your nomination forms for the 2019-2020 School Year. As a reminder each building is allowed one rep per 15 members.   These nomination forms are due to Kelly O’Reilly by next Monday, March 18^th. Here is the link to the Building Rep Nomination forms. Feel free to contact me or your current building representative to find out more about this year-long commitment.

Accessing IEA’s Members Only Page

Have you ever visited IEA’s Members Only page? This is where you can access membership forms, discounts & deals, and the Online Learning Portal (FREE clock hours on your own time). Go to www.ieanea.org and click on the Members Only link above the red banner in the right corner. Login or register on the following page. If you need you IEA number, registration, or login information, use IEA Connect located in the lower right hand corner of every screen.

Out of the District

I will be out of the district this Friday at the NEA Leadership Summit. If you are in need of anything, don’t hesitate to contact your building representative or our Vice-President Victoria Mikos (vamikossea@gmail.com).

Here are some fun ways to celebrate this week:

March 11^th: National Johnny Appleseed Day (do we still have the Johnny Appleseed books in our school libraries?)

March 12^th: National Girl Scout Day (time to enjoy more of those Thin Mints!)

March 13^th: National Open an Umbrella Indoors Day (isn’t that bad luck?)

March 14^th: National Pi Day (3.1415926535…time to find my ∏ t-shirt)

March 15^th: National Everything You Think is Wrong Day (huh? I think that’s wrong…)

Important Dates in March:

March 18^th: Report Card Comments/Grades need to be completed by 8 AM;
SEA Building Representative Meeting 3:30-5:00 PM in the Board Room

March 19^th: Report Card Website closes

March 20^th: Parents can access report cards

March 25^th – 29^th: SPRING BREAK

Lori Mobley

Schaumburg Education Association President

lorimobleysea@gmail.com

Cell: (847) 344-5249

Office @IKE: (847) 357-5450

www.sea54.org

“No act of kindness, no matter how small, is ever wasted.”   ~Aesop

We have officially made it to March, it’s just about the end of trimester two, and Spring is getting closer and closer, despite another wind chill advisory! What is more exciting is that we have Spring Break just right around the corner.

Weingarten Rights

As a reminder to all of you, if you are ever in a meeting with administration without representation and you feel you need a member of the SEA to be sitting there with you, you can invoke your Weingarten Rights. This will then allow the meeting to stop mid-discussion and be rescheduled to a time when SEA representation can be present. I have asked for our UniServ Director Crystal Bush to provide us with more of the Weingarten Rights cards, so if you are in need of one, let your building representative know. You do not need this card to use your Weingarten Rights, but many members keep this card tucked in behind their IDs.

Common Ground

As I mentioned last week, anytime between March 1^st and May 1^st, tenured teachers on year two of the evaluation cycle will be having their summative meetings with their administrators. It does not state anywhere in our appraisal document when you need to have your information in to Common Ground by. After talking to our Appraisal Chair, Cynthia Dressler, we agreed that it would be to your advantage to have all your evidence in prior to March 1^st. So, if you do not have everything updated, it would be to your advantage to make sure your evidence from the past two years is up-to-date and ready for your administrator.

Visit IEA’s Website to Voice Your Opinion

At your building level SEA meetings, reps have been sharing with you to visit IEA’s Website to sign the 3% Salary Cap petition. There is a great “Explainer Video” to watch which helps to understand why it is important for us to be taking action.   Our profession continues to be under attack and we have to make sure to contact our legislators as well and ask them to support SB60 and HB350 which would repeal the 3% salary cap.

Here are some fun ways to celebrate this week:

March 4^th: National Pancake Day…time to head to IHOP

March 5^th: Mardi Gras – Fat Tuesday

March 6^th: National Oreo Cookie Day

March 7^th: National Be Heard Day

March 8^th: National Proofreading Day

Important Dates in March:

March 4^th: Member Benefits visit to Campanelli (during lunch) & Nerge (afterschool); SEA Executive Board Meeting 3:30-4:30 PM in the Board Room; SEA/SEEO General Meeting Planning Committee 4:30-5:30 PM in the Board Room

March 8^th: End of Trimester Two

March 18^th: Report Card Comments/Grades need to be completed by 8 AM;
SEA Building Representative Meeting 3:30-5:00 PM in the Board Room

March 19^th: Report Card Website closes

March 20^th: Parents can access report cards

March 25^th – 29^th: SPRING BREAK

Lori Mobley

Schaumburg Education Association President

lorimobleysea@gmail.com

Cell: (847) 344-5249

Office @IKE: (847) 357-5450

www.sea54.org

“When you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on.”
~Franklin D. Roosevelt

Just a few reminders for the week ahead…

SEA Nominations Forms Due TODAY

If you are interested in being a delegate to the NEA Representative Assembly this summer in Houston, Texas, nomination forms are due TODAY. Also, we have five open positions (both one-year and two-year terms) available to our Region 35 Council which you can apply for. Please give your nomination forms to your SEA Building Representative to give to our Elections Chair. As a reminder to building representatives, we will be meeting today afterschool from 3:30-5:00 PM in the Board Room. As always, all members are welcome to attend.

Message to Our Non-Tenured Teachers

Just a reminder to our non-tenured teachers that your third observation of the year should be completed by this Friday, March 1^st. Your Student Growth ‘Ending Meeting’ should be completed prior to March 1^st as well. Administrators have until March 15^th to give you your “Summative Appraisal Report”. If you haven’t already done so, make sure you have your evidence in all of the components on Common Ground. It is so important to advocate for yourself, especially in the areas that are not directly observed by your evaluator. For any other questions about your appraisal and the timelines, you can refer to our online Teacher Appraisal Plan.

Message to Our Tenured Teachers on Year Two of the Evaluation Cycle

If you are on your second year of the evaluation cycle, your two observation should be complete by March 1^st. There is a minimum of one formal and one informal observation that be completed. Your Student Growth ‘Ending Meeting’ should be completed prior to May 1st. Administrators have between March 1^st and May 1^st to give you your “Summative Appraisal Report”. And I encourage you as well to make sure you have your evidence in all of the components on Common Ground. You are your best advocate!

Grade Reporting Timeline

Just a reminder, the grade reporting timeline has been revised to reflect the emergency days used. The report card window opened last Friday, Feb. 22^nd. The new end of trimester two is Friday, March 8^th. Comments/grades need to be completed by 8 AM on Monday, March 18^th. The website will close on Tuesday, March 19^th. Parents will be able to view report cards on Wednesday, March 20^th.

NEA’s Read Across America Day

Did you know every March 2^nd is Read Across America Day? The National Education Association (NEA) first brought up to have a special reading day in 1997. Because this idea was well-liked, a year later in 1998, the first Read Across America Day was held. This date was chosen as it also is the birthday of Dr. Seuss. Because March 2^nd is a Saturday this year, schools across the nation will be observing Read Across America Day this Friday, March 1^st. Time to pull out your favorite Dr. Seuss books or engage the students in some extra “Drop Everything and Read” times. What else can you do to celebrate reading with your students on Friday? Check out NEA’s Read Across America Day 2019 Online Toolkit for more information.

NEA Member Benefits Meetings

Thank you to our NEA Member Benefits representative, Justine Sallee, for scheduling visits to all 28 of our schools. She will be wrapping up her visits this week and her schedule is listed below. If you were unable to attend her presentation, be sure to check out the NEA Member Benefits website for more information on how you can be saving money with your membership.

Here are some fun ways to celebrate this week:

February 25^th: National Clam Chowder Day

February 26^th: National Tell a Fairy Tale Day

February 27^th: National Strawberry Day

February 28^st: National Chili Day

March 1st: National Read Across America Day (Dr. Seuss Day)

Important Dates in February:

February 25^th: Member Benefits visit to the ELC & RAC (during lunch) & SEA Building Rep Meeting

February 26^th: Member Benefits visit to Fairview (during lunch); Retirement Meeting for TRS Employees @RAC (contact Diana Peters if you are attending)

February 27^th: Member Benefits visit to Eisenhower (during lunch)

February 28^th: Member Benefits visit to Einstein (during lunch)

Lori Mobley

Schaumburg Education Association President

lorimobleysea@gmail.com

Cell: (847) 344-5249

Office @IKE: (847) 357-5450

www.sea54.org