SEA side with Chery 9-29-16

Happy Fall!!

There have been some questions about whether or not we can share lesson plans, common assessments, etc., YES, YES, YES! It is also more than ok to divide and conquer in your PLCs. (having a few members of the PLC split up the workload – one creates the low level plans, one the mid-level and one the high level) Not only is it ok, it IS ENCOURAGED!! According to our district office administrators, this is what makes us great – sharing the wealth of info and ideas we have. Set up a folder in sharepoint today and start loading it up so all may find these items. Send ideas and plans to other buildings. You can tailor them to your building and your class but why reinvent the wheel when we don’t need to. COLLABORATION IS THE KEY!!!
Health insurance (THIS Fund) contributions – just in case you were wondering what this deduction was for J

o (5 ILCS 375/6.6)

o Effective July 1, 1995, all active TRS members, including substitute and part-time teachers who are not employees of a state agency covered by the state employees’ health plan, are required to make contributions to the Teachers’ Health Insurance Security (THIS) Fund.

Contribution Rates

Contribution Type	2013-14	2014-15	2015-16	2016-17
TRS Contributions
Member TRS retirement contribution	9.40%	9.40%	9.40%	9%
Employer TRS retirement contribution	0.58%	0.58%	0.58%	0.58%
Employer TRS contribution on federally-funded salary	35.41%	33.00%	36.06%	38.54%
THIS Fund Contributions
Member THIS (insurance) contribution	0.97%	1.02%	1.07%	1.12%
Employer THIS (insurance) contribution	0.72%	0.76%	0.80%	0.84%

I have been asked to several buildings to learn about how PLCs are running nowadays and to hear about some inconsistencies from building to building and even from grade level to grade level within a building. If you would like to “weigh in,” please contact me; I would love to come over for a chat and gather more info and take suggestions on how to fix this issue.

That’s it for this week. If you need assistance from me, don’t hesitate to contact me.

Chery

PS – did you know that Dr. Seuss invented the word, “nerd?” Makes sense to me!!