Mobley’s Monday Message 12-16-19

“Keep looking up…that’s the secret of life.” ~Charlie Brown

You did it! You made it to the Monday before Winter Break! I hope you all have an opportunity to put the grading and planning aside for our two weeks off. It’s time to spend time with our families and friends and celebrate the winter holidays!

SEA Voting TODAY

Today there will be SEA elections taking place in your buildings for delegates to the IEA Representative Assembly in March and Region 35 Council Representatives. Please be sure to stop by your designated voting location in your building to vote before the end of the day. Building reps, be sure to bring the completed ballots to today’s meeting. Make sure to look over the directions provided to before turning in your ballots. Thank you!

SPARKS – REGISTRATION DUE FRIDAY

Just a reminder, registration for SPARKS is open through this Friday, December 20. We do have a few openings left. We invite members with 10 years or less of experience in education to join us for this event held on January 17-18, 2020, at the Wingate by Wyndham in Schaumburg. Click here to register. All of the information for this event has been attached.

IEA Bargaining Workshop

The SEA is looking to send a team of teachers to the IEA Bargaining workshop on Saturday, February 8, from 8:30 AM – 2:00 PM. This workshop will be held at the NIU Hoffman Estates, 5555 Trillium Blvd. With next year being a bargaining year, we are starting to prep for our negotiations. I am attaching a copy of the agenda and schedule for this event. The flyer has an RSVP listed. If you are planning on attending, please let me know so I can be sure the SEA pays for our attendance at this event.

Upcoming Listening Sessions

Join members of the SEA Exec Board each month as we have focused conversation on various topics that impact our members on a day-to-day basis. Come share your thoughts and experiences as we begin to gather information in preparation for our negotiations next year. All Listening Sessions will be held at Pop’s Pizza in Roselle. Light appetizers will be provided. Here are a list of the dates and the topics:

Wednesday, January 15 (4:30-5:30 PM) – School Climate
Tuesday, February 25 (3:30-4:30 PM) – Classroom Management
Thursday, March 19 (3:30-4:30 PM) – Our Current Contract
Wednesday, April 8 (4:30-5:30 PM) – Instructional Practices

Tuesday, May 12 (3:30-4:30 PM) – Open Discussion

#RedForEd Shirts

Don’t forget, this is your second final chance to get your free #RedForEd shirt. Click here for the link to place your order if you haven’t already done so. We will be closing the ordering window TODAY at 5 PM.

Feed My Starving Children

Last week at our Feed My Starving Children event, together we packed enough meals to feed 81 children for a year! Thank you to everyone who was able to join the SEA and SEEO that evening. We were fortunate to have School Board Members Mary Kay Prusnick and Ken Van Dyke join us for this event, as well as Superintendent DuRoss and Associate Superintendent Dr. Knoll. Always nice to be able to give back to others during this time of the season!

Jason Eliasek Scholarships – Applications Now Available

Each year the Jason Eliasek Scholarship Fund Committee awards three scholarships to children of SEA and SEEO members who are pursuing an undergraduate degree in the area of public service. The scholarships are awarded at the May SEA Building Representative meeting. Scholarship applications are now available and must be postmarked by March 16, 2020. I have attached the application and more information about the scholarships for anyone who is interested.

Important Dates in December/January

December 16: SEA Building Rep Meeting

January 13: SEA Exec Board Meeting, 3:30-5:00 PM in the Board Room

January 15: Listening Session @Pop’s Pizza (4:30-5:30 PM); Topic – School Climate

January 27: SEA Building Rep Meeting, 3:30-5:00 PM in the Board Room

Volunteer Opportunities

January 13: Addams Community Closet (6 – 8 PM)

May 4: Addams Community Closet (6 – 8 PM)

Lori Mobley

Schaumburg Education Association President

lorimobleysea@gmail.com

Cell: (847) 344-5249