Author: sea54web

Welcome back SEA!

Happy New Year 2025! The SEA is definitely starting the year 2025 off running.  There is a lot of information to share and exciting things happening in January.  Please take some time to review this week’s Monday Message.

Here is the link to the January 6th edition of the Monday Message.

Important information from the SEA…

• Seeking members interested in helping with the D54/SEA Teaching & Learning Job Description Review – applications due Friday, Jan. 10.
• Region 35 Racial & Social Justice Book Study – vote for the book by Friday
• SEA Awards – submit your nomination here
• SEA Yoga Class – Thursday, January 16^th, 3:45-4:45 PM, ELC Gym – register here
• Region 35 SPARKS Event for early career SEA/SEEO members – Jan. 31-Feb. 1 (overnight experience) – register here
• Seeking licensed local bakers for the SEA/SEEO General Meeting – apply here

I can honestly say I cannot wait for our SPARKS event happening later this month.  If you have every participated, you know it’s a memorable time for all!  Lots of surprises in store and the best thing about it is that the event is free for our early career SEA & SEEO members.  What’s included?  An overnight stay, meals, special event, SEA/SEEO swag, and MORE!  Applications are due January 17.  We encourage you to bring a friend or two or three!  If you have any questions, definitely reach out.

Lastly, the SEA member highlighted this week that you should get to know is Kara Zielinski, Speech-Language Pathologist at Enders-Salk. Kara serves in multiple capacities at the region and local level: SEA Secretary, Region 35 Grassroots Political Activist, Region 35 Treasurer, and the School Board Relations Chair.  Definitely a true union advocate who I think for her service and dedication to the SEA and IEA!

I hope had a wonderful winter break and that you are well-rested and ready for the week ahead!

Good morning, SEA! 

We are down to the final five days before Winter Break.  Hope you have a fantastic week with your student and colleagues! 

Here is the link to the December 16^th Edition of the Monday Message.

You will noticed it is an extended version of our SEA Newsletter as there are a lot of exciting opportunities for you once we kick off January 2025:

• SPARKS 2025 – A conference for our early career educators in SEA/SEEO happening on January 31 – Feb. 1 – REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!
• Region 35 Racial and Social Justice Book Study – Please vote here on the two books choices “Punished for Dreaming” (Dr. Bettina Love) and “Nice Racism” (Robin Diangelo) to help us with the planning
• SEA Yoga Class – Thursday, January 16^th – 3:45-4:45 PM in the ELC Gym – Register here to attend or use the QR code on the flier
• Calling all licensed bakers! We are seeking out bakers to help us with desserts for our General Meeting in April.  If you are interested, or know someone who might be able to help us out, fill out this form.

Please take a moment to read through this week’s Monday Message as there is even more important info for you from the SEA & IEA!

We do have our monthly SEA Building Rep Meeting today after school in the PLC from 3:30-5:00 PM.  All members are welcome to attend.  We will have a special presentation on 403Bs/Finances from our UniServ Director Ben Gray.  Also, Superintendent DuRoss and members of his cabinet will be doing a brief presentation on Crisis Calls. Building reps, don’t forget to bring your ballots from Friday’s Region 35 election.

Finally, the SEA Exec Board member highlighted this week is Keith Lange, teacher of the visually impaired, and one of SEA’s sick bank co-chairs.   We are looking for someone to shadow our sick bank co-chairs starting in January.  If this is something you want to find out more about, please let me know.  

Looking forward to seeing members today at our Building Rep Meeting!

Good morning, SEA!

We are down to the two week mark, but who’s counting? 

Here is the December 9^th Edition of the Monday Message.

Some of the highlighted information in this week’s edition:

• Jason Eliasek Scholarship – now available on SEA’s website
• SEA Awards – nomination window now open!
• Region 35 Election – taking place this FRIDAY in your buildings | Candidate Bios are available here
• NEA Pet Insurance Program
• IEA Book Studies:  1 – Punished for Dreaming;  2 – Fascism: A Warning
• Presenters needed for the 5^th Annual Educators Rising IL Conference in March (due tomorrow) | Present to Middle/High School Students | Present to Middle/High School Educators

This week the SEA Exec Board Member you should get to know is Deanne DiDomenico.  Deanne is an early childhood special education teacher at the ELC and serves as the ELC Instructional Services Liaison. 

If you have any questions or comments about our early learning curriculum, Deanne is your contact.

Your building reps will be sending out more information via personal email in regards to this Friday’s Region 35 election.  Please be sure to participate in the vote.  If you are willing and able to help tally the votes, this will take place next Monday, December 16, during the Building Rep Meeting.  Please contact Kelly O’Reilly or reply to this email if you are willing to volunteer.  Thank you!

Good morning, SEA!

Hope you had an amazing Thanksgiving break!  For me, I was extremely grateful to have my daughters both home from college, even if it was just for a couple of days.

Can’t believe we have made it to December!  Only three full weeks and then we have another break to look forward to. 

Here is the December 2^nd edition of the Monday Message.

You can find more information about Inclusive Schools Week this week in District 54.  Don’t forget to wear the following colors:

Monday: Red (Belonging)

Tuesday: Blue (Identity)

Wednesday: Green (Empowerment)

Thursday: Orange (Leadership)

Friday: Yellow (Reflection) 

Last month, the SEA & SEEO made our annual $1 per member donation to the District 54 Food Pantries.  Tomorrow in honor of the National Day of Giving, consider making an additional donation to the food pantries through their District 54 Food Pantry Amazon Wish List.  Items on the wish list are some of the most needed items.  Your order is delivered directly to our food pantries.

The weekly contract reminder focuses on evaluations. To all of our non-tenured teachers, if you haven’t already, you will be having your second observation before winter break.  Remember to make sure you are entering your own evident into not just domains 1 & 4, but 2 & 3 as well.  You should also consider bringing your SEA building rep to your post-conference meetings this month as well.

This week the SEA exec board member you should get to know is Maria Ayala, behavior coach at Dirksen School.  If you are a junior high teacher with instructional questions or comments, Maria is your contact.  You can email Maria Ayala at any time.

Wishing you the best this morning!

Good morning, SEA!

The Monday Message will resume next week.  I hope this morning was productive for you and that your conferences go smoothly the rest of today and tomorrow morning.

Once you complete that last conference, you are off on a well-deserved Thanksgiving break!  

Wishing you and your family a beautiful Thanksgiving filled with blessings, peace, and joy!  

Happy American Education Week, SEA!

I am very looking forward to our AEW kickoff event this evening from 5-8 PM in the PLC, immediately following our monthly SEA Building Rep Meeting (3:30-5:00 PM).  Even if you haven’t RSVP’d we would love to have you!  There will be plenty of delicious tacos catered from Amuzgo’s in Algonquin.  Stay for a few rounds of our friendly trivia competition!  We’ve got some room on teams!  So far we have members signed up from Aldrin, Eisenhower, Enders, Fox, Frost, Hale, Hanover, Mead, Muir, and the RAC!  Don’t see your team listed?  We will get you on a team! 

Here is the link to the November 18^th Edition of the Monday Message.

You will find some highlights from last week’s Lobby Day.  Thank you SO MUCH for the team of SEA & SEEO members that attended!  Loved seeing the SEA of red in Springfield, as well as members back in our schools who wore their #RedForEd gear!  The fight to “Undo Tier 2” is far from over, so I urge you to continue to contact your legislators and advocate for those educators hired after Jan. 1, 2011!  

Today is the last day to submit your nomination form to be a Region 35 delegate at the IEA Representative Assembly in March or to be a representative on our Region 35 council.  Click here to complete your nomination form by 4 PM TODAY!

This week the SEA is highlighting our Association’s Vice-President, Cynthia Dressler, Intervention/Screening Facilitator at the ELC.  She works behind the scenes to make sure members are understanding of their appraisal and can answer members’ questions about not only appraisal issues, but contractual issues as well.  November and December are months in which MANY observations are being done, so just a reminder particularly to our early career members to be bringing your SEA Building Reps with you to your post-conference meetings. 

Hope this is a smooth week for you as you work on preparing for next week’s Parent/Teacher conferences!

Happy Veterans Day, SEA!

Looking forward to seeing on social media how our schools across the district celebrate today!   Check out some resources from NEA Today on how to celebrate Veterans Day in the Classroom.

Here is the November 11^th Edition of the Monday Message.  Be sure to check it out! 

This week’s Monday Message features our UniServ Director, Ben Gray, who is employed through the IEA to support Region 35 and its local presidents, both Kathy Jesuit and myself. He’s available to support our members as well, especially when it comes to legal matters.  You can reach Ben via email: ben.gray@ieanea.org.

Looking forward to seeing a team of our SEA members in Springfield on Wednesday for IEA’s Undo Tier 2 Lobby Day.  Even if you aren’t going to be in attendance, please support by wearing RED and texting me your photos to flood social media with!  Feel free to send me a blurb about why it’s important to you that there be change to the current Tier 2 pension system.

Shout out to the many SEA & SEEO members who participated in last weekend’s Craft & Vendor Fair.  Over $3000 was raised for the District 54 Education Foundation! 

Last chance to register for next week’s SEA/SEEO Member Appreciation Event.  We’d love to have you stop by the PLC next Monday, November 18, between 5-8 PM.  There will be plenty of food!  Even if trivia is not your thing, stop by for dinner with us.  Here is the link to register.

Hope it’s a great week for you and your students!

Happy November, SEA! 

Here is the November 4^th Edition of the Monday Message.

Highlights this week:

• Reminder about the December SEA/Region 35 Election & link to the nomination form
• RSVP to the SEA/SEEO Member Appreciation event on November 18th
• Parent/Teacher Conference hours
• Scholarship opportunity to attend NEA’s Leadership Summit | March 7-9
• “See Educators Run” training program
• Punished for Dreaming | IEA Book Study starting January 22

This week we highlight SEA Exec Board member, Adriana Caballero, who is not only extremely involved at the local level, but at the state level as well as an Ethnic Minority Representative. Need more supports for taking an anti-bias, anti-racist approach to teaching? Adriana is your go-to!

Looking forward to the day off tomorrow?  Me, too!  If you haven’t already voted, be sure to take some time tomorrow to do so.

And it’s finally time for SEA/SEEO’s Craft and Vendor fair…this Saturday, November 9, from 9 AM – 3 PM.  Over 30 vendors and extended hours this year.  Our event will be held in the PLC.   A concession stand will be available.  Proceeds for this event go to the District 54 Education Foundation!

Hope to see you there!

Good morning, SEA!

Oh, we have come to one of the weeks educators love most…HALLOWEEN!  Hope you have a great day dressing up on Thursday!

But before then, you will have Wednesday afternoon to get started on your students’ report cards.  Enjoy that contractual time!

Here is the link to the October 28^th Edition of the Monday Message.

You will find information about our December SEA/Region 35 Elections in which we will be voting for the delegates we will be sending the March 2025 IEA-RA in Rosemont, the new Region 35 Early Career representative, and for addition Region 35 Council open positions.  If you are interested in any of those positions, click here to nominate yourself, by November 18^th.

Attached to this email are the results from last week’s special elections at Collins, Fox, and Stevenson.  Congratulations to our new SEA building reps, Michael (Collins), Cassandra (Collins), Danielle (Fox), and Allison (Stevenson)!

This week’s Monday Message also highlight the person behind the scenes that helps out with all of these elections, Kelly O’Reilly.  As I always say to her, she has one of the BEST jobs in the district heading up our D54 Special Olympics!

I am also looking for members to nominate SEEO members for IEA’s Education Support Professional (ESP) of the Year award.  If you have someone who is active in the SEEO and enhances the image of an ESP in your buildings, please complete the following nomination form by Monday, November 4.

I also included the Parent/Teacher conference hours for 11/25 and 11/26 for you to review.  

It’s not too late to register for our SEA/SEEO Member Appreciation Event coming up in just three weeks!  Hope you can join us!

Good morning, SEA! 

Here is a link to the 10/21 Edition of the Monday Message.

Looking forward to seeing our building reps and exec board members at our October building rep meeting today after school from 3:30-5:00 PM in the PLC. We will have a special guest in attendance at our building rep meeting: State Representative Michelle Mussman.  Thank you to our GPA Kara Zielinski for organizing this visit.  Representative Mussman will be speaking about the current Tier Two Legislation. 

Speaking of Tier Two, we did receive more information in regards to IEA’s Undo Tier Two Lobby Day.  There will be buses departing from Elgin, Lombard, and Rockford to take people from the suburbs to the event on Wednesday, November 13.  We still have some availability to send a few more people. I am working with Superintendent DuRoss who supports members attending.  We shared our goal would be for at least 2-3 teachers from each building to attend.  For those of you who need subs, a substitute teacher will be provided. 

If you are interested in joining our team on Wednesday, November 13, please fill out this form.  You will also have to register with the IEA in order to save your space on one of the buses or to let them know you will be driving down that day.  Those specifics are included in the attachment. 

We have about 30 SEA members registering, but we can still have at least one more member attend from the following buildings:

Addams (2), Aldrin (2), Armstrong (2), Blackwell (2), Churchill (2), Dirksen (2), Dooley (2), Einstein (1), Enders (2), Fairview (1), Fox (1), Hale (2), Hoover (2), Keller (1), Lincoln Prairie (2), Mead (2), Muir (2), Nerge (2), Stevenson (1), RAC (1)

I will let you know within the next couple of days if I still have available subs for you to attend. 

To all our SEA members at Stevenson, Collins, and Fox, you will be receiving an email today to participate in a building rep special election for your buildings.  Be sure to participate by 6 PM today!

Also, all members are invited to stay after today’s building rep meeting for a viewing of the “Resilience” documentary.  We have moved the viewing of this event to the PLC.  Superintendent DuRoss will be stopping by at the beginning of the viewing.  Thank you to our Trauma Responsive Schools Chair Victoria Mikos for organizing this event for us. 

We still have openings for our SEA/SEEO Member Appreciation Trivia Night on November 18^th.  Get those teams formed and register soon!

Have a great week!