Author: sea54web

Good morning SEA!  

You’ve made it to the last two days of APRIL!  After today, there are only four more Monday morning wake-ups this school year!

Here is the April 29th Edition of the Monday Message. 

You will find information about WINGS, an organization that SEA has supported financially in the past.  WINGS provides a pathway to independence for adults and children who are escaping from domestic violence and abuse. This spring we are asking our members to help out by viewing their Amazon wish lists where you can ‘click and purchase’ necessities they are running low on.   Here is their HOUSING WISH LIST and their PANTRY WISH LIST. 

Some other things highlighted in this week’s Monday Message:

• IEA’s Educator Voice Academies –  click here to find out more and apply  
• IEA’s Early Bird Registration for Summer Leadership Academy – registration goes up May 1
• Share your NEA Member Benefits story
• ISBE’s Literacy Landscape Survey – participate here

Let the end-of-the-year ABC countdowns begin!

Good morning SEA!

Time to kick off that last full week of April.  Last week started off AMAZINGLY with the SEA/SEEO General Meeting.  Today’s April 22nd Edition of the Monday Message highlights that event.  If you have never gone to a General Meeting, it’s basically like a wedding reception but without the dancing!  We’ve already reserved April 14, 2025, at Chandler’s for next year’s celebration and hope you will attend!

We appreciate you taking the time to call your legislators last week for the Undo Tier 2 Week of Action.  It’s not too late to pick up the phone or send an email to your legislator.  The Monday Message highlights what you should say as this impacts a majority of our membership.  Do you really want to work until age 67 in order to collect full benefits? 

Attached are the results of last Monday’s SEA/Region 35 Election.  Thank you to all the members of the SEA who ran to be a 2024-2025 Building Rep or Exec Board member.  You are all invited to the May 13, 2024, building rep meeting where we will not only recognize you, but vote to approve the 2024-2025 SEA Budget which is also attached, with the Budget Memorandum.   Feel free to contact Cynthia Dressler, SEA Vice-President, if you have questions about the proposed budget. 

Happy SEA/SEEO General Meeting Day, everyone!

It’s our biggest event of the year and we cannot wait to celebrate with you.  If you have never attended, all the planning involved is truly like planning a wedding reception.  Shout out to the people who have been working behind the scenes this year to make our General Meeting possible: Cynthia Dressler (SEA Vice-President, ELC), Maria Ayala (Eisenhower), Ben Gray (IEA UniServ Director), Janet Green (SEEO Vice-President, Einstein), Sue Hindenburg (Fox), Kathy Jesuit (SEEO President, Fox), Michelle Mason (Frost), Michelle Meyers (Einstein), Amanda Silverman (Aldrin) & Kara Zielinski (Enders-Salk).  

Today is not only the General Meeting but it’s our SEA and Region 35 Election Day.  You may have already received your ballot via email to vote from the SEA/SEEO with the subject VOTE NOW.   If you have any issues with your ballot or you did not receive one, please contact SEA’s Elections Chair Kelly O’Reilly (kellyoreilly@sd54.org) or at x. 2105 during school hours.  The voting window closes at 6 PM. 

Other important information you will find in the April 15th Edition of the Monday Message: 

• April’s Contract Tidbit – Involuntary Transfers
• IEA’s Summer Leadership Academy – Early Bird Registration
• IEA’s CALL TO ACTION to Undo Tier 2 – Week of Action April 15-18

We made it halfway through April, and hopefully your taxes being done…two more things to celebrate!

Happy Total Eclipse Day, SEA!

Hope we will all get to enjoy a viewing of the most watched solar eclipse in history and the last total solar eclipse across the United States until 2044.  Stay away clouds!

Here is the April 8th Edition of the Monday Message.  Information highlighted include BCBS Blue 365, IEA’s Summer Leadership Academy Early Bird Registration, and IEA’s rESPect Campaign.  Take a moment to review the info. 

You will find information about next week’s SEA Elections, including the first ever election for SEA Executive Board members.  Attached to this week’s email are the bios for those members who are running for an elected position.  There are some open positions, including Elementary Instructional Services Liaison, Jason Eliasek Scholarship Chair, and the Racial & Social Justice Chair.  If you want to find out more about these roles let me know.  You can still be a write in on the ballot.  We are in the midst of finalizing the details for next week’s General Meeting and looking forward to celebrating with you!

Good morning and welcome back, SEA!

Hope you had a great Spring Break no matter what you had the chance to do last week, even if it was cleaning out closets and storage spaces!  

Here is the April 1 Edition of the Monday Message for you. 

There are a lot of opportunities for you wrapping up soon:

• Last chance to RSVP to the SEA/SEEO General Meeting taking place on April 15
• Last chance to submit your nomination form to join SEA’s 2024-2025 Executive Board 
• Join a committee at the state level with the Illinois Education Association – you must sign in to IEA’s Members Online site with your membership ID

Hope your day isn’t filled with too many bad April Fool’s Day jokes like these: 

How do pirates celebrate April Fools’ Day? 

They walk the prank.

Why shouldn’t you tell ducks jokes on April Fools’ Day? 

They’ll quack up.

Why don’t eggs play April Fools’ pranks? 

They might crack each other up.

Why is everyone so tired on April 1? 

Because they just finished a 31-day march.

Nomination forms for our May 2024 Elections are due today by 4 PM.  This election is for 2024-2025 Building Reps, Region 35 council members, and SEA Secretary & Treasurer.  Here is the link to the nomination form. 

Here is how many building rep nomination forms we have so far for each building:

Addams (1), Aldrin (2), Armstrong (2), Blackwell (2), Campanelli (1), Churchill (1), Collins (1), Dirksen (1), Dooley (2), 

Einstein (0), Eisenhower (3), ELC (3), Enders-Salk (2), Fairview (1), Fox (1), Frost (3), Hale (3), Hanover (1), Hoover (2), Keller (2), Lakeview (4), Lincoln Prairie (1), Link (4), MacArthur (2), Mead (3), Muir (1), Nerge (2), RAC (2), Stevenson (1), 

**Most buildings are eligible to have at least 3 reps (1 rep per 15 members) and it is helpful for each rep to have a partner to share the workload with. 

Don’t forget to RSVP by April 1 for the SEA/SEEO General Meeting on April 15. 

Enjoy having tomorrow off for Election Day and hope you have a great Spring Break, just right around the corner!

Hello SEA!

Check off 2nd trimester report cards from the to-do list.  Now, we have spring break to look forward two just a couple short weeks away! 

Here is the March 11th edition of the Monday Message. 

There is quite a bit of information in regards to SEA and Region 35 Elections.  We are still accepting nominations forms for SEA Building Rep, SEA Secretary, and SEA Treasurer for the May 2024 Elections.  They are due next Monday, March 18.  We also have the candidates’ bios for next week’s Region 35 election as you will be voting to send delegates from the SEA to the NEA-RA. 

We are also accepting RSVP’s to the SEA/SEEO General Meeting on Monday April 15.  Here is the link to RSVP by April 1. 

Definitely take a few minutes to look through the Monday Message for all the important info from the SEA and the IEA.  

Happy March, SEA!  

Here is the link to the March 4 Edition of the Monday Message. 

You will find your official invitation to the SEA/SEEO General Meeting on Monday, April 15.  Please RSVP by April 1 so that we can inform Chandler’s of the correct amount of attendees.  Doors will open at 3:15 PM, entertainment begins at 3:30 PM, followed by the program at 4:00 PM. 

Nomination forms are now available to be a SEA Building Representative for 2024-2025, a Region 35 council representative for a two-year term, SEA Secretary for a two-year term, and SEA Treasurer for a two-year term. Please complete the nomination form by Monday, March 18.  All current building reps must run again as it is only a one-year term.

The SEA is still accepting funding requests from early career educators (years 1-10 of teaching) to attend IEA’s Early Career Spring Retreat.  The deadline to register for the conference is March 21. 

Hope you have a great RESPECT WEEK in District 54!

Good morning, SEA!

Hope you had a great weekend and got to enjoy the unseasonably warm weather yesterday, after the snow on Friday night!  

After school today we have our monthly SEA Building Rep Meeting.  All members are invited to attend either in person or via Zoom.  Here is the link to request the Zoom Link by 3:15 PM.    Superintendent DuRoss and members of his Cabinet will be in attendance as he gives his monthly report to the building reps.  

Attached to this week’s email, you will find a copy of SEA’s Bylaws that include proposed amendments by our Bylaw Committee.  The committee’s chair, Michelle Burke, will be reviewing the proposed changes at today’s Building Rep Meeting.  All members will have an opportunity between now and the March building rep meeting to review the Bylaws.  There will be a vote at the March meeting whether or not to approve the bylaws.  Questions about the revisions?  Check with Michelle Burke, speech/language pathologist at Hale School.

Please check out the February 26 Edition of the Monday Message.  You will find opportunities to apply for diverse books for your classroom from the IEA.  Any IEA member, especially Early Career members, are encouraged to apply.  There is a QR code in the Monday Message for you to scan and register today.

You will also find our February Contract tidbit which reviews the language in our contract around sick leave and inappropriate use of sick leave.  That document has also been attached for you.  

Can’t believe we are winding down the month of February this week…with an extra day of course. See you at the Rep meeting!

Good morning, SEA!  

I hope you had a productive afternoon on Friday and that this email isn’t being read until Tuesday morning, after having a terrific 3-day weekend.  

Here is the February 19th Edition of the Monday Message. 

One thing I wanted to highlight this week is the IEA Early Career Spring Retreat.  For the second year in a row, the SEA is wanting to send a team of early career educators from D54 to attend. The event takes place on April 5-6 in Bloomington.  SEA will provide you with funding to attend, as well as a substitute for you that Friday afternoon to be able to travel to Bloomington.  If you are interested, you will need to complete a funding request form with the SEA first and then we will provide the conference registration reimbursement later. 

We are still looking for some D54 talent to provide us with some entertainment at our annual SEA/SEEO General Meeting on Monday, April 15 from 3:30-5:30 PM at Chandler’s.  Please email me if you are interested or know of a group that may be able to help us out.  

Enjoy your four day work week, SEA!