Category: Mobley’s Monday Message

Happy Martin Luther King Jr. Day, SEA!

Here is the January 20^th Edition of the Monday Message for you to read through sometime this week.  You’ll find information about why February 1^st is a significant date in our SEA contract.   

Additionally, you can find out more about the following:

• SEA Awards – nomination window closing soon!
• IEA’s Early Career Spring Conference (April 11-12) | Register here
  • Any one interested in attending can apply for funding through the SEA to attend by filling out the Conference Pre-Approval Request found on SEA’s Website.
• SEA’s Potential Job Share Interest form

Region 35 continues to encourage SEA & SEEO members to sign up to attend and participate in a School Board Candidate Recommendation Hearing at the Schaumburg Library (Rasmussen North room) on Monday, February 3^rd from 3:30 – 6:30 PM.  Each candidate will be interviewed individually and allowed an opening and closing as well as respond to the same questions the other candidates will be asked.  We still have some open spots for SEA and SEEO members to attend, so grab your seat now via this link:  REGISTER TO ATTEND THE RECOMMENDATION HEARING

This week’s SEA Exec Board member you should get to know is our Treasurer, Michelle Meyers.  She does such an amazing job with our finances and updates us monthly via the reports on your SEA Boards.  Want to find out more about being SEA’s treasurer?  We are looking for members to shadow Michelle next school year.  Please reach out to Michelle or me for more information!

Glad we are getting to spend time indoors and avoiding the frigid weather outdoors today! 

Good morning, SEA!

Brrrrr!! Days like today call for hot chocolate with extra marshmallows. Stay warm!

Here is the January 13^th Edition of the Monday Message.

We are still accepting registrations for Region 35’s SPARKS event taking place on January 31 – February 1.  As a reminder its open to all SEA & SEEO members.  Please click here to register by this Friday, January 17^th.  We have to finalize information with the hotel and other special activities we have planned.   Don’t forget to recruit a friend or two to join you! 

Region 35 welcomes all SEA & SEEO members to sign up to attend and participate in a School Board Candidate Recommendation Hearing at the Schaumburg Library (Rasmussen North room) on Monday, February 3^rd from 3:30 – 6:30 PM.  Each candidate will be interviewed individually and allowed an opening and closing as well as respond to the same questions the other candidates will be asked.  We have space for 75 SEA and SEEO members to attend, so grab your seat now via the link!  REGISTER TO ATTEND THE RECOMMENDATION HEARING

This Thursday, January 16^th, is our Yoga Event afterschool from 3:45-4:45 in the ELC gym.  Thank you to Rachel Martin, blended classroom teacher at the ELC, and SEA’s Early Career Liaison, for running this event for us.  Rachel is the SEA Exec Board Member of the Week you should know!  Register here to attend.

I had an SEA member reach out to me seeking information on job shares and whether or not I knew of any SEA member interested in future job share.  There is language in our contract that allows tenured teachers to job share or work part-time (page 13-14).  All job share proposals are due to district by February 1.  A Google form has been created to gather names of members who may want to job share in the future so that I can provide contact information to anyone who might want to create a job share proposal (appendix F, page 44).  The information from this form is for SEA’s information only – this isn’t a formal proposal and the names won’t be shared with District 54.  Click here to fill out the form.

Enjoy your upcoming three-day Martin Luther King, Jr. weekend, SEA!

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!