Schaumburg Education Association

Good morning, SEA!

It’s Halloween Week!  Hope all the trunk-or-treats and Halloween festivities go well!

Don’t forget to join SEA VP & Appraisal Chair, Cynthia Dressler, and I after school TODAY at Taco Maya’s on Roselle Road for our Sips & Snacks with the SEA.  We will talking about Appraisals.  Got a question on your appraisal or need some advice, we will be there from 3:45-4:45 PM to support you on that as well.  It’s not too late to sign up to join us, or just show up.

I’ve attached the December Election notice again to all of you if you were interested in submitting your nomination form to attend the IEA Representative Assembly or to serve in various roles on our Region 35 council.  Questions about what these responsibilities entail, let me know.

Here is the link to the October 27^th Monday Message.   You will find out information about various SEA & IEA events you can register for including the following:

• EMELT (registration closes this week and you can get funding from the SEA or Region 35 to attend)
• IEA’s Fall Fest (PD sessions, roundtable discussions and lunch with legislators)
• SEA/SEEO Trivia Night (bring a team or sign up to be on a team with other members – or if trivia is not your thing, join us for a taco bar from 5-6 PM on November 17^th after the SEA meeting)
• SEA/SEEO’s Craft and Vendor Fair coming up on Saturday, November 8^th

This week SEA’s Exec Board Member of the week is Maria Ayala, our Junior High Liaison.  Maria chats monthly with Dr. Jillian Sagan about various junior high curriculum questions or concerns. Looking forward to seeing you at our listening session after school today!

Good morning, SEA!

After school today you are invited to attend our October Building Rep Meeting from 3:30-5:00 PM in the PLC.  We will have a special presentation on IEA’s United We Win Campaign.  Superintendent DuRoss has also been invited to attend.

If you brought a winter gear item for donation to the Schaumburg Township’s Coats for Kids Drive, you can drop it off during the meeting or send it with your building rep if you are unable to attend.  The Coats for Kids Drive runs through this Friday.  Other drop-off locations are listed in the Monday Message.

Here is the link to the Monday Message for the week of October 20^th.

Other highlights from this week’s message include:

• IEA’s EMELT Conference – Registration now open through October 31th
• SEA’s Listening Session – next Monday, October 27th at Taco Maya
• IEA’s Fall Fest – presented by the Palatine/Libertyville IEA offices – November 15^th
• SEA/SEEO Decades Trivia Night – November 17^th
• Find out more about SEA’s Secretary, Kara Zielinski (Enders-Salk School)

If your building is having a special election today, be sure to take a moment to vote for your additional building reps.   

Speaking of elections, attached to this email is the Election Notice for SEA/Region 35’s December Elections. We will be accepting nomination forms to be a delegated to the 2026 IEA-Representative Assembly in Rosemont.  The Region 35 Council also has the following open positions: Early Career Representative Alternate, Ethnic Minority Representative Alternate, and two open council seats. Happy Diwali to those who are celebrating!  Have a great week, SEA!

Hello SEA!

Hope you have enjoyed your 3-day weekend.  Here is the October 13 Edition of the Monday Message.  

I want to invite you to attend our 2^nd Sips N’ Snacks with the SEA Listening Session of the year.  It will be held on Monday, October 27^th from 3:45 – 4:45 PM at Taco Maya in Schaumburg.  This month’s topic is going to focus on our appraisal process.  Got some questions about your appraisal or in need of some support?  Come join SEA VP Cynthia Dressler and I for this session.  Cynthia also serves as SEA’s Appraisal Chair.   RSVP here to attend.

The registration is open for IEA’s Fall Fest on Saturday, November 15^th, from 9 AM – 1 PM, at the PLC.  Nine regions in the area have been working to plan this event for our members.  It is free to attend.  Various PD sessions are available for you to choose from and stay for lunch with some of our local legislators. 

It’s not too late to sign-up for next month’s Decades Trivia Night on Monday, November 17^th.  Sign you or your team up here. Looking forward to seeing many of you at our October Building Rep Meeting next Monday, October 20^th.  We will also be collecting new winter coats, snow pants, winter books, hats, and gloves for the Schaumburg Township’s annual “Coats for Kids” drive.  You can drop off your items in the PLC that afternoon or ask your building rep to bring them for donation.  Your donation will go directly to our D54 students.

Good morning, SEA!

Now that we flipped the calendar to October, maybe we will soon be feeling the fall weather?  

Here is the link to the October 6^th Monday Message.

Highlights this week include the following:

• One-on-one conversations with your building reps
• SEA Special Elections – last day to submit your nomination form is TODAY
• IEA Survey about Workplace Well-Being and Mental Health
• Love & Community Care: Transformative Visions in Troubling Times (4-part series)(information attached)
• Upcoming anniversary of the one and only SEA teacher strike…how many years has it been?
• Find out about our SEA Membership Recognition Chair, Amanda Silverman (Aldrin School)

Fingers crossed the Cubs get some wins this week!  Enjoy the upcoming three day weekend, everyone!

Good morning, SEA!

Here is the link to the September 29^th Edition of the Monday Message.

Shout out to all our SEA building reps for hosting 10-minute meetings in your buildings to go over the highlights from last week’s Building Rep Meeting.  Couldn’t attend your school’s meeting?  In the Monday Message you can find the link to the slides from our SEA Meeting.

Here’s what else you can find this week…

• Special Elections on October 20^th – it’s not too late to submit your nomination form to be a building rep for the remainder of this school year
• Nominate a SEEO member for one of IEA’s STARS award
• Nourishing Neighbors Explore.Act.Tell Program
• Immigrant Rights Training Sessions through the NEA
• Get to know our SEA Treasurer, Michelle Meyers (Einstein)

The Illinois Education Association lost a great man last week, our president, Al Llorens.  Al had always been a big supporter of the SEA.  He attended several of our SEA/SEEO General Meetings over the years as our guest and as a guest speaker.  He was a true advocate for ALL educators and students.  I have been fortunate to know all not just as IEA President, but as a friend.  He will be greatly missed by our IEA family.

Happy First Day of Autumn, SEA!

Here is the September 22^nd Edition of the Monday Message.

We will be having our first SEA Building Rep meeting today after school from 3:30-5:00 PM in the PLC.  If you are new to the SEA, all members are welcome to attend our monthly meetings, not just our elected Building Reps.

Speaking of elected building reps, attached to this email is a copy of our Special Election notice.  Most of our schools are eligible for at least one more building rep.  Buildings that are eligible are listed in the Monday Message.  If you are interested in becoming a building rep for the remainder of this 2025-2026 School Year, click here for the application.  Nomination forms are due October 6^th.  

There is so much important information to share this week including the following:

• Social Media Posts – CAUTION  |  IEA’s Guidance on Doxing
• IEA’s EMELT – November 7-9 | SAVE THE DATE
• Understanding School Finance | A Practice Workshop for Educators | November 1
• Learn more about SEA’s Contract & Grievance Chair: Dan Levin
• SEA/SEEO’s Decades Trivia Night |  November 17

Let’s see if you can read to find out what the salary was for a D54 teacher in 1960!

Good morning, SEA!

Here is the link to the September 15^th Edition of the Monday Message.

This year SEA will be celebrating its 65^th Anniversary.  We will be scheduling a few events to commemorate our anniversary.  The first celebration will be at our Member Appreciation Event in November: Decades Trivia Night.  Time to start studying up on some SEA trivia you may start see pop-up in the Monday Messages!

Other information you can read to find out more about…

• D54 Education Foundation Fundraiser: September 17^th: Cane’s (1205 E. Higgins Road) – mention the fundraiser at the restaurant or apply the code RCFUND96 at checkout.
• IEA’s Fall Fest on November 15^th
• SEA/SEEO Craft & Vendor Fair on November 8^th
• IEA’s Early Career Blitz on November 15^th
• Illinois Virtual Instructional Coach and Building Mentor Program
• IEA’s Teaching & Learning Virtual Book Studies
• Who is Ben Gray and what does he do as our IEA UniServ Director?

Have a great week and enjoy your half day in-services on Wednesday!

Good morning, SEA!

Here is the September 8^th Edition of the Monday Message.

Be sure to check it out for more information about the following:

• SEA/SEEO Craft and Vendor Fair
• IEA’s 4^th Annual Fall Fest
• IEA’s Early Career Blitz
• Supporting Multilingual Learners Online Courses
• IEA’s Virtual Book Studies
• SEA/SEEO’s Decades Trivia Night
• SEA’s Exec Board Member of the Week: Michele Koscielny, Sick Bank Co-Chair

Looking forward to our SEA/SEEO Building Rep Training today after school.  Any member interested in running in the Special Elections later this fall is welcome to attend our training today in the PLC from 3:45-6 PM

Happy Labor Day, SEA!

Hope you have been enjoying this beautiful 3-day weekend! 

Here is the September 1^st Edition of the Monday Message. 

It’s not too late to register for SEA’s first listening session of the year this Thursday, September 4^th, from 3:45-4:45 PM at Global Brew.  Come meet me and members of SEA’s Exec Board as we discuss our District 54 benefits.  Register here to attend.

Registration to join the 2025-2026 School Board Relations (SBR) Team closes this Wednesday, September 3.  It is open to both SEA and SEEO members.

To find out more about this SBR Team or to apply, click here.

Be sure to read through this week’s Monday Message to find out more about the following:

• SEA Collective Bargaining Proposal
• IEA’s Early Career Blitz – November 15
• SEA’s newest exec board member, Danni Koscielak (Fox School)

Shout out to the members of SEA/SEEO and their families who volunteered at this weekend at the Septemberfest!  The District 54 Education Foundation appreciated your time!

Hello SEA! 

Last week D54 welcomed our Kindergarteners to our buildings and the Sprouts to the ELC!  Hope those were amazing first days for you and your students!  And you received your first paycheck of this school year, which is always a good thing.  Be sure to check that it’s accurate and contact Payroll x.5023 if something wasn’t correct.

Here is the link to the August 25^th Edition of the Monday Message for you. 

What you will find highlighted this week includes…

• Application to be a part of the 2025-2026 School Board Relations Team
• SEA’s Building Rep Training | September 8 | RSVP here to attend
• Septemberfest volunteers still needed | Parking at Collins School on August 30 & 31 | Pilot Pete’s Table on September 1
• Restorative Practices: Transforming Student Discipline Policy | Asynchronous PD offered by the Illinois Education Association (flier is attached)
• SEA’s 1^st Listening Session of the Year | September 4 | RSVP here to attend

Each year the SEA has Exec Board Members who serve as Liaisons to you.  They will be reaching out to you in the upcoming weeks to introduce themselves to you and to begin looking for celebrations as well as questions you might have.  Here is a list of those individuals:

• Rachel Martin – Early Career Chair
• Rachel Rosone / Jenny McDermott – Special Education Co-Liaisons
• Iris Santiago – Dual/Bilingual Services Liaison
• Deanne DiDomenico – Early Childhood Instructional Services Liaison
• Erin Bellie – Elementary Instructional Services Liaison
• Maria Ayala – Junior High Instructional Services Liaison

I am looking forward to meeting with these members, as well as the rest of SEA’s Executive Board today afterschool at 3:30 PM.

I don’t know about you, but I am already looking forward to having a three-day weekend coming up!