Schaumburg Education Association

Hello! I hope everyone is having a great morning!

Short SEAside today J

• On Thursday, Sept 21^st, the district is holding a Committee of the Whole @ 5:45 at the PLC. I would love to see some members attend, if possible. The Committee of the Whole is an overview of the district plans for the next few years; construction plans, Chromebook plans, and the state of our finances (which are good). If you truly want to be in the know, this is a great meeting to attend.
• Our first SEA building rep meeting in Monday. I have 2 requests – if you have concerns that have not yet been expressed, please pass them on to your building rep and if you have an SEA t-shirt, please wear it on Monday to support our association!
• Lastly,  is the bargaining proposal sheet and electronic submission form (it is also posted on our webpage along with the current contract). Your bargaining team will be meeting very soon to begin the process of creating new proposed language for our contract negotiations. Please take the time to send this to your home computer, fill it out and send it to my personal email so we may use your suggestions/concerns to get the contract we need to continue to be great educators! We cannot do this without your input!!

Thanks for all that you every day ALL DAY – I know how hard you are working to be the best that you can be for your students and parents. You are all SO WONDERFUL!!!

Looks like we are going to have great weather this weekend so I truly wish that you all can get out and enjoy as much of it as possible.

BIG HUG!!

Chery

PS – The microwave was invented after a researcher walked by a radar tube and a chocolate bar melted in his pocket. If only he would have had a marshmallow and some graham crackers with him! YUM!!

Happy September! More MAP this week and I am hoping it is going very well.

• I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome to Crystal Bush, our new UniServ director. Crystal comes to us from Harper College where she was teaching law. Crystal has a teaching background (high school history) and was an attorney. She has interest in our ACES program and is looking forward to helping us negotiate the best contract we can this year. Welcome, Crystal J
• On Thursday, Sept 21^st, the district is holding a Committee of the Whole @ 5:45 at the PLC. I would love to see some members attend, if possible. The Committee of the Whole is an overview of the district plans for the next few years; construction plans, Chromebook plans, and the state of our finances (which are good). If you truly want to be in the know, this is a great meeting to attend.
• Below is the chart of the THIS deduction for the current year. If you pay into TRS, you  have this deduction.
• 

Happy Thursday – I hope Map testing is going well for all.

 

• A number of you have contacted me regarding the middle school endorsement that pops up when you enter your CPDUs in ELIS on the ISBE website (that enough acronyms in a sentence for ya?) We are in compliance here is D54. The only reason you would need to worry is if you were considering changing grade levels and you do not hold a license that covers all levels (if you only have a K-6 and want to change to 7^th grade you could not do that until you received an endorsement). The good news is that ISBE is offering cohort classes for middle school endorsement. Watch for details coming from soon from the district.
• I attached the unique days calendar – changes in Sept 20^th is a ½ day – Dec 20^th was highlighted incorrectly.  All Mondays/Fridays after spring break are considered unique work days and should not be taken off. If you need to take a personal day, do it – you will need a letter with a BRIEF explanation as to why you need a personal day for those days – no letter for a sick day unless it is your 4^th day in a row! HR is looking at patterns not the occasional day requested.
• New Bylaw Language – please review and contact me if you have any questions about adding the committee to our Bylaws. We are not accepting names for training at this time J

1. Special Committees (page 9)

 

1. Special Committees/Chairs may be established, as needed, by the Executive Board, subject to approval by the Representative Assembly. These committees shall be appointed to serve any purpose as needed by the Association and shall be responsible for reporting directly to the Executive Board and the Representative Assembly.  The President shall appoint each chair.

 

2. The Trauma Informed Schools Committee Chair shall be responsible for bringing the message of trauma-informed education to our school buildings.  The Chair will also bring emerging best practices to confront childhood trauma and toxic stress to our school buildings.  The Chair may seek out committee members to support these tasks.  The committee shall assist with research and the planning of presentations.  The Chair and the committee shall be supported by the Executive Board, IEA-NEA resources, and the UniServ Director.

 

• Finally – A number of us attended the NEA-RA (the National Education Association Convention) in Boston in July where Illinois was honored for their work with the ACES program, Trauma Informed Schools and Paper Tigers. The Trauma Informed Schools Committee run through your union, will be training all schools in the trauma informed methods in November. Below is the link of the celebration at the NEA-RA when it was announced that Illinois won this award. Ctrl + click to watch the short presentation (it’s 4 minutes long)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YeuWpHcZNWM&feature=youtu.be

 

Have a great rest of the week and enjoy the long weekend – you deserve it!!

Chery

PS Some Labor Day trivia –

We’ve all heard about the old-school etiquette rule about not wearing white after Labor Day. So where the heck did it come from? It’s hard to say, but Time magazine article posts that it had to do with the well-heeled wearing white during their summer vacations and then changing back to dark colors for when they returned to their sooty, dusty city, wherever it was. What I say: Wear whatever you want!

The first Labor Day holiday was celebrated on Tuesday, Sept. 5, 1882, in New York City, in accordance with the plans of the Central Labor Union. The New York Tribune reported that, “The windows and roofs and even the lamp posts and awning frames were occupied by persons anxious to get a good view of the first parade in New York of workingmen of all trades united in one organization.”

The first state bill was introduced into the New York legislature, but the first to become law was passed by Oregon on February 21, 1887. During the year, four more states — Colorado, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York — created the Labor Day holiday by legislative enactment. By the end of the decade Connecticut, Nebraska and Pennsylvania had followed suit.

Who founded Labor Day? Well, that’s a bit of a dispute. Some records point to a union guy named Peter J. McGuire, who was general secretary of the Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners and co-founder of the American Federation of Labor. He reportedly wanted a day to “honor those who from rude nature have delved and carved all the grandeur we behold.” In other words, the American worker. But recent research points to Matthew Maguire, a machinist and secretary of a local International Association of Machinists in New Jersey, proposing the holiday in 1882. A picnic and demonstration was reportedly planned to celebrate.

After the first eight states created their own Labor Day holidays, by 1894, 23 other states had adopted the holiday in honor of workers, and on June 28 of that year, Congress passed an act making the first Monday in September of each year a legal holiday in the District of Columbia and the territories.

(By Rosie Purdy (Patch Staff) – Updated August 22, 2017 Across America Patch Post)

 

 

Chery Anderson

SEA President

Schaumburg School District 54

Schaumburg IL

It’s a terrific Thursday! I hope you all agree!!

Attachment for today:

• Unique work days calendar – this calendar shows you the days that we should not be taking off without a written excuse according to our contract. If you have questions, please contact your building rep.

News for today:

• We can all agree that there is no “substitute” for you in your classroom. Please keep in mind that it is possible that your plans, as excellent and concise as I know they are, might not be completed by your substitute when you are absent. You are the expert, our subs are in a different classroom each day and sometimes two in one day. Many of them are not teachers nor do they have any teaching experience. The district is doing the best they can to get qualified people in but there is a shortage of substitutes all around the country! Our sub pay is comparable with other districts around us.
• ISBE updated – if you change names, home emails or other significant personal data please let ISBE/ELIS know – if they do not have the correct information they cannot contact you when you are due for renewal – our district is not responsible to renew your license even though HR does inform us when we are up for renewal (which other districts do not do).
• You should know by now if you are being evaluated this year and who is evaluating you. A director can evaluate you w/o a type 75 license if they passed the evaluation certification which all our district directors have done. If you have questions about your evaluator, please contact me.

 

Enjoy this beautiful weather! If you need me, my contact info is below.

Check out our webpage www.sea54.org and like us on FACEBOOK – Schaumburg Education Association

Chery

PS – Listening to music while working helps to create a positive mood, and helps you to become more productive.

 

 

Chery Anderson

SEA President

Schaumburg School District 54

Schaumburg IL

Just an early SEAside for those that are already in the buildings.

Welcome back! I sincerely hope your summer was what you had hoped it would be.

A couple of very important attachments:

• Our current salary schedule
• Volunteer opportunities to support our Foundation during Septemberfest – if you are interested, please contact Donna Anderson @ 5138
• SCORE grants for our early career educators – these applications are due AUGUST 28^th! Team up with an experienced staff member (or experienced staff – team up with an early educator) and don’t forget to include your ESPs! This is the link (so no attachment) – https://ieanea.org/score/ Please, please check this out – look at the requirements and then think of the possibilities! Look at the list of past winners – you might see something you can do in your classroom!

 

FYIs – we are bargaining this year and your input will be invaluable and lastly our UniServ director, Jackie Robbins, retired in June so we are searching for a new person. A UniServ Director (UD) is our link to the IEA and NEA and helps us connect with legal services, financial assistance, one on ones with members, the UD attends meetings and makes sure that our district is following the IEA/NEA guidelines just to name a few of the critical roles he/she plays. This person is a VITAL part of our team. We hope to have our new UD in place in a couple of weeks.

 

That’s it for now. I wish you all the best for a great school year.

Below is my contact information and remember I am here for you!

Chery

PS – Taking a nap after learning something helps improve your retention – let’s hear it for naptime!!!

 

Chery Anderson
SEA President

THANK YOU!  My fondest wish…

• For our returning staff is that you spend as much time as you can away from thoughts of D54. Rest, Relax and Reenergize.
• For those that leave us for one reason or another, may your road be smooth and your burdens be light.
• And for those who are retired (as of today), as you move onto your next leg of the journey, may it be blessed with love, joy and good health for you and yours.

Much love and happiness from a grateful friend and colleague!
Chery

It’s hard to believe that it’s May, especially with the horrible weather lately.

*As we begin to close things down, pack up, finish projects, etc, remember to take time for yourself to reflect and to destress. I hope you know what a wonderful job you have done this year with your students and colleagues.

*Bargaining News. The team will meet for the first time very soon. Watch your email and our webpage for more information over the next few weeks.

*Your executive team will meet for the last time on Monday. If you have any items you wish us to discuss, please contact me so we may do just that.

*On May 22^nd your building reps will have their last meeting of the year. We invite any new reps for next year to attend. As always, if you have ideas, suggestions or concerns, please let your reps know or contact me so we may discuss them with all the reps and create solutions.

 

Have a great rest of the week and a wonderful weekend! No more rain – my lilies of the valley are now lilies of the lake!!

Chery

Not much this week. I hope you enjoy your extra day off, please try to avoid doing any school work if at all possible.

According to the SEA By-Laws, in the event that the total number of candidates equals the number of elected officers’ positions allotted, no election will be necessary.

Per SEA Bylaws, this list of nominees will be sent to the schools at least 48 hours prior to the SEA General Meeting.  Nominations will also be accepted from the floor of the SEA General Meeting, April 17^th, provided that the consent of the nominee has been obtained.

Candidate for President

Chery Anderson: I believe I have represented my members well and helped them achieve and acquire the information/materials and support they needed over the past two years and would like to continue protecting SEA members and their rights as president.  I strive to make and keep the SEA strong while listening to and acting upon the needs of my members.  I also look forward to bargaining a new contract for them that will meet their needs as we move into uncertain times for Illinois.

 

Candidate for Vice-President

Lori Mobley: Lori has served SEA at all levels of leadership including building representative, on the School Board Relations Team, on various SEA committees, and most recently as vice-president for the past term.  She has committed her personal time to furthering her knowledge of the union and collecting ideas to bring back to SEA.  Lori has worked tirelessly to ensure voices of all members are heard, leading to our union’s continued strength.

 

Have a great weekend!

Chery

PS – Your heart beats over 100,000 times a day. On average a hedgehog’s heart beats 300 times a minute.

 

Happy Spring! Let’s hope the weather keeps improving and actually decides to stay nice!

o  If you plan in attending the general meeting on April 17^th (and I hope you are – it looks to be a great meeting), please make sure you tell your building rep TODAY! Tickets will be delivered next week.

o  No date has been set for when you can begin packing rooms. You may begin packing the middle of May, but please be cognizant of leaving boxes out in view of students and keep safety in mind at all times. Do not pack too early – it sends the message that “we are done” when in fact we have much left to do.

o  https://nwsuburbaniea.wordpress.com/  This is the new Palatine IEA office webpage. Check here for information from the IEA about many topics J

Enjoy the wonderful weather this weekend! Hope to see many of you at the General Meeting!

Chery

PS – Upper and lower case letters are named ‘upper’ and ‘lower’ because in the time when all original print had to be set in individual letters, the ‘upper case’ letters were stored in the case on top of the case that stored the smaller, ‘lower case’ letters.

Happy Thursday! Hang in there only 2 days left to Spring Break!

 

o  DCFS Clarification – for some reason we have had many questions around calling DCFS – I hope that in your career you never have to do this but here is the agreement between the SEA and the administration.

• If you need to call DCFS because of something you heard a child say – please contact your building admin, social worker, counselor or nurse – only because I do not want you to make the call alone. Print off the top portion of the report form and fill it out ahead of time so when you do call you have “script” to follow.
• If you need to make a call against a teacher or SEEO member, (fingers crossed that this will NEVER happen) call me after you make the call to DCFS. I just want a heads up.
• Also, if there is a report against you, CALL ME. I will need to call the IEA and get our legal department up to speed just in case. Let’s hope that none of this ever occurs but now we are all clear on what to do.

o  If anyone is interested in canvasing a neighborhood with flyers for one of our recommended candidates over break, call me and I can hook you up! Would be great exercise and would help him out J

 

Have a wonderful spring break; rest, relax, rejuvenate and get ready to end the year strong. There is a group of members attending the IEA-RA over break to speak and vote on your behalf. As we know your work as teachers never really ends when we leave, the work of your association doesn’t either.

Be safe, have fun and relax!

Chery

PS – In a study of 200,000 ostriches over a period of 80 years, no one reported a single case where an ostrich buried its head in the sand. Don’t you be accused of burying your head in the sand – let your voice be heard – if you haven’t voted in the current election, please do on or before April 4^th!