Schaumburg Education Association

Happy March, SEA!

Love turning the calendar to March to see Spring Break just a few short weeks away.    

Here is the March 3 Edition of the Monday Message.

You will find the April Election Notice shared at last week’s Building Rep Meeting. The SEA is currently seeking nominations for building representatives and executive board members for the 2025-2026 School Year.  If this is something you are interested, please fill out your nomination form by Monday, March 17.  Building reps and executive board members are one year positions and must seek election/re-election annually.

Next week there will be another Yoga Class for SEA/SEEO members taking place on Tuesday, March 11, from 3:45-4:45 PM in the ELC Gym.  Please register for the Yoga class so that Rachel Martin (Early Career Liaison from the ELC) knows how many members to expect.

It’s not too late to RSVP to our SEA/SEEO General Meeting taking place on Monday, April 14.  We are excited that we have the 2024 Illinois Teacher of the Year, Dr. Rachael Mahmood, as our keynote speaker.

There will be another round of SEA Job Descriptions reviewed, but this time it will be for the Department of Language and Culture.  If you would be interested in this work, please fill out the Job Description Review form by this Wednesday, March 5.  Dr. Colette Bell and I will be finalizing the teams this Friday, March 7.  This next round of work will require groups to meet on Tuesday, March 11.

Lastly, I attached a flier regarding a K-12 Educators Supporting Immigrant Students webinar taking place on March 5 at 6 PM via Zoom.  The goal of the webinar is to increase educators’ knowledge and best practices on supporting immigrant students and families in and outside of schools.  It’s being presented by ImmSchools and a partnership with TeachPlus.  

Enjoy celebrating RESPECT WEEK in your schools!

Good morning, SEA!

Glad we are finally reaching temperatures above freezing.  It’s been a rough winter, but spring seems to be right around the corner.

Today after school in the PLC is our monthly Building Representative Meeting from 3:30-5:00 PM, followed by the Region 35 Council Meeting from 5-6:30 PM.  Any SEA member is welcome to attend both meetings to find out the latest news from the SEA & IEA.

Here is the February 24^th Edition of the Monday Message.

Information highlighted this week include the following:

• Workplace Solutions LifeSpeak Breathe & Webinars on Demand available to you from our EAP
• RSVP to our SEA/SEEO General Meeting on April 14
• Register for IEA’s Spring Session Virtual Book Studies
• Time for another SEA/SEEO Yoga Event on Tuesday, March 11

Nomination forms for SEA & Region 35’s March Elections are due today at 4 PM.  Any questions about the elections or to help count ballots, contact our Elections Chair, Kelly O’Reilly.

Lastly, the SEA Exec Board member you should get-to-know this week is Tracy Conlin, one of our Special Education Co-Liaisons.  Tracy works alongside Jenny McDermott to help answer special education related questions and concerns.  Thank you to Tracy and Jenny for reaching out monthly to all of our SEA SpEd members!

See you at our SEA Building Rep Meeting today!

Good morning, SEA!

Hope you had a productive afternoon on Friday and that you are taking time to enjoy this scheduled day off, unlike the surprise snow day last week!

Here is the link to the February 17^th Monday Message.

You will find your official invitation to our SEA/SEEO General Meeting taking place on Monday, April 14^th, from 3:30-5:45 PM at Chandler’s in Schaumburg.  Entertainment will begin at 3:30 PM and the program will run from 4-5:45 PM.  Our keynote speaker this year will be Dr. Rachael Mahmood, the 2024 Illinois Teacher of the Year.  RSVP to join us for our annual meeting!

Other information you can find in this week’s Monday Message:

• One week left to submit your Region 35 Nominations for the March 17^th Elections
• IEA’s Spring Virtual Book Studies | Register here
• IEA’s Early Career Spring Conference | Register here | Apply for funding from SEA

This week’s Exec Board member spotlight is on Michelle Burke, Speech-Language Pathologist at Hale.  She serves as SEA’s Bylaws Chair.  Check-out SEA’s bylaws here to find out more about the document Michelle helps us keep up-to-date and makes sure SEA follows. 

Time to celebrate being 2/3’s of the way through this school year!  Enjoy your day off, SEA! 

Happy Super Bowl Sunday, SEA!

Figured I would take a break from emailing with Bill Murray to send out the February 10^th Edition of the Monday Message. There really have been some great commercials this year!  And of course, delicious snacks in our household.   

If you still wanted to place a candy gram order, I will be finalizing all orders at 12 PM on Monday.  Here is your last chance to place your order and make a donation to the D54 Education Foundation Crisis Fund.  So far we have 240 orders!

Highlights from this week’s Monday Message include:

• Translators Short Film Screen & Discussion – Monday, Feb. 10^th, 5 PM in the Board Room – last chance to register here!
• IEA UniServ Director Intern Program – login to your IEA account for more info.

This week the SEA Exec Board member you should know is one of our Membership Co-Chairs, 8^th Grade LA/Social Studies teacher from Frost, Michelle Mason.  Got a question about dues or your membership, she is one of your main contacts: michellemason@sd54.org.

Check out SEA’s Instagram and Facebook posts to find out who the SEA & SEEO have endorsed for the April 1^st D54 School Board Elections!

Enjoy the rest of the game (or commercials)!

Hi SEA!  Welcome to February!

Here is the February 3^rd Edition of the Monday Message.

You will see the Region 35 Election Notice for the March 17^th elections.  There are a number of positions you will be electing including delegates to the NEA Representative Assembly on July 2-6 in Portland, Region 35 Council Members, and SEA President and Vice President.  Nomination forms must be submitted by 4 PM on February 24.  Click here to apply.

Don’t forget, we have our School Board Recommendation Hearing today after school from 3:30-6:30 PM at the Schaumburg Library.  It’s not too late to join us.  Click here to register.

We are still taking requests for CANDY GRAMS to support the D54 Education Foundation.  In just the last couple of days we already have over 100 orders! 

Click here to place your order.  Then make your donation to the D54 Education Foundation Crisis Fund here.

This week we the SEA Exec Board member you should get to know is Victoria Mikos, Speech-Language Pathologist at Blackwell/Hale.  She serves as SEA’s Trauma Responsive Schools Chair.  Shout out to Victoria for helping to plan Region 35’s SPARKS event last weekend for our early career members and emerging leaders! Pictures are coming soon from our event on SEA’s Instagram and Facebook.

Hello SEA!

Our monthly SEA Building Rep Meeting is today after school in the PLC.  Our meeting begins at 3:30 PM.  As always, all members are welcome to attend.

Here is the January 27^th Edition of the Monday Message.

You’ll find information about an upcoming film screening and discussion of the short film Translators taking place on Monday, February 10^th, at 5 PM in the D54 Board Room.   All SEA, SEEO, and members of the D54 community are welcome to attend.  Dinner will be provided.  Please register here for the event so we know how many will be in attendance and if there are any dietary restrictions. 

We still have open space for members to attend the School Board Candidate Recommendation Hearing on Monday, February 3^rd, from 3:30-6:30 PM in the Rasmussen North Room at the Schaumburg Library.  We are definitely wanting to fill the room for this event! Please register here.

Additional highlights in this week’s Monday Message include:

• IEA’s Early Career Spring Conference
• Solidarity 2025: Public School Strong Training Series
• Candy Grams to support the District 54 Education Foundation are back!  $5 each.  Send a Candy Gram to anyone in the district.  Order your candy grams here.

This week’s SEA Exec Board member of the week is Sue Hindenburg, Interventionist at Fox.  Sue is one of our SEA Membership Co-Chairs and can answer any of your questions about membership and dues.

I am so looking forward to Region 35’s SPARKS event taking place this upcoming weekend.  We have close to 40 SEA and SEEO members attending this year!

Have a great week!

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!