FIRST WEEK COMPLETE
UPDATES YOU SHOULD KNOW
First week complete!
It has been exciting to visit so many schools over the past two weeks and see the hard work you have all put into preparing for the students. I enjoyed my visits to Carole Highlands, Ceasar Chavez, Crossland High School, Rosa Parks, Edward Felegy, Bladensburg High, Rogers Heights, Francis Fuchs, Gwynne Park Middle and Suitland Elementary. Over the next month, it will be my goal to visit as many schools as possible. As the school year begins, you should have seen your pay increases in your pay on September 6. We have been monitoring for errors and working with the system to address anomalies. Please check Oracle to verify that you on your correct step.
CALENDAR CHANGE
At the September 5, Board of Education meeting there were changes to the Calendar. Please note the September 27, 2019, 3-hour early dismissal is now a full day of professional development. Schools will also be closed on Tuesday, April 28, 2020 for the 2020 Maryland Primary. The last day will move two days.
STIPEND POSITIONS SIGNING SHEETS/ADVISORS/SPONSORS
Please be sure to sign your stipend forms with your administrator and retain a copy for your records. Be sure to document your activities with students and clearly understand expectations and what your responsibilities are for any trips, supplies, and space for your activities. It is also advisable if you are sponsoring an activity for the first time to see if there are other educators at like schools for advice.
SICK LEAVE BANK
If you are not enrolled in the Sick Leave Bank (SLB) please do so by visiting the PGCEA website by clicking here to download the Sick Leave Bank Form. You do contribute 2.5 days of Sick Leave but if you are out sick beyond your accumulated leave, the SLB could save you from being on leave without pay. One member fell down the stairs at her home and was out of work for almost a year. With grants from the SLB her regular pay continued after she was out for 30 calendar days. Nothing breaks my heart more than the phone call from a member with cancer who is not in the bank. Take advantage of this benefit that PGCEA negotiated for you. The deadline for enrolling is September 30
PROFESSIONAL RESPONSIBILITY TIPS
It takes 28 days to form a habit-good or bad. One bad habit to get into is tardiness. One tip to make sure you are on time is to use your google calendar. Set the google calendar to alert you it’s time to leave for work so you know how long your trip will take you and leave in time to give yourself a little cushion. Come in 15 minutes early and avoid the rush to the sign in book! Please understand that it makes work difficult for those around you when you are not at your duty post on time. If you demonstrate a pattern of tardiness behavior, you open yourself up for progressive discipline.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Please be mindful of posting pictures of students on your personal social media. You must have a signed media release form for any photos, videos, or audios of students.
Have a great week 2! Love the children.
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GET INVOLVED
JOIN A COMMITTEE
Welcome back! This school year will be great for educators, students and communities but only with your support. The union is only great when you are involved. Take a moment to let us know what committees you are potentially interested in joining or share this quick survey with a colleague.
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Transforming Struggling Schools into Thriving Schools: Proven Education Strategies That Change Outcomes in Urban, Suburban, and Rural Areas
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Join us Thursday
for a robust discussion on the importance of community schools and how we can transform our public school system. If you would like to join us
RSVP HERE
. The panel is hosted by NEA as a part of the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation's Annual Legislative Conference and will be held at the Walter E. Washington Convention Center in D.C. President Theresa Mitchell Dudley will be on the panel to discuss the vision and work that we are doing to bring community schools to Prince George's County.
Location:
Walter E. Washington Convention Center• 801 Mt Vernon Pl NW , Washington, DC 20001
Time:
Thursday, September 12, 2019 • 4:00 PM
Title of Session:
Transforming Struggling Schools into Thriving Schools: Proven Education Strategies That Change Outcomes in Urban, Suburban, and Rural Areas
Description:
To educate and discuss with attendees the community school concept and how it is the answer to close the opportunity gap. Community schools are community centers - open all day, every day, to everyone. They bring together academic coursework, health and social services, youth and community development, and community engagement under one roof, leading to better learning, stronger families, and healthier communities. All our children deserve access to a high-quality public education, no matter what zip code they live in.
Participants:
• Moderator: Becky Pringle, VP NEA
• Kyle Serrette, NEA
• Theresa Mitchel Dudley, PGCEA, President
• Ingrid Walker Henry, MTEA, VP
• Cecily Cruz, UTLA, VP
• Jitu Brown, J4J, Executive Director
• Linda Darling-Hammond, LPI or Jessica Cardichon from LPI
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Evaluation Workshop
Per last negotiations and work with Office of Employee Performance, there have been some evaluation changes. PGCEA Professional Development and Leadership Committee in conjunction with PGCPS Office of Employee Performance will offer Evaluation Workshop Sessions on
Wednesday, September 11 and Thursday, September 19
th
.
Sessions will be held at Prince George’s County Educators Association (PGCEA) Headquarters. Space Limited. Register now!
Choose one of the sessions listed below. Please search for the session date you would like to attend and register. Registration for courses should be made in the
MyPPS PD Course Registration System
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LABOR DAY PARADE
CHECK OUT HOW PGCEA CELEBRATED THE LABOR MOVEMENT
PGCEA President Theresa Mitchell Dudley and members participate in the labor day parade. President Dudley hosted a cookout for members after the parade.
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Members preparing the van for the parade.
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PGCEA Members marching in the parade.
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Prince George’s County Six pillars of community schools
Prince George's County Community Schools:
A community school is a community hub — both a place and a set of partnerships between the school and other community resources. Its integrated focus on academics, health and social services, youth and community development and community engagement leads to improved student learning, stronger families and healthier communities. Community schools offer a personalized curriculum that emphasizes real-world learning and community problem-solving. Schools become centers of the community and are open to everyone — all day, every day, evenings and weekends.
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- First couple of weeks back into a new school year can be the hectic as you get lots of information and prepare for student arrival so ‘find five’ minutes at least each day to just be alone, breathe deeply then slowly, and find your center.
- School faculty that function well make schools strong center of learning; keeping down the cliques can help that happen.
- Collaborating to build a school culture of support and community fosters a constructive learning environment; shared knowledge builds strength of purpose.
- Sharing ideas, strategies, and resources can improve one’s own skill set.
- If you are new to the system; take some time to get to know the area where you teach and more; it’s large county and explorable.
“The wisest mind has something yet to learn.” George Santayana
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We are excited to have a new contract, be sure thqt you know what the contract says:
ARTICLE 6 - WORK YEAR/WORK DAY
d. 6.2.D: Any Unit I member who volunteers or is assigned to cover or teach a class other than their regular scheduled class shall be compensated in addition to their regular pay at the hourly rate of eighteen dollars ($18.00) payable in no less than one (1) hour increments.
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Reminder! Sick Leave Bank Open Enrollment is underway and will end on
September 30
th
.
Click here
to access the application.
Please submit your completed form to
sickleavebank@pgcea.org
.
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Alliance to Reclaim Our Schools
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Protecting our public schools is our responsibility. As such, we have joined a coalition of individuals and organizations committed to improving our schools. To find out more about the nine uniting principles click below.
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The Every Student Succeeds Act, also known as ESSA, is the new federal education law, signed by President Barack Obama in December 2015. For 14 long years, students and educators lived under the deeply flawed No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act. ESSA returns decision-making to where it belongs: in the hands of local educators, parents, and communities.
Three members of PGCEA participated in the re-authorization of ESSA and are looking for educator leaders to serve on the school based committees to represent PGCEA.
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Evaluation Workshop- Session 1
Wednesday, September 11, 2019
4:45 PM- 6:30 PM
PGCEA Center
8008 Marlboro Pike, Forestville, MD 20747
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Evaluation Workshop- Session 2
Thursday, September 19, 2019
4:45 PM- 6:45 PM
PGCEA Center
8008 Marlboro Pike, Forestville, MD 20747
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Rep Council
Monday, September 23, 2019
4:30 PM- 6:30 PM
PGCEA Center
8008 Marlboro Pike, Forestville, MD 20747
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Circle Keeper's Refresher
Tuesday, September 24, 2019
4:45 PM- 6:00 PM
PGCEA Center
8008 Marlboro Pike, Forestville, MD 20747
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Get involved! Join a committee.
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PRINCE GEORGE'S COUNTY EDUCATORS ASSOCIATION
| WWW.PGCEA.ORG
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