march 2016 newsletter - pdf
TRANSCRIPT
March Calendar of Events
3/5/16 HCM Job Fair
Conrad HS, 7502 Fair Oaks Ave 8 am – 12 pm
3/7/16 Community Conversation with the
Superintendent – 6 pm – 7pm
Seagoville Feeder Pattern schools
Seagoville HS, 15920 Seagoville Rd. An open discussion of feedback & suggestion about issues affecting students & the district.
3/8/16 DCS Board Meetings 11:00 am – Budget/Finance Committee Mtg. 12:30 pm – Policy Committee Mtg.
1:00 pm – REGULAR BOARD MEETING
3/10/16 Dallas ISD Board Briefing @11:30 am
3/11-13/16 NEA ESP Conference Lake Buena Vista, Florida
3/13/16 DAYLIGHT SAVINGS TIME BEGINS Spring forward!
3/14-18/16 SPRING BREAK DISD & NEA-Dallas will be closed. TSTA Help Center 1-877-ASK-TSTA
3/24/16 DISD Board Meeting @ 6 pm
3/25/16 Inclement Weather Day/Good Friday
3/27/16 Easter Sunday
3/29/16 Community Conversation with the
Superintendent – 6 pm – 7pm
Madison & Lincoln HS Feeder schools
Madison HS, 3000 MLK Jr. Blvd.
3/29-21/16 STAAR Testing
Inclement weather make-up days / Días para reponer perdida de clases por mal
tiempo March 25 and April 11 are the designated make-up days for days when
school is closed due to bad weather. If not needed, March 25 will be used as a
student/teacher holiday while April 11 will be a teacher staff development
day/student holiday.
[El 25 de marzo y 11 de abril son las días que se han designado para recuperar días
de clases que se hayan perdido al cerrar las escuelas por mal clima. De no ser
utilizados, el 25 de marzo será día de vacaciones para estudiantes/maestros, y el 11
de abril será dia de trabajo para maestros y de vacaciones para estudiantes.]
March / Marzo 2016
Music in Our Schools Month/National Intellectual and Developmental Awareness Month/National Middle Level Education Month/National Nutrition Month/National Professional Social Work Month/Texas History Month/Theatre in Our Schools Month/Women’s History Month/Youth Art Month/National School Breakfast Week (Feb. 29 – March 4)/Texas Public Schools Week (Feb. 29 – March 4)
NEA Auto & Home Insurance Program Brandon Watson – (512) 520-7248
NEA-Dallas www.TSTA.org 6500 Greenville Avenue, Suite 520 www.NEA.org Dallas, Texas 75206
www.neadallas.com
Monday – Friday 8:30 am – 5:00 pm
[Closed Saturday, Sunday & all DISD holidays] TSTA Help Center 1-877-ASK-TSTA
Malinda McKee E.J. Stewart TSTA Staff Office Manager (214) 923-2768 – cell (214) 821-2061 [email protected] [email protected]
NEA Read Across
America Kick Off By NEA-Dallas
Dr. Seuss was on the loose at Herbert Marcus
Elementary at the 19th annual NEA READ ACROSS AMERICA KICK OFF TOUR when it made
its first stop in Dallas, TX on Friday, February
26, 2016. NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia and team led the Cat in
the Hat, your local NEA-Dallas President Angela Davis, TSTA President Noel
Candelaria and TSTA Vice President Ovidia Molina, Herbert Marcus
Elementary School students
and staff in the events
that exciting day! These
events are specifically
designed to get kids
excited about reading
and to provide
inspirational reading
program
funding to
high
needs
schools.
It was a
great
success!
A Message from the President Page 2
The ESP E-Mail List Engage in community conversations around issues that concern NEA educational support professionals.
Page 2
March is Women’s History Month Page 2
AR Spotlight Find out why SHEILA WALKER & HERMAN MITCHELL were chosen to be in the spotlight as Association Representatives for their worksites and being the “go-to” people for fellow members.
Page 3
Did You Know / Tips & Tricks Helpful information and tips.
Page 3
Calendar of Events See what is coming up this month in meetings and events. Don’t miss out!
Back
“SMALL ENOUGH TO KNOW YOU,
BIG ENOUGH TO SERVE YOU.”
TO SUBSCRIBER NAME:
NEA-Dallas Board of Directors
President Angela Davis
Vice President Mary D. Smith
VP of Teacher Affairs Delna Bryan
VP of DISD ESPs Sheila Walker
VP of DCS ESPs John Luster
Secretary Diane Birdwell
Treasurer Peggy Rodgers-Pickron
NEWSLETTER MARCH 2016 IN THIS ISSUE:
(L to R) Ovidia Molina-TSTA Vice President, Noel Candelaria-TSTA President, Marcus ES students-Thing 1 & 2, Holly Wallace, Marcus ES Principal
Angela Davis-NEA-Dallas President shows the Marcus
Elementary students what they will receive in their goody bags.
NEA President Lily Eskelsen Garcia reads the Dr. Seuss book
"Green Eggs and Ham" to the students.
It is difficult to believe we are already approaching the spring season and middle of the 2nd semester of the 2015-2016 school year. As we all look
forward to those days off at spring break, we would like to update you on some things that have occurred at NEA-Dallas.
As you well know, the TEI Level III Class Action hearing was conducted on February 18th before Dallas ISD Trustees Edwin Flores, Nancy Bingham, and Bernadette Nutall. With Trustee Bernadette Nutall’s vote supporting the teachers’ appeal, and Trustees Edwin Flores and Nancy Bingham voting against the teachers, unfortunately we did not win at this level. Our intention now is to continue to stand strong and push forward, yet again, and appeal to the Texas Education Agency. When information on that hearing becomes finalized, we will forward that on to all participants and members.
On another note, NEA-Dallas hosted and participated in NEA’s Read Across America Kick Off Tour whose first stop was at Herbert Marcus Elementary School. Being a former educator at Marcus Elementary, I was more than honored to be part of this special event in its 19th year. Marcus ES Principal Holly Wallace and the students and staff went above and beyond with their preparation and decorations! Each hallway, doorway, ceiling, wall, and locker were vibrantly colored and decorated with handcrafted creations that made every one of us feel as if we had jumped right into a Dr. Seuss book! While each and every inch of the school deserved an applause, we were challenged with the opportunity to judge the hallways for “Best Decorated.” After careful debate, congratulations and prizes were awarded as follows:
Grand Prize: 3rd Grade
1st Place: Pre-K
2nd Place: 2nd Grade
Honorable Mention: Main Entrance
Thank you to all who helped make this a huge success for NEA, TSTA, NEA-Dallas, students, and all attendees!
The March 2016 Theme for Women’s History Month is "Working to Form a More Perfect Union: Honoring Women in Public Service and Government". Examine the changing cultural perceptions of women in society and honor their contributions in some lessons and activities outlined and provided for you at NEA.org. You can copy the following link into your browser to find this wealth of information: http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/womens-history-month.html
The ESP E-mail List
What is the ESP List?
"ESP" is an automated e-mail list (also known as a "listserv") open to all NEA members and staff of NEA and its affiliates. List members use the list to engage in community conversations around issues that concern education support professionals within the NEA, including contracting out, bargaining problems, training needs, and questions about how to improve and strengthen the Association.
If you are an NEA member or staff, the easiest way to subscribe to the ESP List is to use the simple form at this link: http://www.nea.org/home/19594.htm.
All information fields are required - this will help us verify your membership, so that we may approve your subscription.
Using the ESP List
Once you become an ESP list member, if you have a question you want to ask or information you would like to share, all you need to do is to send an E-mail to [email protected]. Your message will automatically be sent to all of the ESP list members.
If you have a problem with the list, want to unsubscribe, change your E-mail address, or modify some other aspect of your list status, DO NOT send a message to the list. Instead, contact a list administrator at this address: [email protected].
MARCH AR SPOTLIGHT
is shining on:
SHEILA WALKER – Harry Stone MS/Paraprof.
HERMAN MITCHERLL - Kleberg SC/Driver
DISD AR: Sheila Walker was selected this month because she is one of the ARs we see most often. She is either dropping by to drop off enrollment forms, helping us prepare for an event, or attending a
meeting. Sheila serves on both the NEA-Dallas and Region 4D boards of directors, and continues to grow her organization and share its benefits with others.
DCS AR: Herman Mitchell is one of our ARs at the Kleberg Service Center. He is not only one of the “go-to” people for his worksite, he serves as a board member on the NEA-Dallas and
Region 4D boards of directors. We are thankful that we have “Mitch” on our team! We know we can count on him to help us help our members at Kleberg Service Center.
NEA-Dallas thanks you for all you do!
NEA MEMBER BENEFITS Go to www.neamb.com/clickandsave.
Log in & start shopping!
NEA Benefits Info. - 1-800-637-4636
Each classroom teacher is entitled to at least 450 minutes within each 2-week period for instructional preparation, including parent-teacher conferences, evaluating students’ work, and planning. The planning and preparation period may not be less than 45 minutes within the instructional day. During the planning and preparation period, a classroom teacher may not be required to participate in any other activity. Tex. Educ. Code §21.404
Classroom teachers or full-time librarians are entitled to at least a 30-minute lunch period free from all duties and responsibilities connected with instruction and supervision of students. The district may not require the teacher to have their lunch in the cafeteria or even on school property. [Caveat: If necessary, because of personnel shortage, extreme
economic conditions, or an unavoidable or unforeseen circumstance, a school district may require a classroom teacher or librarian entitled to a duty-free lunch to supervise students during lunch, not more than one day per week.]
Most Texas teacher contracts contain a clause to the effect that the employee may be assigned and reassigned at the discretion of the supervisor. [Caveats: ·A reassignment that is motivated by illegal reasons is
improper. If the reassignment is retaliatory, it is actionable. Anderson v. Pasadena Indep. School District., 184 F. 3rd (5th Cir. 1999). ·A teacher may be reassigned to teach a subject outside of their certification area when the district is unable to secure an appropriately certified and qualified individual to fill the vacant position. The district must apply for an emergency permit if the teacher will be in the position for more than 30 days. The application for an emergency permit must be submitted within 45 instructional days of the date of the assignment.] Tex. Educ. Code §230.501
A Message from the President
By Angela Davis