Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, December 13, 2021

The WTU would like to congratulate and honor Aiton Elementary Teacher Alex Diasgranados on being named the National University 2021 Teacher of the Year!!

Happy Holidays! Myself and the entire WTU team wish you a safe and healthy holiday and we hope that you’re able to enjoy your Winter Break. We are increasingly concerned about the growing number of cases of COVID-19 in our schools and the delays in reporting cases to school communities (we greatly appreciate WTOP highlighting the issues in this story: DC teachers, lawmakers apprehensive in days before holiday break). The WTU and DC Labor are actively reaching out to Mayor Bowser and DCPS officials to demand a plan for this week that will keep staff and students safe. We are also asking for a test to return policy in place for January.

We encourage you to take extra precautions this week and over your Winter Break.

Happy Holidays!

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President

Washington Teachers’ Union

* There will be no AM Brew on Monday, December 27 as staff celebrate the Holidays. We will be sure to keep you updated on any breaking news or announcements concerning health and safety protocols.

The Top 10 Library Stories of 2021

The WTU would like to give a shout out to librarians Christopher Stewart and KC Boyd for their advocacy and testimony at the Council Hearing on Students Right to Read Amendment of 2021. 

Our work to ensure every school has a librarian was recognized as one of The Top 10 Library Stories of 2021. Read more here.  We still have a long way to go to ensure our schools are fully and adequately staffed in every community. We hope you’ll join our Legislative Committee (contact Regina Bell at [email protected]) as we continue to fight for our students and staff across the city.

A Barrage Of New Tests Is Overwhelming D.C. Teachers In An Already Draining Year

Read more from the DCist. Our thanks to everyone who is speaking out on this issue.

Community Event for MLK Jr Day

WTU, AFT, DCAEYC are partnering with Washington Tennis & Education Foundation in Ward 7 to give away 40,000 books and other school supplies. Download the full flyer here.

Tutoring opportunity from Serve Your City/Ward 6 Mutual Aid

Serve Your City/Ward 6 Mutual Aid, through a grant with City Bridge, SYC/W6MA will be launching an in-person Math tutoring program for 60 Middle School Students. We are looking to hire 30 tutors who will be responsible for tutoring 2-3 students following a guided curriculum. This is a paid part-time position, for 6 months, starting in January 2022. The full position description can be found on Idealist here and on Indeed here.

Additionally, we are still recruiting for volunteer virtual tutors. Commitment is 1-3 hours a week depending on availability. We are requesting tutors for all subjects and all ages. Link to sign up and more info can be found here: www.bit.ly/sycvolunteertutor

Water Fountain Use is Permitted at School 

DCPS announced in its Nov 18 Reopen Strong Update that after consultation with DC Health, and in collaboration with the Department of General Services (DGS), DCPS will turn water fountains back on in all schools. This process will take place over the next month and follow a schedule that prioritizes our largest schools first.

During our situation room meetings, we have requested DCPS and DGS provide, as required by law, a schedule for the testing of all water sources for lead. We’ve also requested details on how the sources will be flushed and made ready for student/staff usage. Water sampling results and the testing protocols can be found here. If you have concerns that the protocols were not followed, please file a report with the Situation Room (see below).

Please report any COVID related problems to the Situation Room and OSSE

OSSE Online Complaint Form (dc.gov)

Situation Room: http://bit.ly/WTUSafeOpenings

AM Brew News and Notices will be archived at https://www.wtulocal6.net/AMBrew.

Professional Development

Additional PD highlights are posted to the PD Blog at https://www.wtulocal6.net/pdblog

Register HERE to save your space for amazing FREE WTU spring professional development starting in January!!!

10 Trauma-Informed Strategies to Help Students Heal

Saturdays: January 15, 22 & 29, February 5 & 12; 9am-12noon

Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how adversity can impact children’s developing brains, bodies and behaviors. (20 PLU’s)

Conversational Spanish

Wednesdays: January 19 & 26; February 2, 9, 16 & 23; March 2, 9, 16 & 23; April 6, 13, 20 & 27; May 4, 11 & 18; 6pm - 8pm

Expose: Saturdays: February 12; March 12; April 9; May 14; 2 - 5pm

These sessions focus on naturally conversing in Spanish with interpersonal, interpretive, presentational language proficiency. (45 PLU’s)

Culturally Responsive Pedagogy

In this 2-part session, we will establish the connection between culture and learning, and explore research-based strategies, such as cultural competency, high expectations and critical consciousness.(8 PLU’s)

Series #1 RSVP – Saturday, January 29 and Saturday, February 12 @ 9:30am-12:30pm:

Series #2 RSVP – Saturday, April 2 and Saturday, April 9 @ 9:30am-12:30pm

Strategies for Student Success (Saturdays; 4:00-7:00pm)

Strategies for Student Success includes activities that require reflection on daily practice, debate over research and current practices, utilizing modeling, and experiential learning. The following modules will be offered in this section:

Curriculum Matters - January 15; Teach Them to Think - February 29; The Trio: Inquiry-Based, Problem-Based & Project-Based Learning - April 16; Students with Challenges - May 7. 

Participants will receive 4 PLU’s per session.

Dimensions of Wellness

SESSION 1: Saturday, January 22; 9:30-12:30pm

SESSION 2: Saturday, April 23; 9:30-12:30pm

In this session, learn how to tackle all aspects of “you” to increase the likelihood that you stay well. Taking care of yourself is paramount to your success. (4 PLU’s)

Math Flagway League

Mondays: 5pm-6pm | January 10, February 7, March 14, April 11, May 9

Be a part of a community of DC educators who are transforming the way math instruction is delivered to students!!! (15 PLU’s)

The Game Factor

Saturday, March 29; 9:30am-12:30pm

Explore an instructional design that works for both online and in-person instruction. Caution: We will talk about games, but this module will cover much more.(4 PLU’s)

IMPACT Professional Development

Saturdays: January 29 and March 5 @ 9am – 1pm

In many ways, your career in DCPS is dependent upon the IMPACT scoring system. Learn what the system measures, how it works and much more. (6 PLU’s)

Register HERE.

Upcoming Events

Winter Break – December 23 through January 3.

Partner events and other upcoming events of interest are also posted to the AMBrew Blog.

Reminders:

Report unsafe conditions at http://bit.ly/WTUSafeOpenings

As part of the MOA, the WTU and DCPS teams will meet weekly to review and find solutions to any violations of the #ReopenStrong: School Building Readiness Checklist. If you see something out of compliance, please report it at http://bit.ly/WTUSafeOpenings. As you click on an area of the form, a drop-down box will appear to allow you to enter comments. Or simply complete the text box at the end of the form. All reports will remain confidential and no identifying information will be provided to DCPS.

IMPACT

Thank you to everyone who completed the IMPACT survey. The WTU is working with the AFT to create a teacher development and evaluation system that is fair to teachers and good for students. We are looking for members who would like to be part of a team that is writing the strands for Teacher Observation, Student Performance and Professional Growth.  If you would like to help with this effort, please email Regina Bell at [email protected] 

ICYMI: DC Educator Wellness Center

In partnership with EVERFI, a social impact educational technology company, the WTU is pleased to share with you the DC Educator Wellness Center. The funding for the DC Educator Wellness Center is provided by Johnson & Johnson. In the DC Educator Wellness Center you will find access to a prevention-forward, self-guided, digital microlearning experience designed to provide you with on-demand content related to mental health. The growing list of topics includes Mental Health Basics, Managing Mental Health Challenges, Developing Resilience, Supporting Loved Ones With Mental Health Challenges, and Mindful Living. You can read more here.

We’re continuing to update our database.

Please help us ensure we have your current personal contact information on file. Email [email protected] to provide us with updated information.

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