AM Brew - January 17, 2023

Here's What's Brewing Today

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Update on the status of the CBA

Last month the membership overwhelming voted to ratify the contract. The Mayor has 60 days to put the contract before the City Council. The Council has 30 days to act on the contract. Although the process is not moving as quickly as we’d like, it is moving according to the legal timelines. We have every confidence that the mayor and council will continue to follow the process. We will share any new information when we have it.

Teacher Certification and Licensing

DCPS is the hiring agency. OSSE is the licensing agency. Please check to ensure your license is up to date and if it is expiring. Contact your Field Representative if you have any questions about your license or license renewal.

WTU Surveys

Please complete this survey if you teach students in k-2.

Please complete this form if you are having problems with pay, FMLA or insurance.

Facility Concerns SY 22-23

Over the past two years, the WTU has met regularly to discuss facility issues with DCPS. Yet, many schools continue to have health and safety concerns. We ask that you let the WTU know of any health or safety concerns in your building by completing this brief form.

DCPS in the news

DC elementary students celebrate 19-years of reading 'I Have a Dream' MLK speech

Vigil for Karon Blake

‘The Nicest Boy in My Class’: Community Holds Vigil For Karon Blake, 13-Year-Old Fatally Shot in DC – NBC4 Washington (nbcwashington.com)

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

Upcoming events

In addition to the events listed below, we encourage you to check out the WTU Members –Only Calendar where you can find a condensed list of upcoming WTU events.

Organizing Committee Meeting - Wednesday Jan 18, @ 5pm

Via Zoom

Passcode: 275333

Grading Committee Meeting - Monday January 23, @ 3:45

Via Zoom
Passcode: 188537

Legislative Committee Meeting - Tuesday Jan 24^th @ 4:30

Via Zoom
Passcode: 727284

Brainstorming / Planning for next CBA - Wednesday Jan 25^th @ 4:30

Via Zoom
Passcode: 857684

ULI (Union Leadership Institute)

Join via Zoom (same link both days)

Friday, Jan 27 @ 4:30-7:00

Tentative Agenda

LSAT Review
SBMT – Student Behavior Management Team
Safety and Investigation Presentation by former DCPS Investigator
IMPACT

Saturday, Jan 28 @ 8:30-1:30

Tentative Agenda:

New WTU Contract – Committees within the new contract
Morning Block
Building Elections
Certification and Professional Development

Retirement Workshop - Monday, Jan 30 @ 5pm

Via Zoom
Meeting ID: 939 669 4583
Passcode: 148566

Communications Meeting - Tuesday, Jan 31^st @ 4:30

Via Zoom

Passcode: 412550

Save the Date - Shared Vision March 25^th

Each Spring, the WTU’s Shared Vision conference brings together educators, policy-makers, and guests to discuss the state of DC schools and what can be done to re-center our vision on the needs of students. The annual Shared Vision conference also features cutting edge professional development sessions where teachers can earn continuing education credits towards their certification.

The AFT TEACH conference - July 21-23, in Washington, D.C.

Interested in presenting at the AFT Teach Conference? The deadline for proposals is Tuesday, Jan. 17. AFT members who have their sessions selected will have airfare, hotel and registration fees covered.

TEACH 2023 is all about supporting educators and focusing on what kids need for successful futures. Priority areas for the workshops include:

Instructional strategies to meet the needs of all students;
Teaching subject-area content;
Student and educator safety and well-being; and
Collaborating and working with colleagues, families and communities to make sure kids feel safe and welcome in their public schools and have access to the knowledge and skills they need to succeed in life.

For the full list of priority areas and topics, view the Workshop Proposal Guidelines.

#RedforEd

Please wear red each Friday and post photos to social media. Please tag us @WTUTeacher

Professional Development

OSSE Professional Development

Teacher Wellness, Emotional Health and Self Care

OSSE is pleased to announce a new professional learning for teachers and school staff who need an emotional charge. This session is designed to offer proven strategies to help alleviate stress and anxiety, mental burnout, compassion fatigue and to preserve emotional health for the long haul. Participants will reflect on the ways in which personal triggers, pain points and conflict resolution impact instructional practices. Instructional coaches, classroom teachers and specialists are strongly encouraged to participate.

This training will take place virtually on Monday, Jan. 23, from 4–6 p.m. Register here. Participants will receive two PLUs for full participation. For questions, please contact Marcus Hughes at [email protected].

Dyslexia Awareness Module

OSSE is pleased to announce a new three-part dyslexia awareness module that will focus on the characteristics and identification of dyslexia; understanding and recognizing reading difficulties; and implementation of instruction that is systemic, cumulative, explicit, diagnostic, multi-sensory and evidence-based to meet the educational needs of students with reading difficulties as required by DC Code §§ 38-2581.02 and 38-2581.03.

This interactive course is ideal for all educators serving kindergarten through grade 12 who lead and support literacy instruction and language development. By the end of this course, participants will:

Learn how to define dyslexia and reading difficulties.
Gain awareness about characteristics and indicators of dyslexia and reading difficulties.
Learn the importance of universal screening tools.
Learn the components of Structured Literacy and evidence-based practices for supporting students with dyslexia and other reading difficulties.

Participants can earn up to 16 professional learning units (PLUs) for completion of all three modules. Please register here. For questions, please contact Charmelle Smith, dyslexia specialist, at [email protected].

WIDA Self-Paced Workshops

WIDA offers free virtual Professional Learning for all educators that can be completed at your own pace. Take advantage of interactive learning and enjoy relevant, practical content you can put into action immediately. These eight on-demand eWorkshops will be available through Aug. 31:

Home Languages in the Classroom
- Engaging Multilingual Learners in Science: Making Sense of Phenomena
Classroom Teachers: Engaging Multilingual Newcomers
Developing Language for Learning in Mathematics
Social Studies: Engaging Multilingual Learners through Inquiry
The WIDA ELD Standards Framework: A Collaborative Approach
- Making Language Visible in the Classroom: Explore the Key Language Uses
- Reframing Education for Long-term English Learners (LTELs)

To start, log in to your WIDA Secure Portal account and click on the “Professional Learning” icon. For support or to set up a new account contact the WIDA Client Services Center at [email protected] or 1-866-276-7735.

New Community Service Graduation Requirement

For the past three years, to accommodate for the impacts of the pandemic, DC Council has waived the requirement that high school students complete 100 hours of community service to graduate. This year, OSSE is promulgating regulations to stagger the reimposition of the community service requirement over four years. In addition, the regulation will permanently reduce the hours requirement for transfer students new to the District. Find a complete summary of the changes to the graduation requirements here.

For students graduating in the 2022-23 school year, the key requirements are:

Students must have 12 hours of community service to graduate
Graduating seniors who transferred into a District public or public charter school from a non-DCPS or DC public charter school this year are exempted from the 12-hour graduation requirement

For questions, please reach out to Andrew Gall at [email protected].

OSSE Looking for Feedback on Newly Revised Social Studies Standards by Jan. 30, 2023

OSSE is seeking public comment on the draft of the revised Social Studies State Standards. On Dec. 16, 2022, OSSE published the revised draft of Social Studies Standards, and is accepting public comment on the draft up through Monday, Jan. 30. View the revised standards here. For more information about the standards revision process and timeline, and to provide comments and input on the new standards draft, please visit the OSSE Social Studies website. For questions, please contact the OSSE Division of Teaching and Learning at [email protected].

Dyslexia Approved Screener List and Universal Screener Guidance

The OSSE Dyslexia DC landing page offers an overview of DC Law 23-191. Addressing Dyslexia and Other Reading Difficulties Amendment Act of 2020. You can now find the most recently published 2022-23 School Year Approved Kindergarten - 2nd Grade Universal Screeners and the Universal Literacy Screener Guidance on the dyslexia landing page.

For questions, please contact Dyslexia Specialist Charmelle Smith at [email protected].

Strengthening School Behavioral Health Survey 2023 (reminder)

The annual Strengthening School Behavioral Health Survey is approaching. The Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) has partnered with Child Trends, a nonprofit research organization, to learn about school behavioral health (SBH) services and supports at all public and public charter schools in DC. From Feb. 1 through March 31, schools will be asked to administer brief, online surveys of students, parents and school staff about their perceptions of school behavioral health services.

Each participating school that achieves at least 10 responses on at least one of the three surveys will receive a data report from Child Trends. Last year, more than 100 schools received a tailored data report. Schools will receive survey links mid-January 2023. If you have questions, feel free to reach out to Dr. Brandon Stratford at [email protected].

Opportunity: Receive Praxis Fee Voucher for Select Subject Area Exams

OSSE is pleased to announce that individuals seeking an initial or standard credential in Early Childhood Education, Elementary Education, or Special Education, may receive a Praxis Fee Voucher to cover the cost of the Praxis II subject area content exam. To qualify, all teachers must be currently employed by a DC LEA. Please see below for full instructions and requirements:

Apply for a Praxis Fee Voucher by completing the OSSE Praxis Voucher Application
- Ensure that all fields are accurately completed to match your current employee status
- Within your application, you must indicate your current subject area as either:
  - Early Childhood Education
  - Elementary Education
  - Special Education
Once you have submitted your application, it will be reviewed to ensure accuracy within 10 business days of completion.
Upon approval of your application, you will receive an email to the address listed in your application, containing a unique Praxis Exam Voucher Code. Note that this is a unique code that can only be used once; individuals should not share or distribute this code.
Once you have received your passing exam scores, submit or update your OSSE application for an OSSE teaching credential within 30 calendar days.

For additional questions regarding this opportunity, please email [email protected].

Reminders:

Open Positions

Looking for a new position? Check out the November listings of instructional and non-instructional vacancies posted here: https://www.wtulocal6.net/open_positions

Facility Concerns SY 22-23

We’re continuing to update our database.

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

Be sure to follow the WTU on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to keep up on the latest from your Union.

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