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Here's What's Brewing Today
Monday, January 31, 2022
WTU Election Committee -- INFORMATION NEEDED!!!!!
If you are the Building Representative, Alternate Building Representative or Delegate for any of the schools below please contact WTU Membership Coordinator, Valerie Kilby today at 202-517-0728 or [email protected].
Bancroft, Beers, Boone, Capitol Hill Montessori @ Logan, Dorothy Height, Drew, Hart, Kramer, Noyes, Payne, Phelps, Savoy, Turner, Virtual Learning Program
Rally to Support Substitute Teachers
Please join us in showing solidarity with the Substitute Teachers!
Monday, February 7th 3:30-6:00
Wilson Building
1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW
IMPACT Survey & Meeting
Please take a few minutes to complete the IMPACT survey.
And join us for the next IMPACT Meeting on Tues, Feb 1 at 4:30pm
Join Zoom Meeting. Meeting ID: 829 0883 7888; Passcode: 888893
Scholarship Opportunity for seniors who live in wards 5, 7, 8.
Cathy Feingold, sister in labor, has turned a tragic event in her life into a scholarship opportunity for students who live in Wards 5, 7, & 8 and have been impacted by gun violence. Cathy has partnered with Ryane Nickens, founder of the TraRon Center. The WTU is joining the partnership with the TraRon Center whose mission is to expose gun violence survivors to therapeutic modalities that may be absent from their current grieving and coping methods. With a focus on the inclusion of creative arts, the center equips survivors with strategies to healthfully endure the complexities of loss while promoting community health and solidarity.
Here are additional stories about Ryane and Cathy.
Women Who Lost Loved Ones to DC Gun Violence Team Up to Help Others – NBC4 Washington (nbcwashington.com)
https://www.nbcwashington.com/community/news-4-your-sunday/news-4-your-sunday-gun-violence/2945473/
Union Leadership Institute (UL)
COVID CORNER
URGENT!! - Report your vaccination status on PeopleSoft.
Some teachers still have not reported their vaccination status on PeopleSoft, and failure to do so will result in the loss of pay. Please report your status immediately.
Personal Pandemic Leave
The Covid-19 leave benefit, effective December 1, 2021 and expires on April 2, 2022 is only applicable to employees who test positive for COVID-19 and cannot work due to illness. This benefit cannot be used for childcare purposes when a school or daycare center closes due to COVID-19. If you are required to quarantine, you may work virtually without the loss of your sick leave. You must complete the attestation form to work virtually.
Air Quality Reports
As part of the MOU, DCPS is required to publish data monthly on the quality of air in our schoosl. Attached here is the December 2021 Air Quality Report
D.C. government has agreed to provide all D.C. government workers—including all school employees—with special COVID-19 sick leave, so that you don’t have to use your sick leave if you become infected or must quarantine because of an exposure. Employees will be allowed to take up to 80 hours of “personal pandemic leave.” After intense urging by the WTU, the mayor announced today that this leave will be retroactive to Dec. 1, 2021, and will expire on April 2, 2022.
Test Kits
Sign up to receive a weekly PCR test mailed to your home:
- Go to this link to sign up to have a mail-to-home PCR test sent to you each week.
- Follow the instructions in the test kit.
- Drop the completed test off at any FedEx drop box, and results will be sent directly to you by LabCorp via email.
- If you test positive, please isolate immediately and notify your supervisor.
KN95 Mask Distribution
N95 masks – we are out of the N95 masks that were donated by Sunrise DC. We will let you know when we receive another shipment.
DCPS is working to re-supply schools with additional masks. Public health guidance advises that masks may be worn more than once, and we are closely tracking how staff are utilizing the masks to determine the rate of re-supply. All school-based and public-facing staff will have access to up to three masks per week. The WTU believes that students should also be supplied KN-95 masks and we are working with the Administration to accomplish this goal.
Report Health & Safety Concerns:
Please continue to report COVID related issues to the situation room - http://bit.ly/WTUSafeOpenings
And any testing or reporting issues to OSSE (OSSE Online Complaint Form (dc.gov).
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
Kudos to Nadia Torney who facilitated an AFT national training on Universal Design for Learning this past weekend at the AFT Winter Academy.
Wellness Series with Aetna
Each session below is a one-hour “gift of self care” with unique perspectives and tools. Participants will find value in attending one, a few, or all the sessions to support yourself in creating a robust practice of Self Care. Starts Wed. 2/2; all sessions @ 6:30pm-7:30pm.
Each session includes different sets of:
- Powerful physiological tools of the breath that can be incorporated into one’s day to instantly reduce tension;
- Guided relaxation for deep restoration and quieting of the thoughts in the mind;
- Cognitive tools for navigating thoughts and emotions as they arise.
Use this link to register for all or some of the five sessions: https://artofliving.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJYkf-mgrD0qEtfZQOKQy_UwiRpBfShnBeLC
- February 2nd - Working Through Change & Uncertainty
- March 2nd - Energy and Breath: Powerful Tools to Increase Your Resilience
- April 6th Supporting Your Mental Health and Preventing Burnout
- May 4th - Making the Impossible, Possible - Setting and Achieving Your Goals
- June 8th - Courageous Conversations: Healing Conversations about Systemic Racism
WTU Professional Learning - SPRING 2022 Course Offerings
Sign up now for amazing, engaging, and informative virtual fall professional development with the WTU including these upcoming classes (1 FREE class for new WTU members):
Educating Low Vision Students (starts 2/7)
Managing Behavior in School Communities (starts 2/2)
FREE WTU Workshops
Culturally Responsive Pedagogy (2 Part Series: 2/5 and 2/12)
The Social Practice of Literacy in Special Education [High School SpEd Educators ONLY] (Orientation on 2/16)
Learn more and register for ALL WTU Spring classes HERE.
Black Live Matter at School Week of Action is THIS WEEK!!!
The fifth annual Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action is January 31st - February 4th, 2022. Learn more and sign up to participate, here.
Thank You, Teaching for Change!!!
Upcoming Events
IMPACT Meeting – Tues, Feb 1 at 4:30pm
Join Zoom Meeting. Meeting ID: 829 0883 7888; Passcode: 888893
Rally to Support Substitute Teachers – Mon, Feb 7 at 3:30pm
Wilson Building, 1350 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Save the Date: 2022 Shared Vision Resilience and Renaissance - Ideas to Rebuild after a Pandemic
Saturday, March 12th.
Ward 3 Education Network (W3EdNet) February meeting
The next meeting of the Ward 3 Education Network (W3EdNet) is on Monday, February 7 at 7pm via Zoom (link below). Council Chair Phil Mendelson will share his vision for education in the city and take questions. Register in advance for this meeting here.
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.
WTU Memorandums of Agreement with DCPS.
As part of the WTU’s agreements with DCPS, DCPS is required to publish monthly reports on the air-quality of DCPS buildings. The November Air Quality Report is available here.
Additionally, the WTU has received requests to republish the results from three recent surveys:
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.
Be sure to follow the WTU on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram to keep up on the latest from your Union.