AM Brew - June 1, 2021

Here's What's Brewing Today

June 1, 2021

Last week, Mayor Bowser released her Fiscal Year 2022 (school year 2021-2022) budget. Join the WTU on June 2 on the steps of the Wilson Building to #FundOurFuture and support DCPS Librarians and call for small class sizes and the adoption of co-teaching and collaborative teaching models to help our students recover from the pandemic.

Enrollment for the Sick Leave and Maternity Leave Banks is OPEN.

Open enrollment will occur from June 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021 and from August 1, 2021 through August 31, 2021.

Click here to submit your information or contact Charmaine Wilks at 202 517-1475 or [email protected] with any questions. If you miss the Open Enrollment dates, you will not be able to enroll in "the Banks" until the next Open Seasons in June 2022 and August 2022. This is strictly for the use of the Sick Leave and Maternity Banks and not the Dental/Vision enrollment.

June DCPS and OSSE Licensure Webinar

Please join DCPS on Tuesday, June 15 at 4:30 PM EDT for a session with the Office of the State Superintendent of Education to discuss teacher credentialing requirements, required tests, the application process, licensure renewal pathways, and more with OSSE licensure experts. There will also be brief Q&A to answer general credentialing questions. Register below to receive details to join closer to the event.Please email us at [email protected] with any questions.

Technology Problems?

We've received several complaints and questions from members regarding educational technology technical issues. We reached out to DCPS, and their response was that teachers should elevate technology issues to their principal. However, there is an Educational Technology Cluster manager assigned to each school to offer training/professional development (PD) and instructional implementation support. Here is the link to that team - https://dck12.sharepoint.com/sites/DCPSEdTechInformationResources/SitePages/DCPS-Clusters.aspx.

AM Brew News and Notices will be archived at https://www.wtulocal6.net/AMBrew. Please bookmark the site and check back for regular news and notices as well as to find items from past editions of the AM Brew.

Professional Development

This Week's Professional Development Blog includes information on the 2021 National Family and Community Engagement Conference, National Flagway Tournament Winners (including the team from CW Harris ES and Coach Kendra Heffelbower), and MORE! Click here to check it out.

Summer Professional Learning!!!

Decolonizing the Curriculum

Join Washington Teachers’ Union and Teaching for Change as we host a Decolonizing the Curriculum summer series beginning July 27th. This six-session series will feature presentations disrupting the master narrative in classroom curriculum, by providing hands-on strategies with lessons to be used in-person and virtually.

Each session is standalone (2 PLU's per session) so attend one or all six Tuesday and Thursday evenings from 5:00 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. EST via Zoom.

REGISTER TODAY. Sessions include:

Tuesday July 27th at 5:00 p.m. EST Decolonizing the Curriculum with Teaching for Change

Thursday July 29th at 5:00 p.m. EST Tackling Controversial Topics in Early Childhood Education with Laleña Garcia

Tuesday, August 3rd at 5:00 p.m. EST COVID Tribunal with Caneisha Mills

Thursday, August 5th at 5:00 p.m. EST Politics of Hair with Dr. Cierra Kaler-Jones

Tuesday, August 10th at 5:00 p.m. EST Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) Role Play with Jessica Rucker and Judy Richardson

Thursday, August 12th at 5:00 p.m. EST Teaching about Voting Rights with Ursula Wolfe-Rocca

Additional Professional Development opportunities are also posted regularly to the PD Blog at https://www.wtulocal6.net/pdblog.

Committee Updates

Committees Updates will be moving out of the AM Brew. Committees will be asked to provide updates on their work to share with members the 2nd Thursday of each month.

Information on WTU Committees can be found here: https://www.wtulocal6.net/committees

This week’s events

June 2 – Save DCPS Librarians READ-IN at the John A. Wilson Building, 4-5pm.
June 3 – DC Council Hearing on the FY2022 Budget
June 3 – Building Rep Call. Building Representatives will receive a direct email with log-in information.
June 5 – WTU Executive Committee meeting. If you are interested in observing the meeting, please contact Louis Blount at [email protected].

At the beginning of each month, a monthly calendar will be posted to the AMBrew Blog. You can access all June 2021 events here.

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

SAVE THE DATE

June 8 – General Membership Meeting

June 17 – WTU Training on the Grievance Procedures, 4:30pm

Have you ever felt like something isn't quite right at your school? Maybe you keep missing that planning period to cover lunch duty or your colleague feels pressured by your administrator to report to work at 7:00 am. The WTU Field Staff will provide you with information on the Grievance Process and answer any questions you may have.

Reminders:

Are our Buildings Safe?

Report your concerns at http://bit.ly/WTUSafeOpenings

Learn more about the work the WTU is doing to keep our schools safe at: https://www.wtulocal6.net/safe_reopenings. Please contact your Field Representatives should you have any concerns but feel uncomfortable raising them in the reporting form.

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 Need Your Input

Educators - Report your Certification and Recertification Concerns. Click here to let us know about your troubles obtaining your teaching credentials.

Class Coverage Survey – Are you being pulled from your regular duties? Click here to take our quick survey.

We’re continuing to update our database.

Please help us ensure we have your current personal contact information on file.

Click here or 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.

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