AM Brew - November 1, 2021

Here's What's Brewing Today

Monday, November 1, 2021

CONGRATULATIONS to Takeisha Wilson, a fourth-grade English language arts and social studies teacher at Shepherd Elementary School, and Rickita Perry Taylor, who teaches students with disabilities and medical difficulties at Turner Elementary School. Both teachers were named finalists for DC’s 2022 Teacher of the Year Award and received $1,500.

Vaccine Mandate

The mayor’s vaccination mandate goes into effect today. We are still in negotiations with DCPS over the impact and effects of the mandate especially for those with legitimate medical or religious exemptions. We urge everyone to go to Peoplesoft if you have not declared your vaccination status. If you have a medical or a religious exemption please email [email protected] to request an accommodation.

FMLA

If you haven’t heard back regarding your FMLA application, please contact your field rep and let them know when you submitted your application.

Steps for Filing for FMLA - Family and Medical Leave Act

The FMLA entitles eligible employees to take unpaid, job-protected leave for specified family and medical reasons with continuation of group health insurance coverage under the same terms and conditions as if the employee had not taken leave.

To qualify for FMLA you must:
1. Have worked at DCPS for 1 year without a break in service

To apply:
1. You MUST have your medical certification completed by the attending physician
2. Complete Leave of Absence Form (LOA) in QuickBase

Sick Leave

When you go out on FLMA, you will use all your sick leave.

When you exhaust all your sick leave, you will be out on unpaid leave.

Sick Leave Bank

Completing qualifying documents for FMLA approval does not guarantee that you will also have use of the Sick Leave Bank.

The Sick Leave Bank is available for use by DCPS teachers, and can be accessed only if you, yourself are sick. The Sick Leave Bank cannot be accessed or used by DCPS teachers to take care of a family member.

Contact Charmaine Wilks at [email protected] with questions about the Sick Leave Bank

Representative Assembly Meetings

School election results and current rosters need to be on file with the WTU to confirm membership, building representatives and delegates. Your field rep will reach out to building reps if we need this information from your school.

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]

Dental and Vision Open Enrollment

DC government has announced its open enrollment to run from 2022 for Monday, November 8 through Monday December 13, 2021. This is an annual opportunity to review your current benefits elections and make changes. This is also an opportunity for you to make any changes to your dental and vision benefits. Click here for details on your dental and vision coverage or if you have any questions regarding these benefits, contact Valerie Kilby at [email protected].

If you have questions regarding enrollment into the plans, contact DCPS benefits at [email protected].

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

Professional Development

Additional Professional Development opportunities are available on the PD Blog.

FREE WTU PD Workshops in November:

Strategies for Student Success

Instructor: Laurine Kennedy

Tuesdays: November 16, 23 and 30; December 7; 4:15-7:15pm

The following modules will be offered in this section: Dimensions to a Better Life; Navigating the Journey Between Stress and SEL, Electrifying Online Learning, The Game Factor. Participants will receive 4 PLU’s for each session. RSVP HERE: https://www.wtulocal6.net/fall_2021_strategies_for_student_success

Transforming Teacher Identity: Who Am I as an Educator?

Instructors: Tiffany L. Brown and Donald Thompson

November 13; 9am-12noon

Using a variety of interactive strategies, educators will explore how various aspects of their personal and social identities uniquely form who they are as professionals and affect their teaching and learning. Participants will receive 4 PLU’s. RSVP HERE: https://www.wtulocal6.net/fall_2021_transforming_teacher_identity

IMPACT Professional Development Workshop (FREE)

Part 2 (EP 3, 4 & 5): Saturday, November 6 @ 10am-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. Participants will take a deep dive into the scoring systems used by DCPS which include the Essential Practices, Teacher-Assessed Student Achievement Data (TAS), Community School Commitment (CSC) and Core Professionalism (CP) Participants will receive 3 PLU’s.

RSVP HERE: https://www.wtulocal6.net/fall_2021_impact_professional_development

WTU Tech Tuesdays Are Back!!!

Next session is Tuesday 11/9 @ 5:30-6:30pm, coordinator Sarah Elwell for a session on Integrating Discovery Education Resources.

Upcoming Events

C.O.P.E. - Monday, November 1 at 5pm

Join Zoom Meeting. Meeting ID: 828 4392 2846; Passcode: 462246

Friday, November 5, 2021 at 12:00pm Hearing on Bill 24-77, District of Columbia Public Schools Technology Equity Act of 2021

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.

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.

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