As we go through Hispanic Heritage month, I’d like to applaud all our Spanish teachers and all the educators who work with students to recognize and celebrate the contributions and accomplishments of Hispanic Americans to the history of our country. I have seen very beautiful exhibits as I visit schools and wanted to say thank you for your hard work. 

In last week’s Morning Brew, I shared with you that the Washington Teachers’ Union (WTU) has requested bargaining over the impacts and effects of the vaccination mandate on members of our bargaining unit. While approximately 76% of the WTU membership is fully vaccinated, I encourage all members who have still not received the vaccine to do so to safeguard the health and safety of all your students and colleagues. For those who cannot take the vaccine due to legitimate concerns and have requested or will be requesting an exemption, I want to ensure that your rights are fully respected. The WTU will meet with DCPS on October 14^th at 10:00 AM to discuss how the vaccination mandate will affect our unvaccinated members. 

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to contact your field services specialist. 

Have a productive work week. 

Jacqueline Pogue Lyons, President 

SBOE STAR Framework Survey for Teachers

The D.C. State Board of Education (SBOE) invites District teachers to complete a 10-minute / 22-question survey. The purpose of this teacher survey is to better understand educators’ experiences with the District’s school accountability system—the School Transparency and Reporting (STAR) Framework—as we consider what, if any, changes should be made to it. We recommend that you use a computer or tablet to fill out this survey. Thank you for taking the time to fill this out, and please know your identity will remain anonymous.

We ask that you submit responses no later than Friday, October 15 at 5 p.m. If you have any questions, please reach out to the State Board at [email protected].

Please use the following link to start the teacher survey: https://bit.ly/38ixJOW

The Strong Black Woman: How a Myth Endangers the Physical and Mental Health of Black Women.

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

Professional Development

REGISTRATION IS STILL OPEN---WTU Professional Learning - FALL 2021 Course Offerings

Make sure you don't procrastinate on recertification requirements!!! Sign up now for amazing, engaging, and informative virtual fall professional development with the WTU ($150 registration fee; 1 FREE class for new members):

Classes starting soon:

• Creating and Managing a Successful School Library Program (starts 10/6)
• English Language Learners 101 (starts 10/2; limited spaces still available!)
• Instructional Strategies that Work for All Disciplines (starts 10/2; limited spaces still available!)
• Integration of Computer Technology (starts 10/2; limited spaces still available!)
• National Board Certification Support Classes (starts 10/5)
• Reading Comprehension Instruction (started 10/2; limited spaces still available!)
• Social and Emotional Learning (started 10/2; limited spaces still available!)
• Universal Design for Learning (starts 10/12)

Learn more and register for all classes HERE.

EmpowerEd Teacher Voice Summit

EmpowerEd invites you to attend their DC Teacher Voice Festival on Saturday October 23rd from 10 am to 2 pm on U Street- this is a fun and family-friendly opportunity to meet educators who care about the same things and want to make a difference and have a great time in the process!  WTU will also be showcasing our teacher leader research at the event!  We'll be joined by many DC council members and members of the DC State Board of Education.  There will be live music, food trucks, face painting and balloon twisting and you can collaborate with educators working on issues from culturally responsive teaching to teacher diversity, retention, reforming school ratings, mayoral control and much more! It's outdoors and open to the public, but for covid protocols and issue interest PLEASE register in advance here to join!

WTU Professional Learning Abroad (2 spaces left!)

There is still time to sign up for the WTU Professional Learning trip to Morocco in July 2022, based on travel guidance. 5% discount through the end of September!!! Check out the itinerary here: https://geeo.org/tour/wtumorocco/.

Additional PD Opportunities are available by clicking on the PD Blog.

Upcoming Events

Committee on Political Education (COPE). Monday, Oct 4 at 5pm.Via Zoom.

Tuesday, Oct 26 at 11:00 a.m. - Public Hearing on two Bills introduced by Councilmembers Lewis George, and R. White.

Bill 24-80 would make OSSE subordinate to the State Board of Education, provide SBOE with the authority to appoint the State Superintendent of Education, and allow employees of the District of Columbia Public Schools to serve on the SBOE.

Bill 24-101 would make OSSE an independent agency within the District government. The bill also clarifies OSSE’s oversight responsibilities, requiring the agency to verify data produced by local education agencies (LEA) and to investigate allegations of waste, fraud, or fiscal mismanagement by LEAs. Those who want to testify must register by the close of business on Friday October 22, 2021.
You may also submit written testimony to [email protected]

Tuesday, Oct. 12, at 6:30pm - Digging into DC

Join a community conversation/training session at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 12 about getting information from the Metropolitan Police. Speakers include:

• Amy Phillips, DC public defender
• Mitch Ryals, reporter, Washington City Paper
• Michael Perloff, ACLU of the District of Columbia
• Catherine Young, DC resident who has struggled to piece together information from the police shooting in 2018 of her son D’Quan Young
• Miranda Spivack, journalist and open government expert, D.C. OGC board member, moderator

Register here https://ropesgray.zoom.us/.../WN_hM6RJnypTGiihxRH_pZjdQ

This is the second in a series of free open government trainings that will continue through the fall and winter, and focus on how to locate a range of information such as criminal justice data, social services data, and data from multi-government and multi-state agencies. Please come prepared with your questions about the best ways to get information from DC's police department. We look forward to seeing you at Digging into DC! Questions? email: [email protected]. Sponsored by D.C. Open Government Coalition, D.C. Library Association and D.C. Office of Open Government

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

Reminders:

Attention School Counselors

As we move towards solidifying language specific to school counselors during contract negotiations the WTU would like you to review some language DCPS has proposed. Specifically, DCPS is proposing that principals and Local School Advisory Teams (LSAT) have the option to transition 10-month school counselors to 11-month school counselors; and 11-month school counselors to 12-month school counselors. Please complete the following brief survey to let the WTU know your desire regarding the proposed language. Click here to compete the survey.

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.