LFT Principles of Unity!

lft

 

Breaking News: Louisiana Federation of Teachers Agrees to Principles of Unity

The Louisiana Federation of Teachers has endorsed a set of general principles that a number of public education stakeholders have pledged to honor in the upcoming legislative session.

“For the past six years, education reform has been defined by politicians, corporate profiteers and ideological extremists,” Federation President Steve Monaghan said. “The result has been an avalanche of unconstitutional laws, a raid on public education funds and baseless attacks on teachers in our public schools.

“The leaders of this bogus reform movement have manipulated data and used misleading statistics to justify the destruction of public education in Louisiana,” he said. “We are proud to stand with other public education stakeholders to correct the narrative touted by the current administration and offer real hope for our children’s future.”

In an invitation asking educators to adopt principles of unity, Louisiana School Boards Association Executive Director Scott Richard wrote, “We are experiencing unprecedented times during this era of ‘education reform’ in our state. It is of the utmost importance that we strive to work collaboratively as stakeholders in order to facilitate practical initiatives that truly work to improve student achievement.”

The principles adopted by the signers of the agreement include:

  • United advocacy for prioritizing public education funding regarding the state funding formula.
  • United advocacy for a more strategic and comprehensive transition to raising standards and adopting accompanying assessments.
  • United advocacy for a non-punitive accountability system and a flexible employee evaluation system during the transition to higher standards.
  • United advocacy for addressing issues regarding privatization of public education in Louisiana.

AFT’s Robert C Porter Scholarship Program

porter

Are you working to help your union find ways for its members to join in reclaiming the promise of a more just society for all?

Or do you have a child who is a senior in high school with plans to attend college? 

We can help! As part of the Robert G. Porter Scholars Program, the AFT offers $8,000 scholarships to four high-achieving high school seniors who are the dependents of AFT members. And 10 grants of $1,000 each are available to AFT members from all divisions who seek to implement ideas for their union about the role union members can play in collectively reclaiming the promise.

Applications are now available online HERE.

 Robert G. Porter was a dedicated union activist from the time he joined his first AFT local in East St. Louis, Ill., until his death in 1991. For nearly four decades, the late AFT secretary-treasurer gave his all to championing the rights of working people, promoting civil rights, and ensuring that the union was a vehicle for helping members achieve justice. Since its inception in 1993, the Robert G. Porter Scholars Program has awarded more than $500,000 to AFT members and their dependents to further their education and to help grow our union’s capacity to achieve our goals. 

Your application is now available online.

This year’s winners will be announced by June 30 and will be recognized at the AFT convention, July 11-14, in Los Angeles. The deadline for submitting the 2014 application to the AFT is March 31.

APPLY ONLINE

Win one of 6 $500 VISA Gift Cards with Share My Lesson!

indulge

Banish those winter blues!

Indulge yourself this New Year with a weekend away, a spa break, a designer handbag or enjoy a dinner in a top restaurant.

Share My Lesson is giving you the opportunity to win one of 6 $500 VISA® gift cards to treat yourself to a bit of luxury. Enter now for a chance to win…

What do I need to do?

It’s simple; upload your lesson plans and classroom materials before February 13. For each resource you upload, you will receive one entry into the drawing. The more resources you upload, the better your chances of winning!

Don't hold back… start uploading now

Uploading is easy and can be done in a matter of minutes. This video shows you how.

What do I win?

You will be entered into a drawing to win one of 6 $500 VISA® gift cards which you can spend on that big screen TV or treat yourself to a designer coat. How you choose to spend the money is completely up to you!

So, get your resources ready; you have until midnight on February 13 to enter for a chance to treat yourself!

For more information, click here. 

Know Your Rights- Transfers!

Know Your Rights: Teacher Transfer Policies

Note that these policies only apply to teachers. Support personnel have different transfer policies, especially in Caddo, and less rigid deadlines.

Caddo: 
 
CPSB: GBM
A teacher transferred to a school or position must be certified and qualified for the position to which transferred. Should a person request reassignment to a lesser position, such personnel, upon reassignment, shall be placed in the salary schedule at the level of the new position. Procedures and timelines for requesting, reviewing, interviewing, and making recommendations for transfers of personnel shall be maintained by the Division of Human Resources. All teachers are eligible for transfer during the transfer period, regardless of temporary certification and funding status. Vacant positions must be requested using Caddo School’s official application portal. Transfers will begin May 1st and go through June 30th for the following school year. The Director of Certified Personnel, acting under the authority of the Superintendent, shall be responsible for approving the principal’s recommendation for transfers. Transfer recommendations after June 30th will require approval by the Chief Human Resource Officer. Teachers and the principals will be notified in writing of approved transfers by the Human FILE: GBM Caddo Parish School Board 2 of 2 Resources Department for the upcoming school year. In the event of school closures, those certified teachers affected will be placed first in any vacancies that occur.
Your personnel file/record is the ONLY thing a principal looks at if you are considering transferring to another school or another parish. Make sure you know what is in your personnel file, and that you write rebuttals for everything that goes in your personnel file. 

Fine-tune your SLTs and prepare for your observations using Red River United’s After Hours tutoring, FREE to all RRU members and available after-school by appointment. Call 318-424-4579 for more information or to set up an appointment!  

 
 
Bossier: 
BPSB: GBM

You should have already received your Be Back Letter. Make sure you sign your Be Back Letter, and click the box saying that you intend to transfer schools.

Employees who voluntarily request a transfer to another location or position shall submit such request to the Superintendent or principal in writing.  Such requests shall be submitted on or before July 15 in order to be considered for the next school year.  A written notation of the request to transfer shall also be sent to the employee’s principal or immediate supervisor.  All voluntary transfers approved by the Superintendent shall be completed prior to August 1, whenever possible. 

A teacher transferred to a school or position must be certified and qualified for the position to which transferred.  Should a person request reassignment to a lesser position, such personnel, upon reassignment, shall be placed in the salary schedule at the level of the new position.

 

You should have already received your Be Back Letter. Make sure you sign your Be Back Letter, and click the box saying that you intend to transfer schools.
Your personnel file/record is the ONLY thing a principal looks at if you are considering transferring to another school or another parish. Make sure you know what is in your personnel file, and that you write rebuttals for everything that goes in your personnel file. 

 

Disciplinary Write-Ups

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This pertains to both disciplinary write-ups and evaluations.

 

If you receive a disciplinary write-up or evaluation result, SEE, SIGN, AND REBUT.

When you are given the paperwork, be sure to SIGN the write-up/evaluation result so you can receive a copy.

Signing a write-up/evaluation result does NOT constitute agreeing with the contents of the write-up/paperwork— it is a record that you have seen the paperwork before it is put into your personnel file. 

After you sign the write-up/evaluation, contact Red River United immediately at 318-424-4579 and write a rebuttal. A rebuttal tells YOUR side of the story, and is permanently attached to your personnel file with the write-up.  

Your personnel file/record is the ONLY thing a principal looks at if you are considering transferring to another school or another parish. Make sure you know what is in your personnel file, and that you write rebuttals for everything that goes in your personnel file. 

OWN YOUR PROFESSION.

Know Your Rights- Evaluations

rebut

 

 

If you receive an observation or evaluation that is not an accurate representation of your performance,  SEE, SIGN, AND REBUT.

When you are given the paperwork, be sure to SIGN the observation/evaluation result so you can receive a copy.

Signing an observation/evaluation does NOT constitute agreeing— it is a record that you have seen the paperwork before it is put into your personnel file. 

After you sign the document, the clock begins.  In most cases, you have 15 working days to write a rebuttal; however, teachers in Caddo have 48 hours to issue and appeal.  Contact Red River United immediately at 318-424-4579.

Your observations and evaluations may determine if you move up on the salary schedule as well as your possibility of becoming tenured.

 

OWN YOUR PROFESSION.

Know Your Rights- SLTs

What you need to know about Student Learning Targets

Student Learning Targets (SLTs) are a crucial part of a teacher’s COMPASS evaluation. To make sure that your evaluation is an appropriate, accurate and fair representation of your professional abilities, the Louisiana Federation of Teachers offers the following hints for writing your SLTs in collaboration with your principal.

Student Learning Target tips:

  • Set reasonable, realistic targets.
  • SLTs should include teacher and administrator input.
  • Consider including the stipulation that only the scores of students who took both the pre and post assessments will be included in the calculation.
  • You might stipulate that a certain attendance factor will determine if a student remains in the SLT group. Refer to language for attendance requirements for updating students in CVR. The same rules should apply when writing SLTs.
  • Students with high scores on the pre-assessment instrument may not be capable of achieving their targeted growth. Consider excluding those students from your group.
  • SLTs should be written only for the students you teach, based on their specific past performance and pre-assessment data. Do not base them on the performance of the students in the entire school or school district.
  • SLTs are intended to be a comparison of where your students were at the beginning of the year and how much they have progressed during the year, based on your teaching, just as a VAM score is based on the progress of only your students.
  • Share your SLT drafts with your peers for wording and math calculations.
  • Monitor and record student performance throughout the year.
  • At midyear, check to see if you are eligible to make changes to your SLTs.

For one-on one assistance or questions, contact us today.

redriverunited@redriverunited.org

318-424-4579

Teachers, make sure you check all of your classroom rosters mid-year (in January) and remove students who are no longer in your class. Your SLTs (student learning targets) are based on your current roster— so make sure your roster reflects who is actually in your class.

 You also have the right to amend your SLTs (student learning targets) at the mid- year mark. Contact Red River United immediately at 318-424-4579 if you have any questions. 

PSRP Scholarship Deadline: February 7

2014 LFT PSRP Scholars Award Program

“LFT supports PSRPs enhancing their education”

One-Time $500 Grant

(Paraprofessionals and School Related Personnel Only)

*

PROGRAM ELIGIBILITY:

Must be a LFT member in good standing for at least one year and pursuing accredited courses in education only. No full- or part-time LFT, AFT or local staff, may apply.

*First time applicants ONLY can apply.

 

Please type or print neatly.

NAME__________________________________________________________________________________________

ADDRESS________________________________________________________________________________________

CITY STATE ZIP CODE_____________________________________________________________________________

E-MAIL___________________________________________________________________________________________

TELEPHONE________________________________________________________________________________________

COLLEGE TO BE ATTENDED___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

SUBJECT TO BE STUDIED_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

INFORMATION ON LFT LOCAL

You must have this form signed by a local official.

___________________________________________________

LFT LOCAL NAME

NUMBER OF YEARS THE APPLICANT HAS BEEN A MEMBER________________

_______________________________________________________

LOCAL OFFICIAL SIGNATURE

**DO NOT SUBMIT, IF NOT SIGNED BY LOCAL PRESIDENT.

 

 

WRITE AN ESSAY NO LONGER THAN 350 WORDS ON THE FOLLOWING TOPIC:

(NOTE: Essay must be typed.)

“Why do I deserve this award and how would I use the LFT PSRP Scholarship Award”

I hereby certify that all information provided in this application is complete and correct.

___________________________________________________

Signature Date

The LFT/PSRP Scholarship Award can only be used at institutions that are accredited to offer postsecondary degrees or certificates by an accredited agency certified for that purpose by the U.S. Department of Education.

DISCLAIMER: Awardee must provide proper documentation verifying enrollment before receiving the award.

This application must be completed in full and submitted with the required attachments. Failure to do so will result in disqualification.

Download Printable version Here: Scholarship Application (1)

Screen Bully in your classroom or at your school, and receive a FREE toolkit!

The movie Bully has captured the hearts and minds of students and adults across the nation, offering a window into the damage bullying can cause. The Bully Project has a wonderful toolkit with materials and a DVD (including a version of the video that is appropriate for younger audiences). 

Educators who thoroughly complete this short survey will receive a kit for FREE, while supplies last (feel free to share this survey with any AFT member who works with students).

FREE Resource: Share my Lesson: Olympic Winter Games Collection!

2014 Olympic Winter Games

From February 7-23, all eyes will be on Sochi, Russia, as it hosts the 2014 Olympic Winter Games. The Sochi Olympics marks the first time the Olympics have been held in Russia since the dissolution of the Soviet Union. This year, there will be 98 events held in 15 different sports, and some events, such as women’s ski jumping and ski half-pipe, will be held for the first time.

The Share My Lesson team has highlighted some free lesson plans, activities and classroom materials that you can use to bring the Olympics into your classroom. From presentations about Russian history to videos about the science behind different Olympic events to hosting your own mini-Olympics, we’ve got everything you need to present a gold medal-worthy lesson.

Resources about Russian history

Russian history
Learn about the history of Russia with this PowerPoint presentation and handout.

Russian revolution
Review key events of the Russian revolution with your students.

Cold War
Learn about the events that led up to the Cold War with these activities.

 

Olympic-themed activities

Elementary school resources

Sesame Street and Team USA
Figure skater Sarah Hughes and Elmo discuss the word “persistence” and what it takes to be a Team USA Olympic athlete.

Mini-Olympics
Use these fun activities to hold your own Olympics in PE class.

Olympic medals
Learn more about gold, silver and bronze medals with this resource.

Competition suits
Find out how speed-skating competition suits help improve athlete performance by reducing friction and improving aerodynamics in this lesson from NBC Learn and theNational Science Foundation.

Snow and the Olympics
Discuss how humidity and temperature help form snow, a very important part of the Winter Olympics.

Secondary school resources

Greek legacies: Ancient Greek Olympics
Students learn about the Ancient Greeks and the Olympic games they made to honor Zeus in this lesson from 21st Century Lessons: A Boston Teachers Union Initiative.

Design your own Olympic team
Get your students into the Olympic spirit by having them create their own Olympic teams.

Science of ice
Find out what makes ice slippery enough for speed skaters in this NBC Learn and National Science Foundation resource.

Engineering the half-pipe
Explore how engineers create the half-pipe to enable athletes to get more air time and perform complicated tricks.

The physics of slope-style skiing
Learn the physics behind slope-style skiing, a gravity defying freestyle skiing event debuting in Sochi.

Figure skating
Find out how the center of mass – a physics concept – controls balance and stability, both crucial to figure skaters.

Bobsleds
Learn about the engineering challenges associated with making sleds faster and tracks safer.

Stability in alpine skiing
This lesson from NBC Learn and the National Science Foundation describes how advanced materials and engineering help reduce unwanted vibration, optimizing the performance of athletes.