ATTENTION CADDO PARISH: If you really want money in your pocket, you MUST attend the October 15th school board meeting. The board will be voting on money for everyone. (M&S for teachers; one-time supplement for everyone who isn’t a classroom teacher.)

The Caddo Parish School Board holds its regular meeting at 4:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month. The meeting is open to the public. The board meets in its offices at 1961 Midway Avenue, in the Board Room.

Krista Fanning, Caddo Middle Magnet music teacher, is a finalist for a Grammy Music Educator award.

http://www.grammy.org/recording-academy/press-release/a-total-of-25-semifinalists-from-across-the-us-announced-for-first

The AFL-CIO pledged on Sept. 11 to join the AFT, parents, and community and civic leaders to help reclaim the promise of public education by fighting for safe, strong neighborhood public schools to meet the needs of all children.

Delegates to the AFL-CIO convention approved the AFT’s “Reclaiming the Promise of Public Education” resolution unanimously.

“It is incredibly important that the AFL-CIO and its affiliates vowed to work with our members, parents, and community and civic leaders on our movement to reclaim the promise of public education. We will fight for safe, strong neighborhood public schools where parents want to send their children, teachers want to teach, and students will have a well-rounded, engaging curriculum,” says AFT President Randi Weingarten.

The resolution reflects the AFT’s prescription for ensuring that all children have the educational opportunities they need and deserve.

“Reclaiming the promise of public education will help make every public school a place where parents want to send their kids, teachers want to teach and children are engaged in a strong, well-rounded curriculum. It makes our public schools the center of the community and fulfills their purpose as an anchor of our democracy and a propeller of our economy,” she says.

Instead of failed strategies such as top-down edicts, mass school closures, privatization, attacks on collective bargaining, and increased testing with sanctions instead of support for teachers, the AFT says reclaiming the promise of public education involves:

• Fighting for neighborhood public schools that are safe, welcoming places for teaching and learning.
• Ensuring that teachers and school support staff are well-prepared, are supported, have time to collaborate and have tools, like small class sizes.
• Enabling teachers to teach an engaging curriculum that includes art and music and the sciences.
• Ensuring kids have access to wraparound services to meet their emotional, social and health needs.

AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka says, “Every child deserves the promise of an excellent education. The AFL-CIO will join educators, parents, students and community members to reclaim the promise of public education so that today’s students will be well-prepared to help build America and its economy.”

Among those speaking in favor of the resolution was Jorge Ramirez, president of the Chicago Federation of Labor, who spoke about the effect in Chicago of policies that resulted in mass school closings and layoffs of more than 3,800 educators and school employees. The Chicago Board of Education refused to listen to parents, educators, students and the greater Chicago community, he said.

The Rev. Michael Livingston, national policy director of Interfaith Worker Justice, questioned policies that disinvest in public education.

“What kind of future can our nation expect if we allow school administrators and lawmakers to simply give up and outsource our public schools?” he asked.

Cecil Roberts, president of the United Mine Workers of America, used the AFT’s Reconnecting McDowell public-private partnership in McDowell County, W.Va., to illustrate the positive impact on public schools and the community when unions, community members, lawmakers, business and foundations collaborate.

“By working with both traditional and nontraditional partners, Reconnecting McDowell is reclaiming the promise of public education and revitalizing a community. If it can be done in the rural mountains of West Virginia, it can be done anywhere,” Roberts said. (video by Matthew Jones and Brett Sherman)

Read the resolution.

September 11, 2013

Using Questions to Teach & Learn

This research based workshop promotes critical thinking skills by improving questioning strategies by students and teachers. It looks at surface and deep structure of questions that go across curriculum contents and comes under the umbrella of Danielson’s model of Common Core standards. It destroys the myth of Bloom’s Taxonomy as having a set order to questioning techniques and proves higher level thinking can occur at all question levels. This is a hands-on activity based …workshop that teachers can use immediately in the classroom.

The New Teacher Academy is offered during the school year on the 2nd Saturday of the Month.

Educational Research and Dissemination (ER&D) is an AFT professional development program for teachers, paraprofessionals, and school-related personnel. ER&D courses are grounded in scientifically-based research and meet the standards for high-quality professional development.

As a teacher, you will learn research-based strategies in:
 Beginning of the Year Classroom Management
 Establishing the Learning Environment
 Effective Group Management
 Interactive Instructional Strategies
 Time on Task
 Maximizing Time on Task
 Effective Use of Teacher Praise
 Using Homework Effectively

OPEN TO ALL TEACHERS, NEW AND VETERAN

These courses are NCLB compliant and approved by local school boards for CLU Credit. One hour = One credit. (free to members & potential members)

Red River United wants to thank all of the members that came out to September 5th’s highly eventful Bossier Parish School Board meeting.

First, on the topic of the option of twice monthly pay. Red River United would like to thank D.C. Machen, Jr. for putting us on the agenda and the BPSB for hearing our testimony. We believe that the OPTION of receiving your pay two times per month is something that new and transferred employees are looking for. Additionally, unexpected expenses (blown tires, emergency surgery) can quickly deplete a person’s savings. Knowing that a paycheck is coming soon can help navigate through a financial quagmire. Red River United is not pushing for anyone to change their pay schedule who does not want to. The BPSB is going to put out an employee survey and look into the possibility of implementing the twice monthly pay option for the next school year.

Second, last year Red River United asked that the Christmas supplement allocation date be moved forward, so that checks would arrive before the thanksgiving holiday. We are proud to announce that BPSB employees will now enjoy their Christmas checks on November 22.

But wait, there’s more.

MFP monies the Louisiana State Legislature set aside for teachers, partially due to lobbying efforts of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers (RRU’s state affiliate), will also be delivered on November 22.

But wait, there’s more.

With great wisdom the BPSB realized the other half of their education family, paraprofessionals and support related personnel, also deserve a supplement in pay. So, the BPSB reached into local coffers in order to add an additional amount to these employees’ checks on November 22! Red River United could not be more thrilled.

Thank you Superintendent D.C. Machen, Jr. and the Bossier Parish School Board