Representing Teachers and School Employees in Northwest Louisiana
Mark your calendars! Red River United will be holding its spring General Membership Meeting on April 3,2014 at 5:00 PM* at the Red River United office on 1726 Line Ave., Shreveport, LA 71105
Both members and potential members are encouraged to attend.
Come out and learn about RRU’s initiatives this legislative session, and much, much more!
*Note that this date was recently corrected.
Share My Lesson Hosts Unprecedented Virtual ‘Ideas and Innovations’ Conference
Washington, DC—Share My Lesson, the largest online community of American educators sharing lesson plans and other teaching materials, will host on March 11-13 an unprecedented virtual conference of 24 webinars for educators and parents, ranging from creative ways to teach the arts and natural sciences, proactive and positive behavior management tips, and ways to cultivate innovative thinkers.
“Ideas and Innovations,” an interactive digital festival of professional learning, will take place on the evenings of March 11-13 and is a pre-conference option to the Teaching and Learning 2014 conference. AFT President Randi Weingarten will kick off the virtual conference with a keynote presentation:
“Reclaiming the Promise of Public Education,” on March 11 at 6 p.m. EST.
The webinars will be presented by Share My Lesson content leaders and partners, including the American Federation of Teachers Innovation Fund, Storyboard That, Achieve, NBC Learn, the Nature Conservancy, ConSource, the Center for Arts Education, LearnZillion, PBS LearningMedia and the U.S. Fund for UNICEF.
Share My Lesson was created by the American Federation of Teachers and Britain’s TES Connect to provide educators with a virtual professional community, which now boasts nearly 300,000 lesson plans, videos, handouts and other teaching resources, more than 30,000 of which are aligned to the Common Core State Standards. Participation in the event is free but limited to those who register—also, free of charge—on www.sharemylesson.com
Red River United, in conjunction with the Caddo Parish School Board, is hosting its 11th annual “Most Improved Student Celebration” on Tuesday, May 13, from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. at Southwood High School.
Remember, in selecting the MOST IMPROVED STUDENT, our goal is to encourage and recognize a student who is normally not recognized at school. In order to encompass the entire school body, be sure to include special needs students as well.
If at all possible, we would encourage you to recognize the student (s) at your end of the year Awards Day program. The RRU and the CPSB will supply the certificate and award. Many schools select a teacher committee to choose ONE most IMPROVED student PER SCHOOL.
CRITERIA:
* Raised grade point average from grading period to grading period
* Fewer Disciplinary Infractions
* Display School Pride
* Improved Peer Relations and Teacher Respect
* Met classroom expectations (Improved attendance when attendance has been a concern)
The University of Illinois-Chicago United Faculty is a joint affiliate of the AFT and the American Association of University Professors. “From the outset,” says AAUP President Rudy Fichtenbaum, “the UIC United Faculty has bargained and the administration has stalled. While the administration rakes in millions in profits, and has hundreds of millions of dollars in reserves, it refuses to pay faculty what they deserve. We support our brothers and sisters at UIC in their struggle for a fair and just contract.”
Illinois Federation of Teachers President Dan Montgomery, who is an AFT vice president, calls it “outrageous” that the university has increased tuition and burdened students with debt, all while socking away almost a billion dollars of students’ money. “Just as outrageous,” he adds, “is that the administration has spent the students’ tuition dollars on increasing the number of administrative positions and reducing the number of faculty.”
AAUP Collective Bargaining Congress Chair Howard Bunsis asks how the UIC administration can claim it has offered a ‘fair contract’ when newly hired faculty make more than faculty who have been at the institution for many years. “How can the administration claim that it has offered a ‘fair contract’ when many nontenure-track faculty earn just $30,000 a year (less than a living wage in Chicago)? How can the administration claim that it has offered a ‘fair contract’ when faculty, who have been teaching at UIC for more than 10 years, do not know until August each year whether they will have a job in the upcoming year? If the administration cared about the quality of education received by UIC students, it would have settled with the faculty after 18 months of bargaining.”
Send a message of support to the UIC United Faculty. Follow the conversation about the strike on Twitter: #UICstrike.
“Thank you thank you thank you! It’s for books that I ordered. Each 9 weeks my children read chapter books when they’re getting ready for the LEAP test. So now every child will be afforded a book to have in my class to read,” said Johnson.
National School Counseling Week, sponsored by the American School Counselor Association (ASCA), is celebrated during the week of February 3-7, 2014, to focus public attention on the unique contribution of professional school counselors within U.S. school systems. National School Counseling Week highlights the tremendous impact that counselors can have in helping students achieve school success and plan for a career
This video highlights the struggles our public schools face to address issues of security and mental health. Our counselors are on the front lines, and Red River United honors the selfless work you do for the boys and girls of Caddo and Bossier Parishes.
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.
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.
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…
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!
Uploading is easy and can be done in a matter of minutes. This video shows you how.
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!
