| February–A short month, and a (slightly) shorter message than usual…but, thankfully, slightly longer hours of daylight, which I hope helps us all as we continue to deal with omicron, shortages, as well as the winter weather in Maine. Still, though shorter, there is important information below, so please take a few moments to scan this message, and, as always, reach out with any questions.Your Career February is Black History Month, and NEA has many resources for all levels: https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/student-engagement/tools-tips/black-history-month-lessons-resources Your Association The next meeting of the MEA Board of Directors is this weekend. Reach out to your Board Director and let them know how things are going in your area. You can find your Board of Director here: https://maineea.org/board-of-directors/ MEA Awards–Nominations for the many MEA Awards are due March 5th! Let’s be sure to recognize our educators and community members for all they do. Information and forms are here: https://maineea.org/award-grants/ MEA Representative Assembly—Notices of intent for MEA RA local association delegate elections are submitted to the local president (not to MEA)—the local association president submits the certificate of election to MEA once local delegates are elected. Please be sure your local is represented at the highest governing body of the MEA! Information and necessary forms are here: https://maineea.org/mea-elections/ Reach out with any questions! Also remember to submit any new, or amendments to, MEA Resolutions, amendments to the MEA Constitution/Bylaws/Standing Rules, or input to the 2022-2023 MEA Strategic Budget by March 5th. Information and forms are here: https://maineea.org/ra/ The NEA Legislative Committee is responsible for the stewardship of our NEA Legislative Program. The Committee is holding listening sessions on Thursday, Feb. 17th at 7:30 p.m. and again on Thursday, March 3rd at 9:00 p.m. They invite you to share your voice. Here is the link to RSVP: NEA Legislative Listening Sessions RSVP NEA President Becky Pringle will host a Town Hall for members on February 16 on COVID-19 & Schools. Watch for the time and log-on information that will be shared soon. The 2022 NEA National Leadership Summit will be held in person in Las Vegas, March 11-13th and there will also be a virtual option. Choose your experience during the registration process. Registration opens February 4th and closes on February 25th (or when registration reaches capacity). For details – www.nea.org/leadershipsummit. The 2022 NEA-Retired Conference, will take place in person in Baltimore,March 16-18, 2022. For details go to NEA-Retired | NEA . The 2022 NEA Higher Education Conference will take place in person in Baltimore, March 17-20. Registration is open. The 2022 NEA ESP National Conference will take place in person in New Orleans, March 25-27. Registration is open. Your Support The Maine Department of Education’s Office of School and Student Supports is holding a six-part series beginning tomorrow, “SOS to Spring”, with modules on Adult SEL (Social Emotional Learning) skills. For more information and to register, go to: https://www.maine.gov/doe/calendar/6-part-series-sos-training-registration-part-i The next session with the NEA ESP Learning Network – Resilient and Ready: Practicing Resiliency in the Education Community is February 17th, 2022, 7:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. Here is the link to register. Of Interest Here are several resources you may find useful from a recent webinar on COVID-19 Guidance and Mental Health Resources for K-12 Schools, presented by the Federal School Safety Clearinghouse, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Mental Health Technology Transfer Center Network: National School Mental Health Implementation Guidance Modules and Related Projects | Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network (mhttcnetwork.org) Responding to COVID-19 | School Mental Health Resources | Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network (mhttcnetwork.org) C-TLC | Back to School After COVID-19: Supporting Student and Staff Mental Health Toolkit | Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network (mhttcnetwork.org) Managing Anxiety & The Return To Schools | Mental Health Technology Transfer Center (MHTTC) Network (mhttcnetwork.org) Classroom WISE Reminders IMPORTANT—every so often we hear from a member that they are not receiving communications from MEA. Please check the different email addresses you may have (and remember, it is strongly encouraged to use personal email addresses for communications with your association). Be sure MEA has the correct one on file for you, and also check spam folders. Sometimes a member has unintentionally ‘unsubscribed’. Local leaders, please check with your members that they are getting communications from MEA, and let us know of any problems. And remember to download the MEA App! That is where you will find the latest information and communications. Also, the recent webinar on Student Loan Forgiveness will be posted there soon. For information on how to download the MEA App, go to: https://maineea.org/mea-app/ Thank you all for ALL you do as we continue to meet these ongoing challenges! Reach out any time – I’m glad to meet/call/talk with you (and listen!) as well as with your local whenever! |
| In Unity, Grace Leavitt, President Maine Education Association |
