It seems that one can just about always say, ‘This is a busy time of year”, but I’m sure that is especially true in the month of May. At MEA, with the legislature having adjourned, our focus turns to the upcoming MEA Representative Assembly, the NEA Representative Assembly, screening and potential endorsements of candidates, the MEA Summer Conference, all while membership plans and early enrollment are underway. As I write this, I’m in DC for my last NEA Superweek as your president—a week filled with meetings and lobbying visits.
I’m hoping that though you are busy with numerous celebrations—graduations, proms, to name a few—you can find a few moments to read the information shared here!
REALLY IMPORTANT: The MEA Representative Assembly is May 18-19.Delegates should have registered by now. Any questions, contact us right away, please!
MEA AND NEA EVENTS AND RESOURCES
REMINDER–DUE TODAY! Applications for The NEA Foundation’s Summer 2024 Grants to Educators are open until May 1st for Envision Equity Grants, Student Success Grants, and Learning and Leadership Grants. Grantees will be notified in July.
Next week is Educator Appreciation Week! While you may see it billed as “Teacher Appreciation Week”, we know that it takes ALL of us, in all our roles, to provide a great public school for every Maine student, and MEA appreciates you ALL!
May is Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage Month— Teaching Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander Heritage | NEA
SAVE THE DATE for MEA Summer Conference: July 29-30. Watch for details later this spring!”
New professional learning course from NEA: “Disability Representation: Historical Perspectives and the Impact of Media,” free to all members. Build an understanding of how educational practices can support the presence of students with disabilities in schools and more. PEP – Professional Excellence Portal | Disability Representation: Historical Perspectives and the Impact of Media (learnupon.com)
Check out other professional development for members here: https://www.nea.org/professional-excellence/professional-learning/micro-credentials
Be sure to check this out, too: Books to Uplift Perspectives and Experiences of Disability | NEA Scroll down on the site to see about possible grant opportunities.
For our retired educators: would you be interested in being on a list of volunteers to be “educational surrogate parents” for students who have IEPs but don’t have a parent/guardian that can attend IEP meetings? If so, call Sarah Ferguson at the Maine Department of Education in the Office of Special Services at 207-592-6498.
MEA’s cohort of Leaders for Just Schools keeps growing. If your district is interested in connecting with one of our LJS facilitators, let me know. Read the 2024 LJS Report here: https://www.nea.org/sites/default/files/2024-02/ljs-program-report-2024.pdf
Our MEA Human and Civil Rights and Social Justice Committee wanted to be sure educators knew about resources on Wabanaki studies at the Maine DOE: https://www.maine.gov/doe/innovation/wabanakistudies
Read about NEA’s Principles for the Future of Assessment here: Principles for the Future of Assessment | NEA
NEA is again a co-sponsor of the Zinn Education Project’s Teach Truth Day of Action 2024 – Zinn Education Project (zinnedproject.org)
If your local is interested in an NEA-facilitated blended learning program, applications are due May 12: 2024-25 NEA ONLINE BLENDED LEARNING PROGRAM/ LOCAL ASSOCIATION GRANT (smartsheet.com)
OTHER ITEMS OF INTEREST
If you missed the webinar last month but are interested in Be SMART and safe gun storage, let me know and I will connect you with our member who can provide you with more information. https://besmartforkids.org/
UMaine is offering several Educator Workshops this summer: Check them out here: https://umaine.edu/summeruniversity/summer-workshops/ and here: 2024 SEI FLYER
The Maine DOE is seeking Kindergarten teachers who are interested in helping design a Kindergarten Entry Inventory. Information is here: PRIORITY NOTICE (Updated Links): Invitation to Opportunities Related to a Kindergarten Entry Inventory (mailchi.mp)
The Bias Inside Us Educator Toolkit from Smithsonian
https://www.sites.si.edu/s/topic/0TO4z0000011aq7GAA/the-bias-inside-us-educator-toolkit
I have attended a number of sessions on school safety, as well as have been a participant in the workgroup on lockdown drills established as a result of recent legislation. Along with resources from NEA https://www.nea.org/healthy-schools for those on your school safety team, you may be interested in these as well: https://www.schoolsafety.gov/
REMINDERS
Encourage any ‘not-yet-members’ in your local to register for next week’s webinar, “The Benefits of Belonging”, to learn more about membership in MEA and NEA. They should have received the invitation recently. Also, share the information about early enrollment: https://maineea.org/join/
The next Conversation for Racially/Ethnically Diverse MEA Members is tomorrow evening, May 2nd. If you know of a colleague who should be receiving the invitations to these monthly conversations but isn’t, please let us know!
This month there are two options for the MEA President’s Office Hours—May 13 and 14. All local association presidents and vice presidents should have received the invitation; if not, please let us know.
All local presidents (or their designee), MEA RA delegates, Government Relations Committee members, and the MEA Board of Directors are invited to participate in the MEA Screening and Endorsement of candidates—watch for the email with registration information!
Next month is PRIDE month—watch for information about some that MEA members will be participating in and join us!
Meanwhile, enjoy this busy month and the warmer, sunny weather!
In Unity,
Grace Leavitt, President
Maine Education Association
