Week of December 14, 2020
Union Office Mural Named
In late 2017, I was sitting in the main part of the office, on a sitting in a spot that I don't usually sit. I can't remember what I was working on but I was stuck and found myself staring at the wall. I thought the wall needed something. At first, I was thinking we could get pictures of different events and hang them up, but the wall is so big, we would need a lot of them or they would need to be really big. Then the idea of a mural came to life. I talked to Terry about what we might do. We both agreed it had to do with the Union, but couldn't envision it. I reached out to long-time Union member and art teacher Robin Peringer to talk about this. With a few of her Art Honor Society Students, Robin designed and painted our mural. Here are Robin's thoughts on the mural:
"The images to the left hand side of the mural were inspired by the women's suffrage movement, which took activists almost 100 years to make the right for women to vote a reality. It can take years to make the changes that are so necessary. This image is to show "us" as current union members of our local, on the right (all four units) as continuing to stand united with our past folks who fought so hard for all basic human rights (the weekend, 40 hour work week, ending child labor, etc.) just as we continue today to fight for equality, a livable wage, decent healthcare coverage, working conditions, etc. Of course the bottom line is to visually say unions are still very much needed in this day and age; and I am happy to say it gave me the chance to educate the four young people that gave up their vacation time to paint this with me!"
The mural was completed in February 2018 and now (finally) as a name: Coming Together: Workplace Democracy. I would like to thank Robin for her work on this beautiful mural as well her four students: Heather Bridge, Becca Elliot, Grace Brown and Lily Brown.
Coming Together: Workplace Democracy
Know Your Contract
Teacher Retirement Deadline Notice
Attention teachers considering retirement at the end of this school year!!!
Under Article 4.9A of the contract, in order to be eligible for your severance, you must submit a binding letter of retirement to the Superintendent no later than February 1, 2021.
I would also suggest that you set up an appointment with the New Hampshire Retirement System. In order to receive your severance, you must provide a copy of your first retirement check.
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Binge Watching
With services like Netflix, waiting patiently for the next episode to air is a thing of the past for many shows. This has led to binge watching a season in a matter of days as opposed to over the course of a traditional season of the show. As someone who has done it - The Crown, The Queen's Gambit - it is both a blessing and a curse. As we approach a much deserved, extended break, many will turn to TV or streaming services for some down time. So, what should we binge? Share your top picks and I'll share the top 10 just before we head to break.
Self Care Tips
Watch whatever makes you feel better
Right now, I am watching anything that has a more upbeat message or a happy ending — nothing dark or disturbing. And who doesn't love Hallmark movies? Animal planet also has some really cute videos of puppies and kittens on 24/7.
And coming next week - the top shows to binge as recommended by the membership!
Self Care tips are courtesy of Ashley Benoit, School Psychologist
Full the full Self Care Guide, click here
We all know that our jobs can be stressful, now more than ever! Add on top of that the responsibilities we all have outside of school, it can sometimes seem overwhelming. Over the past year, there have been more and more stories about employees reaching their breaking point and not knowing what to do. The City of Nashua, through Anthem, offers, a FREE and CONFIDENTIAL service call the Employee Assistance Program (EAP). This service is open to all district employees, regardless if you have insurance through the district. The service is in place to offer assistance for a variety of challenges you may be facing: the stress of your job, being behind on bills, looking for daycare, etc. This service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. To access this information, please visit www.anthemeap.com. Under "Members" click Login; then type City of Nashua.
Free Opportunities for Members
Supporting Students with Grief and Loss (Webinar) Powered by ShareMyLesson
December 21st at 3:00pm Click here to register
Starting
January 2021
Courses for Everyone
10 Trauma-Informed Strategies to Help Students Heal
Developing Problem-Solving Strategies with Bar Models: Winter Virtual Edition
Differentiating Instruction
ELL 101 Special Virtual Edition: Planning for the Success of ELLs
Make Your Virtual Science POP!
Meeting Writing Expectations in the K-5 Classroom: Recommendations for Improving Writing Instruction
Simple View of Reading: One Lens at a Time, the Full Picture
Teach Them to Think
Teaching for Engaged Learning Course Options:
The Classroom Management Puzzle: Putting the Pieces Together
Every Child Needs a Champion: Unlock Your Ability to Build Online Caring Relationships
Real Talk
What You Get Is What You Expect\
Costs for Members: $20.00 per course
For Registration, click here.
Courses for New Teachers
Differentiating Instruction
Teach Them to Think
Teaching for Engaged Learning Course Options:
The Classroom Management Puzzle: Putting the Pieces Together
Every Child Needs a Champion: Unlock Your Ability to Build Online Caring Relationships
Real Talk
What You Get Is What You Expect
Costs for New Teachers: $10.00 per course
For Registration, click here.
For All Courses and Members
NTU COPE
Upcoming Meetings: no meeting scheduled
Scholarship Opportunities
AFT Robert G. Porter Scholars Program - 2021
Union Plus Scholarship Program - 2021
Closes January 31, 2021
Sponsored by the Union Plus Education Foundation. The program is open to members, spouses and dependent children of unions participating in any of the Union Plus programs. See the Union Plus Scholarship Program website (link is external) for more information.
Favorite Cookie Showdown
There were no surprises again this week. Chocolate Chip and Snickerdoodles crushed the competition by more than 72% each. These results set us up for our first Seed 1 vs. Seed 2 of our extremely competitive competitions. Who will take the crown? The final results will come next week!
For the NTU calendar, click here
For the BOE calendar, click here
For the BOE agendas and minutes, click here
Upcoming Events
- December 14th
- Para Negotiations, 1:00pm, via Zoom (for Negotiations Team only)
- BOE Curriculum and Evaluation Committee Meeting, 6:00pm, via Zoom
- December 15th
- BOE Policy Committee Meeting, 6:00pm, via Zoom
- December 21st
- BOE Human Resources Committee Meeting, 5:30pm, via Zoom
- Board of Education Meeting, 6:00pm, via Zoom
- December 24th - January 3rd
- No School; Have a great break!
- December 25th
- To those who celebrate, Merry Christmas!!!
- January 1, 2021
- HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
- January 5th
- Executive Board, 4:00pm, via Zoom
- January 6th
- Internal Teacher Negotiations, 2:00pm, via Zoom
- January 9th
- Teacher Leaders Program, via Zoom
