WTU News and Information 
BACK TO SCHOOL ISSUE 
Register NOW!
WTU Teacher Center
Fall 2015 Professional Development Program 
Registration Dates:  
August 14 -
September 4, 2015
Research-based. Peer-to-Peer PD. Solutions-driven.


Our fall selection of adult learning opportunities features a steep discount for full-dues members, new courses and instructional support for Common Core English Language Arts/Literacy, Common Core Mathematics, Differentiated Instruction, Formative Assessments and Integration of Computer Technology. Participants earn 45 Professional Learning Units (PLUs) per course.

All new DCPS educators with a new full-dues WTU membership receive a learning scholarship to take one free course this semester! Limited learning scholarships are also available for teachers and full-dues members receiving Developing and below on the IMPACT Assessment. To qualify, please attach your final 2014-15 IMPACT evaluation report to your Fall 2015 course registration form.

Go HERE to register.

To register now and view the Fall 2015 course catalog, visit:
www.wtulocal6.org .
 
Enroll NOW!
WTU Open Enrollment
for Dental and Vision Benefits

Open enrollment began Monday, August 10, 2015 through Monday, September 14, 2015.


You must enroll online by September 14
in order for your dental and vision benefits to begin on October 1, 2015. You must also log into your account to update and review your current dental and vision plan, add dependents, ensure that our database has identical information as the DCPS Peoplesoft system (you risk losing coverage if we do not have identical information as Peoplesoft), and to enroll in the Sick/Maternity/Paternity Leave Banks.

You will not be able to make changes to your plan or join the Leave Banks after September 14
th .

Go HERE to enroll

To enroll or view your enrollment status and Plan profile information, visit:
 

SIGN UP 
for Master Educator -Led  
"Setting Up For Success" 
PD Sessions

Master educators will host Teach Sessions to introduce and deepen understanding of the Teaching & Learning Framework. Four series (General Education, Special Education, Language Acquisition and Early Childhood) will be provided beginning on August 24.

All participants must register for each session they will attend on PD Planner at  dcps.schoolnet.com or complete the Google Survey at  https://goo.gl/5dfsKP. Participants will receive 2 PLUs for each session. For more information, please see the attached "Setting Up For Success PD Sessions" or reach out to  impact.dcps@dc.gov.

See a FLYER 

UPDATE!
Election of the WTU Elections Committee, Delegates to
the AFT Convention and
Metro Labor Council
The election of the WTU Elections Committee, Delegates to the AFT Convention and Metro Labor Council (DC/Maryland AFL-CIO will be held at the first WTU General Membership Meeting of the school year on Tuesday, Sept. 22, at McKinley Technology High School. The election will be held from 4-7pm. All full-dues members (paying $36.08 per pay period) and in good standing are eligible to vote.

Ballots will be counted and the results announced by the Elections Committee. Members will be asked to present a WTU membership card, driver's license, or some other form of ID at the polls in order to verify membership. The candidates for the open positions will be listed on the WTU website ( www.wtulocal6.org) by the close of business on Sept. 8, 2015.
 
Membership cards are on the way to all full dues members. Check your pay stub to see if you're a full-dues member paying $36.08 per pay period versus the agency fee amount of $30.67 per pay period.

Full dues members should contact the WTU office if you do not receive your new membership card by September 4, 2015. Click HERE if you're not a full member to join us today!

2014-15 IMPACT Grievances

There's still time for educators interested in filing an IMPACT grievance for the school year 2014-15.
You must contact your WTU field rep as soon as possible and before September 1. Send an email to dialogue@wtulocal6.net.

SAVE THE DATE!

WTU General

Membership Meeting

 

Tuesday, Sept. 22

4 pm - 7pm

McKinley Technology

High School

  

VISIT THE OUR WEBSITE FOR INFORMATION AND RESOURCES
 
  
  
Be sure to visit the WTU website where you'll find a wealth of information and valuable resources, including the WTU Year End newsletter and the
 
Our website also has documents outlining
your rights as a D.C. Public School educator, as well as an ever-growing list of
 
Check it out!

LIKE US!  
WTU FACEBOOK PAGE  

Your union and its leaders are  
working hard on your behalf. Stay abreast of the latest WTU events, activities an news at the new and improved WTU Facebook page.
 

GO HERE

to "Like Us" on Facebook


@WTUTeacher is growing!
Quick Links
Message from President Elizabeth A. Davis
We've had a busy and productive summer  
Contract talks, extended day among union priorities 
Welcome to a new school year! I hope you had a wonderful summer break and that you were able to use the time off to renew and recharge.
Your union has remained busy-and we have the results to prove it. We kicked off the break with our Summer PD Institute. More than 100 teachers were on hand at Howard University's Law School for the accelerated professional development program. In July, the WTU had a major presence at the AFT's TEACH 2015 Conference. The conference's agenda included workshops led by WTU Teacher Leaders and Professional Development Instructors, and a Happy Hour Reception hosted by the WTU.
As you'll read in this e-newsletter, in early August the WTU hosted a Back-to-School Union Leadership Institute at Gallaudet University that was a big hit with building reps and other local school union leaders. The union made a huge splash at the recent New Teacher Orientation where more than 700 new DCPS teachers signed on as full dues paying WTU members. Thanks to the hard work of our volunteer local school leaders, volunteer retirees and staff the WTU has signed up over 2,500 new, full dues paying members in the past 18 months alone.
I know that the top issue for many of you as we begin a new school year is your contract. I want to assure you that the WTU is making every effort to work with D.C. Public Schools negotiators on the development of a contract that puts students first and solutions ahead of blame. I recently sent a letter to Chancellor Henderson urging that we come together around contract negotiations with "a new sense of purpose and urgency" and move forward on reaching a settlement.
The union's goal is simple: we want a final, ratified agreement that is in the best interest of all education stakeholders, including students, parents, administrators, the community and, of course, our members. We can do this!
As many of you know, the school district's extended day program continues to be a hot topic. A number of schools that had adopted the extended day program have recently decided to discontinue it. What the limited research shows is that simply adding time to the current school day has increasing diminished results. 
The WTU is not against extended learning opportunities for our students.  In fact, we think it is a good idea.  But the district's plan for extended learning is shortsighted and not very well informed. If our students are going to benefit from extended learning, we have to do it in a way that makes sense.
Finally, the WTU continues to receive dozens of complaints about the IMPACT teacher evaluation system and its failure to accurately and fairly measure the work you do in your classroom. In the past year alone, the union has filed over 130 grievances challenging the IMPACT process on behalf of individual members. We will continue to be vigilant and responsive as we strive to work with DCPS to address your frustrations with IMPACT.
In Solidarity,
Elizabeth Davis
WTU has major presence at New Teacher Orientation
More than 700 sign on as full members

When more than 800 new DCPS teachers showed up at the Columbia Heights Education Campus, Aug. 12-13, for New Teacher Orientation they were greeted by WTU leaders and members. The WTU activists were on hand to make the new teachers aware of the services and benefits available to them through the union.

The new teachers obviously took note because more of than 700 of them took advantage of the opportunity to sign on as full dues paying members of the WTU.

The tremendous outpouring of support for the union was reflective of the successful member recruitment and mobilization program that has resulted in the union gaining more than 2,500 new members in the past 18 months.
Speaking on the orientation's opening day, WTU President Elizabeth Davis urged the new teachers to try to learn all they can from their more experienced colleagues. She told them that the best way to reach students is "to connect your lessons to their lives ."

The WTU provided professional development courses in areas such as classroom and behavior management, Common Core State Standards, and working with English Language Learners. The two-day orientation ended with a well-attended happy hour hosted by the union where the new teachers had an opportunity to mix and mingle with other first year teachers, as well as veteran educators.

Go HERE to see more photos.

 
  
  

Photos by Edward C. Jones
Union Leadership Institute equips building reps, local school union leaders with skills and information

Close to 100 WTU members were on hand for the union's Back to School Union Leadership Institute (ULI) at Gallaudet University, Aug. 4-5. The program included sessions on organizing and member engagement, the role of local school union leaders in school reform, and research-based instructional strategies.

President Elizabeth Davis shared with participants some of the union's activities over the past year. Stressing that there is strength in numbers, Davis noted the WTU's membership growth "is about us reclaiming your voice as teachers and reclaiming your power in this city. Because your voice matters."

The WTU president promised that the union would continue to speak out against the school system's broken teacher evaluation system, IMPACT, and expose the negative impact that the evaluation system has had on teacher morale and retention.

AFT Southern Regional Director Al Squire assured ULI participants that the WTU has the full support of the national organization. Member mobilization is essential to negotiating a good and fair contract with DCPS, he said. "DCPS needs to know that you have the ability to mobilize your members."

A presentation on SMART Goal Setting was lead by Robert Yeldell, CEO of People Building People, and ULI participants were also able to browse


tables featuring WTU and AFT member benefits. In addition, representatives from DCPS were on hand to talk about the school system's corporal punishment and alcohol and drug testing policies.

All local school union leaders and members are strongly encouraged to participate in the quarterly Union Leadership Institute training.The next ULI will take place on October 24. Stay tuned for more details.





Photos by Edward C. Jones
We can put 40,000 free books in the hands of kids who need them. But we need your help!
 
First Book is ready to donate 40,000 free, brand new books for children in low-income DC schools, nonprofits and programs like Head Start. But we can't do it with out your help.
 
When need 2,000 registrations-and we are just 700 signatures away from reaching our goal! Helping is easy. All you have to do is fill out the registration form on our website ( www.wtulocal6.org) or visit  firstbook.org/aft today to register. 
 
Giving a child a book is like planting a seed.  Please help now by simply registering with First Book at:  www.firstbook.org/aft by August 31.
Too many schoolchildren don't have adequate access to books. You can help simply by registering with First Book.
Do you have what it takes to be a Teacher Leader?

Have you ever seen a news report or talk show discuss issues around teaching and learning and thought to yourself or said to your colleagues, "Why don't they just ask a real teacher?"

WTU Teacher Leaders is a union program designed to help prepare  YOU to be that classroom teacher, facilitating discussion of the issues that affect our profession both here in the Washington, DC and nationally.

The union is seeking teachers interested in joining our 2015-2016 Teacher Leaders cohort to collaborate with colleagues across the city and nation.

Learn more about the Teacher Leaders program HERE 
  
The Teacher Leaders application is HERE 

WATCH a presentation by 2014-15 WTU Teacher Leaders and cohort members Olubusola Ayangbesan and Shakera Oliver from Brightwood Education Campus.
WTU Retirees' Chapter collecting
school supplies for DC kids



The Washington Teachers' Union Retirees' Chapter is collecting school supplies to give to a D. C. public school. The goal is to provide students in need with as many supplies as possible. If you would like to donate school supplies contact retirees' chapter president Dr. Johnny Brinson at jbrinson06@verizon.net.
 
HERE is a list of the school supplies needed.

For information about joining the retirees' chapter go HERE.