Pennsylvania State Education Association

Week of 4-5-2021

Inside this issue

• PSEA, we did it!
• What’s your vaccine story? Tell us about it.
• U.S. Ed. Secretary Miguel Cardona visits Upper Darby
• LAST CHANCE to enter the PSEA T-shirt design contest!
• PSEA’s Center for Professional Learning schedule
• PSEA Member Benefits spotlight: Voluntary Vision plan

Pennsylvania’s school staff vaccine program vaccinated more than 112,000 school employees in less than four weeks. This is a tremendous success – and a turning point.

Getting our members vaccinated has been PSEA’s top priority because it helps to ensure that our schools are safe spaces to work and learn. Now that every PSEA member who wants the Johnson & Johnson vaccine has gotten it, we can start getting all our schools back open for in-person instruction.

Congratulations, PSEA. And thank you for everything you do.

Share your story with us on Facebook!

Denise Kennedy with U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona

On Tuesday, U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona visited Beverly Hills Middle School in the Upper Darby School District as part of the Biden Administration’s “Help Is Here” tour.

Joined by PA Acting Secretary of Education Noe Ortega, Secretary Cardona visited several classrooms and spoke with middle school students and teachers. He then participated in a roundtable discussion with district administrators, teachers, and high school students to discuss the district’s unique needs and challenges.

“It was really cool to see so many officials be able to easily talk about the positives of our community such as diversity, but just as easily talk about the needs we struggle to meet because of funding,” said Upper Darby ESP member Denise Kennedy, who was one of several PSEA members who had a chance to attend the event and speak with the officials at a meet-and-greet after the roundtable.

Kennedy spoke to the secretary about the various community outreach initiatives her district takes part in and about key district leaders who have left their impact on the students and community.

“One key take away is that Secretary Cardona said that he heard a lot from us about not only the need to reopen schools, but the need to reimagine education, to build back better, to hit a reset button,” she said.

Contest ends APRIL 14!

We need you to help us imagine PSEA’s next member T-shirt.

Last year, PSEA-Retired member Kathy Bravin came up with a simple but powerful design that reflects why we are educators and support professionals. The “I Love Public Schools” T-shirts have been a big hit.

Now, it’s your turn to come up with PSEA’s next T-shirt design. What do you want to communicate about what it means to be an educator and a PSEA member?

PSEA’s Center for Professional Learning schedule

Check out our upcoming webinars, book discussions, and wellness events on PSEA’s Center for Professional Learning:

Earn Act 48/Chapter 14 credit anytime, anywhere.

Webinars

• Leveling Up Seesaw
  • April 13, 6-7:30 p.m.
• Google Classroom (Advanced)
  • April 20, 6-7:30 p.m.
• EdTech Pedagogy in Early Childhood
  • April 27, 6-7:30 p.m.
• Screencasting: Loom, Screencastify, Google Meet
  • May 4, 6-7:30 p.m.
• Educator Evaluation in 2021 and Beyond
  • May 6, 2021, 5-6:30 p.m.
• Implicit Bias in Schools
  • May 20, 5-6:30 p.m.

Book Discussions

• Race to Incarcerate: A Graphic Retelling - Sabrina Jones and Mac Mauer
• April 21, 5-6 p.m.
• Out of My Mind - Sharon Draper
• May 5, 5-6 p.m.
• Early Elementary LGTBQIA+ Book Collection
• May 12, 5-7 p.m.
• Late Elementary LGTBQIA+ Book Collection
• May 17, 5-7 p.m.
• New Kid - Jerry Craft
• May 19, 5-6 p.m.

Wellness Sessions

• Mindfulness for Members 2021-VII – This session includes mindful practices for preventing burnout.
• April 12, 5-6 p.m.
• Mindfulness for Members 2021-VIII – This session includes mindful practices for experiencing gratitude.
• April 26, 5-6 p.m.
• Mindfulness for Members 2021-IX – This session includes mindful practices for healthy minds.
• May 10, 5-6 p.m.
• Mindfulness for Members 2021-X – This session includes mindful practices for developing awareness.
• May 24, 5-6 p.m.
• Mindfulness for Members 2021-XI – This session includes mindful practices for experiencing calm, joy, gratitude, self-compassion, and resilience.
• June 7, 5-6 p.m.

The PSEA Voluntary Vision Plan offers low monthly payments, great frame and contact lens allowances, exam coverage, fitting fee coverage for contact lenses, and offers the choice of 12-month or 24-month coverage. The plan is available to all PSEA members and eligible dependents to age 26. Enrollment opens the first of each month.

The 12-month plan highlights include a $250 frame allowance or $150 contact lenses allowance with monthly premiums of only $12 for single coverage, $24 for two party and, $35 for family coverage.

The 24-month plan highlights include a $250 frame allowance or $175 contact lenses allowance with monthly premiums of only $8 for single coverage, $16 for two party and, $23 for family coverage.

For more information on the vision program please visit https://pseahwf.org/voluntary_vision/ or call the PSEA Health & Welfare Fund at 800-944-7732 ext. 7024