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Dates & Deadlines
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| Frequently Asked Questions | Officers & Committees | Directions | Contact Us | Links |
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Greetings!
************************************************************************* Any changes for 08-09 in a pilot school staff schedule must have been proposed to staff by 1/15/08. The staff may override the schedule, if it chooses, by a 2/3 rds vote. An override sends the work schedule back to the pilot's Governing Board for possible adjustment and tweaking. By 2/15/08 there must be an approved work schedule in place, i.e., one that has not been overridden. If these processes have not taken place by 2/15/08, the current year's pilot school work schedule remains in place. ************************************************************************ A few weeks ago,a letter was sent out from the BTU in the first step of an ongoing campaign to give our students full information prior to possibly making a decision to leave the BPS for a charter school. The information in the BTU letter is useful to all who work with middle school students. We hope that by spreading the word about BPS high school programs, we can do a much better job of informing our students where there is a good match for them within our high school offerings. Next year we will expand the program to all grade levels in our attempt to give out information to all of our students who may be thinking of leaving our schools. As has been noted in an earlier email, the road to and from charter schools is a two-way street with hundreds of students going to and coming from charter schools each year. A good place to learn more about the varied offerings in our high schools, their themes, and locations is here . |
| Dental Problems Hurt Some Children More than Others--Contributing to and Exacerbating the Achievement Gap | |
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Have you ever tried to pay attention in a course when you have a toothache, a cavity, or a half-dead root canal that needs to be put out of its misery? Ever tried to concentrate with a rotten molar? Well, plenty of Mass students face these problems daily, according to a study conducted by Delta Dental and reported in the Globe last week. The Delta study reported a huge gap between low-income student and higher-income students, as well as between children of different races. Black and Hispanic children were twice as likely as white children to have to suffer untreated cavities. |
| According to the Globe: "Nearly two-thirds of third-graders from low-income families suffer from tooth decay, roughly twice the rate of children from higher-income families. Children from low-income families are less likely to receive treatment than those from higher-income families. The 67-page report, titled "The Oral Health of Massachusetts' Children" also found significant racial disparities in dental disease and treatment." Why do we mention the Dental Health Gap? According to Richard Rothstein in Class and Schools , "..differences in dental care...contribute another bit to the achievement gap between lower and middle class children." Similar contributors to the achievement gap have been found in vision, in hearing, in lead exposure, and in the incidence-of-asthma gap. Add gaps in housing and nutrition, and well, you get the picture. There are many 'gaps' and we really need to solve each of them if we hope to succeed in truly closing the academic achievement gap. Ignoring these other gaps to concentrate on the achievement gap is a short-sighted, losing strategy. |
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| Governor's Budget Update |
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| Scheduling PD Time, the 18 hrs, and the like: Please Avoid 2nd Wednesday of the Month |
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| Black Caucus |
All Black Caucus Meetings have been suspended until further notice due to lack of participation and if any one has any questions/concerns or interest in collaborating to pull together a Black Caucus Social please email Sarita Thomas @ sthomas@boston.k12.ma.us . |
| MABE Conference |
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MABE is offering a one day institute on March 7, 2008. It will feature two highly important and related educational strands- Special Education and Dual Language Education. We are honored to be able to introduce two highly respected key-note speakers, Dr. Beth Harry and Dr. Mary Cazabon. As a Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Miami School of Education, Dr. Harry's teaching focuses on the impact of cultural diversity on education, on working with families of children with disabilities, and on qualitative methods in educational research. Dr. Cazabon, Director of Bilingual and ELL education in the Cambridge Public schools, is a leading expert in the development and implementation of two-way bilingual education program models. |
| BTU Dues 2007/W2 Info | |
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Also, you may want to let the membership know that W2 forms were mailed out from the City of Boston's Treasury Office on Tuesday, January 22nd. Contact the City of Boston Treasury Office at 635-4151 with any questions. |
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Dues for 2007: $ 1005.66 for teachers; for paras, $ 493.92. |
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| OIIT Professional Development |
MyLearningPlan , Boston's new course management system, is now the place to register for all OIIT sponsored courses and workshops. Below is an outline of new winter offerings still available.
What's a blog? What's a wiki? If you are interested in finding out how using blogs and wikis in the classroom supports instruction, our Emerging Technologies February monthly 2-hour sessions have a limited number of seats available. Interested teachers must contact Joe Kidd at rkidd@boston.k12.ma.us to obtain location information and to reserve a seat as there is limited space available.
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| BTU Bowling League | |
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The first half of the School Personnel Bowling League has ended with Dan McDuffie, Anne Semler, Jean Christiani, and Phil Fasano emerging as First Half Champs. Congratulations! |
| Bowling is on Mondays at 4:00 PM at Boston Bowl on Morrisey Blvd. in Dorchester. New bowlers are welcome! Contact Sandy at 781-340-6281 for more information. |
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| BTU Blood Drive Set for May 29 |
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The BTU annual Blood Drive is back after a two year hiatus. On May 29th from 10-5 the BTU and the Red Cross will co-sponsor this event at the BTU, More details will be forthcoming. |
| The Blood drive is named after deceased BTU Member, Tom Cavanaugh, founder of the BTU Blood Drive. Pat Mullane from Madison Park and a group of volunteers are heading this up. Thanks, Pat. | |
| Are you a Teacher with a Voice Problem??? |
The BTU is announcing the following without making an endorsement. The announcement seems applicable and relevant. Mass Eye and Ear is conducting a study of teachers with voice problems. In the study they will explore the benefits of two commonly used approaches to voice therapy for teachers with voice problems. Both types of therapy are widely used and preliminary data show that they are both effective and equally effective. The hospital is looking for participants in this study who are:
Danielle Parrott: 617-573-4050, voicestudy@gmail.com. Participants will be paid for their time. The Voice & Speech Laboratory at the Massachusetts Eye & Ear Infirmary; Telephone: 617-573-4050; Fax: 617-573-4060; voicestudy@gmail.com Participants receive medical evaluation and treatment for their voice problems. Because "standard of care" is involved (although the standard has never been evaluated empirically, hence the need for the study), participants' insurance will be billed, if it is available. If not, the grant will cover the cost of all evaluations and treatments. Participants will also receive $100 for their participation, in addition to receiving excellent care of their voice problems. |
| MVA Convention to Be Held |
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79th Annual MVA Convention will be held on March 26, 27 and 29, 2009 at the Resort and Conference Center at Hyannis, Hyannis, MA
Mike Viggiano, by the way, is president-elect of the Massachusetts Vocational Association as well as a teacher at Madison Park. Congrats to Mike. |
| Learning During Retirement |
| Got a tip from a recent retiree this week about the Osher Lifelong Learning Center (OLLC) at UMass Boston. OLLC provides a learning environment that enriches the intellectual, social, and cultural lives of adults aged 50 and over who share a love of lifelong learning. This program is highly recommended by our member. |
| Upcoming HR and School-Based Deadlines |
Some HR/Staffing Deadlines: The HR Circular that explains some of the below in more depth has been re-released. It can be found here . See below deadlines and highlights.
School-Based Deadlines:
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| Nat'l Board for Professional Teaching |
CLD/BTU National Board Support Winter Thoughts? Think about Take One & 1 In-service credit National Board for Professional Teaching Standards option for entering NB teacher certification process 4 week Intro course to TOWARD NBCT status. Mondays
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| Grover Cleveland End-of-an-Era Party |
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The Grover Cleveland's End of an Era Party has been scheduled for June 13th at the Adam's Inn in Quincy from 7pm to midnite. The cost is $65 for champagne toast to the Cleveland, a barbecue buffet and a DJ for a nite of dancing and merriment. Checks made payable to Grover Cleveland can be mailed to: |
| BPS is Looking for Substitute Teachers |
From the BPS: "We are always looking for great substitute candidates and we have found one of our best sources can be education majors who have recently completed their student teaching. If you have, or had, a student teacher you believe would be a great asset to the BPS when they graduate, let us know and we will bring them on as substitute teachers, thus giving them more classroom experience along with a little pocket money. Please contact Carol Morrison Deutsch, cmorrison@bostonpublicschools.org, with any recommendations you may have." |
Sincerely,
Richard Stutman
BTU President
richardstutman@comcast.net (home)rstutman@btu.org (work)
617-288-2000
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BTU e-Bulletins
Back Issues
| #1 | 08/16/07 |
| #2 | 08/23/07 |
| #3 | 08/31/07 |
| #4 | 09/09/07 |
| #5 | 09/16/07 |
| #6 | 09/21/07 |
| #7 | 09/30/07 |
| #8 | 10/5/07 |
| #9 | 10/11/07 |
| #10 | 10/18/07 |
| #11 | 10/26/07 |
| #12 | 11/02/07 |
| #13 | 11/09/07 |
| #14 | 11/16/07 |
| #15 | 11/20/07 |
| #16 | 11/29/07 |
| #17 | 12/06/07 |
| #18 | 12/12/07 |
| #19 | 12/19/07 |
| #20 | 01/02/08 |
| #21 | 01/07/08 |
| #22 | 01/13/08 |
| #23 | 01/21/08 |