GEA NEWSLETTER
February 22, 2022
Greenwich Education Association Executive Board
Contact Us
Lillian Perone, President: president@greenwicheducationassociation.org
Lori Mulligan, VP Secondary: vpsecondary@greenwicheducationassociation.org
Melissa D'Amato, VP Elementary: vpelementary@greenwicheducationassociation.org
Chrissy Distel, VP of Communications: communications@greenwicheducationassociation.org
Jessica Punchatz, VP of Membership: membership@greenwicheducationassociation.org
Chuck Costello, PR&R Chair: prr@greenwicheducationassociation.org
Secretary: secretary@greenwicheducationassociation.org
Courtney Powers, Treasurer: treasurer@greenwicheducationassociation.org
PAC/BOE Chair, Aaron Johnson: pac@greenwicheducationassociation.org
GEA Leadership At Work
News & Recaps
- Beginning Tuesday, March 1st, mask wearing will optional in Greenwich Public Schools.
- At-Home Covid Tests: GPS still has a supply of at-home Covid tests and will be receiving more on or around Feb. 28th. Staff members who have been directly exposed or are symptomatic may obtain one from their school nurse.
- N95 masks are also still in stock. You may request one from your main office or school nurse.
- Class Coverage Data Form: If your administration requires you to cover another class/duty, please fill out this form. The GEA Executive Board uses this valuable data in our meetings with Dr. Jones and cabinet members, as well as negotiations.
- Our professional learning day on Friday, March 25th will be virtual and teachers may participate from their classrooms or from home!
- Quarantine Days Resolution:
GEA and the District came to an agreement which allows COVID-19 days to be counted for quarantine and positive cases. The agreement is only for the 2021-2022 school year. In the event the COVID health emergency continues, this agreement will apply in future years.
Directions for COVID-19 Day Usage
If you have already emailed Human Resources this year, you do not need to follow up again. They will start making individual changes in Frontline.
If you did not email Human Resources to report your COVID-19 days, you may email Marilyn Adelberg at marilyn_adelberg@greenwich.k12.ct.us and let her know the dates you were positive with COVID.
Quarantines were already counted as C-19 days, if the District placed you in quarantine.
On or before March 31, we will encourage GEA members to check their leave status to make sure that it is showing correctly. Please be patient, as this is a large data entry task and will most likely take the entire month of March to complete.
GEA Mask Survey Results
Key Findings:
Teachers are divided on their opinions of masking in schools.
Generally, teachers feel more unsafe teaching maskless students.
Elementary teachers are the most concerned cohort. Their comments reflect lower vaccination rates among the student population.
When asked “What would make me feel more safe?” teachers ranked the following as the five most important (*over 50% of teachers surveyed):
*I will continue to wear a mask.
*Remote Faculty/Staff Meeting (including Weds, PL, PPTs,etc.)
*Improved building air quality and filtration
A required 75% student vaccination threshold.,
Schools reinstate contact tracing.
Your GEA Executive Board is working with the CEA, your Building Reps, and the District to determine ways we can advocate for ALL of our members. We support everyone's right to choose to wear a mask and receive other reasonable accommodations when needed in order to protect their own health and safety.
Congratulations North Mianus 3rd Grade Team! You're Always on GEA's Honor Roll!!
Multifactor Authentication Update
Per Dr. Jones email 2/11/22:
Why is GPS doing this? It is now a requirement for cybersecurity insurance. Once you get set up, it will not happen often. The directions below do not require the use of your cell phone.
Using Google Authenticator for MFA on a Chromebook
1. Click the nine-dot grid at the top right.
2. Click "Account".
3. Click "Security" on the left side.
4. Select "2-Step Verification".
5. Click "Get Started".
6. Enter a phone number where you can receive a phone call. Your District phone number will work.
7. Select "Phone call".
8. Click "Next".
9. Answer the phone, enter the code, click "Next".
10. Click "Turn On".
If you are using your District telephone for MFA, you can stop here.
If you want to set up Authenticator, please continue:
11. Under "Available second steps" find "Authenticator app" and click "Set up authenticator".
12. Click "Can't scan it" to get a text key.
13. Install the "Authenticator" extension from the Web Store on your chromebook.
14. Run "Authenticator" on your chromebook.
15. Click the pencil at the top right, then click "+".
16. Select "Manual Entry".
17. Fill in "Issuer: Google" and "Secret" with the key from step 12, click "Ok".
18. On your computer, click "Next", enter the 6 digit code from your chromebook, then click "Verify".
19. All done, you can now use your chromebook for MFA.
Updates from the Executive Board
PRESIDENT
Negotiations Team:
GEA is seeking 4-6 people, in addition to the Executive Board, to participate on the Negotiations Team. We are hoping for an equal number of elementary, middle, and high school teachers. Please fill out the the Negotiations Survey, linked below, if you are interested in participating. The survey will close on Friday, March 4th.
Time commitment: Team meetings would likely start in March/April. Formal negotiations with the district will begin in June. We would meet a few times as a team first to analyze our current contract and discuss new proposals and additions, which could entail about 3-4 meetings. Then we would attend 4-5 meetings with the district for formal negotiations. These meetings are about 2-3 hours long and typically take place after school.
ELEMENTARY
If you are interested in participating on the Elementary Committee, please contact Melissa D'Amato at vpelementary@greenwicheducationassociation.org.
Time: October-June. Once a month either in person or virtual depending on preference.
# of People: At least one representative from each school with an alternate if possible.
Description: The elementary committee hopes to help everyone learn all parts of the contract in order to help answer questions that come up throughout the year. We hope to empower each elementary committee rep in assisting the GEA Building reps to resolve building issues and work to build positive working relationships within their buildings.
SECONDARY
If you are interested in participating on a Secondary Committee, please contact Lori Mulligan at vpsecondary@greenwicheducationassociation.org.
Middle School Committee:
Time: October-June. Once a month either in person or virtual depending on preference.
# of People: at least one representative from each school with an alternate if possible
Description: The Middle School Committee hopes to help everyone learn all parts of the contract in order to help answer questions that come up throughout the year. We hope to empower middle school committee members in assisting the GEA Building reps to resolve building issues and work to build positive working relationships within their buildings. Great opportunity for non-tenured and newly-tenured teachers to learn more about professional rights and responsibilities.
High School Committee:
Time: October-June. Once a month either in person or virtual depending on preference.
# of People: at least one representative from each House with an alternate if possible
Description: The High School Committee hopes to help everyone learn all parts of the contract in order to help answer questions that come up throughout the year. We hope to empower high school committee members in assisting the GEA Building reps to resolve building issues and work to build positive working relationships within their buildings. Great opportunity for non-tenured and newly-tenured teachers to learn more about professional rights and responsibilities.
COMMUNICATIONS
Video Submissions
Please send us your GEA video submissions by Friday, February 25th. This is an important way you can get involved and show your support as we prepare for contract negotiations. Please refer to the email sent on 2/9/22 titled "GEA PR Request: Video Clips" for detailed instructions.
Please reach out to your building reps if you need assistance taking the short video clips or uploading it to the shared drive. Feel free to email Chrissy Distel at communications@greenwicheducation.org with any questions.
If you have any interest in joining a communications committee, please fill out this survey. The committees are Website & Social Media, Newsletter, and Public Relations. We would love to see more members get involved!
MEMBERSHIP
Stay tuned for upcoming details for a Teacher & the Law Workshop coming in March or April.
If you have any interest in joining a membership committee, please fill out the survey. The committees are: Social, New Members, Minority Equity, and Members Benefits. Read below for details.
Social Committee:
Time: Ongoing, Bi-Monthly Virtual meetings to discuss planning of events. More frequent meetings leading up to an event as needed for planning. The committee will be charged with setting up any decorations or materials/attending social events.
# of People: 5-7 People
Description: The purpose of the Social Committee shall be: (1) Plan social events and activities for GEA members to attend throughout the year. (2) Build membership engagement through a variety of social activities.
New Teacher's Committee:
Time: August-November. Bi-weekly to weekly meetings in late July/throughout August for preparations for New Teacher Orientation. Attendance for the GEA portion of the New Teacher Orientation. Planning with the social committee for a New Teacher Social. Time commitment ends after the fall New Teacher Social.
# of People: 3-5 People
Description: The new teacher committee plans the orientation materials and presentation for New Teachers in August. They help in presenting the information during the meeting and helping the VP membership sign up new members. The New Teacher Committee helps the Social committee plan a New Teacher Welcome Event during the fall.
Minority Equity Committee:
Time: Ongoing, bi-monthly meetings
# of People: 3-5 People
Description: The purposes of the Minority Equity Committee shall be: (1)To inform membership of conferences, workshops and forums related to the educational needs of minority students. (2) To encourage the participation of the Ethnic Minority teachers in the GEA, CEA and NEA.
Benefits Committee:
Time: Ongoing
# of People: 2-3 People
Description: The benefits committee is charged with becoming experts on our benefits through TOG, CEA, and NEA. They will help supply materials for any benefits workshops or informational materials and inform GEA members of changes to benefits. Committee members may have to answer emails and calls from members who need help in understanding their benefits in coordination with the VP of Membership.
Treasurer
If you are interested in participating on the one of the committees described below, please contact Courtney Powers at treasurer@greenwicheducationassociation.org.
GEA Scholarship Committee
Time: 2-5 hours including one 30-minute annual organizing meeting with the VP-Secondary & Treasurer (More members = less work!!)
Timeline for Fundraisers: ongoing.
Timeline for Vetting Scholarships: May-June of school year. Can be done asynchronously
#of People Needed: One (1) non-executive council GEA members to Chair; GHS guidance counselor preferred. Unlimited number of non-executive council GEA members for either committee; parents of past GEA Scholarship recipients preferred.
Description: The GEA Scholarship Committee is seeking a Committee Chair and members who are interested in fundraising and/or vetting scholarship applications. One short organizing meeting will occur for fundraising in the summer or fall; one short organizing meeting for vetting applications in early May. All work is asynchronous after the initial meeting with support from GEA Exec Board as needed.
Audit Committee
Time: 2-5 hours plus one 30-minute training with Treasurer
Timeline: Complete audit by November 30th, annually. Committee can meet in summer after July 15
#of People Needed: Two (2) non-executive council GEA members, available for the full duration of the audit
Description: Please see attached GEA Treasury Audit Procedures. Refreshments will be provided. For audits lasting 5 hours or more, lunch/dinner will be provided.
CEA RA - 5/13 & 5/14
The CEA Representative Assembly is the official governing body of the CEA, electing officers, adopting a budget, enacting policy and determining programs. The CEA RA will be May 13th and May 14th at Mohegan Sun. GEA is allocated 18 delegate seats that we are looking to fill. You have the option of attending one day or both days and GEA will pay for your hotel room and reimburse for mileage. We do ask that you please double up with another member and share a hotel room. If you prefer to have a single room you will be responsible for half the cost. If you would like to attend the CEA RA and be part of our state union’s important decision making process, please fill out this form.
Covid Relief Program for Teachers
If you contracted COVID-19 and experienced financial hardship due to lost wages or out-ofpocket medical expenses, you may be eligible to receive reimbursement from the Connecticut Essential Workers COVID-19 Assistance Program.
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