News
Prince William Education Association Scholarships
The Prince William Education Association offers scholarships to members and members’ dependents. PWEA believes that everyone should enhance their professional growth by continuing with their education. Four different scholarships are offered annually.
Scholarship applications must be submitted by the due date of Thursday, March 29 at 4:00 pm. The applications are screened by members of the scholarship committee. A recipient for each scholarship is selected by the scholarship committee.
- Member Dependent Scholarship: Applicants must be accepted to a two or four year program at an accredited institution. The applicant must be a dependent of an active PWEA member.
- Shelby J. “Nettie” Attkisson Education Support Member Scholarship: Applicants must be enrolled in coursework to enhance their career path and also be an active PWEA Educational Support Professional (ESP) member.
- Member Scholarship: Applicants must be accepted to a teacher preparation program at an accredited institution of higher learning and must be an active PWEA member.
- Deloris C. Hampton future teacher $500 4-Year Scholarship: Applicants must be accepted to and remain in a teacher preparation program at an accredited institution of higher learning. The applicant must be a Prince William County Public School senior or graduate.
Scholarship applications are due in the PWEA office no later than
4:00 pm on Thursday, March 29, 2012.
PWEA/VEA Candidates
The PWEA Elections Committee has duly received and certified petitions for all positions up for election on the VEA and PWEA Board of Directors. Elections will be held in conjunction with the NEA Delegate elections March 12-16, 2012. Ballots will be due at the PWEA office no later than 5:00 pm on Wednesday, March 21, 2012.
The candidates are:
- VEA Board of Directors – Mary Jo Howarth, unopposed
- President – David Kinsella and Jim Livingston
- Vice-President – Gwen Edwards, Mary Jo Howarth, and Riley O’Casey
- Secretary – Megan Link and JoEllen Livingston
- Treasurer – Wendy Marr, unopposed
- Region A Director – Ed Bissell, unopposed
- Region B Director – Jennifer Rokasky, unopposed
- Region C Director – Ric Clark and Marlena Hawkins
- Region D Director – Andy White, unopposed
PWEA Holds Education Town Hall
At the December PWEA Board of Directors meeting, Wendy Marr, Marlena Hawkins, Jim Livingston, and Riley O’Casey volunteered to serve on an ad hoc committee whose purpose was to generate ideas on member engagement during the upcoming budget cycle. The committee wanted to promote visibility at meetings and various venues where budget matters were being discussed. The Governor’s education agenda prompted this committee to meet over two weekends and put together an agenda for a Town Hall meeting. Besides educators, other stakeholders were encouraged to attend.
Nearly 100 educators and stakeholders attended PWEA’s Education Town Hall on January 26, 2012. The Superintendent sent a representative as well as three members of our Board of County Supervisors. After opening remarks by PWEA President, Bonnie Klakowicz, Riley O’Casey discussed the possible elimination of continuing contract by the 2012 General Assembly. Jim Livingston discussed possible changes in the Virginia Retirement System which would negatively impact our retirement benefit. He also discussed the lack of K-12 funding, its impact on our school system’s budget, and the concerns that the Board of County Supervisors’ intended to advertise a flat tax rate which would decrease PWCS funding by at least $1 million dollars. Information was given, by Marlena Hawkins, on how to keep informed by checking www.veadailyreports.com, how to contact their legislators, how to become a Cyberlobbyist, and how to donate to PAC.
After closing remarks by Bonnie Klakowicz, over thirty individuals went to computers set up in the library to sign up to be Cyberlobbyist at www.veanea.org.
A special thanks to JoEllen Livingston for putting together the power point presentation and offering technical assistance, Joia Jones for representing the VEA Lobby cadre, and Meg Gruber, President-Elect of VEA for attending and offering support.
Gainesville Middle School Promotes Staff Wellness
The physical education department at Gainesville Middle School, who strongly believes “intelligence and skill can only function at the peak of their capacity when the body is healthy and strong” (JFK), has decided to go a step further with promoting health at their school by supplying stability balls for all staff members. By using stability balls in lieu of regular office chairs, the physical education department hopes to improve the wellness of the staff and to promote wellness among student by example. Prince William County is trying to promote wellness by improving on the Governor’s Nutrition and Physical Education Activity Scorecard which recognizes and rewards schools for encouraging healthy habits. The physical education department at GVMS believes their stability ball program will be an opportunity to improve wellness among students in the future.
Stability balls have numerous benefits that improve balance, help align the spine, strengthen core muscles, improve circulation, and force frequent position changes, all which can burn up to 350 calories per day.
With over 100 staff members currently at GVMS over half have agreed to be role models by using stability balls and are taking this small step to improve their health. While sitting on stability ball is not a substitute for an active lifestyle and healthy diet, the physical education department hopes it will be a step in the right direction.
Health is Our Greatest Wealth!
By PWEA Member, Cory Nicastro, M.A. Edu.
Health & Physical Education Teacher
Gainesville Middle School
nicastroc@pwcs.edu
PWEA Presents PPP Information Session
On Tuesday, January 24, PWEA held its sixth PPP Information Session. The first few sessions were an introduction to the PPP, as only a few schools were piloting the system. The next few were a little more detailed – the ins and outs of the PPP. Because the PPP is in full implementation at all schools, PWEA felt that members needed to have their questions answered. We invited Deputy Superintendent, Rae Darlington, and Director of Human Resources, Amy White, to this session.
About 25 certified and classified members attended and had their questions answered. A lot of the questions revolved around the PIP (Professional Improvement Plan) and SMART Goals. Many asked about the time taken to have the proper dialogue between teachers and administrators. Quite a few asked about specific procedures and timelines and due dates.
The session was very successful. PWEA had originally planned for the Q&A to last 60 minutes, but both Ms. Darlington and Mrs. White stayed for over 90 minutes answering every member’s questions. We appreciate their time and candor.
Mark Williams Awarded NEA Foundation GrantWhy am I a PWEA member? PWEA gives me the opportunity to be heard. When policies or procedures need to be changed PWEA fights for what is right. They strive to take care of educators by letting county figureheads know what changes are necessary. As a member, not only do I benefit from the representation both in career and legal capacity, but also educational opportunities. Opportunities such as expanding my knowledge as a school counselor with available grants, or the opportunity to save money with discounts offered through my membership. I strongly encourage my colleagues to join PWEA so they too can enjoy the benefits.
Abstract/Summary: “Podemos Juntos” – not sure exactly what that means… Within Prince William County, Virginia, there are communities that are predominantly, if not completely, Hispanic. Several of the neighborhood areas are unable to speak English. However, the expectation is for these areas to partake in community activities while speaking English – this includes the school environment. As a school district, we believe it takes the support of families and school staff for students to be academically successful. But how can this be accomplished with such a communication barrier? As a professional school counselor it is important to advocate for ALL students. This means being able to communicate with ALL. My goal is to become a proficient conversational Spanish speaker, through immersion, in order to translate and communicate with and for Hispanic families. “Podemos Juntos,” translated means, “Together We Can!”
What do you propose to learn: My central goal is to learn, through immersion, the education, linguistics, and culture of the Hispanic people; thus, mastering conversational Spanish in a small amount of time. I will be learning different aspects of society, such as: Mayan civilization, modern life, current social and political state of affairs, geography, the people, and most importantly, the language.
What is the need for such professional development: One of the most critical facets in the success of education is the collaboration between home and school. When there is a breakdown in this relationship, we are ultimately “leaving children behind.” One way to assist in creating solid partnerships, for ALL, is to have regular communication. Having professional school counselors who can speak one’s native language is vital. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (2010) the percentage of Hispanics ages 16-24 that dropped out of school was 18.3%; more than three times that of white students and almost double of African Americans. Obviously, there needs to be more support for these students. In a report released by the Pew Hispanic Center (2008), among Hispanic students who are younger than 18 and foreign-born, 3.7% speak only English at home, and 48.4% are in homes that speak English less than very well. In looking at native-born Hispanics, 37.9% speak only English in the home. It is necessary when contacting families, providing counseling, holding conferences, creating schedules, and properly illustrating student’s academic needs to have clear communication and conversation. The need for counseling staff to communicate in Spanish is shockingly clear.
How, when, where, and with whom will you share what you have learned: The immersion program will enable me to assist students in a variety of ways. I will first be able to directly assist and communicate with students and families of students whose primary language is Spanish – with limited or no intermediary translating. This will allow for a more personal connection and provide more confidentiality. The hope is for families to be more comfortable with and within the school setting; consequently, sending a message to their child that everyone is serious about his/her academic learning. In addition to applying what I learn to my daily duties, such as general counseling, parent conferences, class scheduling, and teacher liaison, I will also mentor my fellow colleagues. By transferring knowledge to them about cultural customs and supplying them with basic Spanish phrases, they will begin to form stronger relationships as well, building a better school and a better community. In the end, “Podemos Juntos!”
Nineteen PWEA Members Lobbied on January 23
Participating in Lobby Day is important because it allows members to have a formalized process and well defined talking points in order to talk to our elected officials about our concerns as public education employees. Much is at stake this year since many bills being introduced this year are not in the best interest of teachers, support professionals, and our students. The Governor’s proposed budget does not address full funding of the Standards of Quality. Challenges abound.
This year nineteen PWEA members traveled to Richmond for the purpose of trying to educate and influence the votes of our elected officials. The delegation visited the offices of Senator Colgan, Senator Puller, Senator Barker, Senator Stuart, and Delegates Dudenhefer, Anderson, Torian, Lingamfelter, Marshall, and Jackson Miller. The delegation split into teams. They asked our elected officials to make fully funding the Standards of Quality a priority. They supported efforts to return control of the school calendar to local school boards, logically fund virtual education programs, and raise teacher salaries to the national average. Members also asked support for the Governor’s plan to fund the Virginia Retirement System and for maintaining the current defined benefit structure.
Still, there are many bills which PWEA/VEA opposed. Most egregious is a bill which will take away our continuing contract.
Many thanks to our PWEA lobbyists, Doncella Bell, Nicole Bridges, Lori Dunn, Gwen Edwards, Marlena Hawkins, Warren Hill, Mary Jo Howarth, Anita Jackson, David Kinsella, Bonnie Klakowicz, Wendy Marr, David Martin, Riley O’Casey, Jennifer Rokasky, Barbara Rose, Danielle Rowe, Amy Roy, Bruce Smith and our Government Relations’ Chair, Dan Foose.
What is an ESP?
Education Support Professionals
They are the………
- School bus driver who greets the students with a warm hello and delivers them safely to school
- Office worker and clerical staff who maintain the student records and assist all faculty and staff
- Cafeteria worker who gives the students a healthy meal
- Instructional Assistant who provides additional support to the students in the classroom
- School nurse who comforts and take care of the injured or sick student
- Technology specialist who wires the schools and services the computers
- Custodian who works to keep the schools environment safe and clean
- Security professional who support to protect the students and staff
- Building engineer who support to maintain the operation of the buildings
The PWEA ESP Council, established by the PWEA Board of Directors, works to ensure the concerns and issues of support professionals are heard. Gwen Edwards is the current chair of the ESP Council and Raven Wilkerson is the VEA staff liaison.