TOMORROW- Racial Justice Town Hall for BTU Members: November 4, 5:00-7:00PM
Join us for the second BTU racial justice town hall of the school year. We’re bringing members of the BTU community together for healing, hearing stories from Black educators, and engaging in difficult conversations about race. Register for the town hall today!
NEW- Boston School Committee Applications
The Citizens Nominating Panel is now accepting applications for a four-year term on the Boston School Committee. The term currently held by Michael O’Neill will expire in January 2021. Applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. on Monday, November 16, 2020. Please direct all questions and submit completed applications to scnominatingpanel@boston.gov.
NEW- COVID-19 Testing Available to BPS Employees
In order to encourage and assist the City of Boston employees in getting tested for COVID-19, the City is now offering employees up to one (1) hour of paid time off in order to get tested during the workday. Employees may access this leave up to once every fourteen (14) days. This temporary paid leave benefit will remain in effect until further notice. Please use the BPS Employee Certification of COVID-19 Testing form and read through this FAQ.
NEW- BPS Survey on Teaching In-Person
BPS sent out a survey gauging interest of those who may want to teach in person. If you missed the survey, you can find it here. The deadline has been extended because of the discrepancies of who received it. BPS has clarified that the emails were sent to addresses linked to ESS accounts. Staff have to be logged into their BPS Email to access the form. Staff who are getting bounced out of the form are likely not logged into their BPS account as their primary Google account while trying to access the form.
NEW- Retirement+/TARP Meeting: November 5, 4:30PM
A hearing date for our Home Rule Petition (HRP) at the Boston City Council has been scheduled for 11/09/2020, 5 p.m. (remotely). Your help and self-advocacy is needed. We have been able to identify 858 current non-TARP educators who would be eligible if the HRP is successful. We will be hosting a R+/TARP remote meeting. An email with a calendar invite as well as a link via the personal email you provided to the Boston Teachers Union or to the R+/TARP Committee will go out soon. Contact Michael McLaughlin for more information.
Enrollment for Flexible Spending Plans
Enrollment for Flexible Spending Plans for 2021 is now open. Be sure to sign up by November 23. Even if you have been enrolled in the past, everyone needs to re-enroll each year. As a result of the new PEC agreement, administrative fees will now be covered by the City – a savings of $48 per year! You can find the list of healthcare FSA eligible expenses here, as well as a $5 off coupon here.
Paraprofessional Informational Meeting: November 24, 4:30PM
Due to previously scheduled events, the Virtual Paraprofessional Conference has been rescheduled to Tuesday, November 24. There is no need to re-register if you have done so already. If you have not registered, please do so here.
NEW- BTU & BPS Paraprofessionals PD
There are several upcoming webinars over the next three weeks just for paraprofessionals. These webinars are open to all paras and begin this week. We will be issuing PDPs. There are two options: asynchronous (watch on your own time) and live webinars. You must register to attend each live webinar. Go to our Paraprofessionals PD Playlist to register for a live webinar or watch asynchronous webinars.
Telescope Network Fall 2020 Survey
What do you need this year? The Telescope Network wants to help. Please fill out our Fall 2020 survey to help us better understand your learning needs. We will raffle off a dozen $25 Amazon gift cards for educators who complete our survey – and it helps us plan for future PD. Survey open to ALL BPS educators (teachers, paras, admin, other school-based roles, and district-level roles as well). More at the Telescope website!
Connect & Share with Your Same-Role Colleagues
Would you be interested in a virtual professional learning community? It’s a chance to connect with same-role colleagues from across the district and a space to share resources and dilemmas. You can participate when and how you want to. Right now, we’re starting up a PLC for World Language 9-12 teachers and for 7th-grade math teachers, and we’re hoping to start other groups as well. More info at bostonpublicschools.org/telescope.
Telescope Trivia Fall 2020
We’re back this fall for our popular team trivia league. Last spring, we had more than 190 players join us for a fun-filled hour of trivia. These sessions will take place on Tuesday nights at 4:00 p.m. or 8:00 p.m. Join on your own, bring a team of colleagues, or bring your family/friends. It’s a chance to connect across BPS and have some fun. Register here!
Virtual Homework Helpers
Homework Helpers will be available for K-8 students Mondays through Fridays from 3 to 5 p.m. Students can visit the webpage during these time frames and help will be waiting. Please make sure to circulate this information to your students. The Boston Public Library is also offering a similar program.