Pursuant to Section 2, subsection E of the PAT Nominations and Elections Handbook, members now have the opportunity to submit written questions for the Officer and Executive Board candidates who are currently running for office. The Nominations and Elections Committee will choose up to 4 member-generated questions to ask candidates to respond to via an optional, electronic questionnaire. PAT members will receive a copy of candidate responses along with the voter pamphlet on February 7, 2022. Please submit your questions via this electronic form by 5:00pm on Wednesday, January 19th, 2022. 

Black Lives Matter At School Week of Action (January 31-February 4) and Black History Month (February) is fast approaching! The Social Justice and Community Outreach Committee would like to share a few vetted resources to support your efforts to connect students to the vast tapestry of resistance, power, knowledge, and joy of Black Americans from past to present. In this time of pandemic, exhaustion, and anxiety, we know that many members are spread incredibly thin, without much extra to give. We hope these resources will make it a little easier to provide the windows, mirrors, inspiration, and education our students deserve. 

If you would like to help plan PAT’s annual Black Lives Matter At School Week of Action or if you have a suggestion to contribute, please email Alisha Chavez-Downing or Julie Whitaker. Thank you!

Please check out these resources to use with your classroom!

• Teaching for Change will host a Virtual Curriculum Fair: Black Lives Matter at School 2022 on Saturday, January 22, featuring workshops, a keynote speaker, and time for educators to learn more about Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action.
• The DC Area Educators for Social Justice organization has robust educator resources, with links to suggested lessons, films, books, readings, and general teaching guides for Black Lives Matter at School Week of Action and beyond.
• It goes without saying that learning about slavery should not be your students’ first or only introduction to Black history. If you will be teaching about enslavement in America, Learning for Justice has an in-depth, sensitive framework for Teaching Hard History that is broken down into K-2, 3-5, and 6-12 grade level bands.

If you are reading this, please click this link to receive a small gift from your PAT Membership Committee.

Newberg Educators are trying to win back community control of their school board.  

This coming Sunday, January 16, please join Newberg EA and community members to phone bank (can be done from anywhere) or do door-to-door canvassing.  

Sign up here.  Confirmation and training instructions will be emailed to you.

This is our time to step up and stand with Newberg students, educators, and community members. This is your opportunity to help say enough is enough to school boards who vote to dismantle the freedoms of expression and commitment to equity we believe in for our public schools. Can you give an hour this coming Sunday?  

PAT Committee Meetings- Join the committee mailing list to receive a Zoom Link.

• January 19th, 4:30-6:30 PM: Bargaining Committee Meeting
• January 19th, 4:30-6:30 PM: Instructional Professional Development Committee Meeting
• January 26th, 4:30-6:30 PM: Legislative Committee Meeting
• January 26th, 4:30-6:30 PM: Membership Committee Meeting
• January 26th, 4:30-6:30 PM: Racial Equity Committee Meeting
• February 2nd, 4:30-6:30 PM: Social Justice/Community Outreach Committee Meeting
• February 2nd, 4:30-6:30 PM: Substitute Committee Meeting

**All PAT committee meetings will be held virtually on Zoom for the time being

Other PAT Events:

• January 13th, 4:30-6:30 PM on Zoom: Navigating the Student Loan Forgiveness Quagmire: Upcoming Webinar. RSVP today!

Upcoming OEA Training and Events:

• January 13th, 4:00-5:00 PM: Rethinking Grading - Webinar
• January 13th, 4:30-5:45 PM: Online Licensure Workshop
• January 20th, 4:30-5:30 PM: New Educator Tool Belt Series: Preventing Bias-Based Bullying Register today!
• February 22nd, OEA Student Loan Forgiveness Seminar RSVP today!
• February 23rd, OEA Student Loan Forgiveness Seminar RSVP today!

For all upcoming events, please see the PAT calendar and OEA calendar.

http://www.pdxteachers.org/

The early notice deadline for resignation or retirement is fast approaching. If you submit a written notice of resignation or retirement no later than January 15th, you will receive $1,250. See Article 18.2.1 of the PAT-PPS Collective Bargaining Agreement. Please keep in mind that once you submit your resignation, you are still required to complete the full academic year.

Donate up to 40 hours of your sick-leave to help a colleague in need.

Last school year, dozens of colleagues exhausted their accumulated leave balances and were unable to work due to extended or recurring personal illness. Thanks to the generosity of so many of you, PAT was able to help them avoid the additional hardships of lost salary and lost insurance coverage through the Sick Leave Bank .

Last year we met our goal of collecting the maximum number of voluntarily donated hours allowed under our contract. Recent improvements in our contract (CBA Article 17.2.1.2.f) mean that we now have almost enough hours in the Sick Leave Bank to fulfill all applications for assistance. This is a great way putting our principles into practice, and showing the District that an injury to one is an injury to all.

You can donate hours by filling out this online form! You will need to log in with your PPS email account and include your PPS employee ID number on the form.

For more information, and to apply to the sick-leave bank, go to our website.

Thank you for being part of this crucial program that allows us to support our colleagues through our union.

PAT has frequently hosted workshops on financial well being and planning for the future, led by veteran financial advisor Ed Foster.  Whether you are a new educator thinking ahead, or in the last years of your career, we now have Ed Foster’s sage advice available for you online, whenever you need it:

• Retirement Planning for Early Career Educators
• Retirement Planning for Mid-Career Educators
• Retirement Planning for Educators Who Are Ready to Retire

Oregon Health Authority offers free COVID-19 testing for K-12 staff in order to help reduce the spread of COVID-19 in schools. This project offers free weekly screening testing by mail to any public or private K-12 staff. 

Sign up here for this OHA program.

The OHA site says that screening is not recommended for vaccinated K-12 staff because the risk of COVID-19 in vaccinated individuals is very low. However, the sign up form does not ask for your vaccination status. 

Participation is voluntary, and K-12 staff can opt-out at any time. All testing will be mailed directly to the homes of K-12 staff and will be confidential. The COVID-19 test will be performed at home by gently swabbing just inside the nose. The swab is then returned to the laboratory by mail and results are returned to participants within days.

To participate in this staff screening project, please complete the enrollment form above. Following enrollment, you will be sent an email by an OHA laboratory partner to complete the registration process.

This testing will be offered through the end of the 2021-2022 academic year or until funding is exhausted.

Learn more here.