The Advocate - February 22, 2017

• Not On Our Backs
• Educators and Renters Rally for Affordable Housing, February 25^th
• Children, Nature, and Schools Symposium: March 13^th
• School Safety and Behavior Intervention Survey
• 2017 Members' Scholarships
• Teaching Climate Change and the Environmental Crisis
• Student Loan Debt Forgiveness Seminar
• Retirement Planning Seminar

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With the failure of Measure 97, we must be vigilant in making sure that our state’s budget crisis isn’t solved on our backs. I’m horrified that our elected leaders are looking at changes to our PERS retirement system as their “funding solution”. 

When investors bought the Normandy Apartments in December, their first act was to double the rent. Now 18 families and over 30 kids in the Normandy Apartments, located close to Rigler Elementary, are now in danger of losing their homes. Similar situations are unfolding all over Portland, with hundreds of families being displaced by rising rents and “no cause” evictions.

What is the best way of connecting our students with nature? How do we promote hands-on learning and self-directed play in our schools? How do we ensure our school grounds and parks are vibrant landscapes for play and learning? Join parents, educators, and community members for a day-long symposium on these and other topics related to children, nature, and schools. 

The Oregon Education Association Special Education Task Force is interested in hearing your experiences regarding school safety and behavior interventions and supports. The task force is gathering information statewide to help determine the best way OEA can support our members' practice and formulate policies that set up students and educators for success. Please take the short online survey, and thanks in advance for sharing your experiences and stories.

Feel free to share the survey link with others, and please complete this survey by February 25th.

The 2017 PAT Members’ Scholarship Application is now available.  If you are a member of the Portland Association of Teachers and you have a high school senior who is planning on attending college in the fall of 2017, they would be eligible to apply.  Six of these scholarships will be awarded in 2017.

Join Rethinking Schools for a day-long workshop on teaching about the climate crisis. The workshop will focus on activities in the Rethinking Schools book, A People’s Curriculum for the Earth: Teaching Climate Change and the Environmental Crisis. All participants will receive a free copy of the book. Thanks to a grant from the Mayer and Morris Kaplan Family Foundation, people who would like to lead their own follow-up workshops on climate and environmental justice themes will be able to apply for free copies of the book to use with participants. 

The workshop will be Saturday, March 4th from 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM at the PAT Office, 345 NE 8th Ave., Portland, OR 97232.

The event is free and lunch is included, but registration is required. Sign up here.

Do you have outstanding student loan debt? Please mark your calendar for Thursday, April 27, 4:30—7:00 PM at the PAT office, to learn about your options to manage or erase them.

Participants will learn about:

• Federal Loan Forgiveness Programs (Teacher Loan, Perkins Loan, & the Public Service Loan Programs)
• Basic financial essentials and financial planning  

This workshop is back by popular demand, and has the same information as was offered in November.

Thinking of retiring in five years or less? Join us March 1, 2017, from 4:30-6:00 PM at PAT. Topics include:

• How does my pension work?
• What can I do to prepare now?
• Is it too late to start saving for retirement?

Refreshments provided. Please RSVP at pdxteachers.org under “For Members” or by filling out this RSVP form.