Voting to Begin on Proposed Tentative Agreement
Budget Details to be Released Thursday
 Last week negotiators for MCEA, together with the other two employee unions, reached a tentative agreement on contract changes for next year, including concessions, to avoid layoffs and address the current budget crisis and recession. Final approval resides with the full membership, and voting will take place over the next two weeks.
The proposed changes, while forgoing the 5.3 % cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), retains all steps, ensures that there will be no new MCPS programs requiring additional resources until the 5.3 % COLA is restored in future years, and also locks in the current health insurance premium split (90%/10% for POS and 95%/5% HMO) for five years (-6/30/14). Learn more
On the Job
Understanding Observations and the Professional Growth System
Every school should have received copies of the new Teacher Professional Growth System (TPGS) Handbook for ’08-‘09. The document includes recent, small revisions along with the crucial information on all aspects of the system including: Learn more
Observations: Making Them Effective
Receiving thoughtful feedback and reflecting on your classroom performance can be very productive and rewarding – if done right. That’s why the observation process is explained in detail in the MCPS Teacher Professional Growth System Handbook (pgs. 7-9). Learn more
Post-Observation Conference & Report
The post observation conference is an extension of the observation and data from the observation should be corrected, clarified and extended. Discussion should also include reflection on instructional practices, what worked, what didn’t, why, recommendations, etc. Learn more
Teacher Tips
Professional Discussions
(adaptable)
Interested in finding new ways to use technology – or possibly to use it more effectively? Try Classroom 2.0 . It can be very practical, interesting and helpful. For example, one discussion group includes secondary teachers who have used Smartboards/LCDs. Learn more
Kindness Bank
(grades Kindergarten - 3)
given the coming holiday season and the theme of kindness to others, why not try setting up a “Kindness Bank” and place it on your desk with a basket of pennies beside it. Start by discussing with your kids what acts of kindness were and how you might use them in your classroom. .Learn more |
