Download the In-School Suspension Form

I've attached the District In School Suspension Form.  This form is to be used (and should be at your sites) when YOU need a student suspended from class.  Contrary to what some admin are telling their teachers, yes, YOU CAN teacher suspend a student for the rest of the day and the next day from your class.  All you have to do is send the student up to the office, and fill out the form and send that up later.  Then contact the parent for a conference to be held when the student returns to your class.  The student is required to sit in the office.  According to Ed Code, the student is NOT to be placed in another teacher's classroom.  Principals don't think you know the Ed Code, but now you do.  Or, they don't know it.  So, don't let them violate the law.  If a principal asks to put a suspended kid in your class, say no Ken do.  That's against Ed Code.  Otherwise, does the kid face any consequences?

Dear Members:
 

• It’s time to sign up for the Black Oak Casino bus trip. Get a group of work friends and have some fun.  No cost to members, but $15 if you bring a spouse. Click here to sign up!
• On April 7, STRS is coming back to MEA for an investment seminar.  403b is a tax deferred investment plan just like a 401k but a 403b is for an employee of a non-profits or government agency Pension2 offerssVERY low fees because it is managed by your non-profit pension system, CalSTRS.  Low fees are important because more of your money stays in your account making money for you. Your pension, on average, will only provide 60% of your income needs in retirement, so it's important to start socking away some money today!   When you have money taken out of your check for a 403b, it reduces your tax liability by about 20%. When you take the money out in retirement tho, that’s when it counts against your income.  But at that time, you’re income should be lower.  Click here to sign up!

 Dear Members:

•If you have petitions, please turn them into your reps make sure to sign and fill them out. One raffle ticket per petition submitted.

•As many of you know, McGrawHill/Study Sync is down for the second time this week so the precious BASE curriculum can’t be implemented.  Ridiculous to say the least.  Can you imagine if you had a substitute today? 

•Download the MEA Scholarship Application. Only children of members may apply. 

Dear Members:

• This Thursday is our MEA Bowling Night from 5-7pm at Bowlero here in Manteca at Yosemite Avenue.  There are about 20 slots left if you want to play or just hang out, so get a group of staff members and come have some free fun, drink, and grub!  Click here to sign up!

 

• Before break, I posted a message about student loans and high needs schools.  Manteca has no high needs schools, however.  Stockton Unified and Lodi Unified are the only ones that have them in the county.

 

• The best staff development, in my opinion, is visiting other classrooms and picking up teaching strategies from fellow educators.  It’s all about adding more tools to one’s toolbox.  Some will work for you, and some won’t.  You use what is comfortable for you.  And quite frankly…the research out there is that devices do more harm than good, attendance matters, and socio-economic factors are far more important to a child’s learning than the latest silver bullet.

 

• And quite FRANKLY…I wanted a longer lunch for those of us traveling to another site, but that was turned down by the higher ups because we have a schedule to keep.  SD Day USED to be a day where we could all go for a long lunch with our school buddies and buddettes.  It was a district tradition.  It was a day we actually looked forward to(believe it or not)because of that long lunch.

 

• My last thoughts on SD Day is we should have had training on socio-emotional strategies.  As student suspension gets more difficult to do, the district should be teaching us how to deal with kids in our classes that bring their home issues to school.  There is a LOT of good training provided by CTA on that, but alas…I was turned down on that as well.  So…I will try schedule these workshops at the MEA office.

 

• Finally, if YOU have thoughts or reactions on SD Day, it’s important for me to hear.  I can’t be your advocate unless I know what the rank and file are feeling.  As always, anything you say to me remains confidential.  But if I see a pattern from a lot of people, then the higher ups need to hear that.  We want to help people, not make anyone feel as if their best isn’t good enough.