Upcoming OEA and other Conferences and Events

1. August 10-12th: AFL-CIO Summer School (UO/Eugene)

http://pages.uoregon.edu/lerc/pdfs/aflcioss2012brochure.pdf

The cost is about $250.00, plus reimbursement for your meals and gasoline. Please let Jennifer know if you intend to go. Two sessions are already closed.

2. 

http://nwtsj.org/register/

5th Annual Northwest Conference on
Teaching for Social Justice

“Rethinking Our Classrooms, Organizing for Better Schools”

Saturday October 20, 2012
8:00 – 4:30

Madison High School,
2735 NE 82nd
Portland, OR 97220

 

This looks like a K-12 event, however, the PTFA will cover the cost of the conference and your gasoline.

Oregon Labor Candidate School:

"Tired of policy makers ignoring the interests of working families? Ever thought of running for office? Now is your chance to be the change from within – sign up for the Oregon Labor Candidate School (OLC) today!
 
The Oregon Labor Candidate School is a 6-month intensive program that will provide union members all the tools and support needed for a successful bid for elected office – whether it’s the local school board or a seat in the state legislature. OLCS is designed and run for and by active union members.
 
The OLCS is currently accepting application for its first class scheduled to begin in September 2012. Applications are due by July 27, 2012. The school will be limited to a maximum of 12- 14 members for the first year.  Party registration is not a consideration in the selection process. For more information on the program, the selection criteria and to apply please visit our website."

http://www.oregonlaborcandidateschool.org/ 
  
Oregon Education Association
6900 SW Atalanta
Portland, Oregon97223

Educators for Obama

http://www.neafund.org/main.cfm?actionId=globalShowStaticContent&screenKey=cmpContent&s=nea&htmlKey=involvedvictories

"[Obama] says we need more firemen, more policemen, more teachers. Did he not get the message of Wisconsin?... It's time for us to cut back on government."-Mitt Romney, June 2012 Dear Jennifer, In about 200 days, our nation will inaugurate a president. If that person is Mitt Romney, you are going to have a very bad day. Here's why: You are about to lose your voice in the classroom. Romney supports governors like Scott Walker and Mitch Daniels, who have worked tirelessly to silence educators on the job. Romney is being advised by a state superintendent who removed workplace rights for Idaho teachers. You will have more students and fewer resources than ever before. Romney has said repeatedly that class size doesn't matter, and he opposes President Obama's efforts to help local communities hire more teachers. As Massachusetts governor, Romney slashed millions from special education, early literacy, school meals and more. This isn't just an election, Jennifer - it's a fight for our professions, our students and our schools. Get in the fight and volunteer as an Educator for Obama today! When you volunteer as an Educator for Obama , you support NEA's efforts to re-elect President Obama, who has stood up for educators and students. President Obama secured federal funds to save 450,000 educators' jobs and keep class sizes down. As President Obama said just last week, "The last thing our country needs is to have fewer teachers in our schools." Public schools employees are part of the 99% that needs to make its voice heard this election. I'm asking you to stand up, be heard and volunteer as an Educator for Obama today. Thanks for all you do, Karen M. White Political Director, National Education Association P.S. We are going to have some exciting opportunities to help with President Obama's re-election efforts in the coming days. Be sure to volunteer as an Educator for Obama today!

The NEA Fund for Children and Public Education (NEA Fund) collects voluntary contributions from Association members which are used for political purposes, including, but not limited to, making contributions to and expenditures on behalf of friends of public education who are candidates for federal office. Only U.S. citizens or lawful permanent residents may contribute to the NEA Fund. Contributions to the NEA Fund are voluntary; making a contribution is neither a condition of employment nor membership in the Association, and members have the right to refuse to contribute without suffering any reprisal. A member may contribute more or less than the suggested amount, or may contribute nothing at all, without it affecting his or her membership status, rights, or benefits in NEA or any of its affiliates. Contributions to the NEA Fund are not deductible as charitable contributions for federal income tax purposes. Federal law requires us to use our best efforts to collect and report the name, mailing address, occupation, and name of employer for each individual whose contributions aggregate in excess of $200 in a calendar year.

This is fairly quick powerpoint (in PDF) on the Affordable Care Act (ObamaCare) from the NEA. In some ways, it pertains to retirees, but I think anyone wanting to learn more about ACA will get something from it. https://docs.google.com/file/d/0Bzbec1gMkMbzWHZHUEFwN3lrdG8/edit

PTFA Quarterly eNews - Spring 2012

President's Report, by PTFA President Jennifer Rueda:  As mentioned in the R.A. (Representative Assembly) report, there are changes coming to our state-level OEA (Oregon Education Association). I, for one, am excited about these changes and it appears our OEA College Council is too . . . read more.

OEA Representative Assembly (RA) Report, by PTFA President Jennifer Rueda:  The 2012 OEA-RA took place April 20 & 21 at the Red Lion Inn at Jantzen Beach in Portland, Oregon. The two biggest items discussed at the RA were the OEA budget and the Strategic Action Initiative. In addition, our own CCC classified staff Lynda Graf was awarded the Kevin Forney Education Support Professional Award . . . read more. 

What's New in the PTFA Newsletter:  As some of you may know, we surveyed the association this spring to learn more about preferences in how you receive our PTFA news. There has been some interest in reviving our quarterly PTFA newsletter in the print format, and the purpose of the survey was to get an idea from our membership of general interest in reading the print version (over or in addition to our new online format) . . . . Now that the results are in, we would like to share them with you and let you know what to expect from our PTFA newsletter in the future. . . . read more.

A Student Success Story, from Social Science Instructor, Martha Baily:  I had a student take Asian Philosophy last spring. It was the first college class she had attempted in the US. She is from Taiwan, married an American, has lived in the US for a number of years and has three children in K-12. But she was ready for moving into a new career. The class was an exercise in exploration for her . . . read more.

From Dr. Hoot's Perch:  Dr. Ivan Mancinelli-Franconi talks about Psychoneuroimmunology:  While attending graduate school in San Francisco, I had the privilege of taking a class on Psychoneuroimmunology given by Dr. Jeanne Achterberg, internationally recognized for her pioneering research in medicine and psychology, and featured in Time Magazine as one of the six innovators of alternative and complementary medicine for the coming century . . . read more.