News & Information
IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM KEA
During this uncertain time, KEA is taking steps to be responsible neighbors and citizens. In keeping with Governor Beshear's recommendations and recent Executive Orders, all KEA staff are working from home. Even though we aren't operating in our normal ways, KEA remains dedicated to supporting our members. If you need assistance or have a question, please call our main line at 1-800-231-4532, and dial extension 1323 to leave a message. Calls will be routed to the appropriate staff person as soon as possible, but not later than the next business day. You can also reach your UniServ Director or any other KEA staff member via email; just go to www.kea.org under "About us" and use the "UniServ Directors" page or the "Staff Directory" page to find the person you want to contact. You can email directly from the link on the page.
Like all of you, we look forward to the time when our lives and business operations can return to normal. Until then, please know that we are still here for you., as we have always been. Be safe and well. We look forward to seeing all of you again soon.
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| Tags: General | ||
The TRS Nominating Committee is seeking nominations for two positions on the TRS Board of Trustees: one (1) active participant seat (TRS member currently employed and contributing) and one (1) retiree seat (a member retired from a TRS employer and currently receiving an annuity from the system). Both seats are currently held by incumbents who are eligible to be re-elected. Nominations are due no later than 5:00 pm (eastern) on Friday, February 5, 2021 |
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KEA Smith-Wilson Award for Civil and Human Rights in Education: Nominations for the 2021 award are now open! Selected each year by the KEA Diversity Committee, the award recognizes the work of Kentucky individuals or organizations that support and contribute to progress in racial and social justice. Nominees do not have to be members of KEA, but must be persons or organizations that currently do relevant work or have recently done relevant work in Kentucky, and may be self-nominated or nominated by others. Consideration will be given to nominees that: encourage and support minorities to select the teaching profession; advance opportunities for youth of color; initiate or continue impactful work in the areas of human and civil rights; or lead in the field of innovative, creative and equitable education for all students. Learn more about Ms. Smith, Mr. Wilson, and the history of the award here. Deadline for nominations is 5:00 p.m. eastern, Sunday, January 31, 2021. |
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KEA Smith-Wilson Award for Civil and Human Rights in Education: Nominations for the 2021 award are now open! Selected each year by the KEA Diversity Committee, the award recognizes the work of Kentucky individuals or organizations that support and contribute to progress in racial and social justice. Nominees do not have to be members of KEA, but must be persons or organizations that currently do relevant work or have recently done relevant work in Kentucky, and may be self-nominated or nominated by others. Consideration will be given to nominees that: encourage and support minorities to select the teaching profession; advance opportunities for youth of color; initiate or continue impactful work in the areas of human and civil rights; or lead in the field of innovative, creative and equitable education for all students. Learn more about Ms. Smith, Mr. Wilson, and the history of the award here. Deadline for nominations is 5:00 p.m. eastern, Sunday, January 31, 2021. |
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Representative Paul Mason Memorial Scholarship: Eligibility: Active or Retired ESP members, their children or grandchildren are eligible to apply. Description: This scholarship is named after Rep. Mason, who used his time in the Kentucky House to champion the cause of those less fortunate. The scholarship will be awarded annually at the KESPA pre-delegate caucus, which usually occurs in March. You can access the Paul Mason scholarship application here. The deadline for all submissions is 5:00 p.m. eastern, Sunday, January 31, 2021. |
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Marvin Dodson-Carl Perkins Scholarships - Eligibility: Successful candidates must meet these requirements: 1) Be a member of the KEA Aspiring Educators; 2) Be college junior, senior, post-baccalaureate student or MAT candidate in a Kentucky college or university during 2020-21, and; 3) not have previously won a Dodson-Perkins scholarship. Description: Applications are submitted to the KEA MOVE Committee, which will determine the winners. KEA will award a total of $6000; no single award will exceed $1000 or be less than $500. Winners will be honored at the 2021 KEA Delegate Assembly. Click here to access the Dodson-Perkins scholarship application. The deadline for all submissions is 5:00 p.m. eastern, Sunday, January 31, 2021. |
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2020-21 ESP Diversity Project: The ESP Diversity Project contest encourages KEA ESP members to create a bulletin board or other visual project at their worksite with a theme of racial/social justice, encouraging diversity or accepting differences. All KEA ESP members are invited to participate. Submissions can be by individuals or by teams. Projects will be judged by the KEA Diversity Committee. Two individual winners will receive $100 each, or $100 per team (divided equally among the named team members). Winners will be recognized at the 2021 KEA Delegate Assembly. If possible, the winning projects (or photos of the projects) will be displayed at the KEA DA. All entries must be submitted via the contest entry form not later than 5:00 p.m. eastern on Sunday, January 31, 2021. |
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Diversity Lesson Plan Contest - Do you have a great diversity-focused lesson plan that you want to share? KEA believes that diversity in the classroom is important for students of all races, and that understanding people from other cultures builds a strong social foundation for our country. Each year, the KEA Diversity Committee sponsors a contest to select four lesson plans that emphasize diversity and present the concept to students in age-appropriate and engaging ways. Lesson plans will be scored based on this rubric. Four individual winners will each receive $200 and will be recognized at the KEA DA in April. The contest is now open for 2020-21! Be sure to submit your lesson plan here. The deadline for all submissions is 5:00 p.m. eastern, Friday, January 31, 2021. |
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Education Support Professional of the Year: The KEA Education Support Professional of the Year Award recognizes the contributions of Education Support Professionals to their schools, communities, and their profession. The award is presented to a member of the KEA who demonstrates outstanding accomplishments and reflects the contributions of ESPs to public education. The award is $1,000 cash and is given at the KEA Delegate Assembly each year. The 2021 KEA ESP of the Year will be submitted to NEA to be considered for the 2022 NEA ESP of the Year. All current Active ESP members of a KEA local affiliate or bargaining unit who have been KEA members for at least three years as of December 31, 2020 are eligible. You can access the application here. The deadline for all submissions is Sunday, January 31, 2021 at 5:00 p.m. eastern. |
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2021 KEA Teacher of the Year: Given annually, this award recognizes, rewards, and promotes excellence in teaching and advocacy for the association. All current Active certified members of a KEA local affiliate are eligible. Each KEA local affiliate may submit one nomination per year. If a local has more than one possible nominee, then the local affiliate will determine the nominee. Only nominations submitted and endorsed by a KEA local affiliate will be considered. The KEA Teacher of the Year will be honored at the 2021 KEA Delegate Assembly, and will receive a $1,000 cash award and commemorative plaque. The 2021 KEA Teacher of the Year will be KEA's contestant for the 2022 NEA Teacher of the Year. All state affiliate nominees receive the California Casualty Teaching Excellence Award which funds travel to the gala. Each year, NEA selects five (5) finalists from the submissions they receive. The five NEA finalists each receive The Horace Mann–NEA Foundation Awards for Teaching Excellence which include $10,000 cash and expenses-paid travel to The NEA Foundation’s annual Salute to Excellence in Education Gala in Washington, DC. One NEA Teacher of the Year will be selected from among the finalists; that person will receive an additional $25,000 in cash and a personalized commemorative gift. |
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KEA President's Scholarships: Eligibility: These scholarships are awarded annually to Active certified and ESP members in each KEA governance district. Description: Funds are available to support members seeking a rank change (to Rank II (Master's) or to Rank 1 (hours beyond Master's)), or for those seeking National Board certification. Continuing education scholarships are also available to ESP members. The 2020-2021 application for KEA President's Scholarships is now open! Click here to apply. Deadline for all applications is 5:00 p.m. eastern, Friday, January 31, 2021. |
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Put your student’s talents on display! KEA invites all students in Kentucky P-12 schools to participate in the fourth annual #DifferenceMakers student art contest. Any student can submit one entry that illustrates a #DifferenceMaker in their life. Deadline to submit entries has been extended to Friday, February 19, 2021. All artwork must be original and must be a portrait of a public school employee who has made a difference in the artist’s life. The name of the individual does not need to be known. Submitted artwork entries will not be returned. Artwork should creatively portray the subject's job within public education and be no larger or smaller than 8.5 x 11 inches. Photos are permissible and any media can be used to create the artwork. Grade levels for entries include P-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. All submissions must arrive at KEA 401 Capital Ave., Frankfort, KY 40601 by Friday, February 19, 2021 at 5 p.m. (EST). Please write “#DifferenceMaker Entry” on the outside of the envelope. One completed copy of the #DifferenceMakers entry form must accompany each submission. One student in each grade span will win $50 and their teacher will also win a $50 prize. With permission, the winning entries will be included in KEA publications and posted on KEA's social media accounts. The #DifferenceMaker subject will receive the students’ original framed artwork. |
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| Tags: News | ||
General Coronavirus Information and Resources Kentucky Unemployment Benefits Information for Substitute Teachers and ESPs affected by COVID19 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), Handwashing and Hand Sanitizer Use at Home, at Play, and Out and About Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Kentucky COVID-19 Relief Legislation
Resources for Teaching and Learning ABCmouse - This is a subscription service. There is a 1 month free trail. Offers an online curriculum for ages 2 to 8 covering numerous core subjects including math, reading, and science. Adventure Academy - This is a subscription service. There is a 1-month free trail. From the creators of ABCmouse, this online curriculum is for ages 8 to 13 and features gamified learning for Math, Reading, and Science. Answer Pad - A free visual- and student-based response platform that allows educators to blend learning and flip classrooms in real-time on browser-based devices. Students can interact with teacher-developed resources from home. BrainPop and BrainPop Jr - Free access for closed schools. This site also has free family access.Delivers online learning opportunities in various subjects by showing animated videos and then following up with brief assessments and quizzes. Buncee - Subscription site with some free items. A versatile learning tool that provides a digital canvas for multiple educational needs. The Ideas Lab showcases learning resources to be used remotely. Classhook - Free access for teachers. Chock full of educational videos and premade playlists that can be assigned to students to view from home. DOGOnews - Create reading assignments for students in grades K-8 that can also be integrated into Google Classroom. Features a curated, COPPA-compliant database that provides assessment and language/speech options. EDpuzzle - Useful for flipping a classroom or lesson. Educational videos can be viewed remotely and followed up with assessments to gauge learning. Explania - Offers hundreds of animated explanation videos, on subjects from biology to social media, that can be embedded and shared. Glogster EDU - The Glogpedia features multimedia posters covering more than 80 topics across nine disciplines, such as math, social studies and science. Home Safari – Students can join the Cincinnati Zoo for a home Safari each day. The Cincinnati Zoo will share a Facebook Live segment each weekday at 3pm ET where they will highlight one of our amazing animals. Includes an activity your students can do from home. Miss the Facebook Live video or don’t have access to social media? No worries! All videos will be posted to the Cincinnati Zoom Home Safari webpage and to the zoos YouTube channel shortly after the Facebook Live ends. iKnowIt - Interactive math practice for grades K-5 that offers an easy-to-use interface and tracks student data. Kahoot - One of the most used game-based learning platforms that allows educators to create their own content-related quizzes and games. Knoword - A fast-paced vocabulary game site that also allows teachers to choose from existing work packs or develop their own. You can also track student progress. Nearpod - A mobile learning tool that supports student engagement and collaborative learning. Also recently posted how to use Nearpod at home during school closures. NeoK12 - This is a subscription site. A teacher-curated trove of educational videos, lessons, quizzes and games. RoomRecess - More than 140 teacher-developed games for kids involving math, reading, literacy, typing, and more. SuperTeacherWorksheets - Hundreds of worksheets and activities that can be printed for home use, ranging from math and science to literacy and phonics. TeachVid - With this platform, ESL, ELL and foreign language teachers can flip a lesson and have students work at home with the help of numerous videos and activities. Vocab Victor - A free mobile app for building vocabulary skills that assesses and adapts to a student’s vocabulary level in real-time. Virtual Museum Tours - Get a little culture and education from home. Tour over 2500 museums and galleries from around the world. WatchKnowLearn - A free site with an abundance of K-12 videos on a wide variety of subjects. YouTube Teachers - Dozens of educational videos covering topics that range from vector quantities to plate tectonics.
Other Resources A comprehensive list of recommendations from NEA on digital learning. (PDF) Resources for Online Learning During School Closures (NEA) Interim Guidance for Administrators of US K-12 Schools and Childcare Programs (CDC) Schools and Coronavirus: What You Should Know (from NEA)
How to Talk to Children About the Coronavirus - Resources for Parents and Educators This can be a very stressful, confusing and uncertain time for everyone, but it can be an especially scary time for children. Here are great resources about how you can talk to kids about the virus and the response. Kentucky Center for School Safety COVID19 Pledge for Kids Talking to Children About COVID-19 (NASP) How to Talk to Your Kids About Coronavirus (PBS) Just For Kids: A Comic Exploring The New Coronavirus (NRP)
Kentucky COVID-19 resources: Kentucky COVID-19 Hotline (800) 722-5725 |
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