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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“KEA strongly supports the constitutional right of all citizens to peacefully protest against injustice. Educators see and feel the effects of childhood trauma in their classrooms every day; for children of color, that trauma is often rooted in the ever-present and unrelenting impact of institutional racism. No person should be devalued or marginalized because of the color of their skin. We stand with those fighting for transparency, equality, and systemic change.” #BlackLivesMatter #BreonnaTaylor #GeorgeFloyd #Solidarity |
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The KEA Fellows Program was created in 2013 to foster and mentor emerging leaders in our association. At KEA, we believe that leadership is not only a gift but a right. In order to be the “preeminent voice in public education” in Kentucky, it is imperative that we are guided by energetic and passionate leaders who understand the mission of KEA and the value of great public schools. Becoming a KEA Fellow involves a commitment not only of spirit but of time. Fellows will be mentored by the KEA Executive Committee and immersed in learning the duties and responsibilities of KEA Leadership at all levels. Fellows will have the opportunity to attend local, state, regional, and national experiences in the association. There will be an emphasis on studying leadership styles and opportunities to foster and develop those styles. Within the electronic application, is a detailed contract that outlines the expectations of the program. The time commitment for this program varies. The expectations are that each Fellow will attend at least the 2 face-to-face meetings in Frankfort that occur on Saturdays, and 1 national conference that will require you to miss one day of school. Other activities will require some extra time but are completed on one’s own schedule. Before you begin: Candidates will be expected to answer the following questions as part of the application process. (Each question is limited to 350 words per response.) Q1: WHY is KEA membership important to you? Q2: WHAT are your future leadership goals and HOW do you see yourself accomplishing these goal? |
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The following is a list of Webinars that have been assembled from various educational agencies throughout the country. Each webinar is FREE for our members. Simply click on the link below to find out more about each session and to register. If you have any questions feel free to contact KEA’s Director of Professional Excellence, Michelle Grimes Jones, mjones@kea.org Click here for the webinar listing
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Check out our new KEA Member Seal! Show your pride in KEA by downloading it and using it on your social media outlets and email correspondence! Stay Proud KEA Members! https://www.kea.org/uploads/files/KEANews/seal.png
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| If you are a Certified or Classified employee and not a KEA member this is for you! You can sign up as a new member now and pay no dues until September 1, 2020. |
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NEA Member Benefits has expedited the launch of a new discount program for NEA members with Office Depot/OfficeMax, one of the leading purveyors of school and office supplies. This is in response to NEA members’ expressed needs for computer equipment, peripherals, and associated supplies as many educators are required to set up remote teaching and communication capabilities while schools are closed due to COVID-19. With over 1,300 retail locations nationwide and an online store, Office Depot/OfficeMax offers convenience, an exhaustive array of products and services, and best pricing for NEA members. Key features of the Office Depot/OfficeMax discount program include:
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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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ESP Members Register HERE for On-Line Learning Courses ON-LINE PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR ESP Frequently Asked Questions WHO IN PROVIDING THESE RESOURCES? Thanks to an organizing grant from NEA & KEA we have secured an agreement with a company called the Professional Learning Board. They provide on-line learning courses that can be accessed remotely and completed at your own pace. We have selected specific courses that will meet the needs of our ESP members in all job categories. This investment on behalf of OUR organization is allowing FREE access to KEA’s 3400 ESP members across the state. WHAT THIS MEANS FOR OUR ESP MEMBERS: We have the potential of keeping: 4 hour employees working for 18 days 6-8 hour employees working for 12 days para-educators working for 20 days HOW LONG DOES EACH COURSE TAKE TO COMPLETE? Each course takes approximately 5-6 hours to complete. These are done in a format that includes reading passages and answering questions. HOW DO KEA- ESP MEMBERS GAIN ACCESS TO THESE COURSES?
(This asks for your Name, email, job classification & school district) KEA will verify your membership status and then send daily downloads to PLB so they can be invited to participate in the courses.
WHAT ABOUT ESP’S THAT ARE NOT KEA MEMBERS?
KEA is the ONLY association in Kentucky making sure our ESP’s can have an alternative compensation option during these trying times. ONLY KEA- ESP Members can get their courses covered for FREE and meet their hourly work requirements. Join Now if you are not a member:https://www.kea.org/form.users.asp?q_stepid=2&q_areaprimaryid=7&q_areasecondaryid=0&q_areatertiaryid=0
School Districts that decide to do this could ask for employees that would like to utilize this option and then pay for the number of employees that wish to participate. (Ultimately that is a cost of $8 per course for each ESP or $5 per course for para-educators.)
HOW DO MEMBERS GET CREDIT FOR COMPLETING THESE COURSES? This would require collaboration with individual school districts for prior approval to allow these courses to count as “time worked” but considering the circumstances I foresee many school districts being willing to do this. We already know of many that are searching to find resources for their ESP’s during this time. Once the ESP complete the course you will receive a certificate of completion that can be downloaded or printed to submit personally or electronically to show completion of the course. This should be all the district would need. WHAT HAPPENS IF AN ESP DOES NOT HAVE COMPUTER ACCESS? Most school districts have at least one school or district work site that is remaining open to provide for the feeding programs, and other essential work that needs to take place. We advise IF you have absolutely NO ACCESS to a computer or internet, you request permission to come to a district location and use one of the school computers to complete these courses. You would be able to exercise social distancing while still being able to complete your required hours. IS THIS A REQUIREMENT FOR ESP MEMBERS? This is NOT a requirement; however, this resource is FREE to our KEA members and something you should consider taking advantage of if you are trying to find ways to meet your hourly work requirements. This will also allow you to gain additional knowledge about the many types of children you assist every day. DO YOU HAVE TO COMPLETE ALL OF THE COURSES? ESP will have full access to all the courses listed and can use them as needed to supplement their school district work requirements. You DO NOT have to complete all the identified courses, but you can if you choose to.
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View the KEA Strong video by clicking the link below: |
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NEA has created a new way to engage with the Kentucky Education Association, designed to make managing your information with us even easier. NEA is introducing a MyNEA360 Profile that will be accessible when you log into NEA edCommunities at www.mynea360.org that allows you to:
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