Category: Uncategorized

IEA is accepting applications from IEA members to be RA Assistants for the 2022 IEA RA. There are a limited number of assistant positions available for the 2022 IEA RA. RA Assistants will be chosen from these applications on a first come, first serve basis. The deadline for submitting RA Assistant applications is midnight on January 14, 2022. Only non-delegates can be considered for these positions.  If you know anyone who may want to volunteer as an RA Assistant, please have them apply at this weblink: 2022 IEA RA Assistant Application

The Eastern Regional Conference STARTS next week, January 12-13^th 2022!

Act Now!! Registration will close Monday, January 10, 2022! Don’t miss out!!

The Western Regional conference, held in October 2021, was a big success with over 225 registered participants.  We received excellent feedback including:

“The conference was exceptional and has offered me more opportunities to better serve my kids.

I will be working on my team skills as well as my personal health and abilities. I’m going to try to be a better laugher and use it to brighten the day! I’m going to do my best to create “positive learning experiences” every day with my students. Thank you so much again for all of this valuable information!!”

Please note each conference is held in the region’s time zone and in the evening hours, so not to interfere with the school work days.

• Eastern NRCP Regional Conference January 12-13, 2022 6:30-9:40 pm ET
• NOTE: Eastern Leadership Meeting January 11th 4:30-6:30 pm ET
• Register Here: https://cvent.me/xkDREX

January 20th 6:00-7:00 Central Time

Our Bodies: Are We Paying Attention to the Signals?

Our lifestyle, environment, and bodies are trying to tell us something. Mental health and physiological health go hand in hand, and there are many lifelong and recent factors that impact both, including external stressors, toxic systems, habits, and more that have been either activated or exacerbated by the pandemic. In this webinar, we will examine the risk factors and resulting health problems that educators are experiencing, as well as provide strategies to improve personal health and mental well-being.

I hope you had a restful holiday break. As we return to school, be on the lookout as each day we will have new opportunities to make a difference in the lives of our students and colleagues. We will have opportunities to touch hearts, encourage minds, and to lead and inspire. This is an amazing responsibility, but you are just the person to do it.

It is important to take time to rest and recharge. You can not do all the amazing things you do if you have nothing left to give. You deserve it! You are amazing! Thank you!

Happy Holidays from your ESP Council!

The Illinois Senate passed the COVID School Employee Benefit and Wage Protection Bill (HB2778) 53-1 and the House 92-23!

Now, there’s just one more hurdle — getting the governor to sign it! Please take a moment to email Gov. J.B. Pritzker and ask him to sign HB2778 immediately. The law is retroactive to the start of the school year.

Share this link with all of your friends and family. This is just to important to let this fail.
Here’s what it means for you: It requires districts to provide COVID administrative days to any school or college employees abiding by the vaccination or testing orders to be used for all COVID-related absences like quarantining and testing, so employees will not have to use all of their accrued benefit time during the pandemic.Provides paycheck protection for hourly employees. This means if a school or higher education institution has to close because of an emergency, hourly employees would still receive their full paycheck. Members made more than 15,000 calls to their Representatives over the past couple months, urging them to pass the bill and those lawmakers listened. Now we need Gov. Pritzker to sign this in to law.

Here is what the nominators had to say about these ESP STARS!

West Aurora Paraprofessional Association – WAPA

A big shout out to these fabulous ladies from the Early Learning Academy in School District 129 in Aurora and members of the WAPA in IEA Region 40.  They are an awesome group of ladies who have worked hard keeping our kids safe! We love our ELA Paras!

Bloomington ESPs – Region 14

Our Dynamic Learning Program (DLP) at Bloomington High School in District 87 offers severe and profound students a bright future. These three ladies are just a fraction of the crew helping students with everyday tasks; box jobs, eating, self-care, reading and math skills. We operate as a family within our school and look forward to seeing our kiddos each and every day!
This awesome crew of the DLP program helps our kids be strong, independent and capable members of our world!

Thursday, January 20, 2022
7:00–8:30 PM ET
Register: nea.org/esppdwebinars

Our lifestyle, environment, and bodies are trying to tell us something. Mental health and physiological health go hand in hand, and there are many lifelong and recent factors that impact both, including external stressors, toxic systems, habits, and more that have been either activated or exacerbated by the pandemic. In this webinar, we will examine the risk factors and resulting health problems that educators are experiencing, as well as provide strategies to improve personal health and mental well-being.

IEA is accepting applications from IEA members to be RA Assistants for the 2022 IEA RA. There are a limited number of assistant positions available for the 2022 IEA RA. RA Assistants will be chosen from these applications on a first come, first serve basis. The deadline for submitting RA Assistant applications is midnight on January 14, 2022. Only non-delegates can be considered for these positions.

If you know anyone who may want to volunteer as an RA Assistant, please have them apply at this weblink: 2022 IEA RA Assistant Application (This link is also on the IEA Representative Assembly webpage).