Rockland Education Association

A member of the MTA network

National Education Support Professional’s(ESP’s) Day

 

Dear Educational Support Professionals (ESP’s),

Today is National Education Support Professional’s (ESP) Day. On behalf of the Rockland Education Association (REA),  I want to take a moment to express our gratitude for the invaluable services provided by: Paraprofessionals, Custodians, Bus drivers, Secretaries, Food service workers, Nurses, Librarians, and other support staff. Your dedication, care, and support make such a significant difference in the lives of students, teachers, and the entire school community. Whether you’re assisting in the classroom, managing administrative tasks, serving lunch, maintaining the facilities and sites, or providing emotional and academic support, your contributions are invaluable. You help create an environment where learning can thrive, and your efforts often go unnoticed, but they are always deeply appreciated. Thank you for your unwavering commitment and for being the backbone of our educational system. Your hard work does not go unnoticed, and we are truly grateful for everything you do.

With sincere thanks,

 

Sharon B McGonnigal

REA President

Brainstorm: Conversations on AI in Public Education

AI is a hot topic these days, just an FYI.

The Training & Professional Learning Division invites you and your members to Brainstorm: Conversations on AI in Public Education at Worcester State University on Saturday, Nov. 16.

This event has been uniquely designed to encourage conversations and relationships between members as participants explore the possibilities that artificial intelligence offers, while also examining potential risks to our students, labor and communities.

Click here to register for the event. attend this event.

 

 

REA Elections 2024

Please sign into the “Member News” section of this website to find out more information on the REA Executive Board, Negotiators and Board of Directors Elections 2024 (or see your building Representatives or any Executive Board Member)!

REA Board of Directors Meeting

The first meeting of the REA Board of Directors will be September 13, 2023 at 3:30pm in the RHS/RMS Lecture Hall. This meeting was moved to the 2nd Wednesday of the month during our June meeting.

MTA HEALTH & SAFETY SUMMIT!

Hello All,

It’s time for the MTA Health and Safety Summit! In every school, educators are talking about different forms of violence in the schools and the lack of accountability. We have an opportunity to come together and discuss what is happening and what we could or should do to address this. This event is FREE with FREE transportation!  

We have reserved a bus to go to Worcester, Saturday, May 20th for the Health and Safety Summit.  Please help us fill this bus!! Call or text MTA Field Organizer, Lisa Lemieux at 508-436-0774 and let us know if you can join us and help recruit.  

 I am sharing this information with the hopes that members attend.

Here is the link to register for the summit:

https://web.cvent.com/event/a236c4a3-33a8-4f1e-984f-07334f8b6a41/summary

Here is the link to a Google Form to reserve a space on the bus:  https://forms.gle/L2EcfZqeQjGyL7y5A

We (MTA) will send out a Hustle text message with this link to sign up for bus pick up.

MTA members will have an opportunity to: 

  • learn about the state of occupational and environmental health in our buildings across the state.
  • name the concerns they have.
  • listen to solutions that have been posed and work that others have done.
  • build a statewide movement of health and safety committees that can respond to current issues and experiences.
  • advocate for resources while prioritizing inclusion.

The tentative bus schedule is:

  • 6:30am (Pick-up #1) – Depart Mass Highway Park and Ride, Mt. Pleasant Street, 1038-1048 Mt Pleasant St, New Bedford
  • 7:00am (Pick-up #2) – MTA Raynham office, 756 Orchard Street, Bluestone Bank lot #3
  • 9:00am to 1:00pm – Event 
  • 1:30pm – Depart Worcester, MTA Office, 12 E. Worcester Street

New Member Benefit!!!!! Disability Plan

All new members (working 18.5 or more hours a week) since July 1, 2022, can enroll in MTA’s disability plan during open enrollment from March 28 – May 13. This applies to all members in new MTA locals – what an unexpected benefit of affiliating!

 

What does this mean? Near 6,000 new members to date have a chance to get disability coverage that they may NEVER have again. That is, unless their local adopts the MTA plan (which is easy and highly recommended), these members will be out of luck.

 

What’s even better? This is a recurring new member benefit.  Each year all new members regardless of their district’s participation in the MTA disability plan can elect to participate!

 

MTA has a plan to reach out to all new members but wanted locals to also post the information.

 

Here is the contact information if you are interested.

Beth Bejoian  http://www.mtabenefits.com/ or Tom Colbert (tom@vistafg.com; 774.551.0013, ext. 101) if you have questions or would like to discuss this opportunity that we’re so grateful to Unum for giving.