Update                          January 14, 2022

Dear PFT Members,

Dear PFT Members,                                                                      January 11, 2022

PFT has been in communication with the district daily to ensure staff and student safety as COVID-19 cases are rising. We have also been in close communication with the California Federation of Teachers (CFT) and have received additional information from School Services of California (SSC).

Case Reporting and Notification
There is an updated SDCOE Decision Tree for your reference. PUSD will be notifying close contacts via a written letter. However, phone call notifications will be limited due to the volume of cases. PUSD is continuing to comply with CalOSHA requirements to notify PFT of positive cases and close contacts within our bargaining unit. If you have any questions or concerns about protocols in a specific case related to your classroom, please contact PFT at (858) 674-2800.

Testing
The Governor provided home test kits for students, which our district recently received and distributed to families. (Per CFT, some districts in the state have not yet received their home test kits for students). PFT has asked CFT to advocate for the state to provide test kits for teachers and other staff members. We are also working with the district to find ways to ensure teachers have access to testing when needed, without appointment delays and without having to purchase our own home test kits.

Classroom Coverage/Unfilled Absences
To mitigate unfilled teacher absences, Teachers on Special Assignment (TOSA)s have been deployed to provide classroom coverage. Examples of TOSAs include: XPloration teachers, RtI TOSAs, Tech Coaches, Curriculum TOSAs, PPAP Consultants, etc.  Principals, Assistant Principals, CTE Ed Specialists, Counselors, and some district office administrators have also been supporting classroom teaching. If you cover a classroom during your prep period (secondary) or if you cover a class or group of five or more students for more than 30 minutes (elementary), you will be compensated at the current teacher hourly rate ($39.68). Absent other options, principals typically ask if a teacher is willing to cover a class. However, especially at this challenging time, a teacher could be directed to cover a class during the workday. In either case, you should fill out a timesheet for your principal to submit to PSS for approval and payment. Please contact PFT with any specific questions or concerns.

On-campus vs. Virtual Instruction
PUSD recently communicated that returning to virtual learning is NOT an option available to school districts in our state. PFT has confirmed with both CFT and SSC that this is essentially the case. Below is some specific information from the California Dept. of Public Health (CDPH) and SSC if you are interested. Let us know if you have any questions or need support.

In Unity,
Kelly

Read more

Click here for previous PFT Updates

Congratulations to our 2021

Teachers of the Year!

Tasha Giffin		Carlos LaGrange		Julie Spychalski

 The Poway Unified School District (PUSD) is proud to announce that Tasha Giffin, Social Science Teacher at Del Norte High School, Julie Spychalski, Physical Education Teacher at Twin Peaks Middle School, and Carlos LaGrange, Resource Specialist at Westview High School have been chosen as the PUSD Teachers of the Year for 2021.
 Read more

The joint PUSD/PFT IBPS team is pleased to announce we have reached agreement on a Supplementary Retirement Plan (SRP) for the PFT bargaining unit! 

Click here to read the agreement

COVID-19: Union toolkit for California educators and staffSummaries of state guidance by education division

The CFT is posting key resources here as they become available. This toolkit is divided into information for preK-12 schools, community colleges, UC, retirement systems, and state labor agencies. We also include the basic facts about the coronavirus with links to public health agencies. 

TPLES - Teacher Professional Learning and Effectiveness System

Dear Colleagues,

The demands on a teacher's time are endless, and the school year seems to go so quickly from this point on. The below link Teacher Professional Learning and Effectiveness System (TPLES) reminder sheet is intended to provide support and suggestions for teachers in the evaluation cycle this year, as they monitor and document progress on their SLO/PLO.  It can also help make the final evaluation conference, for both traditional and alternative evaluations, more meaningful for the teacher and administrator.

Teacher Professional Learning and Effectiveness System (TPLES) reminder sheet - click here

In Unity,
Kelly

Teacher Professional Learning and Effectiveness System What is meant by "Multiple Measures" in relation to Teacher Evaluation?

Evaluating teachers fairly and accurately requires the use of multiple indicators of effectiveness AND multiple ways to measure those indicators. Read more

Classroom Supplies using Online Donation Site

What teachers need to do first to be eligible for donations: Go to www.pusddonate.org. Click your grade level (elementary, middle, high), click your “Site”, click “Teachers”. Please be sure your name is listed. The website is linked to the district’s payroll system.  Therefore, the donation website uses the same name you are using for payroll purposes (legal name).  Unfortunately, we cannot change that name.

What the Online Donation website provides:
1. Parents have the option of donating directly to their child’s teacher(s), program, department, grade level, program, or the school site’s general fund using this online donation website. The website is designed to provide parents with an easy and convenient way to help fund our instructional supply needs. Teachers and schools have received more than $100,000.00 in donations using this website. It works.

2. Parents may access the donation website by going to www.pusddonate.org.  Parents receive a tax deduction and email confirmation when donating. The website also includes a “Matching Gift Program” if a parent’s employer provides that benefit.

3. Teachers receive an automatic email confirmation stating the amount of the donation, donor’s name and email, and student’s name, if provided by the parent. Our District uses a spam filter. Therefore, to receive confirmation emails from the donation site you must check your spam folder. When you see the link, pusdonline@firstlinemerchant.com that’s the Online Donation secure banking (when using a credit card) email address. Please “whitelist” this email address. For accounting purposes, your site finance clerk or site secretary receives a monthly report of all donations. If you have not received an email confirmation but think you have received a donation, check with your site secretary or finance clerk.

Donation: Teachers access these donations the same way they would their regular supply budget/s at the site.

COMMUNICATION STRATEGIES: Teachers may communicate this website to parents via their MyConnect site, newsletter, and/or during Back-to-School Night (see Common Message on Q&A attached). To promote greater equity among all our classrooms, we suggest grade-level teams or departments come together to identify their “collective” supply needs and request donations be made to the grade-level or department, rather than individual teachers.

Please note: Donations to this account may only be used for instructional supplies (e.g. school supplies, software, workbooks, art and science materials…). If requesting donations for technology, check with your principal. The primary function of your site Foundation is to purchase software and technology and teachers should be coordinating their efforts.

Field Trip Fees: The Classroom Supplies ~ Online Donations website now offers the option of collecting Field Trip fees. More information and directions for teachers will be coming soon in a separate email.

I've attached an FAQ and a handout you may wish to provide to parents.  Questions or concerns, contact Kris Hizal PFT Director, khizal@powayteachers.org or  khizal@powayusd.com 

Attachments:

FAQ Classroom Supplies
CSOLD Parent Handout

In Unity,
Kelly