May 02
News Release – Vacaville Teachers Donate $3,000 to Vacaville Resource Center to Help Struggling Families Cope During COVID-19 Pandemic
| VACAVILLE – Vacaville Teachers Association (VTA) is donating $3,000 to the City of Vacaville Family Resource Center. VTA President Todd Blanset says union members requested a donation be made to the Vacaville FIRST Office, Family Resource Center. “In this time of great need, VTA members see Vacaville FIRST as a great resource to help families navigate tough times and right now, they need all the help they can get. If families can get the help and support they need, that helps our students. We’re happy that we are in a position to give to a deserving cause.” VTA members, who help their students during good times and bad, felt it was the right thing to do for families in the community. “We appreciate all Vacaville FIRST does for our students’ and their families,” Blanset said. Vacaville FIRST works with families in crisis, providing basic needs assistance, parenting education, assistance with rent, utilities and food, domestic violence support groups, counseling services and other resources. In accepting the donation, Gloria Diaz, Clinical Services administrator, thanked the Vacaville union members and noted the donation “will help in a variety of ways. Many of our families are already low-income and too many have lost their jobs because of COVID-19. They are struggling with rent and utilities,” she said. “When families are stressed, it’s more difficult for them to make appropriate decisions when there is nothing out there, we try to fill in that gap.” |
| The Vacaville Teachers Association is affiliated with the 310,000-member California Teachers Association and the 3-million-member National Education Association. |
May 01
Important message from President Todd!
Kali Stern, a teacher at Vaca Pena Middle School suffered a horrible loss. Her husband, David, passed away on April 25th at the age of only 30. This was very unexpected and leaves Kali and her young daughter Elizabeth completely devastated. The process that comes along with end of life can be very expensive. With the permission of Kali, Lindsey Hamilton at Vaca Pena set up a Go Fund Me to help offset any of the costs required at this time. If you can, please consider donating to this sweet family.
Thank you,
Todd Blanset
Apr 30
For members only
New COVID-19 Grants
- The NEA Foundation has three new grant opportunities to address effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on teaching and learning:
1. $1,500-$5,000 six-month grants help educators address contributors to educational inequity and educational opportunity gaps.
2. One-year grants of either $2,000 or $5,000 to assist educators in preparing themselves, their colleagues, their students, or school community to respond to increased equity and opportunity challenges in the 2020-21 school year.
3. One-year grants of either $2,000 or $5,000 support educator-led projects in 2020-21 that advance equity and opportunity, responding to student needs that emerged or intensified during the pandemic.
New CTA Trainings: MATHome and Understanding Anger
- CTA continues to offer live and recorded webinars to build and refresh your skills during COVID-19. A sampling: MATHome (Weds., May 6, 1-2 p.m.) offers daily mathematics activities that children and parents can do together to build mathematics stamina and power, from arts and crafts to dance moves. Understanding Anger (Thurs., May 7, 3-4 p.m.) is the first of a three-part series dealing with student anger, trauma and bias; educators will learn how to de-escalate the anger and foster a more constructive relationship with the student. Sign up here; view recorded webinars here.
Financial relief from Provident Credit Union
- From temporary payment relief and temporarily suspended credit reporting to skip-a-pay loan programs, late fee waivers, and more, Provident Credit Union has a comprehensive list of financial relief options for CTA members suffering a loss or disruption in income due to the coronavirus. While branches are located primarily in the Bay area, any CTA member across the state can access these benefits. Get details and learn more at Provident Member Resources.
Apr 30
May 1 is International Workers Day
On May 1, 1886, the U.S. Federation of Organized Trade and Labor Unions (including immigrant workers) ruled that an 8-hour work day would be a full and legal work day. May 1 continues to be a national day of action; this year the focus is on raising awareness about immigration rights and the need to keep families together as they fight for a better life. Resources to share are here and here.
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