Greetings NEA-Jurupa Family,
I hope that you had a restful weekend and that you were able to find some downtime. Again, THANK YOU for your compassion, empathy, grade, kindness, patience, and understanding as we continue to navigate our current reality.
I picked up “Be More Yoda” book on mindfulness and this tip has been really helpful. It is so important to unplug and unwind, to find a way to clear your head. Just a few minutes a day can do so much!
Apologies in advance for the long email, but I wanted to provide you with some important information.
REP COUNCIL: Our next meeting will be this Wednesday, February 10th at 3:45 via Zoom. The tentative agenda is attached above for your reference. Additionally, if you have specific questions or concerns, please reach out to your site reps, area director, or you can contact me directly.
RETURN TO IN-PERSON INSTRUCTION: Many of you have questions about returning to in-person services. There are several factors in play here including guidance by fed/state/local public health officials, legislation at the fed/state level, and decisions made by the school board. Any plan to return to in-person services requires negotiations.
The top issue is the COVID case numbers. As of this morning, Riverside County has 62.3 cases/100K (deep purple), 16.6% positivity rate, 18.5% equity index, and 0% ICU bed capacity. The district and association are committed to working together and following all guidance. The health and safety of our staff, students, and community at-large continues to be the number one priority. Attached above are the TOP 5 THINGS TO KNOW about the state’s new COVID-19 guidance.
For those of you who are interested in reaching out to your local legislators about returning safely, you can use this link for ease. It takes about one minute to complete and letters will be sent to your representatives. The legislators need to hear from us.
COVID RELATED LEAVE: The Families First Coronavirus Response Act (FFRCA) expired at the end of December. If you or a loved on contracts COVID, you should immediately reach out to Human Resources to discuss leave options. Attached above is guidance from CTA about COVID related leave and accomodations.
STATE TESTING: There are still lingering questions surround the requirements for state testing. Until a decision is made by the federal government to grant state waivers, we must proceed as usual. If you haven’t had the opportunity yet, please consider signing this petition to encourage pursuing a waiver. Additionally, if you would like to know more about testing that works for our students and educator/parents rights regarding “opting out” of standardized testing, you can use this link.
MENTAL HEALTH/SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL WELLNESS RESOURCES: We know that our staff and students are struggling with a myriad of needs during this time. The pandemic has taken its toll on all of us in some way, shape, or form. I have reached out to the district to see how they can work with the association to create a cache of resources to support ALL OF US. They have informed me that the services the district provides has grown exponentially, however, there are still many who haven’t been reached. If you have found anything and would like to share, I am more than willing to do so. We will also be working on updating our website to provide a landing page for resources.
Here are some things that I’ve come across (or that have been shared with me) that you may/may not find useful:
Mental Health and Emotional Wellness Apps (for Kaiser Members)
Anthem EAP (Employee Assistance Program) free to all employees (see attached flyer above)
8 Best Mental Health Apps of 2021
CALIFORNIA CASUALTY EDUCATOR JACKPOT: Click on this link to learn more about how you can enter to win one of several $2500 jackpots!
Hopefully you have a great rest of the day/week! May you find some time to enjoy some of nature’s beauty. Best to you and your loved ones and please continue to stay safe and well!
In Unity-
Wendy Eccles 🙂
NEA-Jurupa President
Office Phone: 951-681-7997, Google Voice: 951-643-4076
Non-district email: [email protected]
Website: www.neaj.org
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“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together“- African Proverb