As part of American Education Week (November 15-21) WEAC is celebrating ESP Day and you should too! Celebrate all that you do to support the students, staff, parents, and community of your school district.

Check out what is happening around the state to celebrate ESP!

• WEAC sponsored this advertisement in newspapers around the state.
• The Central Wisconsin UniServ Council (CWUC) Education Support Committee will host its fourth annual soup bowl dinner for all CWUC members. NEA Directors Laura Vernon and Shelly Moore and NEA ESP at large Director Kay Hansen will do a presentation about the importance of teachers and ESPs working together on education issues. 
• The Appleton Education Association is inviting legislators, local leaders and school board members to be an educator for a day on November 19. Wisconsin First Lady Jessica Doyle and WEAC President Mary Bell will participate in the day’s events.

Why is it important to celebrate American Education Week and ESP Day?
Respect. Many ESP members comment that they do not feel respected in their school district. American Education Week and ESP Day are your time to celebrate how valuable you are. Once you start to educate others on the great work you do and respect yourselves others will too. 

Public Support. We need the support of the community to support us in the bargain and deal with big issues such as school funding. This is an opportune time to engage your community and encourage support for public schools.

Here are some ideas on how you can celebrate!

• Provide a breakfast and/or lunch for Education Support Professionals to show your appreciation. Or, bring an Education Support Professional some home-baked treats.
• Demonstrate your support for Education Support Professionals by experiencing the school day as an Education Support Professional. 
• Arrange for non-Education Support Professionals to fill in for Education Support Professionals during their lunch hour so that they can go out for lunch together.

For more ideas and background information
This is a national event sponsored by the NEA. Their website contains an online toolkit with activity ideas, background information/fact sheets, media tips and promotional materials. Go to: http://www.nea.org/aew.

Stay connected!
Sign up to receive this blog and you can stay informed and connected on ESP issues with ESP members. Click on the link that says "Subscribe to the ESP Blog by e-mail." If you have questions, contact WEAC ESP Coordinator Kim Wiemer Noyce.
 
Add your comment below to tell us how you celebrated American Education Week and ESP Day in your area!

Thank you for your contribution to Wisconsin's great public schools!

- WEAC Education Support Professionals (ESP) Committee

 By WEAC Education Support Professionals (ESP) Committee

The WEAC Education Support Professional (ESP) blog is a place where everyone—ESP or not—can stay informed and stay connected. WEAC ESP members can use this space to write about who they are and what they are thinking, and to find out more about what is new in the ESP world.

That means we need you to freely share your comments on the blog posts. Or suggest a topic for us to blog about. Or become a member blogger yourself. Tell WEAC ESP Coordinator Kim Wiemer Noyce you are interested by emailing her at wiemernoycek@weac.org.

This blog is housed on the www.weac.org ESP landing page. Here, you can also find resources such as the WEAC ESP Handbook, learn more about the WEAC ESP Certificate and professional development, and stay connected with other ESP local activities.

The ESP Blog is a forum where we can share information about opportunities for personal or professional growth, discuss actions that we can take to improve public education or our union, or share a story or quote to help connect us all.

This week we would like to encourage you to attend the 2009 WEAC Convention. The WEAC Convention offers personal and professional growth sessions throughout each day and hosts an exhibit hall full of education-related booths. The WEAC Convention features ESP-specific sessions and some are even available for WEAC Professional Development Academy ESP Certificate credit.

The WEAC Convention is October 29-30 in Milwaukee. We look forward to seeing you there!

Help make this blog what you want it to be, an ESP blog. Be sure to comment below.

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We look forward to your participation in creating a vibrant online community for WEAC ESP members. Join the Conversation!