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From the President’s Desk August 12, 2008

Dear New Colleagues:

Welcome Aboard! We here at the Prince George’s County Educators’ Association (PGCEA), congratulates your decision to become a vital part of our winning team of professional educators in Prince George’s County. We celebrate your new assignment and look forward to assisting you in becoming one of the best of the best educators in the nation. Also, know that your excitement, readiness, willingness, and outstanding ability is greatly appreciated and applauded by the veteran colleagues, parents, education board members – the entire education community in Prince George’s County.

We realize that the many duties of today’s educators are as varied and as challenging as the students you teach. Your local PGCEA desires and requires your utmost commitment and dedication to success as a participating team member.

As a collective focus for the 2008-2009 school year, PGCEA has identified understanding the diverse cultures of our students as chief among many of our emphasis. Your recognition of diverse beliefs, values, and behaviors of our students strengthens your ultimate commitment to the challenge to close the remaining achievement gaps which obstruct or prevent fulfillment of the aim of education in Prince George’s County’s school system. Seize every opportunity to become familiarized with your outlined curriculum guidelines in the respective areas of your assignment.

The creativity you bring to your classroom, along with a clearly defined perspective of your subject, speaks volumes of your commitment to your students and their individual ability to perform and to excel.

In our resolve to assist your selfless endeavors, PGCEA recommends as an excellent reference the book, Enhancing Professional Practice: A Framework for Teaching, as a primer for today’s highly motivated and success-oriented educators. This excellent reading by Charlotte Danielson exemplifies similar objectives and techniques espoused by PGCEA. This is a very worthwhile investment in your teaching career.

PGCEA also highly recommends that you build working partnerships with your students and parents. Get to know each family individually and solicit their assistance in wholly educating their children. Remember these three concepts: evaluation, expectation and standards. These are critical terms in your effectiveness and success as a Prince George’s County educator.

As usual, we encourage you to become a full contributing member of PGCEA. You may obtain additional information from the PGCEA table at the New Teacher Orientation from the Faculty Advisory Chair or representatives in your building, or by calling the PGCEA office at 301-736-2700. Also, visit the PGCEA website at www.pgcea.org.

Again, we offer sincerest congratulations on the acceptance of this new assignment and bid you every great success throughout this new school year. PGCEA believes in you because you believe in your students and the effort you exert to make Prince George’s the best county in the State of Maryland in which to educate all children!

Educationally yours,

Donald J. Briscoe PGCEA President

DJB/