Plainfield Education Association 1449A East 2nd Street P.O.

Box 2703 Plainfield, NJ 07062 Phone: (908)-561-0664 Fax: (908) 756-3789

March 5, 2013 Dear Members, Our website, PEAPower.org, has undergone major redesign to better serve you. This has been a work in progress and I am excited at the possibilities of the new site features. Prior to my Presidency, we relied on a paper newsletter and word of mouth to communicate with the membership. Much of what was communicated in that newsletter became obsolete, as the information was readily available through our District and NJEA websites. We needed something better, more practical. This redesign expands our communications capabilities. History: Taking advantage of available technology, I began to advance my vision for a united, informed and empowered membership. With the help of our Communications Chair, we launched PEAPower.org and the Signal/Keeping Posted (a more comprehensive and targeted newsletter) and leadership email and text groups. At inception, member feedback was great, and many have accessed the site. Rep Council notices and updates were sent via email and Exec/Head Rep text groups, with the goal of empowering Association Representatives with information and updates to relay to members at their worksites. Up to this point, many posted documents and links to important resources became easily accessible to our members simply by logging on to PEAPower.org. With the eventual outcome of connections with community, parent and student portals were included. Over time, we reassessed our needs and added electronic versions of internal forms and our newsletter. We anticipate greater functionality and practicality for members. Vision: The vision unfolds as we move to the next level. PEAPower.org will retain some of the original features, but will add layers of security to our Members Only section. As education reforms unfold, our local Association needs have changed and we expect that the new PEAPower.org and connected communications systems will provide new opportunities for members to access and share resources with colleagues. We will still use some print media, but with the redesign, mobile access, text alerts, member forums and PowerTweets, we anticipate empowerment of all members who contribute and benefit from our joint efforts. Fast, official and accurate information at each members fingertips! Over the next several weeks, our Membership Committee will contact members regarding login and member benefits through the site. In the interim you may continue to access the Members section by simply logging in with the general username (peamember) and password (unity). Welcome to the new PEAPower.org. Log in and Power up often! Katherine Cardona, President
Working Together Today for a Stronger Tomorrow Plainfield Education Association, Proud Members of UCEA, NJEA and NEA, 3.2 Million Working As One!
This is an internal document of the Plainfield Education Association and may not be reproduced or published, in part or in whole, in any manner, without the expressed official written consent of the Association. KWC: 8/08