|
Executive Board
Meeting Scheduled-
Our "September" STA Executive Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, August
26 at 10 A.M. in the MS library. All members have been notified by
email. If you did not receive an email, please contact
Carol Carelli (Secretary) and
indicate if you will be attending. Thank you to those who have already
responded.
Weight
Watchers
at Work is coming to the High School and Middle School!!
Any High School or Middle School (or elementary ) teacher who is interested in
joining Weight Watchers, please contact
Michele Freeman (HS) to express your interest. We have 9
teachers/staff and need 15 to get a class on the campus. The meetings will
begin on September 3rd at 7:00 am and go for 12 weeks. The cost is $144.00 and
can be paid in one or two installments. What a great way to begin the new year
and start on a new "you".
Reminder
for all retired STA members: Schalmont Retired Teachers' Brunch will be held on
October 1, 2008 at 11:00 A.M. at Mallozzi's Restaurant. Audrey Patneaude
and Carmeen Kolpack will be the hostesses for this annual event.
The
June, 2008 issue
of the 2007-08 STATIC is now available. Check out
other issues.
STA Members Awarded Tenure
-
Congratulations to the following STA members who awarded
tenure at the May 27, 2008 Board of Education Meeting: Robin
Bingham, Andrea Bryson, Natilie Casalinuovo, Lori DeMeo, Tami Dvorscak, Paula
Gold, Beverly Haringa, Mike Libertucci, Kathleen Mize, Joy Moore, Carrie Shapiro
and Kim Wilson.
Retired Jefferson
Teacher Passes Away -
Mary Jane Fuller, retired Jefferson Elementary teacher died at home on
Wednesday, May 14. She was 59. Mary Jane spent her entire career of
32 years teaching fourth grade at the school. Contributions in Mary Jane's memory may
be made to the Schenectady Pilgrim Holiness City Outreach Ministry, 2105 Curry
Road, Schenectady, NY 12303
Congratulations to
our own STA member, Joanne Jones, at
Woestina Elementary School, for being selected as an outstanding support
employee by the Engage Institute in Galax, Virginia. Her name is included
in a newly released book, Building Better Schools by Engaging Support Staff.
In Building Better Schools, Jones contributed to the chapters on
being a positive team member and the importance of confidentiality in the
schools. She is also highlighted in the profiles of outstanding support staff
section.
(full story)
The Schalmont
Health Plan will no longer be an option for active or retired teachers.
If you currently have the Schalmont Plan, you
will need to switch to the new
Blue Shield of Northeast
New York PPO 813 Plan or to MVP or
CDPHP. Letters have been sent to all active
and retired teachers explaining the process for selecting a new plan.
Monthly rates
for the three plans are available for retired teachers.
Select the column which represents the percentage of your premium that was in
effect at the time you retired. If you have ANY questions or concerns or need
clarification regarding the change, please contact Kathleen Caufield at
518-355-9200 Ext. 4007.
The
Capital Region BOCES Model Schools Summer, 2008
course catalog is available. If you would like to
attend a training session in a variety of areas,
check
out the booklet. If you wish to receive
inservice credit, you must submit an application in advance.
New Feature -
The Retiree Connection
is Now Available - This new link is dedicated to the
retired STA members who may need "one - stop" shopping for
information regarding their colleagues. Need an address or
email? Can't find that phone number? This is the
place to check out what retirement holds for those of us still
teaching. Suggestions are always welcome. Simply
email Carol Carelli at
ccarelli@nycap.rr.com. All retired STA members are
invited to share their experiences and thoughts. Simply
click on the
Retiree Connection link on the left sidebar or click
here.
New form for STA
reimbursement -
In an effort to streamline the process for getting
reimbursed for expenses incurred by members on behalf of STA, we
have created a new form, which must be submitted with any receipts for payment.
Checks will be processed by Interim Treasurer, Jim Scott, at the
middle and at the end of each month. Receipts which
are submitted without the form
will be
returned to the member without payment. Extra forms are
available from Jim or Mary Beth Flatley or may be downloaded
here.
 Middle School
Teacher Earns National Board Teacher Certification -Congratulations
to Lorinda Gandrow, middle school math teacher, for earning her
National Board Teacher Certification. Lorinda joins 20
other Schalmont teachers who have demonstrated excellence in
teaching, and have earned the privilege to be recognized as
National Board certified. Way to go, Lorinda!!
NYSUT Alert - Tell
congress to fix NCLB right now!!
As Congress is quickly moving to reauthorize the No
Child Left Behind Act, now is the time to tell your local
representatives the law urgently needs to be fixed. Tell them
you're opposed to measures that will lead to more teaching to
the test. Tell them you're opposed to provisions mandating the
use of test scores to determine whether teachers should receive
incentive
pay. And share real-life examples of how NCLB is not working in
your school. Your voice needs to be heard!
This week NYSUT leaders are urging you to join the American
Federation of Teachers' congressional call-in week, Oct. 15-19.
Call (866) 327-8670 and an operator will connect you with your
legislative representative's office. To find the names of your
members of Congress, visit the Legislative Action Center at
www.nysut.org. You may also
use that link to
fax letters urging Congress to slow down and get it right. So
far we've sent more than 15,000 faxes!
Our other national affiliate, the National Education
Association, has posted a number of action letters. Visit the
Legislative Action Center at
www.nea.org for more.
TAKE ACTION!
Call (866) 327-8670
WHO ARE MY ELECTED OFFICIALS?
http://www.nysut.org/ElectedOfficials/
LEARN MORE!
http://www.nysut.org/LearnMore/
Are
you still confused about 403(b) accounts? Check out
www.403bwise.com for
almost all of the answers to your questions. It also has
tips for new investors.
Are
you thinking of retiring this year? Just want to know more about
your options for the future? The New York State Teachers' Retirement System will
be conducting their Summer,
2008 Pre-Retirement Seminars. This is a good time for anyone over
45 who would like more information about retirement and benefits to hear
from the experts what your option are.
Have
you taken a maternity leave in the past? Would
you like to receive that time spent raising your family counted
into your New York State Retirement System? Write your
legislator expressing your opinion. If enough New Yorkers
do this, we may be able to convince state leaders to pass this
bill
(Assembly
Bill 7353). Contact your
state representative!
|