Greenwich Teachers’ Association
Avenue Greenwich,
NY 12834 Message From the President
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MAY 2008 First I want to wish all a safe and enjoyable Memorial Day weekend! Some points of interest:
NEED YOUR INPUT AND THIS IS EASY…… At the next GTA meeting besides discussing business, I would like to implement a little friendly competition between buildings with a Family Feud style game. The winning team will receive $50 towards an item for their faculty room (i.e. something permanent to make the room more inviting or not so permanent—a consumable snack J). To do this I need your help. Please take a minute and send me your answers to the following questions via email or “snail” mail by Friday, June 1:
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APRIL 2008 There are quite a number of items to update you on as well as a call for assistance. Please take a moment to read through the entire message so that you don’t miss something that might be of particular importance to you.
We Need YOU:
1. Dental Plan Coordinator: Nicole Fortier who has graciously managed our Delta Dental plan for a year is looking to pass the torch. If you are interested in becoming the coordinator, please contact Nicole. Estimated time required would average to 3-4 hours per month (Note: Some months you may receive no questions others you might receive more). Nicole will also train/transition the new coordinator. 2. Budget Committee: GTA is in the process of preparing our GTA Budget for the 2008-2009 fiscal year. If you are interested in being a part of this committee, please contact me or Dan Fischer by Monday, May 5. We would like to meet within the next couple of weeks. The project entails looking at last year’s budget (income and expenditures) and compiling one for next year. Estimated time required would be 30 – 60 minutes. 3. Pictures Needed for the School Budget Vote Reminder Post Card: For the past few years, GTA has created and mailed a “reminder to vote post card” to all NYSUT members who reside in our district. We plan to do so again this year. If you have a child who attends school in the district and would be willing to let us take their picture for use in our “Get-Out-the-Vote” reminder post card, please contact me by Monday, May 5.
Updates and Reminders:
1. Parking Raffle: Another month has flown by and it is that time again. Remember you have to be in it to win it. Money raised allows GTA to give to various charitable donation requests. To enter contact the following people for your building: a. Primary: Jen Kuzmich b. Middle Grade: Randy Swift c. High School: Brenda Lee 2. 10-Minute Meetings: We intend to bring you updates in person and hold brief, informative membership meetings as follows for those of you who missed the last GTA Meeting. a. Primary Building: Tuesday, May 6, 7:45 a.m. Primary Library b. Middle Grade Building: Wednesday, May 7, 7:45 a.m. Faculty Room c. High School: Thursday, May 8, 7:45 a.m., Media Center
3. Job Postings: It was brought to our attention that job openings were not being posted and that the process of posting was not clear with administration. GTA filed a grievance and was able to resolve the issue at level one. The outcome is as follows: a. Positions that had not been posted were re-posted allowing for interested parties to apply. b. All postings will be emailed to members from the district office during the school year and mailed during the summer. c. All postings will be posted at the following locations in each building by that building’s Main Office secretary (Jean, Maria, Jen) or another administrative designee: i. Primary Building: Teachers’ room, cafeteria by time clock, Main Office by time clock. ii. Middle Grade Building: Teachers’ room. iii. High School: On the “District” bulletin board in the copier room.
4. Coaching Evaluation Meeting with NYSUT Representative Tom Sheraw: As requested at a previous GTA meeting, Tom Sheraw will be available to meet and discuss the current coaching evaluation process with interested members on Friday, May 9, at 2:40 in the High School Media Center.
5. Superintendent Search: A committee of 30, five of which are GTA representatives, will interview the candidates (3 or 4) for a second round of interviews on May 13 and May 14. The first round of interviews were/are being conducted by the Board of Education. After this second round, the two finalists will be meeting with each constituency group. It is my understanding that anyone from each group interested in meeting the candidates will be allowed to participate. I want to thank everyone who volunteered to be part of the interview committee; however, we could only have 5 members on the team. The Executive Committee feels that we have a strong committee representative of our membership. The committee members are: Tom Manera, Duke Beck, Brenda Lee, Cheryl Record and Dawn Kirk.
6. School Budget: a. May 12, Meet the Candidates and Budget Hearing. High School Media Center at 6 p.m. b. May 20, Budget Vote: Please mark your calendar and be sure to vote in your home school district. c. Open Board Seat Contenders: i. Tom Graves, Incumbent ii. Ron Keayes iii. Albert Sykes
7. 2008-2009 Pay Schedule: We wanted to remind you now to plan financially for your return in September. As was the case this year, you will receive a ½ paycheck for the first week we return on Friday, September 5. The next pay day in the cycle is September 19 where your check will represent a full two weeks. |
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MARCH 2008 GTA NEEDS YOU:
v Board of Education Meetings: Please sign up to attend at least one Board of Education meeting during the school year. A sign up sheet will be posted in each faculty room. Please show up even if you forget to sign up. A list of the meeting dates is on the GCS website (http://www.greenwichcsd.org/home.htm). v Tenure Appointment: Please extend congratulations to Heather Barrett and Jen Kratzenberg who will be approved for tenure at the next Board meeting, March 17. Attend the meeting and show your support. v 25/55 Retirement Legislation: This proposed legislation will enable members in Tiers II, III and IV who are age 55 or older with at least 25 years of service to retire without penalty Please visit the NYSUT website at http://www.nysut.org/cps/rde/xchg/nysut/hs.xsl/contactelectedofficials_3991.htm and send off a fax showing your support of this legislation that would benefit us and/or our colleagues. It is as simple as just a few mouse clicks.
If you missed last week’s GTA meeting here are some highlights. For more details see your building rep or another Executive Committee member: v Learning Community Survey Results: The results of the Learning Community Survey you completed in late November were compiled late December. These reports are available through your building rep (either electronic or paper copy). Your input resulted in the return of faculty meetings and one day a month devoted to Learning Communities. Thank you for taking the time to complete the survey. v Teacher Retirement System (TRS) Glitch: When the district converted from DOS to a new program, there were some resulting errors in the correct amount of time credited. The business office has submitted corrections to TRS. TRS advised the corrections would be made; however, they were unable to advise when the corrections would be reflected on member accounts. We suggest you check your TRS statement and follow up in the near future to make sure corrections are reflected. v GTA Website: The GTA website is up and running. Visit it at www.gcsta.org. If you have any suggestions, please contact Christine Belden (our webmaster) or Mary Barnhart or Jan Dupuis (members of the website committee). v Accomplishments: There will be various member “accomplishments” listed on the website. If you have something to list, let us know. This is a great avenue for us to showcase all that we do not just to the community, but to each other. v Cyber Safety: A word of caution on My Space accounts. Visit http://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/30/business/30digi.html?_r=2&pagewanted=print&oref=slogin&oref=slogin for an article on this topic.
REMINDER: v Celebrate the Teacher in You Conference: Take advantage of the GTA $12 contribution towards this worthwhile event by submitting your registration and payment (checks payable to GTA) by this FRIDAY, March 7.
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February 2008 Just a few reminders before we leave for winter break:
Wishing you all an enjoyable, relaxing, and safe winter break! |
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January 2008 HAPPY NEW YEAR! Just a couple of reminders:
Jen Kuzmich – Primary Randy Swift – Middle Grade Brenda Lee – High School
January 31, 2008 Some important things to note:
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December 2007 st I want to wish everidasnd a safe and enjoyable break! Below are a few things to note:
Ø Holiday Party: Mark your calendars for February 1st as the tentative date for our holiday party. Many thanks to Amy Sorbera for organizing this event. More details to follow.
Ø Draft Board of Education meeting agendas will be posted in each building’s faculty room prior to each meeting once I receive the agenda.
Ø Superintendent Search: I have discussed the process with Mr. Parker and it is my understanding that the first phase of the search will be open to anyone from each constituency group. The second phase—the actual interview process will consist of about 30 people total from all groups. When I have more information as to the actual number of GTA representatives we can have involved in the second phase, I will let you know. If you are interested in being part of this second phase and have not already done so, please let me know. When we know more exact details, we can begin to assemble our team.
Ø Retirement Planning Seminar: Don’t forget to mark your calendars for the retirement planning seminar to be held on January 17. Look for an email from Karen Waters after the break with more details.
Ø Parking Raffle for January: When we return from break, we will collect entries for the January parking raffle. See Jen Kuzmich-Primary, Randy Swift-Middle Grade, or me in the Jr./Sr. High School if interested in purchasing a raffle ticket. |
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November
2007 A few items to make note of:
MEMBERSHIP MEETING: Thursday, December 6, 3:30 in the High School Media Center. Agenda to follow.
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October 2007
News You Can Use:
· High School: Brenda Lee or Christine Belden · Middle Grade: Randy Swift · Primary: Jen Kuzmich
This message is just a quick request for suggestions and involvement. I would like to take this opportunity to remind all members that the word “union” begins with the letter “U” and the word you. Your contribution will help make “us” (GTA) stronger. Note that “us” also begins with you.
Many of you have been wondering if the Learning Communities/Continuous Improvement would end with the departure of Mr. McGuire. The answer is no. First the obligation is still required in our contract at least until 2009 when it expires. Second, I have been approached by administration to form a committee to determine the direction of our Learning Communities. We would like to have two representatives from GTA from each building. If you are interested in being a part of this committee, please contact me. The first meeting is tentatively scheduled for Thursday, October 25, 8:30 a.m. – 11:30 a.m. with lunch provided. You will be provided with release time and sub coverage for this meeting and any future meetings that may occur during the school day. For any meetings that occur after our contractual obligation you will be compensated at professional rate of pay ($188 /six-hour day for the 2007-2008 school year).
As you know, the GTA annual chicken BBQ at the VFW was cancelled due to lack of participation. We would like to have an event that recognizes our new members and members who received tenure. Please let your building representatives know your suggestions (i.e. before school, after school, happy hour, dinner, location, etc.). The Executive Committee meets on Tuesday, October 23, and this event will be one of the items on our agenda.
As you may know, we have representation at each Board of Education meeting from our Executive Committee. If you have anything you would like to report at the meeting (such as special classroom projects, field trips, professional accomplishments, student accomplishments, etc.), please let me know. There is a meeting on Monday, October 22. Speaking and presenting information to the Board during the public comment opportunity is just as important now as when there are issues or contract negotiations.
Thank you for your assistance.
P.S. If you know of any member who is not receiving these emails, please let me know so that I can be sure they are on the distribution list. |
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September 4, 2007 First, I would like to welcome everyone back to the 2007-2008 school year.
One suggestion from our Executive Committee’s summer meeting was to start a communication piece, “Message from the President.” These updates will be issued on a monthly basis, or more often if needed. Part of the goal of this communication will be keep us informed of personal events of our members (births, weddings, special accomplishments, deaths, etc.) as well as other issues that affect you as a GTA member. If you have anything you wish to share in this communication piece, please give the information to your building representative (Kay Johnson, Elementary; Randy Swift, Middle Grade; Chris Kelly or Linda McDonald, Jr./Sr. High School). I have created this GTA email contact list and need your help to ensure that I have included all members. Please let me know if you notice a colleague that I have overlooked.
Listed below are some highlights of what your officers were busy with this summer.
More detailed information on these items will be presented at the first membership meeting in October. If you have any questions or have information you want to share in the next message, please contact your building representative.
September 11, 2007 First I would like to congratulate our newly tenured teachers who were recognized at last night’s Board of Education meeting: Janet Hammond Wendy Steindl David VanDeWater CONGRATULATIONS! Next I wanted to communicate that last Friday’s paycheck seemed a bit larger than ½ of your normal salary because there were no deductions for items like health insurance, union dues, etc. The reason is that the premiums for these are taken out over 21 pay periods, which we have remaining. Below are the health insurance rates for the 2007-2008 school year that will start to be deducted from you next pay, 9/21.
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Opening Day -Geese Story A Lesson from Geese
Each year as the seasons change and winter approaches, I look forward to seeing and hearing the geese as they migrate south in formation. Did you know as each goose flaps its wings it creates an “uplift” for the bird following? By flying in a “V” formation the flock as a whole adds 71 percent more flying range than if a bird flew alone. We can certainly learn a lesson from this illustration. People who share a common direction and a sense of community can get where they are going quicker and easier when they are traveling on the thrust of one another. Also, when a goose falls out of formation, it suddenly feels the drag and resistance of trying to go it alone—and quickly gets back into formation to take advantage of the lift. We need to realize that we need to stay connected to one another, encouraging and helping each other. When the lead goose gets tired, it rotates back in the wing and another goose flies the point position. Geese also honk from behind to encourage those up front to keep flying with speed. Words are important. They have real power. What kind of message do you present when you “honk” at others? Finally, we can learn that it is when a goose is wounded or sick, two geese drop out of formation and follow their fellow member down to help and provide protection. They stay with this member of the flock until he or she is able to fly again or dies. Then they branch out on their own to catch up or join in another flock. We too need to stand by one another—be a wind break in someone’s life—a true encourager. By ourselves we are weak and fragile, but together, we can encourage one another with the power of our words.
Ken Sutterfield, The Power of an Encouraging Word |
