NYSUT Request for Volunteers

Dear Members,
If you're interested in helping to get out the vote for this month's school budget, please consider participating in BMUST's phone bank, which NYSUT has organized. You can make calls from anywhere on your personal device. Please read NYSUT's instructions and follow the link below.

Best,
Dennis Urban
Political Action Committee 
Link for BMUST Phone Banking: https://www.openvpb.com/vpb_bycode/74B115J-553261
IF THIS IS YOUR FIRST TIME, YOU NEED TO CREATE A NEW ID. Click on the “Login with Action ID" button and then click on the Blue tab that says, “Create Action ID.” If you already have created an Action ID before, enter your Action ID and Password. If needed, there is password retrieval.

Put in your first and last name. Skip the question that asks for your phone number.

Click the “Create” button below. When it asks to verify with a two-step process, select “No thanks, continue.”

Your phone bank script will populate your screen. Make sure this is the correct script (Bellmore-Merrick) before you start making calls. The top right corner of the screen should verify your phone bank list with the name of your local.  Check out the drop-down box for when you do not reach the person and the drop-down box when they answer your question. Carefully read over the script, survey questions, and background information.

Practice your script a few times until you are comfortable.

Click on one drop-down menu for each call, either "Couldn't Reach" or their answer to the vote question. Then, "Save and Next Call" should be available in the bottom right-hand corner to progress to the next call. After your first call, you should receive a congratulatory pop-up. There is not a counter for your calls made.

Some people won't accept blocked numbers. We are working on eliminating these from the virtual call list. For now, please mark them as "Refused." These people can be called from an office phone.

You may not want to leave a message during this round of phone banks. If that is the case, mark the person as not home. To leave a message, adjust the script accordingly. For example, skip the "Do you know..." question. If you didn't speak with the targeted person, click "I Couldn't Reach."  That will become a drop-down menu of options, including "Left Message."                        

The phone bank is live every day from 10:00 AM- 9:00 PM.

In honor of International Women's Day, The BMUST Women's Committee is collecting the most needed items for both the Community Cupboard and Bethany House, a local shelter aimed at helping women and children in need. The collection will run through March. If you are not able to shop and would still like to contribute, consider donating through Venmo @Jodi-Langevin (label BMUSTWC) and we will shop for you!


As a reminder, the Employee Assistance Program, provided by the district, is available to you at any time. Please see attached for additional information.

Below, is a message from Jolene T. DiBrango, NYSUT Executive Vice President, regarding available events being held during Women's History Month:

The Kate Mullany Chapter of Coalition Union Women (CLUW) presents an International Women’s Day event entitled #BreaktheBias. The link to register is included here: https://bit.ly/3uvpHOX
 
We are all invited to the UFT film screening of “Private Violence,” a documentary about why women stay in abusive homes. I know this is a topic that hits close to home for many, so the conversation will no doubt be powerful and moving. Our thanks go out to our fierce sister, Latrice Curry, for organizing this and inviting us all.  The event link is live so you can register here: https://cvent.me/YdaBXD
 
Rebekah Stoll, a NYSUT member not on our committee, presented at our annual convening in November along with Tenika Wilcox and Andrea McCue on female empowerment clubs. She has created a short video on how to create such a club in your school or on your campus.  Here’s the link to the video: https://youtu.be/KaAQd_-rG-U. 
 
Mark your calendars!  Bernice Rivera, of NYSUT’s ELT, created a seminar to Examine Curriculum through a Gender Responsive Teaching and Learning Equity Lens.  This 2-hour program will explore gender equity in the classroom integrating Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) concepts throughout the session. The date is March 29 at 4 PM. The registration link can be found here: https://forms.office.com/r/cFK9n14pQU but seats are filling up fast and will be capped at 40. Registration closes on March 21, but I bet we will reach our cap before then. Registration is free for the 29th but will not be going forward.


In sisterhood and solidarity,
Jolene
​

BMUST belongs to the Long Island Teachers’ Benevolent Fund (LITBF), which offers a yearly scholarship, (the Len Motisi Memorial Scholarship) to high school seniors graduating this year, who will be attending a post-secondary institution on a full time basis and whose parent is an active teacher in a Long Island local. Many of our members’ sons and daughters have been awarded this scholarship over the years.


The attached application must be sent back to the BMUST office no later than March 4, 2022 to get my signature on it and for me to send it to LITBF before the deadline of March 11, 2022. 


You must include a copy of the school transcript, with the current GPA on it.  If the transcript does not contain the GPA, your Guidance Counselor must submit a statement with the scores. Please fill the form in as soon as possible and forward it to me through interoffice mail.


Please note, you are now required to include your NYSUT Member Number on the application. If unknown, please reach out to Meg in the BMUST office.
 
Good luck,
Rob