November 21, 2017 has been chosen as SRP (School Related Professionals) Recognition Day in New York State. This is a day to remind our paraprofessionals that we know how deserving they are of this recognition. They share in our successes as well as in the frustrations that we all face. While their contract is different from that of our teachers, the paraprofessionals are and will continue to be, an important part of BMUST and an integral part of the Bellmore-Merrick community.
 
            I want to take this opportunity to personally thank our paraprofessionals for all that they do and to thank their President, Cynthia Leung and Vice-President, Catherine Sheehan for their hard work. Your efforts do not go unnoticed.
 
Please take some time to let the paras that you work with know how much you appreciate their efforts. 

Dear Colleagues,
 
Please see attached a SAVE THE DATE for an opportunity to explore the vast world of adult supports and service for individuals with special learning needs and their families. Notable is that this year’s event will include recreational, leisure and socialization opportunities.
 
Finally, please note the separate “Student Invitation” attached. What a wonderful way to make the key players in this process feel welcome! Please feel free to share as appropriate with your families . Note the event is open to students, families and professionals from Long Island. Please join us to hear  your students success stories .Have a Happy Thanksgiving. Hope to see you there.
   Cheryl Gitlitz
Speakers
 
Owen Carr
Dominick DiBari
Ariana Grieco
Matt Kamper
Adam Knaster
Michael Korins
Tzvi Lewisohn
Joe Malebranche
Norah Maloney
Erin Murphy
Danny Tyson
Peter John Vicari

Please remember to bring in your unwrapped toys and place them in the "wrapped " boxes in your building.

Thank you for your generous participation.
​
Mark Steinberg
President

​Solidarity forever! Working locally and with our national affiliates (AFT and NEA) and state affiliate (NYSUT), the vote on having a Constitutional Convention was soundly defeated with 83% of New Yorkers voting "NO" to the proposition. 83%!! Feel free to save your lawn signs and magnets for the next vote in 2037.
 
In challenging times, we are stronger when we remain united. All of our affiliates worked together to defeat this proposition. The financial support from the AFT and NEA helped produce ads. NYSUT held phone banks, mailed information to our homes, provided us with the lawn signs and magnets that adorned thousands of cars, lawns, and ramps to highways. It was an outstanding effort. Given the editorial and articles that appeared in Newsday, my satisfaction with the results is enormous!
 
Locally, BMUST has many people to thank for helping us achieve this successful result:

• If you put a magnet on your car, thank you!
• If you put up a lawn sign, thank you!
• If you participated in the phone banks at NYSUT, coordinated by Heather Castellano (Mepham) with an assist from Julie Roslee (Calhoun), thank you!
• If you read and shared my Local Do's articles or any of the information disseminated from BMUST and NYSUT about the Con-Con, thank you!
• If you contributed to VOTE COPE to help finance our political action campaign, thank you!
• If you're a retiree who spent time defending our pensions and our union at a phone bank, thank you!
• If you changed the countdown numbers on our Con-Con posters in each building, thank you!

Thank you all very much! I'm proud of our organizing efforts with the campaign and the wonderful results. As we will certainly continue to face challenges, I sincerely hope we can maintain the same level of solidarity demonstrated with the Con-Con campaign so that our successes down the road will be plentiful.
 
In Solidarity and with much appreciation,
Mark