On Tuesday, May 21, Long Islanders will go to the polls to vote for school budgets and board of education candidates. Please make time that day to vote YES for your school budget. In addition, NYSUT's Long Island regional offices have released their school board endorsements of candidates who support public schools and unions. Please take a look at the link below. I've also included a link to Newsday's 2024 School Voters Guide.
Best, Dennis It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Dick DeMott, husband of Linda DeMott and long-time teacher, coach, and Dean at Calhoun. The information for his wake is available on the Bellmore Home Website. It is across from Jerusalem Junior High. The wake is Wednesday 5/22 2-4 & 7-9. Funeral mass is at St. Barnabas Church on Bedford Ave. Bellmore Thursday 5/23 at 10 AM. Burial at Calverton to follow.
-- Rob Walsh President Dear Members,
This Wednesday, May 15, BMUST will be hosting phone banks in the Brookside Cafeteria from 3:00 to 4:30. We will make calls to support the school budget and current board members. If you are interested in volunteering, please join us. We appreciate any time you can give. Bring a computer or tablet and your own phone. We'll be using the www.openvpb.com phone banking system. Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions. Best, Dennis - Dennis Urban Treasurer and Political Action Chair Bellmore-Merrick United Secondary Teachers Colleagues,
As we navigate through the academic year, it’s important to pause and appreciate those who contribute significantly to our community’s health and well-being. Each year, School Nurses’ Recognition Week is observed from May 6th to 12th. May 12th is a significant day as it marks the birthday of Florence Nightingale, who is credited with revolutionizing modern nursing. Our school nurses are the heart of healthcare for our students and faculty. Their dedication, expertise, and compassion ensure that our community remains healthy and ready to learn. We are fortunate to have such an outstanding team of nurses as members of BMUST. I encourage each of you to take a moment to visit the nurses’ office and express your gratitude for their exceptional work. To all our nurses, I extend a heartfelt thank you for your unwavering dedication and service. Your hard work does not go unnoticed and is deeply appreciated by us all. -- Rob Walsh President This October will mark the 50th anniversary of the BMUST strike against the district. We have put together this booklet to explain the story of that strike, and to provide some memories and reflections by some of us who were part of it. We think it’s important for all teachers to understand the history of their union, and to know how many of our contractual protections and benefits came to be.
We hope you will get a chance to read this. Thanks. In solidarity, Bellmore-Merrick Retired Teachers Association Reflections on the Strike of October 1974 Please join us on Monday, June 24 to celebrate our honorees! Congratulations to this year's award winners! RSVP HERE or print the attached invitation.
By Melinda Person, NYSUT President • April 15, 2024
This is it, Activists: NYSUT has been fighting on this issue for years, and I'm very happy to say a solution is nearly here. Of course, I'm talking about APPR: the Annual Professional Performance Review — one of the worst relics of the failed "race to the top" federal education policy that has done nothing but burden educators and students and suck the joy out of teaching and learning. We're finally on the brink of changing this, but we need all your voices to show how important this truly is for educators, students and entire school communities. Read on... An unnecessary drain on resources. The current APPR system was flawed from the start, and time has only proven how disruptive it is to proper educational practices. This approach to teacher evaluations is unnecessarily complicated and resource-intensive. It diverts time and effort from where they're needed most: actually teaching our students in ways that get them to love learning. Return to local control. The bill that has been introduced in the state Legislature, S.9054 (Mayer)/A.9849 (Benedetto), returns teacher evaluations to local control, which ensures our children's education is personalized, effective and nurturing. Why this matters so much. Fixing APPR is about returning professional dignity, respect and autonomy to our educators. It's about promoting a supportive environment where teachers can continue improving their skills. It's about removing the fear- and stress-inducing system of evaluations and replacing it with one that fosters growth and reignites the passion for teaching and learning. TAKE ACTION: Tell our lawmakers to fix APPR! Restore local control to teacher evaluations and bring back the joy of teaching and learning to our schools. After years of trying the wrong approach, there is now an undeniable consensus among educators, administrators, parents, school boards and the State Education Department: We should strive to create educational environments where teachers and students can thrive, with fair, constructive evaluations tailored to their communities. This bill is our path to that future. Please join me in supporting it now. TAKE ACTION NOWIn solidarity, Calhoun NCAA Boxes 2024
Please see attached - if you are interested in purchasing a box you can either give Sean Formato cash at tonight's meeting or venmo me (@BMUST) - please be sure to include the box number in the Venmo info. "Will Days" are an included benefit of the NYSUT Legal Plan, which BMUST members are automatically enrolled in.
A representative from Feldman, Kramer & Monaco will meet with members in each building for Will Planning sessions. Please sign up below: DATESCHOOL/SIGN UP LINK Friday, March 15Mepham Monday, March 25Calhoun Thursday, April 11JFK Monday, April 15Grand Friday, April 19MAMS Representatives will return on Thursday, 5/30 to the Union Office to conduct Will Signings for those who attended a planning session and received their packet. If you have not received your packet or have edits, please contact FKM at: 800-832-5182. As a reminder, this benefit is available to you at any time. You are not restricted to scheduling a consultation on one of our designated dates. You can set up an appointment online by visiting the Feldman, Kramer & Monaco website. -- Rob Walsh President |
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