In October, Deborah Rossi (Otsego), Dawn Montelle (West Hollow) and I attended NYSUT’s 39th Annual School Related Professionals Leadership Conference in Albany, NY. The conference was attended by SRPs from across New York State, including 85 first-time attendees. School Related Professionals encompasses all non-teacher positions, including clerical, health care, custodial, teaching assistants, paraprofessionals, aides, kitchen [...]
I attended a mentorship meeting on November 15, 2017 in the boardroom at Central Office. The meeting was run by Rick Keller and was well attended by nearly 20 new members to the Half Hollow Hills family this year. Members were from different areas of the profession including classroom teachers, special area teachers, and support [...]
Saturday October 20, 2017 was unlike any other Saturday for the Hills community. Unseasonably warm, the air was crisp and alive with anticipation. Music filled the air. Members of the community lined the area in front of and around our schools. Everyone was eagerly awaiting the annual homecoming parade and football game. Colorful floats with [...]
Since September, I’ve been fortunate to have the chance to work with some wonderful leaders throughout the Huntington township as a member of the Leadership Huntington program. Leadership Huntington has spent more than three decades connecting, developing and inspiring the next generation of leaders throughout the Huntington community. As a member of this year’s class, [...]
In November, the HHHTA Public Relations Committee held a week-long children’s book drive at all five elementary schools. This was done during the week of elementary parent/teacher conferences. The drive was organized to benefit The Book Fairies, a Long Island-based non-profit organization that collects and donates books to high poverty schools and community outreach programs [...]
A boy following his dreams, the Mexican tradition of the Day of the Dead, and a journey through a family’s past were all brought to life in Pixar’s movie Coco, the film selected for this year’s HHHTA Family Movie Day. The HHHTA Family Movie Day was a huge success. Every seat in the theater was [...]
The HHHTA held its 3rd annual Walking Food Tour on Saturday, October 14, 2017. The tour covered the Lower East Side of Manhattan and began on East Houston Street. Our first stop was Yonah Shimmel's Knish Bakery. It opened in 1910 and is still going strong. Not only were the knishes delicious, on offer were [...]
The HHHTA joined many others in the HHH community in the welcoming of all members for the 2017-2018 school year! The Public Relations/Membership team met over the summer to plan ahead for Superintendent's Conference Day, which was our team's first opportunity to make face-to-face contact with our members. We hosted a "Welcome Back" area at [...]
Fifty years ago this month, the Half Hollow Hills Teachers’ Association received its charter from the State Education Department. Starting salary was $6,900 and becoming pregnant could cost you your job. Our contract was a fraction of what it is today, and we spent the next several decades organizing our members to improve teaching conditions, [...]
I took two professional development workshops in additional to spending countless hours preparing to teach a new grade level which included studying curriculum guides, updating my eBoard, reading pedagogical books and moving and setting up a new classroom in a new building.