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[12/20/2007]
The New Member Committee is planning a Happy Hour for our first year teachers on Friday, January 26th. Come and celebrate the end of the first half of the school year with us! The place and time are yet to be decided.
We are here to serve you, if you need help or have ideas to share please let us know. You can e-mail me or call the Teachers’ Association office at 499-4240.
Karen Cullen
[10/28/2007]
The New Member Committee would like to welcome all of our new teachers to the Half Hollow Hills School District. We hope that your year has had a successful start. Each Building has a member that new teachers can go to if they have any questions or need assistance. They are:
Penny Toneatti High School East
Patty DeStefano High School West
Julie Gacek Candlewood
Suzanne Sugarman West Hollow
Jessica Kieninger Chestnut Hill
Michelle Gill Forest Park
Theresa Kissinger Otsego
Jennifer Mohammed Paumanok
Mary Picarello Signal Hill
Meghan Kennedy Sunquam
Gloria Cucinello Vanderbilt
The H.H.H.T.A. would like to thank these teachers for volunteering to serve on the committee and for making themselves available to our new members. We would like to encourage our new members to get involved. Please attend the Teachers’ Association meetings in your building. We also have the Breast Cancer Walk at Jones’ Beach coming up on October 21, 2007. As always, if any new member needs assistance, please feel free to contact the union office. We are all in this journey together and are proud to have you as part of our team.
[10/29/2006]
Parent Teacher Conference night can be a very stressful evening if not managed correctly. Each conference is only five minutes long; it is very important to be organized. Here are a few helpful hints to take the chaos out of your night.
Arrive at your classroom a few minutes early. Place the list of appointments with names and times outside your door. Situate the desks you are using for conferences so you can see the clock. The list outside will help maintain order in the hallway in case you are running late. Being able to see the clock will help keep track of your time. This will make sticking to your schedule easier.
Preparing an index card with student’s name, time of appointment, class period, tests and quiz grades, and number of missing assignments can be a helpful time saver. This way you will not need to look up grades and missing assignments for parents that have questions and concerns. All the information will be right in front of them. Having the class period on the card will make it quicker for you to find information about a student in your grade book if the parents have other questions. Having a sheet of paper to list questions and follow ups with parents is also important. The appointment time on the card is another reminder you only have five minutes, keep it moving.
Do yourself one other favor. During the night leave a fifteen minute block of time for yourself. It is a long night. You may need to get a drink or use the restroom.
Parents and teachers on conference night should not feel overwhelmed and rushed. Being organized can make it an enjoyable evening for all. Patti Fox
[10/29/2006]
This fall, thousands of new teachers, school-related professionals and health care workers across the state are settling in at new jobs, striving diligently to be successful. For those union members who will be classroom-based, such as teachers and teaching assistants, Mike Moffre, an experienced middle-level math teacher, offers the following advice, based on his experiences:
• Make good use of your mentor: Many new teachers and SRPs are embarrassed to admit they don’t know something and do not make enough use of assigned mentors. Big mistake.
• Get advice from colleagues on planning: It can be difficult to find enough hours in the day to create and execute all the lessons you want. Moffre said the key to avoiding frustration is to seek advice from union colleagues. After all, they have been in your shoes before.
• Remember that you are an educator, not Superman: New teaching assistants and teachers often have unreasonable expectations of themselves’ and are too hard on themselves’ when the unexpected hits.
• Routine and culture are everything:
• Set the tone for your classroom early, and establish routines and ground rules. Moffre advises. “Laying out expectations is important”. Moffre said. “Kids need that.”
Many locals offer year-round training and support for new members and professional development opportunities throughout the year. NYSUT offers videoconference workshops on certification issues and even has a Social Services Department members can call if they feel they need help coping with the emotional strain that can come with a new job.
Taken from an article in the September 7th, 2006 NEW YORK TEACHER
[3/4/2006]
Tips for the New Teachers
• Don’t be afraid to ask questions; if you’re not sure of something find a colleague who you can trust. Your building representatives or other veteran teachers are good sources.
• Be polite, listen to your colleagues and always be cooperative. Do not get a reputation for being difficult, it sticks with you. Be humble!
• Sign in on time, be prompt for meetings, and limit absences.
• Volunteer for a committee, and attend school and district events to show that you care and want to be a valuable asset to the school district.
• Hand in grades and plan books on time.
• If you receive an “Approaching District Expectations” or “Below District Expectations”, be sure to follow up on the advice of the administrator. Respond in writing, outlining the steps you have taken to improve.
• If you feel you need help, ask for it. We can usually get you a mentor to help you out. Call the T.A. office (499-4240).
• Dress professionally.
• Don’t get involved in any negative politics in your building.
• Become friendly with the secretaries and custodians in your building. They can help make your life much easier.
• Sign up for your professional development courses (PDP) early so you make sure you complete them prior to the end of the year. Graduate courses that count towards your masters can be counted as PDP; just get them pre-approved by your Principal. First year teachers are required to take the 15 hours outlined in the contract and another 15 hours that must be approved by Kelly Fallon.
• Get to know your colleagues; eat lunch in the faculty room; don’t be a hermit; it will save your sanity. Be social!
[12/24/2005]
Our committee is up and running and working on ideas to help our new teachers adjust to, and meet the high expectations of our school district. We are also planning a workshop to help teachers become familiar with the terms and benefits provided in our contract. Our committee will be meeting monthly during the new year. If you have any suggestions for us please contact me or the member from your building. We still need a committee member for High School East.
Chestnut Hill-Jason Brittman
Forest Park-Liz Fishman
Otsego-Jessie Civelia
Paumanok-Erica Reinard
Signal Hill-Mary Picarello
Sunquam-Joanne Geller
Vanderbilt-Gloria Cucinello
Candlewood-Richard Haase
West Hollow-Suzanne Sugarman
H.S. West-Ericka Verderbor
--Karen Cullen
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