LAST UPDATED: May 16, 2013

Topics on the this page:

1. Ed expert echoes NYSUT and AFT's call for moratorium onthe consequences of Common Core assessments
2. Vote YES on your school budget and visit the NYSUT Action Center on Facebook
3. Fill out an application online
4. Rally in Albany to Fight for the Future of Public Education!
5. Rockland County Labor Baseball Night
6. Give the Gift of Glasses
7. Rockland CTEC - Too Legit To Quit
8. NYSUT Member Benefits presents a series of free webinars
9. Vote on school budgets
10. Testing in New York has gotten out of control, and now it is affecting our youngest students.
11. Two monthly prize drawings for an HP ENVY
12. Poll: Parents support union position, reject speed of Common Core,
    test implementation
13. Engage NY
14. Rockland BOCES - OLAS

It's times like these when every single one of us can make the difference.

We can make the difference in our students' lives. We can make the difference in the quality of schools in our community. And we can make the difference between winning and losing.

Vote YES on your school budget and visit the NYSUT Action Center on Facebook to help us share this poster and MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!

On Tuesday, May 21, in districts all over the state, we have an opportunity to vote for our local school budgets. These are usually low turn-out elections, which means that your vote counts now more than ever. And that also means that every single friend, family member, and co-worker that you can get out to vote could be the difference between winning and losing!

So, next Tuesday, please go to the polls and vote YES! But before that, share this MAKE THE DIFFERENCE poster on your own Facebook wall to encourage your friends to vote yes, too!

Vote YES on your school budget and visit the NYSUT Action Center on Facebook to help us share this poster and MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!

It is up to us to show up in force at the polls to ensure that our schools and students have what they need to succeed. If we fail, it could mean districts laying off educators and support staff; increasing class sizes; and eliminating classes, programs and activities that provide a sound, basic, well-rounded education to our children.

That is unacceptable…and you can make the difference!

Vote YES on your school budget and visit the NYSUT Action Center on Facebook to help us share this poster and MAKE THE DIFFERENCE!

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Ed expert echoes NYSUT and AFT's call for moratorium on
the consequences of Common Core assessments

Noted education advocate Kati Haycock, president of the Education Trust, is solidly in support of Randi Weingarten's recent call for slowing down the implementation of high stakes consequences -- for students and educators -- from Common Core tests. In this blog item from Huffington Post, she wrote "By muting some of the features of our accountability systems, we can press the accelerator on our improvement systems."
This all helps build momentum for NYSUT's campaign for proper implementation of the standardized testing aligned with Common Core standards. The message mirrors the Resolution resoundingly adopted by delegates at this year's NYSUT RA -- Common Core Testing Unfair to Students" and this issue will certainly be a major focus at the June 8 Rally in Albany – so be there!
Meanwhile, more than 10,000 parents have signed NYSUT's petition to protest the overemphasis on standardized testing in New York. Keep encouraging members to sign on and to help get others to sign.

We need to continue to have union members write Tell It Like It Is letters to the Commissioner and Regents so we can continue to deliver 100 emails a day. The "Tell It" listening tour with NYSUT's Dick Iannuzzi and Maria Neira continues May 29 in Rochester. Call the Rochester R.O. for information.

Even more boards of education have or will be adopting a version of NYSUT's suggested resolution on high-stakes testing. Dozens have already acted.

Here's a copy of the sample resolution that you can submit -- as is, or amended -- to your board of ed.

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On Saturday, June 8th, we will rally in Albany to Fight for the Future of Public Education!

Will you be there? Because our voices need to be heard. Because children are more than a test score. Because students deserve excellent public schools, not cuts and caps. Because we must support our students, our union and our communities. Because this is your future too. Without public education your collective bargaining rights will disappear, your rights to due process will disappear and maybe even your pension, as you know it. Because ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, we’ll be there in Albany June 8th to fight for the future of public education and so should YOU! The BOCES Staff Association has secured 15 seats on a shared Coach bus with the Nyack Teachers Association  for staff members to attend the rally. Departure time will be @ 9:00 returning @ 5:30. Please contact me at Dddk57@ aol.com to let me know if you will be attending by bus (first come first serve) or using a personal vehicle. It is time to take a stand! In solidarity, Deb

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Give the Gift of Glasses

BOCES Staff Association and the BOCES Family have teamed up with the
North Rockland Lyons Club to give the gift of glasses to those in need.

If you have old prescription glasses please donate them to individuals in need. Contact Breda @624-5583 to arrange pick-up.

Thank you for your kind generosity!

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Rockland CTEC - Too Legit To Quit!

CTEC Students take on the State at the 2013 Conference.

• Gold in Residential Wiring
• Silver in Carpenter's Assistant
• Silver in 2013 State Logo Design
• Bronze (Team of two) in Television and Video Production
• Bronze in 2013 State Logo Design

These Kids were GREAT!!!!!!

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NYSUT Member Benefits offers spring webinar series

NYSUT Member Benefits presents a series of free webinars for local leaders, Benefit Fund trustees and fund administrators.

• Tuesday, May 7: Managing Fund Finances Part 1
  
• Tuesday, May 21: Managing Fund Finances Part 2
  

Each webinar will run from 4 to 5 p.m. Please contact Deb Conerty at dconerty@nysutmail.org to register.

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VOTE May 21!

It is now seven weeks before most schools across the state vote on school budgets. NYSUT provides an updated School Budget Toolkit with a timeline, checklist, related documents and online opportunities to enhance communications to help local leaders shape and share their get-out-the-vote message.

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Testing in New York has gotten out of control, and now it is affecting our youngest students. Although the state does not require it, many school districts are beginning to administer commercially developed standardized tests to students in the early grades. However, these tests are not being used for diagnostic purposes or to identify academic needs. They are unnecessary and excessive, and they do not improve education for these early-grade students. Take action now at truthabouttesting.org to demand an end to non-diagnostic testing of students in grades k-2! It's not just that these tests are often unnecessary. It's worse than that. They cause stress and anxiety for young students. They take valuable learning time away from the classroom. And they can result in students becoming less engaged in the learning process. Take action now at truthabouttesting.org to demand an end to non-diagnostic testing of students in grades k-2! Assessing students in the early years should only be used to help students develop the skills they will need in the future. These high-stakes tests do not meet this objective.

Take action now at truthabouttesting.org to demand an end to non-diagnostic testing of students in grades k-2!

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Win an HP Envy in April and May

If you haven't already registered for "Share My Lesson," the AFT lesson plan share site, now's the time. During April and May, registrants are automatically entered into two monthly prize drawings for an HP ENVY x 2 PC -- a notebook that doubles as a tablet. Sign up today at www.sharemylesson.com and get two chances to win.
Developed by the AFT and TES Connect, the largest network of teachers in the world, Share My Lesson is an online community where educators can collaboratively create and share teaching resources.

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Poll: Parents support union position, reject speed of Common Core,
test implementation

Sending a clear message to SED, 81 percent of parents say their children have not had enough time to prepare for standardized tests on the state's new Common Core learning standards; 78 percent believe this year's tests should not count at all, and 88 percent say they should not be used for high-stakes decisions for students and teachers, according to a new poll conducted by the polling center at NYSUT.
In addition, 73 percent of parents say there is "too much" standardized testing, while 80 percent say the state and school districts spend too much time on testing. Here's NYSUT's news release announcing the results.

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Engage NY is a state website designed for all educators wanting to improve student learning. It is constructed of valuable resources targeting the Common Core Standards, Curriculum and Student Learning Objectives. It targets teachers, administrators and parents providing quality information and materials.

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