news archives
congratulations to the class of 2009!
| $1,000-
Mary-Catherine Avery Gina-Lou Desplantes Ashley Doubrava Amber Dunn Ashley Graham Lauren Hamilton Megan Harris Joseph Holub Patrick Hulle Edmund Lazzari Christopher Naples Andrew O'Connor Jennifer Romano Brittani Schettkoe Nicole Toia |
$500-
Caitlin Coogan Colleen Keener Tara Lakeman Kayla Mancuso Jessica Manning Abbie Mortenson Helene Pierce Megan Sahraie Kelsie Seyler Amanda Smith |
MVTA Board of education endorsements
make your voice heard!
Follow the link below to the NYSUT website and find "Take Action!” You'll be able to voice your support for increased funding for schools or the economic recovery package, among other important issues. NYSUT makes it easy by providing letters that you can send from the comfort of your computer!
http://www.nysut.org/cps/rde/xchg/nysut/hs.xsl/index.htmTeacher certification
Video conferences on teacher certification requirements are being offered by NYSUT.
The next session is scheduled for April 28, 2009.
Click here to read more information and to print a flyer.
mvta team raises over $4000 FOR BREAST CANCER RESEARCH
MVTA team had 22 registered walkers with additional friends and family who
joined us. This year we raised over $4,200.00 to help fight breast cancer!
constitutional changes voting results
NO- 4
To view the changes to the MVTA constitution click here. The language in brackets with a [strikethrough] is existing language that we are recommending be removed. The language in red is language we are recommending be added.
support the Mvta scholarship fund
There are a plethora of ways in which you can help support our student scholarship program this year. In an unprecedented offering, we have three activities taking place within the next two months.
First, our 2nd Annual MVTA Golf Tournament at Tarry Brae will be held on Monday, October 13. Chairs Michael Burns and Brian Golden (both HS members) remind all that there are several levels of participation: gathering a 4-some, donation of prizes or hole sponsorships.
Next, we have our long-standing MVTA Craft Fair, which will be held on Saturday, October 18 at the HS Gym. Chairwoman Meg Catizone (HS) is looking for volunteers to do any of the following: set-up, proffer a baked good, work in the snack bar or at the MVTA tables, post signs, park cars, or make a donation directly to our scholarship fund.
Finally, we have the newly-created Tricky Tray, being chaired by Anna Hamilton (MS), to be held on Saturday, November 15. As you heard on Opening Day, Anna is looking for folks to work the event, as well as make up baskets (aka “trays”) for bid. These baskets can be made up by either individuals or groups– however works best for you.
Many thanks to these four hardworking chairs for providing our members with so many opportunities to help our students. Please support them in any way possible.
june 2009 newsletter now available!
Click
here to view the newsletter and print your copy!Congratulations to the Class of 2008 and Recipients of this year's MVTA Scholarships:
Arthur T. Andrews
Elizabeth Moriarty
Lauren Phillips
Ross Hansen
Amanda Kiselak
Michael Corletta
Kelsey Bjornsen
Joseph Petrosi
Josephine Horan
Jason Miedema
Juliette Lia
Julianne Tomesheski
Jessica Alesandro
Paulina Kulczak
Retirees:
Blaine MacDonald
Jillian Fair
Kathryn Gulak
Ashley Neumann
Budget Vote and Election Results
(as reported on the Times Herald Record Web Site as of 9:34 PM 5/20/08)
Minisink Valley School District
Budget:
Yes 921
No 716
Two seats, three-year terms
Alfred Gibbs 927
*Gina Richichi 820
Tina Ross 418
Lewis Szymanski 221
Vil Vaitas 274
*Victor Vignola 443
Changes to the MVTA Constitution
The executive committee has recently reviewed the MVTA constitution. During the review we found numerous typos, some incorrect references, and a couple of outdated sections. With the help of our NYSUT representative, Mike Siegel, we made corrections and updated the constitution to better meet the needs of our members. Please take the time to look over the attached document by clicking here. The language in brackets with a [strikethrough] is existing language that we are recommending be removed. The language in red is language we are recommending be added. If you have any questions please ask your building rep or a member of the executive committee. Your building reps will be addressing this at your next unit meeting. We will vote on the proposed changes at our general meeting on September 2nd.
BOE Endorsements Announced
The MVTA Executive Committee, based on the recommendation of the Action Committee, have decided to endorse candidates Al Gibbs and Gina Richichi for the two BOE seats. More info will be posted soon.
MVTA Team Raises over $2000 to Fight Breast Cancer
Congratulations to all who walked on the MVTA team!
| Katherine
Arns MacKenzie Arns Christine Bachyrycz Nicole Ey Deborah Gallant Patricia Higgins Jenna Houlihan Catherine Intranuovo Christina Intranuovo Julie Kelly Kristine Kidney Jill Melvin |
Matthew Moyles Kimberly Mynders Susan Naples Jennifer Pagnanella Kristina Prezioso Nicholas Prezioso Monica Ramirez Danielle Rosa Melanie Speranza Amber Storms Liz Struk Cindy Toussaint Frances Williams |
Contribute to the Scholarship Fund Today!
Dear MVTA Members:
Last year the Minisink Valley graduating class of 2007 received $11, 000 in scholarship money from the MVTA. That made the MVTA the single largest scholarship source for our 2007 graduates. As you consider making your contributions to the Scholarship Fund this fall, please take the time to reflect on my thoughts…
<<Click here to read the entire letter from Meg Catizone>>
After school on Friday, January 12, 2007 the Minisink Valley Teachers’ Association went into discussions with the Minisink Valley Central School District to see how a process could be established to deal with the issues of morale, trust and professionalism that have been raised by our teachers. This session lasted approximately three hours.
The teacher unit consisted of Lisa Keller-Decker (President), Chris D’Angelo (Vice President), Michael Burns (High School Building Representative), Kris Kidney (substitute Middle School Rep.); Jeanne MacDonald (Intermediate School Rep), Eileen Jacobs (Elementary School Rep.), Wendy Ellert (Otisville School Rep.) and Julie Mott (Counselor Rep.). The district representatives consisted of Dr. Martha Murray (Superintendent), Sean Michel (Assistant Superintendent of Curriculum and Instruction), Priscilla Holden (Assistant Superintendent of Business) and Brian Monahan (Director of Personnel).
Albany mediator Louis Patack worked with each team separately, in the same way that he met with our negotiators and district representatives during our mediation sessions this past autumn. Mr. Patack was tasked to help the MVTA and the Superintendent come to an agreement on how to best work together to deal with past and evolving issues that impact both the school district and our members. The purpose of the meeting was not to deal with specific issues, but rather to look at how the district and our union can work better together.
It was the consensus of the MVTA team that the December building representatives meeting had been positive, and that following the meeting, Dr. Murray took action to address specific concerns raised by the reps. Mr. Patack informed us that Dr. Murray also thought the meeting had been productive.
Both Dr. Murray and her team, and our group, believe that we can use the next week’s Building Reps. and future meetings to build on what was accomplished at the last meeting.
The MVTA is committed to making a good faith effort to work with Dr. Murray and her team to restore the mutual trust and professionalism necessary to create an
atmosphere in which Minisink Valley students can continue to thrive.
Thanks to all our members for supporting your MVTA team.
Minisink Cares: Helping Families in Our Community for Over 20 Years
In
the mid 1980's, district resident Julie Vreeland accepted
a large donation of money from an anonymous benefactor who wished to
help needy
families in the
In 1989 a group of bus drivers from the
The following year Mary Banks decided to make contact with school personnel in order to expand the program. Larri Jarosz, a teacher in the high school, collaborated with Mary. Together they gained enough community support and financial contributions that first year to purchase clothing, food and gifts for 115 children.
The Minisink Cares program depends upon the continued
support and the invaluable contributions of the Minisink community to
help care for the children and families of the
From the
very beginning, teachers
belonging to the Minisink Valley
Teachers’ Association have spent countless hours not just
inside but also
outside their classrooms to ensure that a large majority of our beloved
kids
become college-bound students. From kindergarten on, we encourage all
our
students to be lifelong learners and to get all the education they can. It's not only the high
school teachers who
write recommendations and give advice on which schools to think about
attending
after graduation. We all do!
BOE RATIFIES
MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT!
We now officially have a contract.
Thank you to our negotiations team for making this new contract a reality!
MVTA MEMBERS RATIFY
MEMORANDUM OF AGREEMENT!
Final Tally of Votes:
YES- 297
No- 22
Remember: The BOE still has to ratify the MOA in order for us to have a contract.
On the evening of October 17th, 2006, the Minisink Valley Teachers’ Association gathered to alert our community and the district administration to this indisputable fact: We deserve a fair contract in a timely manner! The Minisink Valley Teachers’ Association has been working without a contract since July. Although we’ve briefly worked without a contract in the past, this time our administration and the Board of Ed, through the process of negotiations, have been treating us in unfair, disrespectful ways that we as an association cannot tolerate. We teachers feel that the district’s philosophy of education has been compromised, but we want to let the community know that the MVTA is nevertheless committed to excellence in education and we have been true to this commitment for over fifty years.
Despite the foul weather on October 17th, over 200 of us, along with families and friends, assembled to cheer for the MVTA members acting on our behalf as teacher-negotiators when they entered their second session with a mediator. We stand firmly behind our belief that the new contract should never have had to go to mediation. We teachers live this community; our children now attend or have already graduated from Minisink. Many of our former students now teach here as MVTA members or work as members of the CSEA (Civil Service Employees Association) in our schools. The CSEA members have also, like the MVTA, reached a point of mediation over their next contract. We all feel that the present Board of Ed and the administration who work under their direction have not indicated throughout this negotiations process that they value or respect any of us. Those who are presently in power remain recalcitrant. We wonder, how can we continue to attract the very best teachers if our district remains so torn, if we have no contract, if we lack respectful, reasonable leaders? We union members love this district as well as our past and present students and their families, and our other neighbors. We look nostalgically to the days when the phrase “the Minisink Family” had genuine meaning to everyone. For the good of all of us in this community, especially the children, we seek a return to a situation of mutually beneficial unity, caring, trust, and respect. A FAIR CONTRACT, settled in a timely manner, can only be good for all of us.
Despite the hurt and disrespect we feel about the current state of affairs, MVTA teachers continue to provide excellent education to those we are dedicated to serve. We continue to perform duties above and beyond any contractual requirements because, for us, children always come first. Minisink Valley is a tight-knit, caring community that relies on the participation of so many MVTA members in local, non-school local organizations. No matter what the district’s administration or Board does, we teachers remain faithful to the Minisink Valley community because we know that teaching children doesn’t stop when the last school bus leaves us at the end of the day.
Sadly for the children and parents and other residents in this community, negotiations stand at an impasse. But we, the MVTA, are proud of our negotiation team and intend to continue to demonstrate our “Minisink Pride” to the community. The future of our children and our neighborhood is too precious for us not to care.
