APSTA

Happy Juneteenth, APSTA!

Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day or Emancipation Day, is a significant holiday in the United States commemorating the emancipation of enslaved African Americans. Juneteenth is a time for reflection, celebration, and honoring the struggles and achievements of Black Americans throughout history. Today serves as a reminder of the ongoing fight for equality and justice for all. ♥️🖤💚💛

Happy Father’s Day, APSTA!!!!! We are all fortunate to have wonderful role models, like you, in our lives!

Attention Building Reps and Alts‼️‼️‼️

Our last APSTA Advisory of this school year will be held in the auditorium at Albany High School on Monday, June 17th at 4:15pm.

See you there!

Look at this PRIDE!!! 🏳️‍🌈

Thanks to all of our APSTA members who came out today to walk in the PRIDE parade with !

We stand in solidarity with our LGBTQ+ community!

June 7th is the LAST DAY for Open Enrollment! (It’s also Friday, woo hoo!)

This is the last day you can make changes to your health, dental, and vision benefits, health insurance buyback, and change your 21/26 payment option.

*No late forms are going to be accepted. There are detailed directions from HR’s email on 6/3.

Last week, members of APSTA facilitated and participated in an LGBTQ+ Book Tasting at Albany High School.

Attendees were guided through 20 current book titles, ranging from PreK-12, which featured LGBTQ+ characters, themes, and topics.

Each attendee left the book tasting with multiple books (provided by APSTA) to add to their classroom libraries.

Special thank you to our APSTA members who facilitated this book tasting!

HAPPY PRIDE MONTH, APSTA! 🏳️‍🌈

Save the Date!!! The Capital Pride Parade is Sunday, June 9th! 🏳️‍🌈

APSTA will be marching alongside NYSUT as a group, and yes, kids can march too! (Last year was a blast!)

The parade kicks off at 11:30am in Washington Park.

Msg us for additional details!

In tribute to the many, in honor of all, we offer our gratitude. 🇺🇸

CALL TO ACTION!!!

The heat is ON- not literally, we hope…

It’s been HOT this week and our public schools, teachers, and students are suffering. NYSUT is pushing legislation to address extreme heat in our schools.

Make YOUR voice heard. Click the link in our story or copy the one below to email our state legislation to TAKE ACTION and get this maximum temperature bill passed!

HERE: https://mac.nysut.org/action/840

Don’t be that one missing vote! Make sure to get out there and vote in your School Board and Budgets Elections on May 21st!

Last night, our members and their families came together to celebrate the 2024 Retirees of APSTA. It was truly a joyous event.

We wish nothing but the best for our (almost) retired APSTA members and hope this is the beginning of a new and exciting journey for them!

You have made a lasting impact on us all! ❤️

For all the mothers, aunts, grandmothers, sisters, fur mothers, and women who love unconditionally, Happy Mother’s Day. ❤️

WE APPRECIATE YOU EVERYDAY. ❤️

Happy Teacher Appreciation Week, APSTA!

Day 2 of the NTSUT Representative Assembly!!! Time to go vote on resolutions!

Day 1 of the NYSUT RA is in the books!

🔹Our APSTA President, Laura, chaired the resolution committee on Constitutional and Bylaw Amendments.

🔹Jim and Deb worked on the committee to continue improving our Pension and Retirement.

🔹Ashleigh and Amy collaborated with NYSUT members from all over to state to determine what Legislative and Political Action our influential union should focus on.

🔹AND, there were therapy dogs!

Time to gear up for Day 2! 💪

The 2024 APSTA Dependent Scholarship window is officially OPEN! Do you have a child/dependent graduating from high school this June? Make sure you check out the APSTA Scholarship! ⬇️

🔹Up to two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded to the dependent of a current APSTA member.

🔹Candidates for the scholarship must be graduating high school in June and be planning to enter college as a full-time student in the fall.

🔹Scholarship is awarded based on a lottery.

🔹Students from ANY high school are eligible.

It’s time to honor our 2024 APSTA Retirees! WE know, that YOU know, SOMEBODY on this list! Check the details! ⬇️

🔹May 15th, 2024

🔹Normanside Country Club

🔹5:30-8:30PM

Cost is $60 for APSTA members (sent to Emer). Make sure to RSVP, with payment, by May 6th!

We look forward to honoring this amazing group of people and everything they have done for our schools.

#2024

The state budget passed last weekend and had a MAJOR WIN!

🔹Proposed cuts to Foundation Aid were rejected AND Foundation Aid actually increased $430 million more than Governor Hochul proposed!

🔹Tier 6 pension INCREASED! The Final Average Salary calculation dropped from 5 to 3 years, which means around an ADDITIONAL $100,000 in lifetime retirement earnings.

🔹We are a union state. Our union is strong and our advocacy works. Thank you to everyone who called, wrote, or sent emails to our legislators. Your voices were heard!

We wish a Happy Passover to all of our Brothers and Sisters beginning this holiday tonight!

“You can never see a plant grow, but they do.” - Carol Plum-Ucci

Happy Earth Day, All. 🌎

We’ll see you Monday night, Building Reps and Alts!

Public Service Loan Forgiveness is still going strong! 💪

Just this week, an APSTA member had his remaining balance forgiven. 🙌

Don’t forget to check your own account, too!

Fix this: The labyrinth of MOHELA and student loan relief By Kathleen White

The Education Town Hall scheduled for April 17th has been CANCELLED!

CALL TO ACTION!

is so close to Fixing APPR! A new bill has been proposed to the Legislature and we need YOUR help to get as many signatures on it as we can.

This new bill would return teacher evaluations to the local level, which means APSTA and the district would work TOGETHER to create an evaluation plan tailored to our school district, our students, and US.

Go to this link to TAKE ACTION and tell our lawmakers to FIX APPR!

https://mac.nysut.org/action/893

We are so proud to honor these wonderful HER Story award winners.

Each wonderful woman in these photos was nominated by you because of their unwavering support to their union sisters.

Thank you for all that you do, Debra Calvo McNicholas , Valarie Manning, Colleen Maguire, Melissa Parker, and Maureen Brown (not pictured as she was expecting a new grandbaby!). ❤️ Your hardwork and dedication to APSTA do not go unnoticed.

Additional thanks given to Tricia Brady and Karen Hauth for founding the APSTA Chapter of the Women’s Committee. ❤️ Womens’ rights are human rights.

Eid Mubarak! Wishing all who celebrate a divine Eid Al-Fitr!

This is so awesome. ❤️ What an incredible example of how we make a lasting impact on our students’ lives.

A teacher promised his 1978 class an eclipse party. He just hosted it. Decades ago, Patrick Moriarty told his New York science classes that they would watch the 2024 solar eclipse together. He fulfilled that promise on Monday.