Arlington Teachers' Association

June 11, 2009

Hi Everyone!

Well, we made it! Can you believe it? Summer has finally arrived ... and not a moment too soon! It has certainly been a challenging year, to say the least. Each one of us has our own stories to tell, whether it is about helping our students learn, dealing with parents, or working with our colleagues. It has been a real mix of the good, the bad and hopefully not too much of the ugly. Each one of us deserves a big hug and a pat on the back for our hard work and our many accomplishments.

The long hours and the busy weekends that we spent over the last ten months are a testament to our dedication, our diligence and our commitment to our students and our jobs. We haved lived the motto of a "superior education for a lifetime of learning". It is with that kind of professionalism that we have made it through this year. Your efforts do not go unrecognized. We thank you for everything that you have done. Words do not always truly reflect how much we appreciate you. Nonetheless, we think you are the best!

Your Executive Board will be busy this summer already planning for next year. Hopefully our actions will show you that we think you are some of the finest colleagues around. We always welcome your thoughts, suggestions and ideas, as we continue to work on your behalf. Please contact us anytime and let us know what is on your mind. We would love to hear from you. Thank you.

With that in mind, we wish you all the best over the summer!

Your ATA Executive Board ... Janet, Jim, Nancy, Eric and John
 

  • Congratulations ATA Scholarship Winners ... We would like to congratulate Thomas Dyer, son of Kim Dyer, science teacher at South, and Samuel Akins, son of Leesa Akins, language arts teacher at South, for being this year's recipients of the ATA Scholarship. Both gentlemen have been awarded a $500 scholarship to help them with their studies. Way to go guys! We wish you the best as you pursue your education.

  • Political Action Does Make A Difference ... The good news is that our lobbying efforts in Springfield have produced some positive results. The integrity of our pension system has been maintained, at least for now. All of the governor's punitive budget proposals were defeated, including increasing our contribution to TRS by 2%, raising the retirement age to 67, changing our retirement plan to an unreliable Defined Contribution Plan, changing the formula used to calculate our Final Average Salary, and decreasing our pension benefit from 75% to 70%. None of those things will occur because of our political action efforts. The better news is that the state will also fully fund its share of TRS payments to the tune of $4 billion for the first time in years. A big thank you goes out to all of you who made the extra effort to protect our pensions by contacting your legislators!

  • Our Hearts Go Out To Westgate ... It is with sadness in our hearts and compassion in our souls that we wish the best for all of you who have been touched by the recent tragedy. We hope and pray for better times ahead for all of you.

  • PDC for National Board Certification In Full Swing ... Our newly established Professional Development Committee for National Board Certification has really taken off. Under the leadership of Emily Cook, art teacher at South, the PDC has provided numerous services and sound advice to many of our colleagues who are pursuing National Board certification. Get all of the details about the certification process, including a slide show and video testimonials, on our newest web page.

  • News You Can Use ... Find out who is a new mom or dad among us, or who is getting engaged or married, or who has lost a loved one by simply reading our Welfare News You Can Use. It's just a click away!

  • Member Benefits Galore ... Who doesn't like to save money, especially over the summer when we have more time to travel and shop. Recoup your dues dollars through the many and varied IEA and NEA Member Discounts available to us. Check out our Member Benefits Galore web page and start clicking your way to savings!
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