So my all time favorite musical is the Sound of Music and at some point during the school year my students will hear songs from that movie. June is FINALLY here and the first song that came to me as we close out the school year is So long, Farewell from that musical. Click here for a treat. LOL! If there ever was a school year that most of us want to say farewell to, this would be the one. The amount of times we heard things like, "we are in unprecedented times" or that "we have never seen or experienced a time like this in our professional lives", should have made us millionaires this school year. I wanted for the last time this year to take time to thank you for EVERYTHING you did and more. The way we had to manage our own worry, anxiety, fear, and personal life crises on top of the variety of changes that this year brought to us all was beyond exemplary. We will always now have an asterisk on our careers that represents *survived teaching through a pandemic*. I know that everyone had different feelings and opinions about how the year was handled and how we progressed through it, but now at the end of it just exhale, pat yourself on the back, and go out and enjoy your summer. Please know that we will continue to monitor what the NY state guidelines and/or mandates will be in the fall, communicate with you all and the district about plans, and advocate for the best possible return to school for our members in September.
As mentioned in the last Negotiations Update our current 1 year contract term will expire on June 30th. We will continue to meet with the district, and have also requested and received additional summer meetings in an attempt to settle the contract before September. There will be summer updates sent to you in regards to the progress of those negotiations discussions.
Last, but not least I want to congratulate and continue to celebrate with all of our 2021 retiring members. This year every building has at least one retiree and although I didn't get a chance to come visit each building nor will I get to attend each retirement party personally, I am so deeply grateful for the contribution you have all played to the success of students in Farmingdale. If you stop and ask students or the educators who worked with this group of retirees, their comments are numerous and overwhelming. You would hear really touching stories, many humorous comments, and just an overall positive and remarkable appreciation of the way that they have made an impact on us all as colleagues and friends. Enjoy this new chapter of your lives and know that you will be greatly missed.
