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Submitted By: Devin Hunter
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Phoenicia Elementary artists have been working diligently for many months to complete two school-wide art projects that connect to classroom curriculum. Inspired by the local Leaping Trout Art Project and other community based art “themes” around the country, we dove into making trout themed art. First and second grade students raised trout in the classroom from eggs to small fingerlings. These were released into local waters on May 15th.
Grian is also known locally as the Ivy Vine Players. Students were thrilled to get up close and learn the stories behind the characters, see tricks for making the puppets move and view a variety of different forms of puppetry.
This year’s Battle of the Books was another success! The competition took place on the May 15th, 2013 in the library. Three teams of students competed in the jeopardy-style competition and answered questions about ten different books from this year’s list. The list was made up of multiple genres (short stories, novels, poetry, and non-fiction) and included award winners such as Wonder, by Patricia Palacia, Trapped: how the World Recued 33 Miners from 2,000 Feet Below the Chilean Desert, by Marc Aronson, and “The Adventure of the Speckled Band,” by Sir Arthur
Dear OTA members,
Do you wonder how this period of time will be described in history books? This is something I contemplate often.
Onteora DECA senior, Danielle Barringer, accompanied by OCS DECA Advisor, J. Douglas returned from Ananheim, CA, with heavier luggage. . . . a large trophy! Danielle competed in the Professional Selling Event at the NY DECA state level in March where she placed 1st.
The Call for Nominations has been sent to local presidents and is also posted on the AFT-W website.
NFT Plans June 3 Ratification Vote; School Board to Act Within 10 Days
LANGHORNE, PA (May 28, 2013) — Leaders of the Neshaminy Federation of Teachers and the Neshaminy School Board announced today that they have reached a tentative agreement on a new contract for members of the certified staff in the Neshaminy Public Schools.
The agreement – which comes after nearly five years of difficult negotiations – must be ratified by a majority of union members and the school board. Union and district leadership deferred discussion of specific terms of the agreement until members of the NFT could be briefed. If ratified, the agreement will replace the previous contract, which expired at the end of June 2008.
“It has been a long and challenging process that brought us to this point,” said NFT President Louise Boyd. “The tentative agreement we are announcing today addresses some professional issues that are important to teachers and their students.”
She credited NFT Vice President Anne Schmidt and School Board President Ritchie Webb for working vigorously over the Memorial Day weekend to resolve some final questions.
“The tentative agreement we have worked out secures what both sides needed to move ahead to a new contract,” Webb said.
Schmidt agreed, “This has been a tough process, but we believe the agreement will be a new beginning in our relationship. It is time for our community to stop looking backward and focus on the future of our schools and our students.”
Webb and NFT leaders also praised the involvement of the state mediator, Bill Gross, who had guided formal bargaining sessions over the last year.
NFT President Boyd said a ratification vote on the agreement will be taken at a membership meeting scheduled for Monday, June 3. Members will receive information detailing the terms of the tentative agreement.
School Board President Webb said he expects the tentative agreement will be on the agenda for a special Board meeting to be held within 10 days.
As you may have heard, at a May 16 meeting attended by 75 percent of the membership, Neshaminy teachers voted by secret ballot to decline the latest contract offer made by the School Board. This meeting was monitored by three AFT National representatives and legal counsel. This was not an easy choice: No matter how any individual teacher voted, all teachers want to see an end to this contract stalemate.
The Board’s latest offer, for professional reasons, was too extreme for teachers to accept. In its most recent proposal, the Board refuses to preserve class size limits in the existing contract. The Board is also demanding that teachers give up key contract provisions that enable us to have a voice in our classrooms and how our students are educated. The Board wants to take away longstanding rights that enable teachers to advocate for a quality education for every child in Neshaminy. Many of our members expressed that they find these demands very troubling.
You may have heard some of the rumors and misconceptions that are being circulated. We want to set the record straight:
We remain hopeful that a contract is in sight; nearly every financial issue has been resolved. The only major items left on the table involve the Board’s puzzling insistence on taking away a professional voice and curtailing the role of the educators who teach your children. Contrary to some public assertions, our concerns have nothing to do with who runs the Neshaminy schools—teachers are too busy in their classrooms to want to take on that job. If the Board will make some rather fair accommodations on its radical demands, we believe a path to a contract still exists.
Out of 500 school districts in the Commonwealth, the Neshaminy School District is the only one that has dragged out negotiations with teachers for five years. Teachers have met this Board more than halfway. We once again urge the Board to continue our discussions, hammer out an agreement with us, and let our schools move forward.
