We did it! Congratulations on a successful 2020 – 2021 school year!
Wow, what a year, and what a great last two weeks. Here are some highlights:
-June 15, 2021, fourteen non-renewed teachers were rehired!! Thank you all who worked to make this happen.
-June 18, 2021, the first annual Union Reads FAST event was held at UHS. Almost two hundred families participated in this event. In addition to reading, there were games, arts & crafts, lots of pizza, and every student went home with a UTEA goodie bag including a book! Thanks to many, but specifically Lisa Krauze and Suzanne Whitley both of UHS.
-June 19, 2021, UTEA was the main sponsor of the first ever Township of Union Juneteenth Arts Festival. So many members contributed, but here are a few examples.
-UHS Counselors, Narisa Svetvilas and Michael Mayes, and the UTEA Social Justice Committee gave out 500 goodie bags & lots of water at the welcoming tent.
-Pat Bridges, UHS, performed an elegant liturgical dance.
-Terron Singletary, BMS, led a choir of NJEA members and students. Anne Buggy, FES, Joe Costello, Sonia Decker & Brian Murray, all BMS, Olga Korzen, CFES, and Reema Patel, UHS, represented UTEA. And only two rehearsals, amazing!
-Nancy Lucas-Miller, UHS, hosted an African Art tent.
-Joe Costello organized the media tent.
-Pat Bridges and her students entertained the little ones at the children’s tent and the kids went home with a book on Juneteenth.
-Reema Patel, Don Erdman, UHS, Joe Costello, and three students participated in the Juneteenth panel discussion moderated by the Board of Education President, Ronnie McDowell.
-NJEA Summer Leadership Conference is August 7 – 8 and August 9 – 10. Please sign up @ www.njea.org/slc2021, and let Vice President, Rich D’Avanzo know if you signed up.
-And more BIG NEWS – the UTEA and the BOE finalized the Sick Leave Bank!
The Sick Leave Bank is to help any member who has a catastrophic illness or injury and has exhausted all types of paid leave. In order to be eligible to use the Sick Leave Bank, you must enroll. As a member of the Bank, each September, one of your sick days – that’s right, only one day a year – will be transferred to the Bank. If every member participates, the Bank will have over 800 days a year to help our members in serious need of help. Please read the attached details and sign up asap by sending your enrollment form to sickbank@twpunionschools.org.
Finally, have a wonderful, peaceful summer and an amazing Fourth of July!
ams
