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BTA meeting in the auditorium on Wednesday featuring:
An update on negotiations A reminder from the Trust A reminder about reading and understanding your contract http://www.nysecta.org/
New York State Elementary Classroom Teachers Association The inaugural conference takes place in August in Rye. Check it out! It is essential that we turn out to vote in school budget elections on Tuesday. Educational policy makers and your local school communities need to know that school staff are an active part of our local communities (yes, they can tell whether you voted or not and that you are a member of a NYSUT, public employees' union).  1. If you are going to the June 2 Rockland Boulders baseball game and you have not yet given me $12 per ticket, please take care of that early next week so that I can finalize with the stadium. This promises to be a terrific event and will be more than worth the $12. We'll be having a BYOB tailgate in the parking lot before the game with a make-your-own-taco bar catered by American Burrito in New City (the BTA is providing the food). The game starts at 2:00, and the tailgate starts at noon.
2. If you would like to go to the June 8 One Voice United Rally in Albany, there are buses leaving from Tarrytown (details forthcoming). Please let me know so that I can reserve your space on the bus. I am working on ordering T-shirts for the rally, as well. This is a great opportunity to speak up for what we believe about public education. 3. You should have received an invitation to the June 13 BTA Party. Please respond that you will be there! It promises to be a terrific night of music, food, drink, and dancing! 4. Join us for a BTA Breakfast on Monday, May 13. 5. Happy Mothers Day to all the BTA mothers. Our 2012 VOTE-COPE contributions earned the BTA the Albert Shanker Award from NYSUT. This is the highest level of award for VOTE-COPE contributions and is awarded to locals that contribute more than $50 per member.
Our retirees earned the Abel Blattman award for contributions of more than $10 per member. Thank you to all those who contribute to the political arm of our union. With this money, NYSUT can continue to lobby for the issues that are important to all of us as educators, community members, and public employees. BTA at the Rockland Boulders...
Sunday, June 2 Rockland Boulders vs. Newark Bears It's a 2:00 game, we'll meet to tailgate beforehand. If you are getting tickets, please get a check for $12/ticket (made out to the BTA) to me. If you are still interested - let me know. There are still plenty of tickets (we have almost 70 people committed already - it's gonna be a great time!). When it comes to shopping, no one is better than our own Lisa Britvan! Here, she's put together a list of some fair trade Mother's Day ideas! Thanks, Lisa!
Your Mother’s Day gift guide is here! The gifts on this list provide fair wages and better lives for 1.2 million farmers and workers in more than 70 countries worldwide. MERCI BOUQUET Gather Fair Trade florals into a bunch of love for the mom in your life. When you purchase Fair Trade roses, you provide maternity leave, a pesticide-free environment, and job security for hundreds of women flower farmers from Kenya to Ecuador. Spray, sprig or posy – you’ll say it with love and fairness. Fair Trade Certified flowers can be purchased at Whole Foods Market or online from OneWorldFlowers.org and 1-800-Flowers.com. CHEERS! What could be more elegant and festive than a Fair Trade Certified bottle of vino? Be it a refreshingly dry Cabernet from Argentina or a mellow South African Merlot - once you pop the cork you will be contributing to a childcare and scholarship fund, a speaker’s forum on women’s issues, or a health insurance program for a farm worker’s family. For high-quality wine with a conscious try a variety of reds and whites from Fairhills and Heritage Link. You can even pick up some Wandering Grape at your local Target. Pamper Yourself Pamper your queen bee with a bath time that’s not only luxurious and relaxing—but Fair Trade Certified to boot. Soaps, body scrubs, lotions and beauty products from companies like Planet Botanicals, Acure, Badger Balm and Dirty Beauty will have your mom bubbling over with enthusiasm. Thanks to an all-natural ingredients base of Fair Trade Certified shea butter, organic virgin coconut oil, cocoa pods, and more, these bath and beauty products are a great way to make a difference while showing Mom you care. Fair Trade USA’s partners employ poverty-stricken women from developing nations and pay them fair wages so they can support their families and live independent, sustainable lives. ALL IN LOVE IS FAIR You can’t go wrong giving Mom a Gift of Fairness. You have more than a dozen virtual gifts from which to choose - each one representing the inspiring ways Fair Trade is changing the world: Gavel for a Woman, Prenatal Care for a Mother, or Alphabet for a Girl. When your mom opens her personalized e-card (or one that you print out and send yourself) she knows together you have made a difference. SEW WHAT YOU REAP Your may have mother told you that clothes make the (wo)man, but now you can tell her about the woman who makes the clothes! T-shirts, panties, and aprons made by workers in Fair Trade factories guarantee that employers pay decent wages, ensure health and safety standards, and secure the right to join trade unions. Check out the selection of Fair trade apparel offered by Maggie's Organics, Good & Fair, PrAna and the Autonomie Project. These companies work hard to ensure that person was harmed or abused in the process of your garments production. BAR NONE For most taste buds, chocolate never goes out of style—especially when it’s made with the sustainable savvy of one of our Fair Trade Certified cocoa growers. We're sure Mom won’t mind indulging when she finds out that gourmet chocolate bar is eco-friendly and was produced without child labor. The only guilt Mom will have after nibbling on Fair Trade confections is that she kept it all to herself! Take it up a notch and bake something sweet with Fair Trade Certified cocoa powder from Casacao this Mother's Day as well! BREAKFAST IN BED Start the day off right by treating mom to a leisurely Fair Trade breakfast in bed. There's nothing better than waking up to the smell of responsibly-sourced coffee and tea. Try Weaver's Astral Blend and they'll donate a portion of their profits to breast cancer research. Some other companies that support the well-being of farming communities around the world are Thanksgiving Coffee, Grounds for Change, Café Femenino, Art of Tea, Numi Tea, Zhena’s Gypsy Tea, SerendipiTea and Stash Teas. |
