1/16/12 Burnt Hills Teachers Hold Parent Information Night for New School Grade Program
(Burnt Hills) January 16th, 2012 - Burnt Hills Teachers will be holding a training session for parents on January 18th at 7:00pm at the High School for the district's new computer data system called PowerSchool. The new system allows for direct communication about student grades and progress between parents and teachers through the Parent Portal. “The PowerSchool Parent Portal is an excellent online communication tool between students, parents, and teachers. It allows parents to log into the system and check their child’s progress at any time. ” said Mike Mosall, president of the Burnt Hills - Ballston Lake Teachers Association, the union which represents about 280 teachers in the community. “The teachers at Burnt Hills embrace this type of innovation and want to make sure that as many parents and students as possible are using the new system. It can revolutionize the way teachers communicate about student performance and progress. This is something we are really excited about,” Mosall said The teachers at Burnt Hills have embraced the opportunity to communicate with parents through the Parent Portal according to Mosall. “The Parent Portal is a logical extension of the era in which we live in. Communication has become virtually instantaneous in our lives. We support speeding this process up. When I was in High School it might take weeks to know averages and midterm grades. Today we can speed that up tremendously by making use of modern technology.” The Parent Portal will officially open for all Middle and High School students next week at the start of the second semester. “The teachers want to put this new option out there and make sure as many parents as possible know about it. There are some tricks to using the new system and we want to share that information. Our goal is 100% parent participation,” said Mosall. Burnt Hills teachers sought the opportunity to provide this information session to reach out the community and establish important ties with parents. “With all the negativity surrounding teachers in the news lately, it is important that the community understand our commitment to the students of Burnt Hills. Communication between teacher and parent about student performance is so important. Parent Portal makes that link easier than ever to establish,” said Mosall 11/18/11 It’s hard to believe, but November is upon us! At this time of year, I am always thankful for my family and friends and look forward to the holidays that are just around the corner. In my new role as Teachers Association President, I have been fortunate enough to be invited into many classrooms throughout the district to get to know our membership and share in the daily successes and challenges that our teachers face.Through these classroom visits, I have learned so much about the people who make up our Association and witnessed exceptional teaching that we, as an Association, can be thankful for. In Kristen Cartwright’s 2nd grade class, I learned how important it is to “do what’s right, even if its not easy or popular”. In Cheryl Brott’s 3rd grade classroom I had the life cycle of Monarch Butterflies “ingrained on my brain” and I also learned how to talk to adults. In Elsa Hjelmar’s 1st grade class, I learned how the “spaceman” comes down at the end of a word. (You had to be there, but it was pretty cool!) While at the Middle School, I spoke with Rita Pelton and Katherine Zyskowski about some of the big picture issues facing education today. Their insight was incredibly valuable. While visiting Pashley during the month of September, I learned about “determination”, their monthly character trait. I saw many determined teachers who care deeply about their students and profession. John Clement, Roger Kopa, and Kelleen O'Rourke took their entire lunch break (and then some) to help me better understand elementary scheduling. Pamela Dintrone invited me into her 4th grade class to share her passion for reading. As I panicked, Sarah Engelhard calmly showed me what to do during an elementary fire drill. For those of you who have never had the privilege of hearing the fire alarm at Pashley, it is easily the loudest sound I have ever heard. It is a testament to our teachers that hundreds of young children do not absolutely freak out when that alarm goes off. Kathy Fernau taught me how to play 2nd grade bingo and Michele Bowker even let me have some 1st grade apple sauce made by her students. By the time you read this, I will also have spoken to every 4th and 5th grade teacher in the district about the APPR process. All of these teachers selflessly gave up their lunch break to help me do my job better. In the High School, Renee Tolan worked incredibly hard this fall to make the Student Government Organization’s Homecoming and Meet the Candidate events incredible successes. The same can be said of Cheryl Bach who has given tirelessly of herself to help the victims of Hurricane Irene in the Schoharie Valley this fall. My only regret is that I haven’t been to all of your classrooms. I greatly enjoy these interactions and I truly believe it helps me gain valuable insight into the successes and challenges our teachers experience daily. I look forward to more of these visits over the coming months. We have so much to be thankful for this holiday season and I am happy to report that the teachers of Burnt Hills have been added to my list. In Unity, Mike 10/24/11 TA Members, Although we may have our differences, it is important to recognize the time and commitment it takes to be a Board of Education member. We will recognize that as an Association at the October 25th Board meeting (Tuesday night at 7:30 in the Middle School Library). The TA President has done this in the past. This year we would like many Association members to join the President in this ceremony. During "Privilege of the Floor", the TA president will read a brief prepared statement thanking the Board for their efforts. Baked goods will be presented at this time as a token of the Association's thanks. Many of you have indicated you will be attending. Sign up here so we can coordinate our efforts. This is a good opportunity to participate in an short event (10 - 15 minute commitment) for those with busy schedules. In Unity, Mike 9/30/11 Letter to TA members from Mike Mosall, TA President TA Members, Approximately a month ago, the people of the Schoharie Valley and surrounding areas were devastated by the flood waters left in the wake of Hurricane Irene. As you know, the BHBLTA instituted a three tiered response to this crisis. I would like to now share the results of these efforts. The first tier involved direct monetary contributions by TA members and other district employees to the American Red Cross. Final donations totaled $1140.00! Congratulations go to Andy Haluska for organizing this amazing response. The second tier involved the “Adopt a Classroom” drive spearheaded by Raelene Noll. TA members gave books, folders, paper, pencils, and other classroom materials. Additionally, you gave over $1200.00 in gift cards to Target, Walmart, Staples, Home Depot, Lowes, and other retailers to help the people of Schoharie, Middleburgh, Windham, and Gilboa rebuild their shattered lives. These gift cards will be distributed to the people most affected by this disaster in the next few days. Raelene delivered a van full of books and school supplies to Windham and Gilboa last Friday. The teachers are extremely grateful and are overwhelmed with our generosity. Thank you to you all for your generosity and kindness and special thanks to Raelene for her efforts and passion about this. Finally, the third tier, involved direct worksite aide. I am proud to report that the Burnt Hills Teachers Association donated over 260 hours to flood zone clean up over three September weekends. Your efforts in this time of great need typify what I know to be true about Burnt Hills’ TA members. You are amazing teachers and amazing people. Your donations and man hours have made a direct impact in the lives of people who desperately needed a hand. I am proud to be your president. Your generosity knows no bounds. In Awe, Mike (There is still work to be done. Here is a comprehensive list of continuing relief efforts.) 9/3/11 Several Burnt Hills Teachers Association members, their spouses, friends, and Mustang Rugby players visited the Schoharie Valley, New York on 9/3/11 to see if they could lend a hand to the flood victims of Hurricane Irene. This video was shot automatically by a GoPro Hero video camera while traveling between work sites. This video focuses on Main Street in Schoharie. Pay special attention to the sides of the road. Peoples belongings are piled up like snow banks as far as the eye can see. There are few words to describe the situation in Schoharie. The damage caused by the flooding is catastrophic. The people of the Schoharie are desperately in need. Their houses are damaged or destroyed, their future uncertain. Please do anything you can. | Hurricane Irene Relief Effort Totals: -$1140.00 donated to American Red Cross -$1200.00 in gift cards donated -Countless folders, books, notebooks, pens, and other classroom supplies donated -260 man hours donated in the Schoharie Valley |
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