*Members: If you have any announcements that you would like to post on the ROBS web site, please contact Nick Siciliano at
News2@robsny.org. Announcements will be posted each month on this page. If you miss any previous month's announcements,
you can view them at the Archives page of this web site. You can also read more news in our Newsletters. In addition, if you have
your own web site, and would like to share it with other members, let us know and we can include the link on the ROBS site.
IMPORTANT DATES |
IN THE NEWS DECEMBER 2013 | |||
December 6 December 9 December 19 |
JOIN THE ROBS WRAP PARTY POSTED 12/6/13 The ROBS Christmas Wrap Party will be on Monday, December 9, 2013 at the home of Kris Dougherty. POSTED 12/6/13 This year's performance will be "Beauty and the Beast" on Friday, Feb. 7th & Saturday, Feb. 8th @ 7:30 PM in the Sonderling Auditorium. SAD SHARING
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"PROJECT HOPE" ONCE AGAIN BRINGS GOOD CHEER POSTED 12/14/13 A note from Sheila and Letty Sustrin: THE WHITE HOUSE PREPARES FOR THE HOLIDAYS Here's what we're doing for the holidays: |
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SAD SHARING
POSTED 12/26/13  Gilda Mantin Dear Brentwood Friends and Colleagues, With a heavy heart, I must tell you that Gilda Mantin, our beloved English Department Chairperson, died on December 23rd after a long illness. Her daughter Lois said that Gilda was smiling and peaceful during her final days. Gilda was a mentor, friend, role model, teacher, boss and adored by all who knew her. Those of us who worked for her always knew what a gift it was. Condolences can be sent to her daughter, Lois Simonds, at: 6392 Claremont Avenue Richmond, CA 94805 You can also email Lois at: naturesdesign1@hotmail.com. If you would like to speak with Lois, include your phone number and she will get back to you at some time in the future. Lois also told us that there would be a memorial service in NY, most likely in the spring, to celebrate and honor Gilda's life. Rest in peace, dear Gilda. Sincerely, Judi Hearst Weissman
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MEMBERS'S CORNER |
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How are we doing? We'd like to hear from you. Please visit our Letters to the Editor Page where you can share your views and comments |
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IN MEMORIAM |
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 View the "In Memoriam" page with the list of our Brentwood colleagues who have passed away. This list will be updated on a yearly basis. |
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| NYSUT NEWS | ||||
 Check out Member Benefits NYSUT Social Services Counseling in Times of Stress Hurricane Sandy Relief NYSUT - Superstorm Sandy Resource Sheet |
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| RC21 EVENTS | ||||
| WHAT YOU DIDN'T KNOW | ||||
| MEMBER WEBSITES | Social Justice Efforts Critical to Union's Mission Published in NYSUT United: A Union of Professionals, Sept/Oct 2013 In helping educators plan ahead, NYSUT has provided a selection of social justice events and resources for each month of the school year. The following are those listed for the month of November: |
Dec. 10 — Human Rights Day |
Dec. 18 — International Migrants Day, established by the United Nations. At www.iom.int find information about migrants, their economic impact and justice issues, humane and orderly policies in the movement of persons across borders, migrant health protections and more.
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John M. Sherin Complete Team Building Kits
Teaching Cooperation/ Collaboration Emotional Intelligence (EQ) www.brokensquares.com Rick Mundy
Watercolor Prints of L.I., Adirondacks, NYC...
www.RickMundy.Com Gloria Hannemann Hardwood Flooring and Home Improvement www.Servi-all.com Elmon Kazandjian NYC Art Gallery www.woodwardgallery.net Mr. Graziano's Science Class Academic Enrichment and Remedial Website |
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| ROBS HISTORY PROJECT - John M. Sherin | ||||
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Why did we do it? What was our purpose in taking on such an open ended “History Project”; the one for which we’ve evolved a script of questions with corresponding answers from over one hundred and fifty dedicated volunteers for nearly two decades? We couldn’t answer the question in ‘94 when people would ask “What are you going to do with the interviews?” All we could say was that for educational and informational purposes we had better document our record or lose any chance to preserve innumerable poignant accounts, humorous stories and touching tales told to us by exemplary educators and dedicated public servants, who shortly and for reasons unknown might soon be leaving our Brentwood for good. We decided to let time sort out the details as we commenced making appointments to ask questions and simply listen. Listen we did as this project evolved saving for subsequent generations the very essence of what it means to have been an educator or employed in a large student centered public school system during the latter half of the twentieth century. Brentwood remains an exemplar to all the others; a diverse microcosm and accurate reflection of the approximately one hundred and twenty seven neighboring school districts on Long Island and the thousands across this country. We’ve accomplished something here, something we can all be proud of having been part of, whether we were interviewed or not, ours is a claim of service that few other professionals in the State of New York are positioned to share in a like manner. INITIALLY the practice of sitting for an hour with the Subject of our interview and giving them one hundred percent of our focused attention for that period of time seemed a little threatening to many of our friends and former colleagues. So much so in fact that many declined repeated invitations to be interviewed as they left careers behind or retired from full time employ with the District. Despite all assurances that this was not to be about investigative journalism or invading their privacy, they’ve deferred. Until now, almost seventeen years after we began, some say they may finally be ready. We say, “Better late than never”. However, to all those among you who were willing to share openly not only your classroom experiences but personal stories, precious memories from your lives and fondest hopes for the future, we say thanks for allowing us to be able to continue the process of giving as we now are able to share interviews with you, with the community and with countless regional professional educators and researchers through tentative acceptance of ROBS offer of collaboration with The Long Island Studies Institute at Hofstra University. You can now enjoy unlimited visits to www.robsny.org/ where you’ll see and hear segments from the History Project Interviews featured here in the ROBS History Project section on the Announcements Page archived each month thereafter for those wishing to return again and again. |
THIS MONTH'S FEATURED HISTORY PROJECT INTERVIEW: Ruth Rosenthal Administration Ruth Rosenthal was born in East New York, Brooklyn, one month before the end of World War One or as it’s called, – The Great War, on Oct 9th, 1918. She was interviewed and hired for a job in Brentwood on May 3, 1956. She retired from the district in 1984, four years following the death in 1980 of Henny, her beloved husband. Retirement for her was a mistake that she came to regret. She found herself missing friends. Her passion for young people soon prompted her to devote time to the community as a Public Library Trustee. She then ran for and was elected to the Brentwood Board of Education, where she also served as Trustee for many more years. At the time of this interview Ruth was 78 years old and still going strong. She remained close to her children, grandchildren and two great grandchildren, visiting with them regularly. Her parents, then deceased had been a middle class couple who operated a manufacturing business out of their factory behind the family residence in Brooklyn. When Ruth got out of school, she had earned a degree in Mechanical Engineering specializing in sound, light and radio equipment. She joined the U.S. Navy Signal Corps and served from the beginning of WW2 to the end of the war in 1945 when she went to work for the Veterans Administration. Some years earlier she’d begun corresponding with the best friend of a friend serving in the Pacific during the war. His name was Staff Sergeant Henny Rosenthal. They met after the War for the first time and were married soon after. When they visited mom and pop Rosenthal in Brentwood, they fell in love with the, bucolic, rural hamlet so far away from New York city. They moved there in 1956 and Ruth was soon offered a substitute teaching position where she could be home in time for her young children to get home from a Brentwood school. Her teaching career in Science began soon after. Henny dropped out of school during the depression to join the CCC (Civilian Conservation Corps) to help the family by supplementing their income. After obtaining his GED from Brentwood high school and his degree from Hofstra, Henny was hired as a teacher in the district as well. Although she became a Principal in the District, Ruth never stopped being a teacher at heart. Teaching she said, “is the most noble of professions.” |
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PAID ADVERTISING |
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 Classified Section |
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| THE TOWN CRIER - MarilynDePlaza@aol.com | ||||
 Marilyn De Plaza |
The Town Crier" was set up a number of years ago so that the retirees of the Brentwood School District could have an email center to stay in touch. Since I began to send out all sorts of information, retirees from all over the country have sent me their email addresses. Some have asked, "Do you have any idea where so and so is?" Others have sent proud news of their accomplishments, their family news, photos,etc. and sadly, we often get bad news. Many retirees whom I have never met write me to thank me for keeping this connection going, as everyone remembers the Brentwood years with warm feelings.
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EMPIRE PLAN MEDICARE RX PROGRAM
POSTED 12/6/13 The past procedures for reimbursement of co-payments when Silver Scripts takes over from Express Scripts on January 1st, will remain in place. Coordination of benefits for prescriptions will continue for those who have qualified in the past. The same form will be used as was done for Express Scripts and sent to the same Empire address. |
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