On one of the coldest days on record, teachers from the John R. Rollins Early Childhood Center returned to their fire-scarred building to pack up their rooms and move to what they hoped would be temporary facilities at St. Mary of Assumption Elementary School so their nearly 200 students could continue to enjoy a safe place to learn with as little interruption as possible.
Just one month after the Rollins fire, AFT President Randi Weingarten came to the temporary home of the Rollins to marvel at the progress the teachers and staff had made and to offer her continued support.
“This is the second time national has stepped in," explained LTU President Frank McLaughlin, recalling the 2015 fire at the Bruce School (please see December 2016/January 2017 issue). “I know that all I have to do is make a call and Randi and her team will be here to help.”
Every day, teachers, paraprofessionals, and other school support staff do all they can to provide students (and each other) with information and support that will sustain and strengthen them as they prepare for life’s challenges and opportunities. Unfortunately, while districts like Salem (see October/November 2017 issue) are encouraging and involving the students in sustainable and educational nutritional programs, many schools do not provide the sustenance and support that young minds and bodies require.
As the number of living Holocaust survivors continues to dwindle, it becomes more important for others to tell their stories so that deniers can be denied and the repetition of history can be stopped.
IN MEMORIAM
Kathy Kelley (1945-2017)
We are deeply saddened by the sudden passing of Kathleen A. Kelley, former President of American Federation of Teachers Massachusetts. She passed away on Sunday, August 13, 2017 at the tender age of 72 years young. Our prayers go out to her family and she will be sorely missed.
Does your school have enough money?
That question, stretched across the Commonwealth, was the focus of an important Supreme Judicial Court decision and legislation in 1993,and it’s likely to be the main issue in education that the legislature and the voters will deal with over the next 18 months.