Issue:  16
   Justina Ketyer, Editor
December 22, 2017  
In this issue
  • Happy Holidays - From the President's Pen
  • Special Opportunity for Members with Five or Fewer Years Service
  • Important - Financial and Retirement Planning Assistance
  • Happy "Birth" Day
President's Pen

On behalf of the Executive Board of the Hicksville Congress of Teachers, I would like to wish you and yours all the joy, blessings, and warmth of the holiday season.

May you take the opportunity to savor time with friends and family, enjoy a restful break from the norm, and cherish all the hope and optimism
awaiting in the new year.
 
Warm wishes,

Tom Glenn
Special Opportunity for New HCT Members

This is a special opportunity for HCT members with fewer than five years of service in Hicksville. 

The HCT will send up to 10 new(er) members to this conference, at no out-of-pocket cost to you. What's more, you'll be treated to a continental breakfast, hot lunch, and cocktail reception following the conference! Interested members should email the HCT office, [email protected] as soon as possible. Registration is on a first-come, first-served basis.

The conference focuses on subjects that should be of great interest to members who are in the beginning stages of their careers. The program is designed to:

  • provide early career members the opportunity to discuss their needs and interests with peers
  • demonstrate to early career members the benefits of union membership
  • provide early career members with information to enhance their professional, financial and personal well-being.
Participants will have the opportunity to pick and choose from a menu of 45-minute mini-workshops covering a wide range of subjects. A list of the mini-workshops offered includes:

  • Moderated discussion groups focusing on the needs of early career members (These will be interspersed throughout the day.)
  • The Career-Threatening Perils of Misusing Social Media
  • Tenure - What It Does ... and What It Doesn't Do
  • How NYSUT's Member Benefits Program Can Save Members Lots of Money
  • Navigating the Increasingly Complex Certification Maze
  • NYSUT's Education & Learning Trust - A Valuable Professional Resource for Early Career Educators
  • What Rights and Benefits Do You Acquire from Union Membership?
  • There's Lots You Need to Know NOW About the Teachers' Retirement System
  • What You Need to Know About APPR and Teacher Evaluation
Important - Financial and Retirement Planning Assistance

Winter-Spring 2018 Schedule of PREP Seminars

No matter how far along you are in your career,  careful financial and retirement planning are critical . NYSTRS'  Pension & Retirement Education Program (PREP)  is designed to help members of all ages accomplish that. Members can tailor PREP to fit their needs by staying for the entire seminar (8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.) or just those modules that help them the most : NYSTRS benefits; financial planning; Social Security; estate planning; retirement-a new beginning; and, the retirement process.
PREP seminars are free, and sessions are held throughout the year across the state. 

The winter-spring 2018 PREP schedule is now available on the  Pension & Retirement Education Program page of the NYSTRS website.

NYSTRS benefits consultation is also available year-round. At these one-on-one meetings, staff review the retirement process, explain payment options and provide members with benefit estimates for their target retirement dates. View the 2017-2018 schedule to make an appointment.

Happy "Birth" Day
Congratulations to Christina Peterson (Middle School - Special Ed) on the birth of her daughter, Kayleigh Marie.
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