WCT In The News

Email: wct@wcteachers.org

Office Hours: Monday - Friday 12-5 (while school is in session - hours differ during the summer)

Administrative Assistant: Cathy Reynolds

The WCT office will be open the following days and hours.

Email and phone messages will be monitored regularly.

JULY

• 1,2,3 (12:00 -5:00)
• 9, 10 (12:00 -5:00)
• 16, 17, 23, 24 (9:00 -2:00)
• 30, 31 (12:00 -5:00)

AUGUST

• 6,7,13,14,21,22,25,26,27,28,29 (12:00 - 5:00)

Have a great summer!

Cathy and Flip

On behalf of the Wappingers Congress of Teachers, I want to extend my deepest gratitude for your hard work, resilience, and unwavering commitment to students this year. You’ve gone above and beyond—teaching, supporting, inspiring, and making a lasting impact.

As summer begins, I hope you take time to rest, recharge, and enjoy the break you’ve earned. Thank you for all that you do. Your dedication strengthens our schools and our community every single day.

Have a wonderful, restful and relaxing summer!

Make memories with friends and family.

In Solidarity,

Flip

WAPPINGERS CONGRESS OF TEACHERS

WELFARE TRUST FUND

***IMPORTANT INFORMATION REGARDING***

BENEFIT PROGRAMS
wcteachers.org / asonet.com

Please submit all claims to ASO.

Administrative Services Only, Inc.

PO Box 9005 Dept 251

Lynbrook, NY 11563

516.394.9400 or toll free 800.537.1238

asonet.com

CLAIM FORMS: Updated forms are available below and also on the following links

wcteachers.org, https://asonet.com.

Should you have any questions or require assistance, please contact the Fund Office at

845-227-5065.

Sincerely,

Wappingers Congress of Teachers

Welfare Trust Fund

Board of Trustees

Buying or selling a house?

Uncontested legal separation or divorce?

Need a will?

Health care proxy?

Power of attorney?

Click the link below to see the dates and times available to speak with the attorneys or financial advisors (The financial advisors do not sell anything -- they just give advice about your financial picture). Call Cathy at the WCT Office (845-227-5065) to make an appointment.

Click the link below to view the WCT Welfare Trust Fund Handbook. It covers dental, vision, legal, financial and many more negotiated benefits offered to WCT members and their dependents.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1rNnueTx55oK_2PwL5t7ZhIQ9MR4GLxpL/edit

As a reminder, members are entitled to fully-paid, confidential financial meetings with a Certified Financial Planner from Stacey Braun Associates, Inc. The firm is committed to providing information, ideas, and suggestions in an effort to assist you address financial concerns and improve your financial well-being. See the attached flyer below for more information.

As part of your union benefits, we want to remind you about the free financial counseling services available through Stacey Braun Associates. This resource is designed to support members in managing their finances, planning for the future, and navigating any financial challenges they may face. See the attached flyer for more specific information.

Mirkin & Gordon is pleased to announce that our first pre-recorded legal services webinar is now available for viewing by your covered members at their convenience.

The webinar, entitled “Important Estate Planning Documents Covered by Your Benefit Fund’s Legal Services Plan” can be viewed on our website through via link https://www.mirkingordon.com/webinars.

About the Peer Support Line:
Staffed by trained in-service and retired peers who understand the unique professional and personal challenges of NYSUT members, the Peer Support Line can provide answers, resources, and support when you need it.

This helpful service can assist with accessing information and resources within your community, including the following:

Finding mental health services and/or support groups
Locating community social services programs and/or agencies
Managing work-related stress and/or concerns
Providing support to new members
Sourcing elder care and/or caregiving services
Reducing feelings of isolation and loneliness
Managing coordination of health-related challenges

Help is available when it is needed most. The Peer Support Line serves as a sounding board to strategize around many issues and concerns facing NYSUT members and their loved ones.

Don't wait any longer ... contact the Peer Support Line today.

How to Contact the Peer Support Line:
1. By Phone:
For more information or to speak with a trained peer specialist, call toll-free 844-444-0152, Monday through Friday, noon to 8 p.m. (EST).

2. Send a Secure Message:
You can also send a secure private message to the Peer Support Line to schedule a call at your convenience or obtain resources. Messages sent through this manner will be safely encrypted to protect your privacy.

NYSUT Member Benefits is pleased to offer the premium Calm subscription as a free benefit for all NYSUT in-service AND retiree members.

The premium Calm subscription provides members with unlimited access to the full library of content at calm.com and in the Calm app, which can be utilized via a desktop, laptop, tablet, or mobile device (iOS or Android).

Members can add up to five dependents (age 16 or older) to receive their own premium Calm subscription. Dependents can only be added through the calm.com site (not the Calm app); dependents will then receive their own premium Calm subscription.

ON-DEMAND WEBINARS
The Calm service offers a variety of physical and mental wellness webinars available both live and on-demand. Click here to learn more.

IMPORTANT: On this page, you will find both desktop and mobile instructional sign-up videos to assist with accessing the premium Calm service for free.

The horizontal desktop instructional video below is for those members who already have an existing Calm account. Below that you will find a vertical mobile instructional video for members who have not yet created a Calm account.

Get Started Today!
Visit https://www.calm.com/b2b/nysut-member-benefits/subscribe to create a Calm account now (this is a dedicated URL for NYSUT members).

1. You will need your NYSUT ID number to create an account with your preferred email address and a password using the dedicated URL above. Note: Your NYSUT ID number can be found on your NYSUT Membership Card or by visiting https://www.nysut.org/memberid.

2. Once you create a free Calm account on a web browser using the URL above, you will want to download the Calm app for your iOS or Android device.

3. After downloading the Calm app for your preferred device, you can then log in with your email address and password to unlock the premium Calm content for free.

Member Benefits and the Calm team have created a helpful Frequently Asked Questions document for NYSUT members that contains answers to a number of questions.

If you have additional questions related to the Calm service that the FAQ document does not address, please contact the Calm support team directly by clicking here or at calmbusinesshelp@calm.com.

AWARD-WINNING CALM APP:
The Calm app -- recognized as Apple’s Best of 2018 award winner, Apple’s App of the Year 2017, and Google Play Editor’s Choice 2018 -- is the #1 app for sleep, meditation, and relaxation with over 100 million downloads.

Whether members have 30 seconds or 30 minutes of time available, the diverse content library offered by Calm includes numerous resources for their schedule and needs.

Members can explore guided meditations and specialized music playlists to help with stress and focus, mindful movement video and audio, relaxing sleep stories, nature scenes and sounds, specific content tailored for children, masterclasses led by experts, and more .

Hello Everyone,

We are excited to share that we have transitioned to a new Employee Assistance Program and these services are available to you effective immediately. Our new provider is Educators' EAP, a division of ESI, and they provide a myriad of benefits and services to you and your immediate family members. Educators' EAP is a provider that works with many of our neighboring Districts and has a vast network of certified counselors and staff that are available to assist our employees and their families. Educators' EAP also features a mobile app called "Talkspace Go" that is available for you and family members aged 13+ to assist in improving mental health and well-being.

You can contact EAP through their toll-free number at 1-800-252-4555 or through their website www.EducatorsEAP.com.

Attached to this email is a welcome letter that provides information regarding this new program and various links that give you access to all of the resources provided through EAP including a 5-minute orientation video.

The health and well-being of our staff is one of our highest priorities. We hope that you will take advantage of the many services and resources that our new EAP has to provide.

Please feel free to reach out to the Office of Human Resources if you have any questions.

Thank you,

Renee

--

Renee F. Harris
Executive Director of Human Resources
Office of Human Resources and Labor Relations
(845) 298-5000, x40136
Fax (845) 896-1286
Wappingers Central School District
25 Corporate Park Drive

P.O. Box 396
Hopewell Junction, NY 12533
www.wappingersschools.org

Click below to access the multitude of benefits that are available to you as a NYSUT member.

NYSUT is excited to announce that we are transitioning to digital membership cards to provide easier access to benefits while modernizing our systems.

The digital card is available to members on their phones and offers convenient mobile access and real-time benefit updates. And by transitioning away from printed cards, we’re greatly reducing the environmental impact of printing and mailing nearly 700,000 member cards.

Members who prefer a printed card can still download a PDF version through their My NYSUT account. And don’t worry, expired physical cards don't affect membership status.

Your union card is a mark of professionalism and a symbol of belonging to an organization with 50+ years of history supporting workers and public schools, colleges and universities. We’re proud to offer the digital card as the next chapter in this history and we hope you and all of our members use it with pride.

• How do I get my digital membership card? You can access your card by logging into the My NYSUT section of our website. Detailed instructions for adding the card to your Apple or Android device are provided there. Note, digital cards are designed to work with mobile devices. If you log in on a desktop or laptop computer, you will have to send access to your phone or mobile device. Instructions for how to do that are on the card access page.
• What if I don’t have a My NYSUT account or if I don’t know my member ID? If you know your member ID but don’t have a My NYSUT account, you can set up an account here. If you don’t know your member ID, you can take steps to retrieve it here.
• What if I don’t have a smartphone or prefer a physical card? We understand not everyone is ready to go digital. Members who want a physical card can access a PDF version on their My NYSUT accounts here.

The NEW email address to contact the WCT Heartship Fund managers is heartship@wcteachers.org.

If you have any questions about your program participation please use this new email address going forward.

Thank you to all who have donated in the past. Through our combined efforts we have given over 95 monetary awards to families in the WCSD community."

Ann Liebergot - President

Christine Zandstra - Treasurer

Janine Sloth - Secretary

Lucretia O’Dell - Board Member

Jackie Schultz - Board Member

Zack Graczyk - Board Member

Nicholas Parlapiano - Board Member

If you wish to have the courses applied toward salary increases, you must submit the Graduate Request Form in MLP prior to the start of the course(s) you will be taking. Upon completion of the course(s), official transcripts must be submitted to mlp.admin@wcsdny.org or mailed in a sealed envelope to Preziosa Piscopo in the HR office. If you have any questions, please reach out to Preziosa Piscopo in HR prior to paying for and registering for courses.

Sheafe Road Elementary School had their first book swap! Kids had the opportunity to bring in books and shop for new/different ones. It was a huge success!!

At Sheafe Road we celebrated the school's 60th birthday! Teachers performed through the decades in a lip sync show!

A sea of spirited NYSUT members in Mid-Hudson rallied today to demand lawmakers Fix Tier 6. In Highland, we took over the Walkway Over the Hudson with more than 500 of you marching for a fair retirement system. Your participation in these demonstrations is critical to keeping this issue top of mind for lawmakers. We can’t let them forget that 30 years is a career, and our members will continue coming together to fight until we Fix Tier 6.

The WCT and WCRT showed up in force with over 80 members pre-registered. What also showed up in force was MOTHER NATURE!! She unleashed a hellacious thunder and lightning storm directly on the Walkway at the exact time we were supposed to march. Please click on the link below to see an amazing photography display that captured the event in its totality. Pictures were taken from our very own, Ian Friedman (JJHS). We are very hopeful that this kind of turnout is a stepping stone to fixing TIER 6!!

I would like to thank the following Ralph & Janet Capasso Scholarship Committee members: Janice Lawler, Kerry Rescigno and Mike Kennedy. The committee always has the arduous task in selecting the top three students to receive this recognition.

7 districts and 8 high schools were represented.

21 students applied, 10 were interviewed and 3 winners were chosen.

The Ralph & Janet Capasso Scholarship is one of the most prestigious scholarships offered in the Wappingers Central School District.

Welcome to this exclusive club.

With the help of the WCRT – we now award the recipients $2000.00 each.

SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

Ryleigh Calimano – daughter of Megan Heagle-Calimano, Brinckerhoff Elementary School & Chris Calimano - RCK

Shea Gallagher – son of Amy Buckingham, Fishkill Plains Elementary School

Abigail Kowalczyk– daughter of Nicole Donovan-Kowalczyk, Sheafe Rd. Elementary School

I would like to thank John Jay High School Counselors for choosing the following Bernard & Leslie Leventhal Scholarship winners.

The scholarship is specifically for JJHS students who plan to attend SUNY Binghamton and Cornell University. These scholarships were designed to honor Leslie and Bernie’s sons Michael and Jeremy. Michael attended SUNY Binghamton and Jeremy attended Cornell.

This year 2 winners were chosen for Binghamton University because no one was attending Cornell University. With the help of the WCRT each recipient will receive $1500.

SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

Francis Leahy – son of Louis & Melissa, attending Binghamton University

Layla Ng – daughter of William Ng & Naomi Jones-Cedeno, attending Binghamton University

I would like to thank the following Pasquale & Maria Delli Carpini Scholarship Committee members: Kate DeGroat, Rose Conti, Beth Lohmeyer, and Lucretia O'Dell. Similarly to the Capasso Scholarship, the selection process is extremely stressful due to the number of highly qualified applicants.

6 districts and 7 high schools were represented.

22 students applied, 7 were interviewed and 3 winners were chosen.

The Pasquale & Maria Delli Carpini Scholarship is unique in that each of the three scholarships have specific criteria. With the help of the WCRT, each recipient will receive $2000.00.

SCHOLARSHIP WINNERS

Emilia Suppa – daughter of Traci Suppa

(Recipient of the Italian Education Scholarship)

Nicolas Pappas – son of Mary Pappas, Wappingers Junior High School

(Recipient of the Ella Grace Delli Carpini Scholarship)

Charlotte Cuchelo – daughter of Dina Cuchelo (Recipient of the Education Scholarship)

Kinry teachers and staff surprised their students on Wednesday, June 12th at the end of their field day with a 50 yard dash race. But, this was no ordinary race. It was an inflatables race!

Since September, Donna Lahl, 5th grade teacher, had been planning this event.

“I saw it done in a video online and I was determined to convince people to do it on field day! It took me all year to break them down,” she laughed.

As the kids and fellow staff waited patiently on the sidelines, 17 teachers and staff members were frantically inflating while laughing hysterically!

As they walked (the best they could) to the starting line, the kids were giggling and cheering! After being introduced by PE teacher, Ted Carozza, they were off! It was immediately obvious who the competitive racers were: Cow-Rider and Brown T Rex 1 (Christie VanDeWater and Ariel Balbuena) . Some could move better than others and some could see better than others! Nonetheless, everyone, even Stitch, aka Janine Sloth, 5th grade teacher and 10k runner, made it across the finish line…last. She won’t live that one down.

The kids ran to surround their teachers and congratulate them with giant smiles on their faces.

Christie VanDeWater, the winner, reflected, “As a 6th grade teacher, I loved that the younger grade kids ran up to me to congratulate me and give out high fives! I think it starts to build that connection to future teachers they may have. Plus, it's always fun to get a laugh at your teachers' expense.”

Alicia Caruso, 4th grade teacher and Piggie racer said, ”The kids loved it and it was nice to bring a smile to their faces after a long and fun field day! And it was fun to completely surprise them!”

“This was the best thing to happen at Kinry in the 24 years I’ve worked here,” said Janine Sloth.

“I wanted it to be something the kids would never forget, but it did more than that,” said Donna. “It brought together staff and built connections through this experience. It made everyone at Kinry happy.”

Fifth grade students had a great time creating games for the younger grades at Brinckerhoff Elementary school. Students had the opportunity to team up to create and play games, work on their math skills and earn prizes! A good time was had by all.

Brenda McClusky is retiring after 24 years of teaching! Vassar Road is going to miss her!

On Friday June 20, Brinckerhoff hosted their field day. Thanks to Kathleen Landry, Brian Rokitowski and the entire Brinck staff, it went off smoothly and was a blast for all!! The color run was of course the talk of the day!!

Our Kids Hope partnership between Gayhead and Hopewell Reformed Church celebrated another great year. Our mentors and mentee enjoyed an ice cream celebration this past week!

Also, the fourth graders at Gayhead, engaged in a second year of rocket planning, building and launching! What a great way to culminate our unit on energy.

Congratulations to the 44 students who earned the NYS Seal of Biliteracy at Roy C. Ketcham High School! These students demonstrated a high level of proficiency in English and at least one other language through a year-long process that highlighted their language skills, academic dedication, and cultural awareness. To earn this distinction, students were asked to choose a topic of personal interest to research, write about, and present, along with a question-and-answer session, to a panel of speakers in their target language. Seals were earned in 7 different languages, including Dutch, Urdu, and Arabic. Their achievement reflects the district’s commitment to supporting world languages, global citizenship, and academic rigor.

3rd Place at the New Balance National Outdoors Track Meet in the Decathlon

We currently have arguably the best sprinting track star in John Jay's history. Nate has won the Pentathlon at the New York State Track Championship the past two years in a row, achieving the highest score in the nation this year at that event. He then moved on to the more demanding and contested Decathlon at the top premier high school track meet in the country, the New Balance National Outdoor (June 19-22). Even while competing in 3 of the 10 events of the decathlon for the first time in his JJ career, Nate finished 3rd at the Meet and achieved the 9th highest decathlon score in the nation this year for High School boys.

Emily Kalaka and Dylan Sartori were married on May 18th, 2025!!

CONGRATULATIONS!!!

On June 8th, friends gathered for our 2nd annual Kerri Roger Memorial 5k run/walk. For those that don’t know Kerri, she was a math teacher at JJHS and was a building rep at JJ

for more than a decade. She helped with Community Day events and the WCT Celebrates

its Own at the end of the year. We miss Kerri.

Special thank you to JJ Special Education teacher Amanda Giancotti for organizing this event.

We are looking forward to sharing this event with the entire WCSD school community next year. We hope to see you there!

“Remember me when I am gone

But not with sorrow, pain, and grief

Think of me as a turning leaf

That in the winter falls from its branch

To be born again in spring

And live forever in your heart” (Remember Me by Christine Currah)

After 25 years of teaching at Oak Grove Elementary, Jim Marrinan is calling it quits. Pictured below is Flip Gertler recognizing Jim Marrinan at his last faculty meeting on June 26, 2025. Jim was recognized for his service to the WCT including such roles as Building Rep, Director of Political Action, AFT Delegate, NYSUT Delegate and LAP committee. Thank you Jim.

Many thanks to the WCT Retiree Committee consisting if Ian Freedman, Beth Lohmeyer and Lisa Tweeddale for putting together yet again another great night for our 2025 retirees. This year the WCT retired 21 teachers. 16 were able to attend the catered event from East Fishkill Provisions. Also invited were new teachers and newly tenured teachers. Several BOE members, Asst. Superintendent Daren Lolkema, Director of Human Resources Renee Harris and Superintendent Dr. Dwight Bonk were also in attendance. We had a great night celebrating the hard work and years of dedication to the teaching profession. Collectively, they had 534 years of teaching experience within the Wappingers Central School District. The WCT wishes our new retirees many years of health, adventures and amazing memories as they begin a new chapter in their lives. CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!

Not Pictured

• RICHARD HOLOD - MUSIC - RCK - 27 YEARS
• ANNE SEYMOUR - PHYSICAL EDUCATION - SHEAFE RD/OAK GROVE - 28 YEARS
• JENNIFER TAO - SPECIAL EDUCATION - WAPPINGERS JHS - 30 YEARS
• MEEGAN VEEDER-SHAVE - FACS - WAPPINGERS JHS - 27 YEARS
• BEVERLY WOOD - ART - VAN WYCK - 38 YEARS