Member Matters for April 22, posted 4-22-2016

Don't forget to finish any missed 21 hours of PD by end of school year Please remember teachers must make up any missed hours of professional development time (21 hours) before the school year ends to earn their three PD credits. The credits are important to some teachers for reclassification, which could mean thousands of dollars more a year in your paychecks. So please speak to your principal about rescheduling any missed PD before your last day of school. It’s especially important that any teachers who began work after the start of the school year or those who are on extended paid leaves of absence be sure they have obtained all their PD time. . Teachers gather for statewide convention Nearly 400 delegates from across the state gathered to discuss changes to bylaws and set the course of the union for the next year at the Hawaii State Teachers Association convention April 16 and 17 at the Hawaii Convention Center. “When we work together, we are able to accomplish great things,” said Corey Rosenlee, who presided over his first convention as HSTA president. “We are educators. We are the union. We are HSTA.” In a speech before the delegates, Rosenlee thanked “the state officers who make this union work.” Wilbert Holck, HSTA’s executive director, told delegates “I want us to build the most powerful labor union in the state of Hawaii whose members want to participate” in improving the lives of teachers. HSTA awards teachers, youth advocate  During this year's convention, HSTA gave its inaugural 2016 Pono Award for social activism to Laverne Fernandes Moore, a special education teacher at McKinley High School. Logan Okita, a first grade teacher at Nimitz Elementary School, won HSTA’s Award for Teaching Excellence, known as the STACY, celebrating the work of the late Stacy Nishina, an outstanding teacher and beloved HSTA staff member. This year’s HSTA Friend of Youth Award went to Ted Takamiya for his outstanding work with youth on Molokai. Read about Laverne Moore Read about Logan Okita  Read about Ted Takamiya  Take the association's survey on ESS Read about Laverne Moore, the winner of HSTA's first-ever Pono award Read about Logan Okita who won HSTA's STACY award Read about Ted Takamiya, HSTA's Friend of Youth 2016 winner Copyright © 2016 Hawaii State Teachers Association, All rights reserved. Mahalo for your engagement. Our mailing address is: Hawaii State Teachers Association 1200 Ala Kapuna Street Honolulu, HI 96819