September 2, 2025

Dear WCSMA Community,

Welcome back to school!  For everyone who welcomed students back today, I hope that your day was filled with many joyful reunions and introductions.  We do what we do for the kids, and this makes the first day we see them in over two months one teeming with joy!

If you are a new teacher (10 years in the field or less) thinking about attending the NYSSMA Conference in December, I would like to draw your attention to the Earl Groner Scholarship.  This scholarship, named in memory of beloved Past President of NYSSMA and WCSMA Earl Groner, is offered to WCSMA members who have been in our profession for 10 years or less to offset the cost of attending the NYSSMA Winter Conference.  The application is due on Tuesday, September 16, and can be found here.

Our annual Open House is going to be held again held at Fogo de Chão in White Plains on Tuesday, September 30, at 4:00 PM.  Come join us in celebrating the new school year and having some more joyful reunions and introductions, this time with your WCSMA colleagues!  Special thanks are due to President-Elect Kathleen Coletta Feldman and Treasurer Ricky Myint for their diligent work in making this event happen.  Please RSVP to help us plan appropriately here.

Finally, now is the time to join or renew your membership with WCSMA!  Please remember that an All-County nominee’s teacher of record must be a member of WCSMA for the nominee to be considered for selection.  If you have a colleague new to your district or a colleague whose membership has lapsed, go ahead and forward this letter to them!  Membership Coordinator T.J. Bastone sent a thoughtful and thorough how-to-renew/join guide this morning, and for your convenience, I’ve also linked it here.

I wish each of you a wonderful start to the school year, and can’t wait to see you at the Open House in exactly four weeks!

Warmly,
Jon Riss, WCSMA President
wcsmapresident@gmail.com