Bits and Pieces…
Our annual Memorial Service took place on Thursday, June 11, 2026. We celebrated the lives of nineteen GBRTA members who had a lasting impact on our association, their students and their communities. See Memorials…
We are in the process of working on programs for 2026-2027. Our first meeting will be held on Thursday, September 3, 2026 at 10:30am at Tashua Knolls in Trumbull, CT. We will have a ARTC presentation, along with viewing updates to the GBRTA website and social media. We will also be celebrating GBRTA's 75th anniversary! We are looking forward to an exciting year ahead.
We currently have 624 members and would like to welcome more. The good news is that we have 29 new members to date this year. If you know of anyone considering retirement this year or has retired and not joined, be sure to tell them about GBRTA!
Read our latest Newsletter!…
From the President:
Musings from Mary Ellen
It’s Summer Time!
Welcome to the summer edition of the GBRTA Newsletter! Your board wishes you a joyful summer with relaxation and excitement combined to make the longer days enjoyable. I share with you my favorite summer poem. The imagery and light philosophy inspire me to do just what Mary Oliver does in the poem: pay attention to nature and just be…
See you in September at our fall luncheon (more details elsewhere in this newsletter),
Mary Ellen
GBRTA President
The Summer Day
Mary Oliver (1935-2019)
Who made the world? Who made the swan, and the black bear? Who made the grasshopper? This grasshopper, I mean— the one who has flung herself out of the grass, the one who is eating sugar out of my hand, who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down— who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes. Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face. Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away. I don’t know exactly what a prayer is. I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass, how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields, which is what I have been doing all day. Tell me, what else should I have done? Doesn’t everything die at last, and too soon? Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?
“The Summer Day” by Mary Oliver reprinted by the permission of The Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency as agent for the author. Copyright © 1990, 2006, 2008, 2017 by Mary Oliver with permission of Bill Reichblum
2026-2027 Board Meetings and Luncheons
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Our next meeting/luncheon is September 3rd.
The GBRTA Luncheons take place at Tashua Knolls, 40 Tashua Knolls Lane, Trumbull, CT.
See the MEETINGS page for details and to make reservations.
Officers
President: Mary Ellen Minichiello
First Vice-president: Deborah McNeill
Second Vice-president: Rose Marie D’Aquila
Corresponding Secretary: Kathy Rubano
Recording Secretary: Sheena Graham
Treasurer: Rosemary Seaman
Committee Members
Communications and Newsletter: Pat DeCoster
Community Outreach: Robyn Proto
Finance: Mary Carroll
Legislative Issues: Rita McDougald-Campbell and Marie Petitti
Lunch: Sandra Petrucelli-Carbone and Ann Block
Member Services: Marie Reshenk
Membership: Ann Block
Scholarship: Kathy Chimini
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Membership
All retired teachers who reside in or have taught in the Greater Bridgeport Area, which includes Bridgeport, Easton, Fairfield, Milford, Monroe, Shelton, Stratford and Trumbull, and who receive pensions from the State of Connecticut are eligible for membership in the organization.
If you have had a change in your phone number, e-mail or street address (including a zip code change), or have questions about your dues or membership status, please contact: Ann Block
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Member Services
If you know of any member who is hospitalized, homebound, or shut in, please notify
In addition, “The Fund” may be able to assist members in need for their well-being and comfort.
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Opportunities
Many members stay active by volunteering at local centers. Check out the various volunteering opportunities and on-going projects that need your help! Check out the volunteer opportunities!
Important Resources
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GBRTA Newsletters
Newsletters are created several times a year. Read the current or past newsletters.
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GBRTA Meetings
Meetings are held several times a year. Meetings are open to all members without charge. There is usually a luncheon after the meeting for a nominal fee.
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Association of Retired Teachers - ARTC
The Association of Retired Teachers of Connecticut (ARTC) is a non-profit organization of retired teachers representing 6,000 members/affiliates and advocate for 32,000 CT retired teachers.
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GBRTA ByLaws
The GBRTA was incorporated in 1963 and has served the retired teachers of the Greateer Bridgeport area. The Incorporation document and current By-Laws can be downloaded.
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Teachers' Retirement Board
The Connecticut Teachers' Retirement System is governed by Chapter 167a of the Connecticut General Statutes as amended through the current session of the State Legislature. The System is administered by the Teachers' Retirement Board, located in Hartford.
