The purposes of this Association are to:

  • The purposes of this Association are to:
  • A. Promote and protect the interests, rights, and welfare of the retired educators of the Stevens Point area in conjunction with the Wisconsin Retired Educators’ Association (WREA).
  • B. Monitor and work to improve the benefits for retired educators and other members of the Wisconsin Retirement System (WRS).
  • C. Encourage Association members to maintain membership in the Wisconsin Retired Educators’ Association (WREA).
  • D. Develop working relationships with local service organizations whose main emphasis is on aging groups and with organizations sharing goals similar to those of the Association.
  • E. Inform Association members about and advocate for educational and other relevant societal issues.
  • F. Inform members of activities in the area provided for senior citizens.
  • G. Encourage Association members to be active participants in community affairs on an individual basis.

2018 March: agenda, minutes, notes


 STEVENS POINT AREA RETIRED TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION (SPARTA) MEETING Park Ridge Family Restaurant, 3425 Church street, Stevens Point 
Monday, March 12, 2018 
The March meeting will be at our new permanent meeting site. Reservations are required and should be called or emailed to May Ann Krems, at 715 344 2453 (jmak@charter.net) by noon Friday, March 9 
SPARTA OFFICERS 
President: Santha Bickford 
Vice President: Open 
Co-Secretaries: Dave Blado, Lauren Isberner 
Co-Treasurers: Janet Langton, Arvalea Crawford 
Immediate Past President: Joyce Chekouras 
AGENDA 
Socialization at 11:15 followed by lunch at approximately 11:45. During lunch Steve Prokop, principal at Ben Franklin Junior High, will tell us about plans to celebrate the 50th anniversary of BFJH. Any of us who taught there or had a personal connection will be particularly interested! The business meeting will be called to order at approximately 12:15 with the program around 12:30. Business will be continued and concluded following the program. 
BUSINESS MEETING: 
Call to order: Pledge of Allegiance; Introductions of guests and new members. Reflection. We particularly remember our member James Higgins who passed away on Feb. 6. 
Drawing for door prize 
Consent Agenda/ Officers’ Reports: Minutes of previous meeting as written on the final pages (automatically approved if there are no corrections). 
PROGRAM: How Does Your Garden Grow? By Kathleen Nicholson, fourth grade teacher, Amherst 
ONGOING BUSINESS: 
1. Committee Updates: (Because members have expressed a desire to shorten the business meeting, we will only hear from those who have been active and wish to report.) 
Book Committee: Please save the dates for the spring book sale, Wed. April 25 to Sat. April 28. The hours are the same, Wed., noon to 7 p.m.; Thurs. and Fri., 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.; and Sat., 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. The book committee is always looking for new members. Call Janeen Kwaricany or Nancy Kemmeter or come to one of the following take-in days: the fourth Monday of the month from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Take-in days: Monday, Feb. 26th and Monday, March 26th. Because of a conflict with the book sale, the take-in day for April will be Monday, April 9th
Grant Committee 
Legislative Committee 

By-Laws Committee 
Scholarship Committee 
Other 
NEW BUSINESS 
1.Contribution from the family of Ramona Weisbrod. Recommendation for using that donation along with extra money we have earned at recent book sales to endow a second scholarship 
2.Recommendation/ rationale to move our accounts to The Pinery, a local bank. Motion presented. 
3.Update on planning for state convention to be held in Stevens Point in September. Local people who have agreed to present are Chancellor Bernie Patterson on Changes to the University system, Dan Dietrich on Climate Change, and Donn Behnke on the year at SPASH that he chronicled in his book The Animal Keepers. Our responsibilities in our role of co-hosts with Marathon County REA, Marshfield REA, and Wisconsin Rapids REA. 
4. Committee for selecting meeting menus. 
5. Nominating committee. 
Adjourn 
SPARTA 
SPARTA MINUTES January, 2018 
On Monday January 10, 2018 SPARTA met at the Pizza Ranch with approximately 29 present, including new member Mary Marks and guests Jan Northcraft and Lori Boushele. 
The door prize was won by Charlene Laurent. 
Jan Northcraft shared updates and current information about subbing opportunities in the district. She reminded us the Stevens Point public school system employs 500 teachers and there are subbing opportunities every day. 
Brittany Gagas, last year's scholarship award winner, shared her future goals and thanked the group for the award. 
We introduced Mary Marks, a new member of SPARTA, from the Mid State Education program. Welcome Mary! 
The minutes were accepted as printed. 
ONGOING BUSINESS 
COMMITTEE REPORTS : 
Book: The next sale is Wednesday, April 25th, noon to 7pm, through Saturday, April 28th, to 2pm. Please consider helping sort books and volunteering during the sale. Remember drop off days are Jan. 22nd, Feb. 26th, March 26th, and April 9th. Paper bags will be needed. Please drop them off or bring them to our next meeting. 
Grant: Janet Swiston circulated many thank you notes from organizations having received money from SPARTA. 
Scholarship: Eileen Payne informed the group that the family of Ramona Weisbrod is giving the money received in her memorial fund to the SPARTA scholarship committee. We thank you so much for their thoughtfulness! 
Sunshine: Suzanne Fee has sent a sympathy card to Rita Leary on the death of her son. 

NEW BUSINESS 
1. The state WREA convention will be in Stevens Point, September 24,25 and 26th. Sparta member Lynne Kagelmann has already been hard at work beginning preparations. She informed the Stevens Point Visitors’ Center about the convention, and they have offered to donate 250 bags for gifts to be given to each attendee. We are very appreciative of their donation and thankful to Lynne for her involvement! 
2. Jan Langton has prepared and distributed new and updated directories. Many thanks to Jan for her diligence. 
3. Members voted to have the Parkridge Family Restaurant (formerly Bluetop) as the permanent venue for SPARTA regular meetings. 
4. Jerry Kasdorf thanked the Book Committee for all their hard work. The membership concurred! 
5. Santha Bickford shared the new form that must be completed when making motions at the meetings. 
6. Mary Ann Krems reminded members the League of Women Voters is having meetings to educate citizens about local issues. 
FORMAL PROGRAM: 
Lori Boushe le from the State of Wisconsin Department of Aging and Long Term Care acquainted members with the role her department plays in overseeing the Ombudsman Program which helps not only the elderly population in general, but particularly to those that reside in facilities to receive the treatment and care which they need and to which they are entitled. 
NEXT MEETING: The next meeting will be at the Parkridge Family Restaurant on March 12 eating at approximately 11:45. Reservations will need to be called in by noon on Friday. Call or email Mary Ann Krems. 
A motion to adjourn was made by Dave Crawford and seconded by Joyce Chekouras. Motion passed. 
Respectfully submitted by Lauren Isberner 

NEWS AND NOTES 
Did you or anyone you know work at Ben Franklin Junior High when it opened 50 years ago? This anniversary will be celebrated at the school with a tentative date set for Wednesday, May 30. Please note that the principal, Steve Prokop, will visit our meeting and fill us in on their plans. We will be discussing ways SPARTA may be able to help! Please help pass the word! 
One of our emeritus members will be celebrating her 106th birthday this month (March 22)! Last year her son Bob wrote a very nice summary of her life and accomplishments which was published in the Journal. It will be posted at our March meeting, so if you missed it last year, you have a chance to catch up! 
Park Ridge Family Restaurant is happy to have us for our regular meetings. They have provided us with a menu from which we can choose our entrees each month. We are looking for thick-skinned volunteers to take on this HUGE responsibility! Suggestions are welcome! 

Friends of Norm Heitman who taught in Stevens Point for many years plan to place a personalized tile at Mead Wildlife Center as a memorial to him. A celebration of his life is planned for June 10. Please contact Gary Glock at 715 341 2720. Contributions toward the tile would be appreciated. 
Lori Boushele, our speaker from the last meeting, contacted us with information about communities near us where volunteer ombudsmen are needed. The ones nearest us are Waupaca, King, Arpin, and Wisconsin Rapids. If you are interested in this very worthy volunteer activity, contact Lori at 715 342 3086. Remember, training and support are provided. 
The loss of two friends who worked/retired from Stevens Point Public Schools since our last meeting has come to our attention: Margaret (Peggy) O’Donnell who retired in 1992 and Eleanor Karch who retired in 1988. Our sympathy to their families. 

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