STEVENS POINT AREA RETIRED TEACHERS’ ASSOCIATION
(SPARTA) MEETING AT GOLDEN CORRAL, PLOVER, WI
Monday, May 8, 2017
SPARTA OFFICERS
President: Santha Bickford Vice President: Open
Co-Secretaries: David Blado, Lauren Isberner
Co-Treasurers: Janet Langton, Arvalea Crawford
Immediate Past President: Joyce Chekouras
AGENDA
Arrive by 11:30 to pick up lunch on the buffet. Pay as you enter
($8.69 for the meal and $2.39 for drinks, not including tax). The business
meeting will be called to order at approximately 12:15 with the program at
approximately 12:30. Business will be continued and concluded following the
program.
Note: Golden Corral is our first “new venue” to
try. We will have to work out the logistics of the buffet: timing, managing our
own trays, etc. We know many members have been wanting to branch out and try
new places! As we begin this exciting venture, be patient, positive, and keep
your sense of humor!
BUSINESS MEETING:
Call to order: Pledge of Allegiance;
Guests and New Members Introductions;Time of Reflection.
From Anecdotes and Impressions of the Stevens
Point Area Retired Teachers Ass’n published by SPARTA for the Bicentennial in
1976 “Happy Memories” by Mrs. Julia Wolney. “Looking back to the days when, as
a pupil, I sat in a school room in Milwaukee listening with rapt attention to
my teacher and dreaming that I too might hold this enviable position, I marvel
that the dream became a reality far beyond expectations.”
This month we have lost Ramona
Weisbrod and Gladys Wentworth, former colleagues.
Drawing for door prize:
Consent Agenda/ Officers’ Reports: Minutes
of previous meeting as written on the final page (automatically approved if
there are no corrections).
Treasurer’s Report: March,
April Finances
Program: Dr. Ray Reser UW/SP History and
Future of Native Americans
ONGOING BUSINESS:
1. Committee Updates:
Legislative: Jack Allgaier.
Handouts WREA Legislative Priorities 2017-2018.
Program: Santha Bickford
Sunshine: Mary Beth Anday (Apr-Dec),
Suzanne Fee (Jan-Mar). Please remember to contact them if you hear of someone
we may want to remember with a card. Numbers and email addresses are in the
Directory.
Social: Eileen Payne: Fireside trip
has been scheduled for Thursday, June 15, 2017.
Grants: Inactive until the fall.
Book Committee: Nancy
Kemmeter, Janeen Kwarciany: Spring sale will be held May 3-6. Please call Nancy
Mezyk at 715 341 5905 to sign up to help where needed. Book collections will
continue through the summer on the fourth Monday of each month between 10am and
3pm.
Ad Hoc Tee Shirt Committee: A few
people who had not originally ordered shirts expressed an interest in doing so.
Jan Langton took charge of ordering additional shirts which have been promised
in time for the book sale. There are a few extra if you still haven’t ordered
one!
Coordinator for Power of Attorney for Health
Care: Joan Gilles. A session was scheduled for April, but it was cancelled
for lack of participants.
Scholarship: Mary Ann Krems hosted
a meeting of the Scholarship Committee on March 22. A recipient and alternate
were selected and approved by the Community Foundation.
Health: Jerry Kasdorf, see article on
Sleep Aids.
Membership: Mary Ann Krems.
Although we can get names of retirees from WREA, would members who contacted
individual schools for Education Week be willing to find out names of teachers
retiring this spring and deliver information and invitations to SPARTA? The
Membership Committee is exploring more options and plan to send letters later
in the summer to those who retired in the last five years? Are there other
suggestions?
Retirement Planning:
Judy Zimmerman. The WREA presenter from recent years has retired. We hope his
replacement can be scheduled for late September or early October.
Volunteer Hours Recorder: Joyce
Chekouras. Please remember to pick up a form and track your hours each month to
turn in at the September meeting. Forms are available if you haven’t picked
yours up.
2. News from WREA :
WREA Seminar with workshops focusing on Legislative Issues and
Membership were held in Wausau on Monday, Mar 27, from 9-3. Mary Anne Krems
attended the session on membership and Jan Langton and Santha Bickford attended
the legislative sessions. The attendees felt the material covered was relevant
and valuable to our membership.
District III Spring Meeting, hosted by the Marshfield Area Retired
Education Association, was held at Country Aire in Stratford, on Thursday,
April 20. SPARTA sent Mary Ann Krems, Sherrilee Wallerman, Jan Langton, and
Santha Bickford. There is a state initiative to purchase school supplies for
needy students when items are on sale this summer. WREA is giving grants of
$100 to each local unit to be used for this purpose. We will plan to add to
this with our own collection of items donated by members at the September
meeting. Materials were distributed to give first and second year teachers in
each school in our respective units to introduce them to WREA and the benefits
available for non-retired teachers. It is part of an initiative to introduce
ourselves to them and to partner with them.
New volunteer forms have been
developed for the 2017-18 year and will be available at the September meeting.
Last year our members reported a total of 8,835 hours serving more than 63
organizations. It is impossible to truly measure the value of this
contribution, but it is estimated that if we received pay for this time it
would be worth approximately $199,229.25. We received a “check” and a news release
for our local papers with this information.
Emergency health envelopes were prepared by the Community
Services/Health Issues Committee. They will be distributed to any members who
would like to use them.
A contact from AMBA solicited opportunities to present new benefits
and educate members at unit meetings. This has been scheduled for September as
part of our Speed Learning program.
3. Process for evaluating meeting sites:
Evaluation sheets have been distributed. These will be saved and used
to decide on a permanent meeting place after we have “visited” several. The
September meeting will be at Springville Wharf on Monday, September 11.
Reservations will need to be called in. Details will follow.
4. Report on our Web-site by Jan Langton
NEW BUSINESS
1. Letter from new local
group: Classroom Supply Closet, Inc.
2. Reminder that even though we
love SPARTA and are enthusiastic about it, none of us can officially speak for
the entire group ! If you are approached by an organization or a cause you endorse,
please bring it to the executive committee or ask to have it put on the agenda
for a regular meeting. Thanks!
March Minutes for Stevens Point Area Retired
Teachers Association
Regular Meeting: On
Monday March 13 SPARTA met at the Sky Club with 33 present. Special guests were
our speaker Gene Jacobs, and his wife Lorraine. The door prize was won by Nancy
Kemmeter.
OFFICERS’ REPORT: Minutes
of the January meeting were accepted with the following corrections: the next
meeting date was amended from March 14 to March 13 and the name of the local
restaurant listed as Kristen’s Square Wheel was changed to reflect their
correct name: Kristen’s River Walk. A motion to accept the corrected minutes
was made by Judy Zimmerman, with a second by Jan Langton. The treasurer
reported a balance of $xxx.
ONGOING BUSINESS:
COMMITTEE REPORTS
AD HOC TEE SHIRT COMMITTEE: The
shirts had arrived and members were asked to pick them up. A big thank you was
extended to Judy Zimmerman, Eileen Payne, and Janet Langton for assisting the
president in completing this project.
BOOK COMMITTEE: Nancy
Kemmeter reminded members that books may now be dropped off at the site
(Children”s Museum) the fourth Monday of the monthe from 10am-3pm. Nancy Mezyk
prepared a schedule for setting up for the next book sale, and it was passed to
members to choose a time. The book sale will be held May 3rd through
May 6.
GRANTS COMMITTEE: Janet
Swiston shared the recommended grant recipients along with the amounts
allocated to each. Mary Ann Krems moved to approve the recommendations of the
committee and to send the grants. Sally Dehlinger seconded the motion. The
total number of local organizations who submitted applications and received
grants this year is 23.
HEALTH: Jerry
Kasdorf contributed an interesting article about foods containing trans fats.
LEGISLATIVE: In the absence of
Joyce Chekouras, Mary Ann Krems reminded members to be aware of bills in the
legislature impacting education. Bill 610 is currently being discussed.
Information will be posted on the SPARTA website.
PROGRAM: The president requested help
with the Program Committee. Since the office of vice-president is currently
vacant, we are in need of a new chairperson. Members are also asked to
contribute suggestions for programs for next year (2017-18)
SOCIAL: Eileen Payne reminded members
to sign up for this spring’s bus trip to the Fireside Theater in June. Sign up
soon as there are not many seats left.
SUNSHINE: Well wishes cards were signed
and sent to members and other retired teachers experiencing issues with
health/driving.
SCHOLARSHIP: The Scholarship
Committee has received the applications for this year’s scholarship. They will
meet soon to discuss the applications and make a decision on the recipient.
Community Foundation scholarship applications can now be completed online.
The president reminded members of the District III Spring Meeting
which will be held in Stratford on April 20. If interested in attending, please
let her know.
Janet Langton continues to up-date our SPARTA website. SPARTA website
cards were distributed.
NEW BUSINESS:
President Santha Bickford has been representing SPARTA at meetings
dealing with the future of the Emerson School site. The plan is to work with
the Stevens Point School District to develop a simple neighborhood park.
Mary Ann Krems noted that the League of Women Voters is hosting a
forum at UW/SP on March 30 with alderpersons discussing current issues. There
will also be a meeting on March 29 to discuss the future of the Portage County
Health Care Center commonly known as the Portage County Home.
There was some discussion about sites for future meetings. Several
members have investigated places and additional suggestions were invited.
Members were asked to be patient and to keep open minds as we pursue this. The
president displayed a copy of the notice given to Sky Club announcing our
intention to explore other meeting options.
Anton Anday reminded members that teachers are needed for the school
at Heritage Park in Plover for school field trips this spring. Classes are
scheduled from April 10-May 12. Members should contact Anton or Mary Beth if
they would like to volunteer or for more information.
FORMAL PROGRAM:
Gene Jacobs showed a screen presentation of activities in banding saw
whet owls and presenting classes in raptor education and protection held at
Linwood Springs. He responded to many questions and concerns from members and
introduced Sassy, an injured owl who resides and enriches the program there.
NEXT MEETING:
The next meeting will be held on Monday, May 8, 2017. The temporary
meeting site will be announced in the notice for the May meeting. The speaker
will be Dr. Ray Reser, respected archeologist and director of the Museum of
Natural History at UW/SP. He will teach us about the history and future of
Native Americans.
A motion to adjourn was made by Jan Langton and
seconded by Nancy Kemmeter. It was unanimously approved
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