UPDATE
January 26, 2007
Our Winter discussion program, "Education Around the World" with Bianca Elliott, is now open and rolling! Join in by clicking the link in the sidebar at left.
UPDATE
January 17, 2007
More from Marion this morning —her mother is gravely ill and her energies remain focused there. She still wants to post nominations for officers before we conclude this meeting, so that elections can proceed at our Spring meeting. The discussion board on the business meeting page will remain open for the time being.
–Gay Wiseman
UPDATE
January 11, 2007
I've just heard from Marion—she's away from her home (and computer) due to family necessity, and isn't sure she'll be able to participate in the meeting further at this time. Unless we hear otherwise, let's continue the discussion of the items on the agenda, at least through Sunday, January 14th.
–Gay Wiseman
December 31, 2006
Happy New Year! I do hope that this bright, shiny, clean new year opens to you everything you have dreamed of - nightmares excluded. A new year is always such a wonderful time to look forward to with its challenges & its triumphs as well as its trials, for through the trials - may yours be brief & small - we grow.
This chapter has had many trials along the way, from getting the stacks of paper work completed to become a chapter to struggling money wise so that we could finally give away scholarships, but here we are! We are stronger and bigger, with many thanks to you members, for without you, there would be nothing. That said, do you, the members, know of anybody who has done special services for others that you believe should be awarded special congratulations and thanks? As we are so far spread out, we don't know much of the fine works of others, but you do. Please share them with us so we can honor them. More information will be forthcoming, but please be thinking about it.
Enjoy the meeting. Come with your hot cocoa, sit down & enjoy the party chat room where we can learn where people are, learn what their weather is like, and perhaps what they do on this holiday. Then join us in the meeting room where you will find officers' reports, and a most exciting program! Bianca Elliott, Programs co-chair, is a world traveler and has done comparative studies educationally. We'll visit several exotic countries with her - Russia, Mongolia, and Ukraine are only 3 of the possibilities out of 8. It is bound to be fascinating, as she can share insights as to what these world wide teachers believe to be excellent teaching. This is one you won't want to miss, and by all means, join in the discussion with us!
Old Business:
1. Andre was to help Candace write the letter to Simon & Poppenhagen scholars in order to raise more funds for the scholarships. After a draft approval, these then need to be copied & mailed out. It would be nice to see an article about this in our newsletter, too.
2. Andre, Gay, & Marion to have By Laws revised before spring meeting of 2007, our last meeting of the PDK year.
3. Procure medallions to honor our grads at commencement - We need to get started on this now; anybody have any idea whom to contact regarding this?
4. Books are being sent to West Cape May school in New Jersey, who won the Literacy Project - the Amazon list is ready so books can be purchased.
5. Congratulations went out to Dr. Charles Smith in receiving the highest awards in his NAACP area.
6. All PDK Cyberspace members are asked to consider getting all information from Int'l. online, thereby saving everybody about $25.00-30.00 annually.
7. Present officers are requested to start a folder of information to pass along to the incoming elect officers with guidelines of steps to complete duties through the year. Though it is work now, it will help the new ones later. If it is done as we go through this year, it will be easier on us now.
8. We were in the 100% club in giving to the PDK Intl. Foundation.
9. Congratulations to Karine Clay, Foundations, who went to a Residency & has signed up nine new members, six of whom have signed up for the fundraiser. Welcome, new members! She is also conducting a raffle of Melaleuca products in her area, with funds going to our chapter. Thanks, Karine!
10. If any members have ideas for other fundraisers that they would like to write in, please email to any officer—officers [atsymbol] waldenpdk [dot] org) or to me (president [atsymbol] waldenpdk [dot] org. David & Andre will also research to give members a choice of fundraisers. Thanks to all!
10. A. Fundraising dollars will be spent on such things as the Literacy Project, our scholarships, support of PDK International's scholarships, improvement of our website (try to get PayPal for our members convenience), Teachers Without Borders; PDK Int'l. 25/25 club; travel money for officers to attend conventions once in a while, which we have not taken great advantage of as it costs a lot & we're trying to build up scholarships; & a wonderful Jewish orphanage in Israel is trying to educate kids that I'd like to see us donate to. Dr. Simon has mentioned a worthy group called Responsibility, about which she will share more later. David runs a nonprofit organization which helps in many ways, one of which is to educate girls & women in poverty stricken areas so they can help their families. I am sure many more worthy items could be added by everyone. We will hear more about these at our next meeting.
10. B. Gary Lettlier, business manager of PDK Int'l., applauds our efforts with our first fundraiser, the ecologically safe products offered by Melaleuca. Contact kclay001@waldenu.edu for more information.
11. Arthur, our treasurer, & I have worked with Int'l. to get us tax exempt ID numbers & a special bank number for our nonprofit organization.
12. The first issue, Vol 1, # 1, of our online journal has been published! Heartiest of congratulations to Dr. Simon, Jarek Janio, Dr. Doris Sweeney, and Jennifer Pullman who were all instrumental in pulling this together!! Also congratulations to Walden Ph.D. doctoral student, Sandy Wenzel, author of the first article, regarding the history of inclusion in special education placement and service delivery. To read it and find information as to how you can write for the journal, go to http://waldenpdk.org/jepsc/current.html. You can use the side links to find an author's guide and call for papers.
13. A magazine ad in our own on line journal will be made for our fundraiser.
14. Thanks to Jennifer Pullman & Bianca Elliott who presented a program highlighting our new journal & one of the questions from the PDK annual Gallup Poll, which shared parents' thoughts regarding No Child Left Behind.
15. Andre Elliott & Mark Engelhardt were on Talking Communities on NiceNet Nov. 28th. Andre is looking into ways we may get a grant for our chapter from this group.
New Business:
1. Treasurer Audit - Has been received and accepted.
2. I am looking into having Walden hand out flyers at residencies to all attending giving information as to who we are, what we do, & how to join.
3. PDK Int'l gives us 2 free Kappan subscriptions to give away annually; a free subscription of the Kappan is being sent to Winegard School, FL, which has almost nothing for teacher education in their library. The other will go to Tusculum College in Greenville, TN for this year. Next year there will be 2 other choices. Consider sending in the name of your school or a person who may be interested in joining next year.
4. The PDK Topics & Trends are online at www.pdkintl.org. If you need assistance, contact membership@pdkintl.org.
5. Please note that you can sit in bed and listen to an audio of the Kappan articles, as well as audio versions of the Edge: Latest Information for the Educational Practioner. Classroom Tips for Teachers is available on the site, also, but not in audio. These are also found at www.pdkintl.org. Might this help you to give up your paper copy to get us a cheaper price for membership?
6. Research article available on PDK Int'l. site: A Public Education Primer from the Center on Education Policy. Now available on the PDK website is A Public Education Primer: Basic (and Sometimes Surprising) Facts About the U.S. Education System . This excellent publication is, in part, a result of the support that the PDK Educational Foundation provides to the Center on Education Policy to produce reliable and substantial research on education policy in the U.S.
7. A thank you was received from Carol VanDePol for the gift sent her in sympathy of lost loved ones.
8. In order that we may honor those who have done service activities deserving of a special award, please turn in names to me at the email address below with reasons why this person is deserving. A committee will go over them to see the category they may fit for this award. If anyone is willing to be on the committee, please contact me. Thanks!
As always, thank you for being here! You are appreciated!
Thank you!!
Marion
Marion M. Carpenter
President Walden Cyberspace Chapter, Phi Delta Kappa,
president@waldenpdk.org