Friday, August 17, 2018

Vic’s Statehouse Notes #326 – August 17, 2018

Dear Friends,

If you support public education in Indiana, please join us on August 25th!

Plans are in place for the 8th Annual ICPE Fall Membership Meeting in Indianapolis on Saturday, August 25, 2018, 2:00 to 3:30pm at the H. Dean Evans Center, MSD of Washington Township, 86th & Woodfield Crossing Blvd, Indianapolis.
  • We invited U.S. Senate candidates Joe Donnelly and Mike Braun to speak that day, in line with our bipartisan approach to supporting public education.
  • Joe Donnelly has accepted our invitation and will be introduced by Glenda Ritz as the meeting begins.
  • Mike Braun declined our invitation due to prior commitments.
  • State Superintendent Jennifer McCormick has accepted our invitation to speak and will be introduced by Suellen Reed.
  • A panel of leaders will discuss how to build bipartisan support for public education in the Indiana Statehouse.
  • We will present and then release the 2018 ICPE Legislator Report Card. Once again, ICPE has given letter grades to legislators based on their votes on keys bills in the 2017 and 2018 sessions which show their support or lack of support for public education.
Those present will hear the explanations of the Legislator A-F Report Card which will then be released to the media.

8th Annual Fall Membership Meeting in Indianapolis

For the 8th year since ICPE was founded in 2011, members and friends of public education will gather in the Dean Evans Center.

This meeting is open to all ICPE members and to all who support public education.

Please note the date and make plans now to join us on August 25th. Not only is an outstanding program planned, but it will also be a superb chance to network with other public education advocates.

Bring a public school friend and come!

Thank you for your active support of public education in Indiana!

Best wishes,

Vic Smith

“Vic’s Statehouse Notes” and ICPE received one of three Excellence in Media Awards presented by Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, an organization of over 85,000 women educators in seventeen countries. The award was presented on July 30, 2014 during the Delta Kappa Gamma International Convention held in Indianapolis. Thank you Delta Kappa Gamma!

ICPE has worked since 2011 to promote public education in the Statehouse and oppose the privatization of schools. We need your membership to help support the ICPE lobbying efforts. As of July 1st, the start of our new membership year, it is time for all ICPE members to renew their membership.

Our lobbyist Joel Hand represented ICPE extremely well during the 2018 session. We need your memberships and your support to continue his work. We welcome additional members and additional donations. We need your help and the help of your colleagues who support public education! Please pass the word!

Go to www.icpe2011.com for membership and renewal information and for full information on ICPE efforts on behalf of public education. Thanks!

Some readers have asked about my background in Indiana public schools. Thanks for asking! Here is a brief bio:

I am a lifelong Hoosier and began teaching in 1969. I served as a social studies teacher, curriculum developer, state research and evaluation consultant, state social studies consultant, district social studies supervisor, assistant principal, principal, educational association staff member, and adjunct university professor. I worked for Garrett-Keyser-Butler Schools, the Indiana University Social Studies Development Center, the Indiana Department of Education, the Indianapolis Public Schools, IUPUI, and the Indiana Urban Schools Association, from which I retired as Associate Director in 2009. I hold three degrees: B.A. in Ed., Ball State University, 1969; M.S. in Ed., Indiana University, 1972; and Ed.D., Indiana University, 1977, along with a Teacher’s Life License and a Superintendent’s License, 1998. In 2013 I was honored to receive a Distinguished Alumni Award from the IU School of Education, and in 2014 I was honored to be named to the Teacher Education Hall of Fame by the Association for Teacher Education – Indiana. In April, I was honored to receive the 2018 Friend of Education Award from the Indiana State Teachers Association.

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Friday, August 10, 2018

Indiana EdCast Episode #32

Welcome and thanks for listening to Episode #32 of IRTA's podcast, Indiana EdCast!

This week on Indiana EdCast, We are joined once again by Ashley Kendricks for another installment of Coach Sparkle & Her Bright Ideas! Ashley is an instructional coach for Pleasant Hill Elementary in the North Montgomery Schools. Today we address an area that is one of the hardest to establish, especially for our teachers that are less experienced—classroom management and establishing a positive classroom culture.

Ashley, this is very timely with school just starting. What do I need to do/know to make this my best year of teaching and having a positive effect on all students?

To our listeners, if you have topics that you would like addressed please email me at tmellish@retiredteachers.org.

Listen to the episode to find out!

Click HERE to listen to the 14 minute episode.

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Monday, August 6, 2018

President's Letter - August, 2018

Dear Allen County Educators,

Our first of four 2018-2019 annual meetings will be held on Tuesday, August 28, 2018, at Metea County Park, 8401 Union Chapel Road, Fort Wayne, in the Gloria Goeglein Nature Center. We will begin our meeting promptly at 11:00 AM. Please arrive by 10:45 AM to check in and pay for your lunch. If there is an attendant at the Park Entrance Gatehouse, just tell them you are attending an event at the Park Nature Center and there will be no entrance fee. Please plan extra time to visit the exhibits, viewing areas and gift shop at the Nature Center. We are very excited and grateful for facilitating our first time use of this venue.

RESERVATIONS: Please make your reservations with Mary Jo Purvis at 260-492-6992 or mpurvis1@frontier.com by Monday, August 20. Our meal will be catered by Grant's Catering (this is the aterer we used for University of St. Francis downtown tour). Your lunch will cost $15.00 payable when you arrive (cash or check only please). If you are a 2018 retired teacher or administrator (attending for the first time) your meal is free. Members who bring a nonmember retiree (attending for the first time) will get a two-for-one deal for lunch. Let Mary Jo know this when you make your reservation.

PROGRAM: Jeff Ormiston is a park naturalist for Allen County Parks and has always had a strong interest in the outdoors. he is a Master Gardener and Master Naturalist who served on the Fox Island Board in various capacities including President. When he retired from Slater Steel he decided to work part time for Allen County Parks as a receptionnist, but soon was "snagged" as a naturalist. The rest is history. He leads numerous hikes, conducts workshops for adults and kids, and writes timely articles for the Fox Island Alliance publication, the Fox Tale. Jeff's program will focus on the Monarch Butterfly life cycle and presence in our area. Please dress appropriately if you would like to participate in the optional short walk and presentation outdoors after the indoor meeting program.

DUES: This August meeting is the beginning of the 2018-2019 AREA year so it is time to pay your AREA DUES of $15.00. Please pay at the August 28th meeting or contact Pam George at 260-471-5952, pamgeorgeph@comcast.net, or 6316 Tree Top Trail, Fort Wayne, 46845. She also has IRTA information. Please consider joining IRTA through automatic dues deduction from your TRF pension. Support is greatly needed to impact state retirement benefits and education change.

EYEGLASSES: Bring your "old" eyeglasses for Ed Delong to collect for the Lions Club

MARK YOUR CALENDARS: 2018-2019 AREA Meetings
  • Monday, October 1: Fall Leadership Conference. Plymouth, IN (Info at August meeting).
  • Thursday, October 25: Umi, 2912 Getz Road. Program by Nanette Yarde and Leslie Augustyniak, Girl Scouts of Michiana STEAM Program.
  • Monday, April 29, 2019: Biaggi's Ristorante, Jefferson Pointe. Program by Emily Oberlin, Director New Tech and Wayne High School.
  • Wednesday, June 26, 2019: Pine Valley Country Club. Program by Sgt. Chris O'Connor, FWPD. Scams and How to Protect Yourself.
Looking forward to seeing you Tuesday, August 28, at Metea Park.

Kathy Lepper, President

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Friday, August 3, 2018

Indiana EdCast Episode #31

Welcome and thanks for listening to Episode #31 of IRTA's podcast, Indiana EdCast!

Tom Mellish is joined by Ashley Kendricks, an instructional coach for Pleasant Hill Elementary in the North Montgomery Schools. We welcome Ashley (aka Coach Sparkle) and look forward to her thoughts on various educational, instructional, and classroom ideas. Look for more episodes in our new series—Coach Sparkle and Her Bright Ideas!

Today we will focus on getting the first year educator ready to start with must-have supplies for their first school year. Welcome, Ashley we are excited about having you on today and in the future discussing topics that can help teachers in the classroom. Many of your topics/concepts can be used at all levels.

I’m a beginning teacher, what do I need for my classroom?

Listen to the episode to find out!

Click HERE to listen to the 14 minute episode.

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