Thursday, December 20, 2012

December Red Pencil

The Red Pencil NCRSP Seal (circle for color printers)

Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel

Vol.X, No.3 December 2012___________________________________________ntn1066@hotmail.com
GiftsDecember Meeting
Noon, Thursday, December 20, 2012
Deerfield Methodist Church
Cost per meal is $10, payable to Watauga Unit, NCRSP
Program: Entertainment from the Native Sons Band: Jimmy Higgins, Barney Hodgson, Jack Lawrence, Gary Waters, and Larry Richardson
To make your reservation: Just let your caller know that you will attend. IF YOUR CALLER HASN’T CALLED BY SATURDAY, DECEMBER 15, PLEASE PHONE MARGARET AT 264-2036.” SHE MUST REPORT BY THE 18TH SO THAT GEORGE CAN ORDER THE FOOD FOR US.
To bring: as much non-perishable food as you can for the Health and Hunger Coalition. Powdered milk, soup, oatmeal, pasta products, canned fruit and vegetables, ANYthing non-perishable will be acceptable. Did you know that more than 400 children receive food on Fridays to feed themselves during the weekend? PLEASE help.
Note, please, that the Health and Hunger Coalition is the central agency which responds to requests from the Department of Social Services, OASIS, Hospitality House, Ram’s Rack, and the Watauga County Schools (when referred by a social worker). Clients are allowed to pick up supplies every l4 days, produce once a week and take-out meals daily.
Also to bring: a new or gently read children’s book for distribution to the children in this county through the Santa’s Toy Box Program. DO NOT bring books that have been marked in. We’re honoring the legacy of Dr. Seuss and the Read Across America program he loved. On that subject, if you would like to volunteer to read to kids, select an appropriate volume, put the first week of March on your calendar, and call your favorite elementary school – AND, AND, AND –
all your loose change, of course.
DON’T FORGET: After our lunch, you will be able to purchase a second meal to take home for $5. As good as George’s food is, imagine how much you’ll enjoy sharing with a friend or spouse or having your own dinner already prepared!
j0183290President’s Message
I have a confession. I am one of the people who did not turn in my volunteer time to Eula Mae last year. I didn't intend to neglect it, but I was sure it was going to take a long time to do, so I just kept putting it off. Determined to do better this year, I realized that once I started, it didn't take long at all. It seemed that everything I wrote down reminded me of something else and before I knew it, I had a respectable list. Sure, I probably forgot something, but what really matters is that I will have something to bring to the meeting. If I remember something else, I can always send that in too. I hope all of you will join me in remembering and reporting volunteer hours. I'm sure that once you start, you'll be surprised at just how many things you do that can be considered volunteer activities. Let's let the rest of the state know how active our members really are!
On a more personal note, please accept my sincere gratitude for your support and prayers following the death of my father. I have much for which to be thankful, and your friendship ranks high on that list.
I hope your holiday season is happy and safe, and I look forward to our fellowship on December 20.
William R. (Billy Ralph) Winkler
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Our People in the News
For a group of retired folks, we’re really, really, REALLY active. We deliver Meals on Wheels, volunteer in the nursing homes, mentor students in the schools, work in political campaigns, lead civic organizations, “kitty-sit” and “puppy-sit” at the Humane Society, make blankets and quilts for young children, visit folks in the hospital, and take on another hundred labors of love in Watauga County. This month we’re congratulating R.G. Shipley, who spoke at the Veterans’ Day observance in the Boone Mall and Arvil Sale, who has been given the “Big Kid Award” in honor of his unparalleled service to the Boy Scouts of America in our area.
If you hear of something wonderful one of our members has done or is doing, please call up ntn1066@hotmail.com and tell me.
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MC900030217[1] Holiday Recipe: Snowman Soup (Instant Hot Chocolate Mix)
1 box instant powdered milk (The size that makes 8 quarts)
1 6-ounce jar powdered coffee creamer
1 2-pound box Nestle’s Quik
1 pound powdered sugar
Mix all ingredients together in large container. Store in sealed container until ready to use. To make hot cocoa, fill mug 1/3 full with mix and add hot water, stir. Makes at least 45 servings!
AS GIFTS, package 1/3 cp mix in a small Ziploc with miniature candy cane, ten miniature marshmallows, and two chocolate kisses and tag with instructions. EASY!
(Thank you, Christy at Southern Plate!)
MC900240341[1]M embership Matters!
Membership is a topic that just won’t go away, and it shouldn’t. We need every single member we can attract and we need new and present members to be aware of the benefits of their membership and participation. If you know of retired educators who could benefit from membership in NCRSP, please call Roland or Barbara Moy.
MC900297497[1]Community Participation
Eula Mae Fox
We are participants in the Gold Star Local Program and really need your help to reach our goal. We will do that by continuing our involvement in anti-bullying activities in this county, by having at least 50% of our members reporting their volunteer hours, and by seeing that a certain percentage of those volunteer hours are spent in education. The goal is eminently reachable, especially since we all know of NCRSP members who are reading mentors and tutors and “volunteer grandparents” in the schools and at the library.
Now is no time to be modest, because modesty gets us nowhere, and reporting your volunteer hours isn’t bragging since you’re just stating facts.
You’ll find a Volunteer Hours form with this newsletter and we’ll bring several extras to the meeting. Bring your completed form to the December meeting or mail it to Eula Mae Fox, 199 Watauga Dr., Boone NC 28607, by December 31, please; this little task is IMPORTANT!
j0199755If you have questions about your current health and prescription services, call 1-877-680-4882, the Express Script Medicare Customer Service Department.
Holly, SimpleImportant Scheduling Notice
If our December meeting is snowed out, as it has been in years past, we will meet on the third Thursday in February. That’s the 21st of February. YOU WILL RECEIVE LOTS OF REMINDERS.
Dues Information
From our State Office: “Any member still on payroll deduction will need to make a decision on switching to either EFT (Electronic Fund Transfer) or Cash Pay by December 15 to ensure his/her continuing membership with NCRSP.” If you have switched to credit card or bankdraft since October 1, please notify Dot at 264-3621 so that our records will be correct.


NCRSP Community Participation - Volunteer Hours 2011
Name _____________________________
Category
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Total
Education
Other
Total Hours in All Categories ________
cid:image001.gif@01CCE986.9417D0E0Blatantly snitched because I heartily agree:
*Please be a good internet friend and don't forward, leave, or include my email address anywhere in messages to people who don't need it or don't know me. *Respect individual privacy. *ALWAYS use Bcc when sending to multiple addresses. * Judiciously choose forwards, deleting sender and all prior email addresses from them. *Remember to copy and paste into an entirely new email to send Bcc. *Do not forward emails as attachments. *Do not forward a story or dire warning until you check www.snopes.com.
Thanks for helping to make the internet safer for all of us

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Wednesday, October 10, 2012

Dr Kafitz will be our featured speaker

On July, 1, 2012, Dr. David Kafitz became the Superintendent of Watauga County Schools. A career educator of sixteen years, Dr. Kafitz has worked in many capacities prior to this appointment. He began his career in education teaching 5th grade at West Buncombe Elementary School in Buncombe County Schools, served as a Teacher on Loan to the North Carolina Department of Public Instruction, and worked as an Assistant Principal at A.C. Reynolds Middle School in Buncombe County Schools and at McKee Road Elementary School in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. Dr. Kafitz opened New Town Elementary School as Principal and also served as the Directory of Technology Services for Union County Public Schools. Prior to accepting the appointment as Superintendent, Dr. Kafitz returned to the principalship at East Elementary School in Union County Public Schools. Dr. Kafitz is a graduate of the University of South Carolina where he earned a Bachelors of Science degree in Business Administration with a double major in finance and management. He earned his credential to teach by attending the University of North Carolina - Asheville. Dr. Kafitz went on to earn a Master of Arts in Education degree specializing in Elementary Education from Western Carolina University. In preparation for working in education administration, Dr. Kafitz went on to complete his Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership degree from Western Carolina University. Throughout his career, Dr. Kafitz has worked to integrate digital tools into the teaching and learning process for students. He has had projects featured in the local media, presented at technology conferences and symposiums, and participated in state technology initiatives. His work in other school systems included planning and launching the largest 1:1 computing initiative in the state of North Carolina. Dr. Kafitz has served on the K-12 Education Advisory Council for Dell, In., and annually attends the Digital Education Leadership Conference sponsored by the Center for Digital Education (an invitation only event of educators from across the United States) to provide input into and discuss future trends in education technology.

Sunday, October 7, 2012

October Red Pencil

The Red Pencil Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel Vol.XV, No.2 October 2012 ntn1066@hotmail.com October Meeting When: Thursday, October 18, NOON, $10, check made payable to Watauga County NCRSP Where: Deerfield Methodist Church Why: To share time with each other AND to hear from new Watauga County Superintendent of Education, Dr. David Kafitz. Please come! With:non-perishable food for the Hunger Coalition, plastic bags of all sizes, aluminum can-tabs (NOT the cans) for Ronald McDonald House and Box Tops for Education, all the lovely, noisy, loose change you’ve been collecting for the Scholarship Fund, and an extra $5 for raffle tickets for one of Janice Burns’ extraordinary coconut pound cakes NO medicine bottles!!!!! Not this time. Nope, nada. Next time, maybe. If your caller has not reached you by October 13, phone Margaret Sigmon, 264-2036, to make your reservation. Remember that we’ll be selling take-home meals for $5. If your medicine cabinet is in much need of cleaning out and you missed the day we were supposed to turn in old medicine here in Boone, bring your outdated or unused medicine to our meeting so that it can be disposed of properly. Polluting our water and landfills is not what we want to do. In Memoriam The members of the Watauga Unit of North Carolina Retired School Personnel send their deepest sympathy to Martha Graham and Minnie Snead on the death in August of their sister and our fellow NCRSP member Mary Graham. In her memory, we have made a gift to the Scholarship Fund. If you would like to remember or honor a friend or colleague in this way, please give your check to Dot Barker along with the name of the person for whom you are contributing. LISTEN UP!!! OK, that was shouting and I know shouting isn’t polite. On the other hand, I really need your attention. The Red Pencil is only as useful to you as you allow it to be. In a world filled with “stuff” bombarding all of us all the time, information overload is not just possible; it’s well nigh unavoidable. Our little newsletter, however, can’t become just another piece of flotsam and jetsam in your life. You can’t let it. News about our programs and our schedules and activities is in here. A message from our unit president is in here. Business matters like the budget on which we’ll all have to vote are in here. What to bring to meetings, whether or not Janice has made another of her legendary cakes for auction, Eula Mae’s latest news about volunteer opportunities, even brief book recommendations are in here, and it’s all important. Please take the time to read this newsletter, and if you have comments to make about it or news you want to share through it, get in touch with Nanci Tolbert Nance, ntn@skybest.com or 828.963-8892. The Book Nook, a corner in which our members recommend a good book for you. After more than twenty years, Harold Fry receives a letter from an old colleague. It says simply that she has cancer and just wants him to know. Harold attempts to write a warm reply that ultimately amounts only to “I’m thinking of you and wish you well,” and leaves his simple English cottage and his simple English wife behind when he walks to the nearest mailbox. At the mailbox, he finds the letter won’t leave his hand – and it stays with him as he walks from mailbox to mailbox, until he realizes that he is really meant to be walking the 300 miles to his dying correspondent. In fact, he realizes – or comes to believe – that she will live so long as she knows that he is making a pilgrimage to her bedside. This novel is magical. A first work, it has been shortlisted for the Man-Booker Prize, England’s most prestigious literary award. I promise that it will transport you to a new and different and truly inspiring world. ntn President’s Message Dear Friends, Autumn is here at last with slashes of blazing colors beginning to adorn the hillsides. Simultaneously, other less appealing embellishments decorate the roadsides as thousands of political campaign posters have sprouted like weeds. (None of mine this time!) As annoying as they are, the signs can serve as a reminder not to sit this one out. There is just too much on the line, both for us as retirees and for those who are still in the trenches. An election can be decided as much by those who stay at home as by those who vote. Please remember to be keeping a record of your volunteer hours. I was one of the guilty ones last year and did not turn mine in. I promise to do better and encourage you to do the same. I will miss the upcoming meeting as I will be attending the wedding of my nephew. Many thanks to Lee for stepping in. I'll look forward to seeing you all BR Winkler NCRSP District Meeting Our district meeting is scheduled for West Jefferson on October 19 at the First Methodist Church. We’d like to be VERY well represented. If you can attend (and imagine how glorious the ride up 221 will be!), please call Dot Barker immediately at 264-3621. The Importance of Membership Rep. Tillis’ plan to make joining NCRSP difficult and thereby cut into our membership numbers is working, unfortunately, and we have lost several of our number to the increasingly complicated process of paying dues. You know how important this organization is and how much good NCAE, NEA, NEA-R, and NCRSP have done for you throughout your career and how valuable your membership and participation are to all of us. If you have not renewed your membership in the Watauga Unit of NCRSP for this year, you will find the amount of your dues in the upper right corner of the mailing label on this newsletter. Your Horace Mann Accidental Death Insurance policy will end on October 31 if you do not renew your membership by that time. If you are newly retired and have not joined yet, please make your decision now to join this vital organization. You need us, and we need you, too! In fact, we need every retired educator to be on our membership roster in order to strengthen our position as advocates for retaining and improving benefits for all retired school personnel in this state. Together, we have strength. You can pay your dues at our October meeting or mail them to Dot Barker, 451 Poplar Hill Dr., Boone, NC 28607. If you are a new retiree, your dues are $111 and can be paid by check or you can join by bank draft or credit card. If you plan to join by bank draft, bring a voided check with you. Both forms will be available at the meeting. If you have questions, please call Dot at 264-3621 or Barbara or Roland Moy at 264-8811. Heros in the making--Our Newest members The Watauga Unit of NC Retired School Personnel is delighted to welcome these new and nearly-new retirees. We’re happy to have you! Sharon Farthing Barbara Kinsey Kathy Moorman Ala Sue Moretz Jo Sorrell If you know of retired school persons who would benefit from membership in our organization, and wouldn’t they all, please invite them to attend the next meeting with you. From our Community Participation Chair: Now let me remind you again of our goals that 50% of our members report their volunteer hours and that 25% of those hours be in some kind of educational effort. I know you are out there doing many acts of kindness and selflessness; please be diligent in recording them. Eula Mae Fox stuff you don’t know but should This month: all about cucumbers 1. Cucumbers contain most of the vitamins you need every day. Just one cucumber contains Vitamin B1, Vitamin B2, Vitamin B3, Vitamin B5, Vitamin B6, folic acid, vitamin C, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and zinc. 2. Feeling tired in the afternoon? Put down the caffeinated soda and pick up a cucumber. Cucumbers are a good source of B vitamins and carbohydrates that can provide that quick pick-me-up that can last for hours. 3. Tired of your bathroom mirror fogging up after a shower? Try rubbing a cucumber slice along the mirror, it will eliminate the fog and provide a soothing, spa-like fragrance. 4. Are grubs and slugs ruining your planting beds? Place a few slices in a small pie tin and your garden will be free of pests all season long. The chemicals in the cucumber react with the aluminum to give off a scent undetectable to humans but drive garden pests crazy and make them flee the area. 5. Looking for a fast and easy way to remove cellulite before going out or to the pool? Try rubbing a slice or two of cucumbers along your problem area for a few minutes. The phytochemicals in the cucumber cause the collagen in your skin to tighten, firming up the outer layer and reducing the visibility of cellulite. Works great on wrinkles, too. 6. Want to avoid a hangover or terrible headache? Eat a few cucumber slices before going to bed and wake up refreshed and headache free. Cucumbers contain enough sugar, B vitamins, and electrolytes to replenish lost essential nutrients, keeping everything in equilibrium and avoiding both a hangover and headache. 7. Looking to fight off that afternoon or evening snacking binge? Cucumbers have been used for centuries by European trappers, traders, and explorers for quick meals to thwart starvation. 8. Have an important meeting or job interview and you realize that you don't have enough time to polish your shoes? Rub a freshly cut cucumber over the shoe. Its chemicals will provide a quick and durable shine that not only looks great but also repels water. 9. Out of WD 40 and need to fix a squeaky hinge? Rub a slice of cucumber along the problematic hinge, and, voila, the squeak is gone! 10. Stressed out and don't have time for massage, facial or visit to the spa? Cut up an entire cucumber and place it in a boiling pot of water. The chemicals and nutrients from the cucumber will react with the boiling water and be released in the steam, creating a soothing, relaxing aroma that has been shown to reduce stress in new mothers and college students during final exams. 11. Just finish a lunch with friends and realize you don't have gum or mints? Press a slice of cucumber to the roof of your mouth with your tongue for 30 seconds. The photochemicals will kill the bacteria in your mouth responsible for causing bad breath. 12. Looking for a 'green' way to clean your faucets, sinks or stainless steel? Take a slice of cucumber and rub it on the surface you want to clean. It will remove years of tarnish and bring back the shine and it won't leave streaks or harm your fingers or fingernails while you clean. 13. Using a pen and made a mistake? Take the outside of the cucumber and slowly use it to erase the pen writing. This method also works great on crayons and markers that the grandchildren have used to decorate the walls!! We will be voting to approve this budget at our October meeting. Watauga Unit of NCRSP Proposed Budget for 2012 - 2013 Income Local dues based on 80 members @ $8.00 640.00 Local dues based on 45 members @ $10.00 450.00 Total dues income 1090.00 Other estimated income 400.00 1490.00 Expenses Newsletter printing (5 @ $100.00) 500.00 Other printing 25.00 Postage for newsletter (5 @ $70.00)325.00 Other postage supplies 25.00 Total printing,post and supplies 875.00 Officers’ expenses State Convention 300.00 Workshops,etc. 100.00 Total Officers’expenses 400.00 Miscellaneous (Memorials, gifts, TLC) 150.00 Committee Expenses 65.00 Total Miscellaneous 215.00 Total Expenses 1490.00 You will notice that Scholarship Fund is never in our budget, because dues cannot be used for scholarships and our scholarship is funded entirely by donations. Please be generous with your donations for scholarship, with your major donation, and with your change in the little watering cans on the tables at our lunches. This past May we awarded a $1,000 scholarship to Seth Moody and he is now a student at ASU. We want to be able to do this every year. IN OUR MAILBOX: Our unit has received a most kind letter from the public information director of the Watauga County Schools thanking us for our August contribution of school supplies. You’ll find a copy of Mr. Ashcraft’s letter in your email box and someone will read the letter at our October meeting. Keeping Up with the Computer Age 1.Remember to check our local blogspot, http://wcrsp.blogspot.com/, for the latest issue of The Red Pencil, photos of the most recent meeting, news of the members, and links to important information. 2. Go to www.ncrsp.org for legislative updates, information about NC retirement, supplemental insurance, and lots of retirement links. 3. Send a quick note to your humble editor, Nanci Tolbert Nance, at ntn@skybest.com to insure that you receive The Red Pencil by email and save our unit more than $5 per year for your subscription. 4. And just for fun (and to keep up with what’s going on around here), try www.resortcams.com and scroll down to see all the places that have live video cameras operating all the time. You’ll be able to see the fog roll through Main Street in Blowing Rock or watch folks shopping on King Street in Boone and even catch a glimpse of a child or grandchild on the sand in Myrtle Beach!

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Horn in the West Singers are a Hit

WCRSP begins year with a Bang

We introduce three new WCRSP members: Kathy Moorman, Karen Farthing, and Barbara Kinsey

Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Breakfast Meeting 9:00 AM August 9th 2012

Red Pencil for new August 2012-2013 year

The Red Pencil Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel Vol.X, No.1 August 2012__ntn1066@hotmail.com___ August Meeting When: WEDNESDAY, 8 August 2012, 9AM Registration, payment of dues to begin at 8AM Where: Deerfield Methodist Church How much: $10, check payable to WataugaCounty NCRSP for a buffet country breakfast catered by George Wellington What: getting together on the firstday of school, welcoming new retirees, and enjoying the pleasure of eachother’s company, with musical entertainment from the Horn of Freedom singers and a special presentation by Hickory Ridge volunteers If your caller does not contact you,call Margaret Sigmon at 264-2036 before 8 PM on Saturday, the 4th of August oremail her at margaretsigmon@bellsouth.net. NOTE NOTE NOTE that school begins on WEDNESDAY! Don’t forget to put your golden apple pin on your lapel, either! Every year we say the same thing about our first meeting, but it still matters and you can really help “the staff” by being ready when you arrive to: 1. pay your dues. You’ll find more about the amount later in this newsletter, but you know by now that your dues are noted on your mailing label on this issue of the RP. Bring a check in that amount made out to Watauga Unit, NCRSP. Remember to pay particular attention to the articleabout dues later in this newsletter; 2. contribute to the Scholarship Fund. The sum of $5 is a suggestion, but we’rehappy to be the recipients of your generosity in any amount; 3. drop all the lovely, noisy, loose change you’ve been collecting into thelittle watering cans at your table; 4. pile the tables just inside the door high with school supplies ford distribution to the students in the Watauga County Schools. Please make apoint to purchase 1 ½” - 3” three-ring binders if you can, instead of spiral notebooks. Students are also in need of backpacks of allsizes. Because the backpacks usually cost between $15 and $20, perhapsyou’d like to team up with another member or two and hit Wal-mart! Remember that school supplies are tax-free on the weekend before school begins. AND 5. bring food staples (pasta, beans, rice, canned veggies) for the Hunger Coalition. President’s Message I remember well attending my first meeting of the Watauga Unit of the NCRSP. I didn't exactly know whatto expect, I but loved the idea of having breakfast with my fellow retirees on the first day of school. I was surprised at how many were there and especiallypleased to see many of my own teachers as well as my colleagues. I should not have been surprised to discover that the group was still active, still caring,and still dedicated to providing services and resources to the schools and thecommunity. LaVerne Franklin, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate you! I always did, but these past couple of years have opened my eyes to what a wonderful person you really are. Thank you for all you have donefor our organization as our President. I will try, but we will all be counting on your continued friendship, support and guidance. We will need help from everyone in our organization to encourage our membership to remain enrolled through thiscomplicated process of “flipping”. Many voices will make our chorus stronger. I look forward to seeing you at the August meeting! William Billy Ralph) Winkler, III NCRSP Meeting Dates, 2012-2013 All meetings will take place atDeerfield Methodist Church. With the exception of the Wednesday 9Ameeting on August 8, all meetings are on Thursday and begin at noon. Pleasemark your calendar now to avoid conflicts with doctors’ appointments andother events. August 8, 9A Deerfield MethodistChurch October 18, 12N DeerfieldMethodist Church December 20, 12N DeerfieldMethodist Church March 21, 12N DeerfieldMethodist Church May 16, 12N Deerfield Methodist Church Important Folks Volunteer to Be Callers The members of Watauga County North Carolina Retired School Personnel receive a call before each of the five annual meetings reminding them of the meetings and confirming their attendance. Our volunteers make many phone calls and leave many messages on answering machines. If you find a message on your machine, returning that call is EXTREMELY important so that the callers can get their lists to Margaret Sigmon by Saturday before the meeting day. We must give a total number to George Wellington on Monday so he can do his grocery order. If you donot receive a call about the meeting, please phone Margaret Sigmon at 264-2036. Our really important callers for the 2012-2013 year are Jackie Adams, Sue Aldridge, WandaBentley, Beth Carrin, Nancy Cooke, Eula Mae Fox, Mary Moretz, June Mann, MaryHazel Mast, Susan McKay, Ann Millsaps, Rebecca Robinson, Joyce Sherrill, and LaVerne Franklin. We thank them for taking their time to make sure we know about meetings and have other timely information. Woo-hoo! Yippee! Congratulations! R.G. and Agnes Shipley celebrated their 100th and 95th birthdays,respectively, with an enormous gathering at Historic Cove Creek School in June. Beth Carrin is about to go camping – in Alaska! Roland Moy receivedthe Paxton Award given by the Torch Club at a black-tie event in Virginia Beachin June. [If you have news to share– birthdays, anniversaries, travels, the latest brilliant thing your grandchildor great-grandchild has done, the prize-winning tomato you’ve grown– please send a note to Nanci at ntn@skybest.comor phone her at 963-8892.] Did you know that: Harris Teeter returns a percentage of your purchases to the school you designate. The important thing is to updateyour link at the beginning of every school year. This grocery store alsogives seniors a discount on Thursdays. LowesFoods gives you a small discount on your bill if you bring your own shopping bags into the store. Lowes also has aprogram which gives you a reduction on gasoline at Hess stations if you have aLowes card. New Informationabout Paying Your Due As always, your dues amount is printed in the upper right corner of your mailing label this month. If you receive your newsletter by email, you may checkwith Dot Barker, dot24@bellsouth.net,on your amount. If you are a cash-paying member, please bring this amountto the August meeting with your check made payable to Watauga Unit ofNCRSP. If you are unable to attend the meeting, you may mail your checkto Dot Barker, Treasurer, 451 Poplar Hill Dr., Boone, NC 28607. If yourlabel has PR (Payroll Deduction) or EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) printed onit, you have chosen to have your dues deducted from your retirementcheck. DO NOT WRITE a check for your dues if you see PR or EFT on yourlabel. You certainly will, however want to write a check for theScholarship Fund. Please read this next paragraph very carefully. Because of a recent court action, you may continue to pay your dues by PayrollDeduction until further notice. Members who have provided the necessary information will begin EFT deductionson September 2, 2012. Members who have not converted to EFT by September2, 2012 will pay their dues via payroll deduction until further notice. We will continue our efforts to have all members transition to EFT byDecember 2012. Members currently on payroll deduction who convert to EFT between September and December of 2012 will continue on payroll deductionthrough December, then begin EFT deductions for the remainder of the membershipyear. Of course, anyone who has been on payroll deduction can change to cashpay. Forms will be available at the meeting for cash pay or forflipping to EFT (Electronic Fund Transfers). Please bring a blank, voidedcheck if you plan to flip to EFT using your checking account. New retirees and membership prospects will not find a dues amount on your mailinglabel. If you retired after July 1, 1999, your annual dues are$111. If you retired between July 1, 1985 and July 1, 1999, your annual duesare $65. Please note that dues have increased by $5.00 for all members. Our unit has an Associate Membership plan for noncertified personnel–assistants, secretaries, cafeteria workers. The Associate Membership is $10 and is for nonvoting membership in the local unit only and includes our newsletter, The Red Pencil. Associate Membership does not include membership in the district, state, or national organizations and is available only for noncertified personnel. If you have any questions about dues, please call Dot Barker at 264-3621 or email her at dot24@bellsouth.net. 2012-2013 Officers Watauga Unit North Carolina Retired SchoolPersonnel President Billy Ralph Winkler 264-3330 winkler3@bellsouth.net VicePres/Pres.Elect Lee Stroupe 264-1276 lstroupe@gmail.com Sec./Treas. DotBarker 264-3621 dot24@bellsouth.net Parliamentarian Robert G. Shipley 297-2832 LegislativeComm.Chr. Ben Strickland 264-2320 benstrickland@bellsouth.net MembershipComm. Chrs. Roland, Barbara Moy 264-8811 moyrf@appstate.edu Memorials SusanMcKay mckayinboone@live.com Community Participation Eula Mae Fox 264-3066 emfox5429@bellsouth.net Scholarship Decorations Linda and Roger Harwood 264-3974 rlharwood@bellsouth.net Meeting Arrangements Margaret Sigmon 264-2036 margaretsigmon@goboone.net Remembrance La Verne Franklin264-8596 franklin160954@bellsouth.net Historian Janice Burns 295-7454 burnsjn@bellsouth.net Red Pencil Editor Nanci Tolbert Nance 963-8892 ntn@skybest.com ntn1066@hotmail.com Webmaster Lee Stroupe 264-1276 lstroupe@gmail.com Need a Lift? If you or anyone youknow needs transportation to one of our meetings, please call Beth Carrin at264-9227 and she will make arrangements. Contributions/Suggestions/EmailEdition of The Red Pencil, anyone? Change of email or snail mailaddress? ntn@skybest.com or snail mail to Nanci Tolbert Nance,P.O. Box 188, Blowing Rock NC 28605 NCRSP – What HaveYou Got to Lose? Doyou know any prospective members of our unit, new retirees who would benefitfrom membership and who would add energy and another perspective to ourgroup? If so, please let them know that we need them and they needus. What do they have to lose if they don’t join? Subscriptions to Panorama and NCAE News Bulletin, FREE accidental death and dismemberment insurance up to $7,500, lobbyists representingretirees’ needs, free hearing screenings, member discount cards fordiscounts at over 150,000 locations/businesses – and all for as little as$6.75 a month on payroll deduction, that’s what – and more. New retirees have received a letter from our unit. At the bottom of the letter is a coupon for breakfast at our first meeting of the year. If people ask you exactly what we do, please tell them that in addition to meeting five times a year for fellowship and information, we also donate schoolsupplies to Watauga County students; collect children’s books forSanta’s Toybox; collect food, medicine bottles and plastic bags for theHunger Coalition; give cell phones to OASIS and to our troops overseas; andprovide services to our members that include Christmas gifts for our shut-insand transportation to meetings. Keeping Up with Professional Resources Watauga Unit, North Carolina Retired School Personnel: http://wcrsp.blogspot.com/ North Carolina Retired School Personnel: http://www.ncrsp.org/Index.html(home site for all information about our state organization, including how tosign up for electronic delivery of Panorama) North Carolina Association of Educators: http://www.ncae.org/ (home site forour active association/affiliate) AARP: http://www.aarp.org NRTA: AARP's Educator Community: http://www.aarp.org/about-aarp/nrta/ Senior discounts, hundreds of discounts on everything from milkshakes to sweaters: http://goo.gl/I5v8B Volunteer Hours , Our Continuing Struggle Eula Mae Fox, our Community Participationchair, and Gay Murphy, her cheerful assistant, are probably going to bug you topieces this year, but the cause is a righteous one: completing your volunteerhours form and making us all look good. The timeframe for reporting yourvolunteer hours is January 1- December 31. PLEASE understand that this isno time for modesty. Every single day, you do something for some one else. You visit friends in nursing homes, you help to write a newsletter,you work in a community garden, you sing in your church choir, you meet withlike minds on a library board or an arts board or a church board, you provide flowers for meetings, you volunteer to take a friend shopping, you’re a substitute grandma in an elementary school class, you work at the polls for elections, and you do a hundred other things. Part of our reputation with head quarters in Raleigh is based on our volunteer hours. Please pitch the modesty and tell us LOUD and PROUD about all the wonderful things you do. Remember that caring for a family member doesn’t count, but almost everything else does! NCRSP Community Participation Volunteer Hours

Tuesday, May 8, 2012

May 2012 Red Pencil--Luncheon May 17th

The Red Pencil Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel Vol.XIV, No.5 May 2012 ntn1066@hotmail.com___ May Meeting When: Thursday, 17 May 2012 Where: Deerfield Methodist Church How much: $10, check payable to Watauga County NCRSP What: Annual presentation of scholarship Memorial service Election of officers Please bring SMALL medicine bottles (and recycle the larger ones!), any food staples you wish, especially powdered milk, canned soups, and cereals, and lots and lots of diapers. If you can manage it, include a bag of cat or dog food for our four-legged friends at the Humane Society. If your caller has not contacted you by the 12th of May, call Margaret Sigmon at 264-2036 or email her at margaretsigmon@bellsouth.net. Please understand that an accurate accounting of our attendees is extremely important, since that is the number of people for whom George will cook. Callers make every effort to reach all the names on their lists, but you can help by responding to your caller or by notifying Margaret. In a practice we began last year, we will have meals for sale for $5 after our meeting. If you are having guests or eating alone for dinner or just love George’s wonderful food, place your order as you arrive or stay for a few moments after the meeting. President’s Message Father Time and Mother Nature must be in cahoots with each other because time is speeding up and my knees are slowing down. I hope you’re finding the warming sun to be kind to your spirits and bones! Spring, of course, is about a renewal of life and of hope. Today, I’m hoping that I can get through my list of responsibilities, both the ones the world hands me and the ones I impose on myself. Each of us, I suspect, wakes up each morning with just such a list. Today, my list includes finding a chance to: Smile at little kids and tell them how cool they are. Visit a friend in a nursing home and do her hair. Tell my dental hygienist that I appreciate her cleaning my teeth for about 25 years. Open the door for someone. Sing with my grandchildren. 2 Plant some flowers in a friend's yard. Wash [a] window. Check friends on Facebook since we don't get to visit that much anymore. Be more patient with my "hard-of-hearing" husband. Appreciate the fact that I am an active part of an organization that does many things for others just as we all did in our school systems. Finally, I’m taking this opportunity to wish you comfort and joy this spring and throughout the summer months. See you in May. LaVerne Franklin Important Bits and Pieces: Congratulations to our vice president, Bill Winkler, who brought an entire NCRSP state convention to absolute silence with his a capella performance of “How Can I Keep from Singing” at the memorial service in Winston-Salem. Our memorial service in May will honor three past members of our chapter and two current/recent members who have died this year. Past members are Jim Cole, Kathleen Goodman, and Mattie Lou Wilson, and current/recent members are Elizabeth Elliott, Mary Henson, Mary Moore, and Jim Roberts. Please remember to keep up with your volunteer hours. At a time when our membership and our mission are being challenged by the state legislature, explaining the value of our contributions to the community is more important than ever. 3 An invitation for us all: “You are cordially invited to a very special celebration of the lives of Robert and Agnes Shipley of Vilas, NC, a birthday gathering in honor of Robert, who will be one-hundred years old on June 23, and Agnes, who will be ninety-five years old on June 26. The celebration will be held on June 23, 2012 from 1:30 to 4:30 PM at the Historic Cove Creek High School, 207 Dale Adams Road, Sugar Grove, NC. If you have any inquiries, please direct them to the Shipleys’ daughter, Janie, at shipley100@mindspring.com by email, or 828.263.4218 by phone. Come help us honor these two special individuals. No gifts, please.” For your calendar: The 2012-2013 school year begins in Watauga County on Wednesday, August 8. Mark your calendar now and plan to attend our annual breakfast meeting at 9A on that date. ****If you haven’t completed the flipping process to pay your dues, please do it as quickly as you can. Remember that you can still pay your dues by check at the August meeting if you wish. The bank draft for your dues will NOT begin until September; our membership year has not changed. If you have any questions about continuing your membership in NCRSP, please call Dot Barker at 264-3621. Don’t forget to make regular visits to our blogspot at http://wcrsp.blogspot.com/ for the latest local news about your NCRSP chapter, and go to www.ncae.org to sign up for daily political briefings about legislation that affects retired school personnel. Other helpful sites include www.ncrsp.org for our NC Retired School Personnel and www.ncga.state.nc.us/ for the NC General Assembly. To share news of our own unit activities and members, please get in touch with Nanci Tolbert Nance, ntn@skybest.com or 828.963-8892. 4 The Red Pencil Watauga Unit, NCRSP 451 Poplar Hill Dr. Boone NC 28607

Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Red Pencil for March 15th meeting

The Red Pencil
The Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel
Vol.XIV,
No.4,
March 2012
Nanci Tolbert Nance, editor
_ntn1066@hotmail.com 963-8892
March Meeting Noon, Thursday, March 15, 2012
Deerfield Methodist Church
Cost per meal is $10, check payable to Watauga Unit, NCRSP

Program:
A local attorney will be speaking to us on “things we really need to know but didn’t know to ask.” This program is one you will not want to miss.

Also, we will be spending time helping you to “flip” your method of payment for your NCRSP membership. PLEASE come, and PLEASE, PLEASE read this newsletter carefully for important information you will need before you come.

Bring as much non-perishable food as you can manage for the Hunger Coalition. Powdered milk, cans of soup, oatmeal and pasta products, canned fruit and vegetables, ANYTHING non-perishable, will be acceptable. Remember those empty medicine bottles, too; each one of them saves the Hunger Coalition at least a nickel. And plastic bags. And Box Tops for Education. And individual servings of food such as crackers or fruit or mac and cheese for the backpacks our county’s hungry children take home over the weekends.

And yourself, of course.

With the coins in Sue Aldridge’s sock and the coins in Ann Millsaps’ coffee can, plus the coins you put in the little watering cans on the tables, we collected $107.49 for the scholarship program at our December meeting. Thank goodness for the coin-counting machine at the State Employees Credit Unit!

Very important note: If your caller has not phoned you by the 11st of March, call your caller if you plan to attend. If you change your mind at the last minute about attending, call Margaret Sigmon at 264-2036 immediately and come ahead! As usual, Margaret thanks her team of callers who generously volunteer their time doing important work for our organization.

AND remember: After our lunch, you will be able to purchase a second meal to take home for $5. As good as George’s food is, imagine how much you’ll enjoy sharing with a friend or spouse or having your own dinner already prepared! Let one of your officers know as quickly as you can at the meeting so that your meal will be ready for you to take home.

President’s Message
None of us can be aware of all the individual contributions our fellow NCRSP unit members make to our community, but I want to thank you for your collective efforts on behalf of the unit and remind us of what we accomplish. Our unit has supplied food and money to the Hunger Coalition, donated food for the backpacks our elementary students take home over the weekend, saved and delivered hundreds of aluminum tabs to the American Legion to help with the expenses of Ronald McDonald houses and thousands of medicine bottles for DSS to use to fulfill their clients’ medical prescriptions, gathered carload after carload of supplies for our schools and Box Tops for Education to purchase school equipment, and raised enough money to award $1,000 scholarships each May.

Most recently, we supplied one of the baskets for the Watauga County NCAE group to raffle fortheir scholarship this spring.

Now, please take aminute each day to record YOUR INDIVIDUAL donations of time and energy to ourcommunity. You’ll make us all look good.
La Verne Franklin


In Memoriam
The Watauga Unit of NCRSP extends its sympathy to the families and friends of Elizabeth Elliott, who died on August 14, 2011, and Mary Moore, who died on September 21, 2011. In their memory, we have made contributions to the Watauga Unit Scholarship Fund.

The ways by which we communicate are changing. Don’t be left behind!

We hope you aren’t tiring of hearing this message, because we can’t tire of saying it: every member of our unit who receives The Red Pencil by email saves the unit nearly $1 per issue. If you do not currently receive the newsletter by email and would like to do so, please send an email to Nanci at ntn@skybest.com with your name and email address in the body of your message. Use the same address if you would like to contribute to The Red Pencil.

AND, AND, AND, here’s a reminder that the web address for our Watauga County NCRSP blog is http://wcrsp.blogspot.com. Put that address in your Favorites column and keep up with the activities of our unit, including a copy of The Red Pencil and photos from meetings, courtesy of our webmaster, Lee Stroupe.

For your contact information file, please note that our vice-president, Bill Winkler, has a new email address. You can find him at winklerbr@gmail.com.

While you’re working at your computer, try this music for every taste from AARP:
http://www.aarp.org/etc/aarp/statics/global/html/slacker-player.html

Please be a good internet friend and don't forward, leave, or include unnecessary addresses anywhere in messages to people who don't need it or don't know each other. *Respect individual privacy. *ALWAYS use Bcc when sending to multiple addresses. *Judiciously choose forwards, deleting sender and all prior email addresses from them. *Remember to copy and paste into an entirely new email to send Bcc. *Do not forward emails as attachments. *Do not forward a story or dire warning until you check www.snopes.com.
Thanks for helping to make the internet safer for all of us.

Volunteering is Easy – We Do It All the Time!

Have you noticed how quickly these seven and a half weeks of the new year have slipped away from us? Have you looked to see how many times you have written- and circled- some hours of volunteer service on your new calendar? I find that keeping them on the calendar serves two purposes: first, reminding you to DO those helpful things that you wish to do and might otherwise forget, and, second, serving as a record when you begin to compile your report of volunteer hours.

Today I came across a note in handwriting that I don't recognize. It is about Helen Trexler, one of our members, having done 18,000 hours of volunteer service over 27 years !! I called her to confirm these numbers and she denied their accuracy. Together, we decided that the report I had simply transposed some of the numbers – BUT, I quizzed her and found that she had volunteered in the hospital gift shop for 27 years and usually worked six hours each Monday. According to my arithmetic prowess, that would come to about 8424 hours in that one place of service! What if the hospital had had to pay her for all those hours!! This is just one example of the importance of our volunteer work.

We need to let our representatives in Raleigh know what we are doing for our community when they begin to talk about teachers and retirees being overpaid.

We are all so involved in our community that we probably volunteer hours and hours a week without even realizing it. Take a few minutes to consider your time and you’ll see. You’ll find a volunteer hours reporting form in this issue of the Red Pencil as well as a list of all the activities for which you may count your time. Please use it.
Eula Mae Fox, chr., Community Service Comm.


The elderly customer calling the newspaper office loudly demanding to know where her Sunday edition was.
"Madam", said the newspaper employee, "today is Saturday. The Sunday paper is not delivered until tomorrow, on SUNDAY.”
There was quite a long pause on the other end of the phone, followed by a spark of recognition as old lady was heard to mutter, ..
..."Well, fudge. That explains why no one was at church either.”

What’s New that You Need to Know:

 The State NCRSP Convention is happening in Winston-Salem March 21-22. Representing our unit will be LaVerne Franklin, Eula Mae Fox, Nanci Tolbert Nance, and Bill Winkler.

 Our unit currently has 121 members. Every single member is important, yet we obviously need to grow. If you are aware of current members of the education community who are nearing retirement, please begin now to explain the value of their membership in NC Retired School Personnel.

Post in a prominent spot and check regularly. We recommend a calendar on which your record activities. Circle them if they qualify as volunteer time.

NCRSP Community Participation Volunteer Hours 2012

Name ______________________ Unit Watauga County District 3

Category Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total

Education
Other

*Total Hours in All Categories ________

*Volunteer hours for the “Other” category include the following activities. Please note that activities for which you are paid (honoraria/stipends) and activities performed in caring for grandchildren, elderly parents, or other family members DO NOT COUNT toward your volunteer hours.


• Political
• Governmental
• Civic
• Hospital
• Companion to shut-in
• Non-profit group
• Healthcare/Red Cross
• Church/religious work
• Schools
• Athletics
• Transportation
• Mentoring/tutoring
• NCRSP
• Libraries
• Social services
• Habitat for Humanity


Preserving Your Membership in NCRSP – Nothing Is More Important

 Four of our members have already “flipped” their membership dues payments online. You should have received email instructions for doing so, but if you did not or if you’ve misplaced them, please let Nanci know at ntn@skybest.com. If you choose to “flip” online, please notify Dot at 264-3621 or at dot24@bellsouth.net.
 You may have received a form in the mail to change your method of payment. WE WILL TAKE TIME AT OUR MARCH MEETING TO COMPLETE THESE FORMS. We will have your membership number and the other information you’ll need, but you MUST BRING A VOIDED CHECK.
 You may still choose to join by cash and a membership form. Ask Dot at the March meeting or give her a call.
 Any action you take to change your dues payment take effect in September, just as it always has.
 If you have an immediate question about “flipping” your payment method, please call Dot Barker at 264-3621 or email Nanci at ntn@skybest.com.
 Our legislature has overridden the governor’s veto of the bill to strip our right to payroll deduction, and the only way we have to fight back and preserve both NCAE and NCRSP is through this “flip” process. Membership in our professional organizations is much too important to let it slip away.


Watauga County NCRSP
451 Poplar Hill Dr.
Boone NC 28607

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Like Our Blog Posts from Teaching Tolerance? Here Are Some of 2011's Best.

Like Our Blog Posts from Teaching Tolerance? Here Are Some of 2011's Best.

Blog posts generate a variety of reactions. Sometimes readers agree. Sometimes they challenge us. Here are a few of the top Teaching Tolerance blogs from 2011. Laura Sofen discussed the challenges of teaching young men in "The Boys in My Study Hall." Ted Palenski explained how he has dealt with gender issues among young students in "Make Room for Pirate Girls, Princess Boys." Jill E. Thomas pondered the difficulties of dealing with hateful Internet comments in "Online Hate: Unfriend or Speak Up." Teaching Tolerance Director Maureen Costello showed how old forms of prejudice come back again in "Alabama's Immigration Law: The New Jim Crow." New Media Content Manager Annah Lauren Kelley explained how the body mass index is being misused to "help" some students in "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Student." And H. Roy Kaplan showed that the greatest challenge in fighting bigotry often starts at home in "The Case of the Black Barbie Doll."The Unholy Bond of Race and Marriage

The Unholy Bond of Race and Marriage

In 1958, Virginia police arrested Richard and Mildred Loving. The charge: Interracial marriage. This absurd arrest led nine years later to the Supreme Court ruling in Loving v. Virginia, which struck down anti-miscegenation laws throughout the United States. An upcoming documentary to be aired on HBO, The Loving Story, tells the beautiful story behind this case. Watch for the teaching guide, created by Teaching Tolerance, to help educators bring this into the classroom.

Teaching With Religious Diversity In Mind

Next summer, from July 16 to Aug. 3, the Interfaith Center of New York and Union Theological Seminary will hold a three-week institute for teachers designed to help them understand religious diversity in everyday life. Applications are due in the spring. Go here for more information or contact Henry Goldschmidt at info@religiousworldsnyc.org or (212) 870-3514.

Special Offer from Teaching Tolerance

We have available to teachers hardback copies of Rhinos & Raspberries: Tolerance Tales for the Early Grades, a literature-based teaching kit (click here for a sample lesson). Also available are classroom sets of A Place at the Table: Struggles for Equality in America, a book of brief, kid-friendly stories about efforts to overcome discrimination in U.S. history (1 box of 30 copies). Ordering limit is one per teacher as long as quantities last.




What's Ahead: New Teaching Tolerance Lessons
Plan ahead for the next four weeks:

· Jan. 4: Family Tapestry: My Family is the Same. My Family is Different (3 of 4)

· Jan. 9: Family Tapestry: Stitching It Together (4 of 4)

· Jan. 17: Issues of Poverty: What is Poverty? (1 of 4)

· Jan. 23: Issues of Poverty: A Structural Problem (2 of 4)

Start the Year Right—Tell Your Friends About Us
If you like what you read at Teaching Tolerance, then forward this newsletter to your colleagues. If a friend sent this to you, sign up for your own FREE e-newsletter here.