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

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