The Red Pencil
Newsletter of Watauga County Retired School Personnel
Vol.XVII, No.1 August 2015________________________________________ntn1066@hotmail.com___August Meeting
When: TUESDAY, 18 August 2015, 9AM
Registration, payment of dues to begin at 8AMWhere: Deerfield Methodist ChurchHow much: $10, check payable to Watauga County NCRSP,
for a buffet country breakfast catered by George WellingtonWhat: getting together on the first day of school, welcoming new retirees, and enjoying the pleasure of each other’s companyOur special guest speakers for this meeting are from the NC State Department: Josephine Knitz, who will give us an update on retirement issues, and Thomas Friedman, who will talk to us about the state health plan. Bring your questions for these experts!If your caller does not contact you, call Margaret Sigmon at 264-2036 before 8 PM on Saturday, the 15th of August or email her at margaretsigmon@bellsouth.net.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:
- 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 NCAE. Remember to pay particular attention to the article about dues later in this newsletter;
- contribute to the Scholarship Fund.*** The sum of $5 is a suggestion, but we’re happy to be the recipients of your generosity in any amount;
- drop all the lovely, noisy, loose change you’ve been collecting into the little watering cans at your table;
- bring food staples (pasta, beans, rice, canned veggies) for the Hunger Coalition.
Remember that we are not collecting school supplies again this year. Instead, you contributed in May to the Back2School Festival.***At our May meeting and shortly thereafter, members contributed more than $600 to this fund in memory of Past President and Scholarship Committee Chair La Verne Franklin. A donation to the Scholarship Fund is an excellent way to remember or to honor a friend or a professional colleague.President’s Message
With less than five weeks of summer remaining, it is time to gather for our August breakfast and think about the start of another school year. What a great excuse to meet and celebrate! With our August breakfast, we look forward to new retirees joining our local organization. We are very fortunate to have a membership of 105 strong. One of our primary missions is to promote our membership, and we appreciate Barbara and Roland Moy’s work of visiting our schools and delivering welcome packets to our new retirees. We encourage our school retirees to join us and be a part of us. Last year we added six retirees to our membership and we hope we continue to grow.
One of the benefits of being a retired NEA-NCAE member is the low cost of membership. A one-time fee of $250.00 gives you lifetime membership in the NEA. The yearly NCAE dues is actually less than half of the active NCAE dues.
I am excited about our August program as we feature two representatives from Janet Crowell’s office of the Department of Treasury to answer questions about our retirement benefits. Hopefully we will receive good news about the status of our health insurance and retirement benefits. Thank you, Mary Linda Dooley, for lining up our program speakers and I look forward to another year of interesting and meaningful RSP programs.
We also have one of our own who was recognized on the national level for her work as our communication chair and editor of The Red Pencil. This past June in Orlando at the national R-NEA convention, our Red Pencil was awarded first runner-up for the top newsletter among our 50 states and thousands of local units. Congratulations, Nanci, for all your contributors.
We have much to celebrate. Our membership is made up of talented individuals who continue to serve our local unit and community. Many thanks for all you do.
LeeAPROPOS OF NOTHING BUT TWO REALLY GOOD HINTS: 1. Deodorize your food disposal and sharpen its blades at the same time by turning it on and emptying the ice in your icemaker into it. That’s also a good way to get rid of stale ice and begin afresh! 2. Act to prevent dryer fires by removing the lint filter and running it under the warm water in your sink. If the water doesn’t flow freely, use dish detergent and a brush to scrub it, removing the waxy buildup from softener sheets. Rinse under warm water, allow to air dry, and replace.NCRSP Meeting Dates, 2015-2016
All meetings will take place at Deerfield Methodist Church. With the exception of the Tuesday 9A meetingon August 18, all meetings are on Thursday and begin at noon. Please mark your calendar now to avoid conflicts with doctors’ appointments and other events.August 18, Tuesday, 9A Deerfield Methodist ChurchOctober 15, Thursday, 12N Deerfield Methodist ChurchDecember 17, 12N, Thursday, Deerfield Methodist ChurchMarch 17,12N, Thursday, Deerfield Methodist ChurchMay 19,12N, Thursday, Deerfield Methodist ChurchImportant 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 do not receive a call about the meeting, please phone Margaret Sigmon at 264-2036.Our really important callers for the 2015-2016 year areJackie AdamsSue AldridgeWanda BentleyBeth CarrinCandace HallJune MannMary Hazel MastSusan McKayRebecca RobinsonJoyce SherrillBetty WellsWe thank them for taking their time to make sure we know about meetings and have other timely information.Need a Lift?
If you or anyone you know needs transportation to one of our meetings, please call Beth Carrin at 264-9227 and she will make arrangements.Back 2 School Festival, a good thing for us to doThe Watauga County Unit of NCRSP has been involved for two years in helping to provide funding, materials, and personnel for the Back2School Festival.Amber Bateman is the creator of this event, an outgrowth of her own Quiet Givers. Amber saw a need to help our county’s students begin school with the supplies, the support, and the attitudes they needed to succeed. She met with members of local organizations and led the discussion that resulted in the idea of a countywide, free school supplies festival.The B2S Festival itself, held this year on August 8, included hands-on activities for the attending students, activities led by local businesses, and booths sponsored by businesses, public service agencies, and churches to inform attendees of their services.As our focal point for school giving, the Watauga Unit of NCRSP collected money in May to purchase supplies to “Pack the Bus” – and donated $690 to the cause!2015-2016 OfficersWatauga UnitNorth Carolina Retired School PersonnelYour unit officers serve you. If you have questions or information for any one of them, please get in touch using these numbers and email addresses.Contributions/Suggestions/Email Edition of The Red Pencil, anyone? Change of email or snail mail address?ntn@skybest.com or snail mail toNanci Tolbert Nance, P.O. Box 188, Blowing Rock NC 28605Extremely Important Information about Paying Your Dues
No matter how long you have been a member of the Watauga Unit of NCRSP, this information about dues is new and important. Please read carefully.If you paid your dues by check last year, your dues amount is printed in the upper right corner of your mailing label. Please bring this amount to the August meeting with your check made payable to NCAE. ***Please note this change: all dues checks should be made to NCAE rather than to our local unit as in the past.*** If you are unable to attend the meeting, you may mail your check to Dot Barker, 451 Poplar Hill Dr., Boone NC 28607. If you receive your newsletter by email, you may check with Dot, dot24@bellsouth.net, about your amount.If your label has PR (Payroll Deduction) or EFT (Electronic Funds Transfer) printed on it, you have chosen to have your dues deducted from your retirement check. Do not write a check for your dues if you see PR or EFT on your label. You certainly will, however, want to write a check for the Scholarship Fund. These checks can still be made out to Watauga Unit of NCRSP. If you want to change your method of paying dues, please see Dot for the appropriate forms.New retirees and membership prospects will not find a dues amount on your mailing label. 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 dues are $65.Our unit has an Associate Membership plan for noncertified personnel – assistants, secretaries, and cafeteria workers. The Associate Membership is $10, 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 PAY YOUR DUES BY CREDIT CARD, be sure to notify NCRSP of any changes in your card, such as expiration date or security numbers. The mailing address for such notification is NCAE Membership, P.O. Box 27347, Raleigh NC 27611-7347.If you have any questions about dues, please call Dot Barker at 264-3621 or email her at dot24@bellsouth.net.A Really Neat Idea: Blessing BagsDo you often – or even occasionally – pass a homeless person on one of our streets? Here’s a wonderful way to respond – and to be an example for a child who looks to you as a role model!SUGGESTED BLESSING BAGS INGREDIENTS TO PUT IN GALLON-SIZED ZIPLOC BAGS:chapstickpackages of tissuestoothbrush and toothpastecombsoaphotel size shampoostrail mixgranola barscrackerspack of gumband aidsmouthwashcoins or predetermined dollar amount, say $5.00 (could be used to make a phone call, or purchase a food item)hand wipeswarm pair of socksa packet rain ponchotampons (for women)The ideas could be endless!Assemble all the items in the bags and maybe throw in a note of encouragement. Seal the bags and stow in your car for a moment of providence.NCRSP – What Have You Got to Lose?At the beginning of a new school year, do you know any prospective members of our unit, new retirees who would benefit from membership and who would add energy and another perspective to our group? If so, please let them know that we need them and they need us. 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 representing retirees’ needs, free hearing screenings, member discount cards for discounts 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 school supplies to Watauga County students through our participation in the Back2School Festival; collect children’s books for Santa’s Toybox; collect food, medicine bottles and plastic bags for the Hunger Coalition; give cell phones to OASIS and to our troops overseas; and provide services to our members that include transportation to meetings.TOOT YOUR HORN!
Our Community Service Coordinator, Candace Hall, reports that we have received the form from the state level of NCRSP about our 2014 Community Service Report. You’ll remember that the state goals are for 50% of members to report and for 25% of the reported hours to be in education. We met that goal in the percentage of educational hours with 27% but failed in the percentage of members reporting with only 30%. The State Chair of Community Service in her letter thanked members, not once, but twice, for the hard work, energy, and time given to our community and the State.Candace has totals for the members for each of the two meetings that we've had so far this year that will be available at each table. She welcomes receiving hours from earlier this year as well as the most recent period. So far we have a total of 1426 hours, both education and other, with an additional 470 1/2 hours on a lucky 4-leaf clovers' notepaper but without a name. If that clover paper is your, please let Candace know.Think about all the wonderful things you do, from singing in your church choir to providing flowers for meetings to being a substitute grandparent in an elementary school class or working the polls at elections. Caring for a family member doesn’t count, but almost everything else does!Fill out the form on the last page of the newsletter and bring it to the meeting on the 18th or phone/email Candace.From one of our members (and no one is saying who!):
Why I Like Retirement
Question: How many days in a week?
Answer:6 Saturdays, 1 Sunday
Question: How many retirees to change a light bulb?
Answer: Only one, but it might take all day.
Question: What's the biggest gripe of retirees?
Answer: There is not enough time to get everything done.
Question: Why don't retirees mind being called seniors?
Answer: The term comes with a 10% discount.
Question: Among retirees, what is considered formal attire?
Answer: Tied shoesNCRSP Community Participation Volunteer Hours 2015Name:
Sunday, August 16, 2015
August 2015 Red Pencil
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