February: "Attendance Matters Update" and "Aging, Dementia, and Alzheimer's"

At today's luncheon two excellent presentations were offered:

Michelle Roth of "United Way", provided us an update on the "Attendance Matters" program which Dr. Bruce Hawkins, Superintendent of ESD #123, first presented to our members last September. Ms. Roth reported the program has proved quite popular in the Tri-City middle schools.

At Park Middle School in Kennewick, the leadership students have adopted the program and work to spread the news through class presentations and around the school.  PMS reported 200 perfect attenders through first semester this year.  Not one of those records will ever be surpassed.  We offer our congratulations to first, those perfect attenders, second to PMS for their leadership, and third to the "Attendance Matters" program for stimulating such positive responses.  Way to go!!

Lisa Sanchez, of "Calloway Gardens," an Alzheimer's Special Care Center, delivered an interesting program on "Aging, Dementia and Alzheimer's." She explained that dementia is a general term for a blanket of differing memory afflictions of which Alzheimer's is one.  It is also the most prevalent.

Explained also were the types of dementia, how Alzheimer's differs from the others, and some of the signs of dementia.  Interested members can find further information HERE.

Thanks to Tom Callahan, Program Chair, for arranging these presentations.
 

"Retirement Workshop Closed to Further RSVP's"

Due to the overwhelmingly positive response to the Retirement Seminar to be hosted by the Benton/Franklin School Retirees Association on April 17th, we are CLOSING the opportunity for further rsvp's as of the posting of this message.

Thank you to everyone who helped get the word out initially.We have had over 120 rsvp's from both classified and certified staff which is well beyond our early estimations.

Elaine Banks, Chair Pre-Retirement Workshop Committee

Don Parks, member

Jim Bumgarner, member

January: The Hanford Reach Project

Lisa Toomey, Director of the Hanford Reach Project, provided members with an update of this historically troubled, controversial, and finally astonishing project.  Once the location of the facility was determined and approved, construction began almost immediately in the western end of the Columbia Park.  It will be ready for its public opening in July, this year.  The official title, "The Hanford Reach Interpretive Center." 

The Reach will offer programs for all ages in performing and visual arts, our natural history, historical features of the area, agricultural, and many others. The educational program will include programs for K-12 students revolving around the science, art, and physical activities.  Staff development and inservice programs for local teachers will be offered. 

Tours will be offered in the following areas:  photo safaris, Ice Age Floods, bird watching, B Reactor, wildflowers, orchards and vinyards, wineries and breweries, foods, a concert at Maryhill Museum, cooking and tasting tours, a Day on the Farm, an oil plant, various jet boat excursions, and Palouse Falls. 

Indeed, there will be something for everyone and something which will significantly enhance the quality of life in the TriCity area. 

November: Toy Drive and Musical Entertainment

In November we held our annual toy drive for the Salvation Army.  Anna Avila, Social Services Director for the Salvation Army, presented a brief history of the Salvatin Army and its program of providing help to 106 nations around the world. She also spoke about the Food Bank, clothing drive3s, and helping the homeless in the TriCities.  Anna graciously thanked the BFSRA members for their donations of toys and games to the Annual Salvation Army Toy Drive, and said, "many children will receive gifts for Christmas this year because of your efforts."  Thank you Anna.  We were honored to be a part of the program.

Following the Toy Drive, we were entertained by the Columbia Connection, A Quartet.  Member of the quartet were Lois Raymond, Jo Yetter, Tami Rawlins and Janet Christian.  Most of the music was focused on the Christmas season, but in their opening number they sang, "The Lion Sleeps Tonight."  Here you see them wearing their lion manes.  

OCTOBER: Lunch with Saundra Hill, Supt of the Year, 2013.

Saundra Hill, Superintendent of
Pasco School District.

When Saundra Hill delivered her talk to the WSSRA State Convention in Pasco last June, we decided to invite her to share that talk with us at one of luncheons.  She was gracious enough to join us in October and we were thrilled to have her with us. After her talk, yours truly said to her, "If I were a young teacher looking for a job and knew what I now know about you and your district, I would be handing you an application, right now!"  
Saundra has been Pasco School District’s Superintendent since 2002, but her roots in this community reach back three decades. She came to Pasco in 1982 already a veteran teacher, having worked in Bickleton and PeEll prior to entering the Pasco School District as a Migrant Resource Teacher at Longfellow Elementary. Her career in the District continued on an upward trajectory. By 1986 Hill had been promoted to District Bilingual Program Administrator, by 1990 she had taken a cabinet position as Director of Staff Development and Evaluation, and in 1993 she took the helm as Director of Special Programs, overseeing such programs such as Title 1 Basic, Migrant, Bilingual Education, and Student Assessment and Evaluation, as well as supervising and developing programs to improve student achievement.  In 2013, she was named Superintendent of the Year in Washington State.

She is also "one of us," a member Benton/Franklin School Retirees Association. 



 

"September Legislative Luncheon"

At the September luncheon, one of our guests, Dr. Bruce Hawkins, Superintendent of ESD #123, shared with us the new "Attendance Matters" program the ESD has developed in conjunction with United Way of Benton & Franklin counties. 

 

In this first year of implementation, the program is directed toward those middle school students who have already begun demonstrating less than productive attendance in school.  Our membership gave a resounding round of applause in response to his request for our endorsement of the program. 

 

L to R:  Jim Foster, standing; Sharon Brown, standing; Bruce Hawkins, seated at the head table; and
Phil Lemley, standing against the dark background to the right.

The main focus for the luncheon was to meet the two candidates for the 8th district (Kennewick) senate seat:  Sharon Brown (R) and Phil Lemley (R).  Jim Foster, our legislative grill-master, asked the candidates a series of questions for which they had a set amount of time to respond.  Let it be said by this reporter the questions didn't always get answered, but Jim did a great job of keeping the two candidates focused on those questions, while at the same time "schooling" them on our issues.

Following the formal Q&A, Jim opened the floor for members questions.  A lively discussion ensued, and either fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on your point of view, we ran out of time.
 
Big thank you's to Jim and A.J. Foster and Elaine Banks for not only meeting with these candidates so they can be informed of what our issues as school retirees are, but also for getting them to the luncheon where we get to know them better and consequently are able to cast more informed votes at the ballot box in November.

"August Picnic"

The Annual August Picnic was held, Monday, August 26th, at the Country Gentleman in Kennewick.  Sixty-three members attended and many reported the hamburgers were excellent in taste and preparation.  The  most popular item however, was the brownies! 

President Jim welcomed everyone back, introduced his mother, and the Executive Board members; and made a few announcements. The remainder of the event was filled with social interactions carried out against the soothing and very melodic sounds of Terry Simmilink's music.

Announcements:

1.  The Country Gentleman has asked us to park behind the building.  The reason is folks driving by looking for a quick lunch won't see a full parking lot and will be encouraged to come on in.  We will have the tables for pay and PAC contributions near the back door entrance beginning in September.

2.  A Craft Table will be set up at each meeting for anyone who has crafts of some sort they want to offer to membership for sale.  A minimum of 50% of any proceeds will go to the scholarship/teacher grant funds.  We have no one to head that up, so if anyone is interested, let us know! 

3.  A correction in program from the most recent newsletter:  Bruce Hawkins, Supt. of ESD 123, will speak briefly at the September luncheon.  The main event in September of course will be the legislators seeking another, or a new, term in office. 

4.  The board has decided the $1400/year we spend on newsletter mail-outs could be better utilized for scholarships and/or teacher grant monies.  To that end, anyone wanting to receive the standard 4 mail-out newsletter/year will be charged a whopping $2 subscription fee.  This will begin in January of 2014 and will run during the regular Jan-Dec year. 

That's it for now. 

"Welcome to Another Year at BFSRA"

Greetings to All,

We hope you can join us at the annual "August Picnic" Aug. 26th at the Country Gentleman at 11:30am.  We will enjoy a buffet of hamburgers, hot dogs, potato salad, and all the fixin's, while listening once again to the smooth and tender vocals of Terry Simmelink.  (Oh, and by the way, we meet indoors because we can predict neither the weather or the voraciousness of the insect populations these days.)

For those of you who are usual in your attendance, we hope you will maintain your visits with us this year; and for those of you who, for whatever reasons, have found it difficult to attend, we want to extend a special invitation to you.  Tom Callahan has put together an outstanding group of presenters and entertainers for us, as well as a mouth-watering menu for each luncheon. And of course, we wish we could do this for 5 bucks a lunch, but prices simply won't allow that anymore.

We can all be proud of our association.  Last year we provided three $1,000 scholarships to local graduates who plan to teach, a thousand dollars in teacher grants, and we collected a truck-load of toys for the little ones during the holiday season.  We provide sharp focus on the legislators, especially since many of them believe the state budget can be balanced out of our pocketbooks and bank accounts.  Then there is the mere social aspect of the association; for some this is one of the few opportunities available for person-to-person contact and for that we can all be grateful.

I hope to see all of you this year.  It is going to be an even better one than last year, because as Elaine said, I've got one more year to "get it right."  Let's hope, with your help and encouragement, that happens.

Be sure to watch for updates, schedules, menus, and other important information right here on our web page. 

Hope to see you at the picnic!   

Jim Bumgarner, president. 
   

"State Convention"

Speaking as the chair of the local organizing committee for the WSSRA State Convention this past June in Pasco, I want to express my deep gratification and commendations to a group of people who put it all together, the are the entire E8 region:

Asotin/Pomeroy and Walla Walla for their support, encouragement, and outstanding table arrangements, and . . .

The local committee members here in the Tri-Cities, members of which were:

            Leona Hassing                      Planning Commitee, Goodie Bags for Monday

            Don Parks                             Planning Committee, Entertainment

            Marlys Mayer                       Treasurer

            Marion Hughes                     Memorial Services

            Helen Bruggeman                 Hospitality, Walk Guide

            Gracie Cooper/Julie Hyde     Table Decorations

            Gracie Cooper                        Ticket Takers/Pages/ and Registration Workers

And,  Lynn Leaverton of Pomeroy, our Official Photographer. 

We decided early on we wanted to put together a "lean and mean" convention; or to put another way, one that could be described as "elegantly simple."  Congratulations to all these folks who were a part of making it happen. We achieved our goal; and we still came in just over 25%, under-budget, without a hitch!! 

The newly installed president of WSSRA, Nick Schultz, commented from the podium that the "local group certainly raised the bar to new heights" in terms of putting on a smoothly run convention.  Thanks, Nick!  

To view the photos of the convention, go to this link. 

Great job, Everyone.

Jim Bumgarner, Chair 

                   

"Gone, but Never Forgotten"

"BFSRA Pre-Retirement Workshop"

Working in conjunction with the WEA Uniserve Offices, and a crew of volunteers from BFSRA, the Pre-Retirement Workshop held today at the Tri-Tech School in Kennewick was a very successful event.

 

Kudos to Sharon Adkins, WEA Uniserve Offices, for making the arrangments with Tri-Tech, for organizing the program, contacting the presenters, making copies of important documents for presenters and attendees, and for keeping Jim Bumgarner in-line and under control as the workshop facilitator.  She also helped get the box lunches together. 

 

Kudos also to the team of BFSRA volunteers who helped with registration (Marlys Mayer, Leona Hassing, and Sally Lindsay); for helping set up the room (Tom Callahan and Peter Bixby); for arranging membership information and collecting new members (Connie Bailey); and especially to Jim and AJ Foster and Elaine Banks for their informative and well delivered presentation regarding the legislature and its continual slide from wisdom.

And last, but never least, BIG KUDOS to our own Elaine Banks for serving as the Chair of our Pre-Retirement Workshop Commitee.  Due to her talented efforts in working with Sharon Adkins, the workshop was a great success. 

 

  

Programs and presenters:

1.  "Social Security - Important Basics You Need to Know."  Matt Wiser, Financial Advisor, Waddell & Reed

2.  "State Health Insurance - Your Options going Into Retirement."  Larry Cade, PEBB - Health Care Authority.

3.  "Legislation _ Sometimes Good; Sometimes Not.  Changes That May Affect Your Retirement Benefits."  Elaine Banks, WSSRA Legislative Committee,  and Jim Foster, BFSRA Legislative Committee Co-Chair.

4.  "Your Financial Check Up - What Do I Need To Do For Retirement Security?  Did I Miss Something??"  Matthew Riesenweber, Financial Advisor, Waddell & Reed

5.  "Retirement paper work:  What Comes First?  And Then What??"  Jan Fraley, Kennewick Retired Teachers. 

"BFSRA Awards 3 - $1,000 Scholarship at April Luncheon"



L to R:  Stephanie Crowther, McCade Bell, Brenda Rodriguez

The scholarships were awarded to these three outstanding high school seniors who have their sights set on becoming teachers.  We were pleased to meet them and their families, and we congratulate each of them on their impressive accomplishements to date as they enter into this next phase of their lives.  Good fortune to each of them!   
 

Brenda Rodriguez, a senior at Connell HS has always wanted to be a teacher. She plans to attend WSU with plans to focus on elementary education. She’s also interested in studying both psychology and Spanish. She will receive a $1000 scholarship.

The second $1000 scholarship is awarded to McCade Bell, a senior at Hanford HS. The son of educators, he has planned on a teaching career from his early years. He will attend Portland State University, with an English major and history or political science minor. He is planning a graduate degree in Education.

The Marion Hankwitz $1000 memorial scholarship awarded to Stephanie Crowther, Connell HS valedictorian. She plans to attend BYU-Idaho with an elementary education major and music minor. Stephanie has been involved in a multitude of school, community and church activities.

These BFSRA winners from Hanford and Connell High Schools with their parents have been invited to attend the April 22 meeting to meet our members.
 

Shirley Frare, Scholarship Chair

"March Luncheon a Sleeper"

A couple of months ago we had people dancing in the aisles, literally.  But in March, when Yoga instructor, Heather Anastos, presented her program she put everyone to sleep.

Really.  The pictures are proof.

Actually, Heather's presentation was one of the best of the year.  My suspicion is that many of us, myself included, didn't know much about yoga.

It has been reported she has added a new class since with interested BFSRA'ers since her presentation.










We had some interesting results from the surveys. Due to the "busy-ness" of the session the number of respondents was low, but five of the twelve replies to the Menu section are notable:

1.  Move back to the Red Lion
2.  Food and service has been great at the Country G - Keep it up.
3.  Shish kabobs, ribs, gourmet burgers with blue cheese.
4.  lower calorie meals that introduce new recipes, and 
5.  No change - the food is great!  

The diversity in these replies leads me to believe we will no doubt make someone happy.

Other survey results: Ten people have visited the website; nine have not.  Eight people voted "yes" regarding moving to an exclusively electronic newsletter; ten said, "no."  53 were silent.  The clear winner, in a 16 - 3 vote, was "yes" to creating a side-table for members to offer craft items for sale to raise scholarship funds. 

 

A wise old farmer once said, "Timing has everything to do with the outcome of a Rain Dance," and Tom Jefferson once said a democracy must have an educated citizenry for its survival. But often it seems it is the legislators who aren't well educated, so there is no one but us to bring them up to speed - with our emails and phone calls. Failure on our parts could bring a severe drought to our livelihood.    
      

Scholarships Winners Announced

BFSRA members Alice Allison, Don Parks, and Jim Bumgarner, met February 28, 2013 to read scholarship applications. The following students were awarded the three 2013 BFSRA Scholarships.

Brenda Rodriguez, a senior at Connell High School plans to attend WSU to become elementary teacher. She’s interested in studying both psychology and Spanish. She will receive a $1000 scholarship.

Another $1000 scholarship will go to Stephanie Crowthers, Connell HS valedictorian. She plans to attend BYU-Idaho to obtain an elementary education major and music minor.

The Marion Hankowitz $1000 memorial scholarship will be awarded to McCade Bell, a senior at Hanford HS. The son of educators, he has planned on a teaching career from his early years. He will attend either UW or Western WA University, Bellingham, with an English major and history or political science minor. He is planning a graduate degree in Education.

These BFSRA winners from Hanford and Connell High Schools, with their parents have been invited to attend the April 22 meeting to meet our members. The scholarships are for the 2013-14 school year.

Shirley Frare, Scholarship chairperson

"School Retirees' Appreciation Week"

Governor Jay Inslee has signed a decree proclaiming the week of March 18-24, 2013, as School Retirees' Appreciation Week. A letter has been sent to all school superintendents in the State of Washington along with a copy of the proclamation and request that they consider adopting the proclamation and recognizing school retirees in their respective school districts.