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LAMBDA SIGMA NEWS

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Texas State Organization Lambda Sigma Chapter

Missouri City, Texas

Volume 29, Number 2 September, 2010 Area IV, Number 282

President: Cathie Ritchie Editor: Barb Hansen critchie43@comcast.net bjhansen@windstream.net

President's Message

Dear Lambda Sigma Sisters,

Ready or not, the ‘10-‘11 school year is rushing forward! I thoroughly enjoyed my Labor Day holiday, and am now counting the days until Thanksgiving holiday. Well, that is a slight exaggeration – I am really counting the days until my son’s wedding, November 6. It is difficult to cram all the school work, committees, church duties, family obligations, and numerous other activities into our busy schedules, but I guess that is what makes us all faithful members of Delta Kappa Gamma. We all share the ability to balance our multi-tasked lives with our bonds of friendship, service, and dedication to our career in education. The greatest benefit of our group, I think, is the friendships we share.

Our first meeting on August 21 was a tremendous success. Kathy Nelson’s lovely home was the perfect, beautiful setting for our initiation of five new members. They are all anxious to participate in our society’s endeavors. Sheri Lim provided delicious refreshments at this great start for our year.

On August 28, eighteen sisters actually managed to get up early enough (on our first Saturday after school started) to meet at 7:00 a.m. to form carpools to drive to Lake Jackson for our Area 4 Workshop. What a fun time was had by all! The sessions were very informative and well-presented. We came away with great new ideas to enhance our meetings. Best of all was the laughter we shared, and the good food, too.

Our next meeting is rapidly approaching on Thursday, September 30, 4:30 p.m., at Lexington Creek Elementary. Your officers and committee chairs have planned a good meeting that I am sure you will enjoy. Be sure to bring your checkbook to pay for your dues, if you have not already done so. $80 – active $30 – reserve. We are also going to raffle off some items you are sure to want.

I look forward to seeing you there.

Sincerely,Cathie Ritchie

The Delta Kappa Gamma Mission Statement

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International promotes professional and

personal growth of women educators and excellence in education.

September Chapter Meeting

Thursday, Sept. 30, 2010 4:30 p.m.Lexington Creek Elementary Library2335 Dulles Avenue, Missouri City 77459Tel: 281-634-5007

Hostesses: Mary Crochet Martha Ewell, Chair Sandy Harvey Joan Eubanks

Program: Parliamentary ProcedureIntroducing our new websiteScholarship opportunities

Pay Dues and Update Yearbook Information!

19 members of the Lambda Sigma Chapter attended the Area IV workshop in Lake Jackson, TX on

Saturday, August 28.

Birthday Girls!

Sep-01 Mary E. "Zooks" CampbellSep-10 Joan EubanksSep-10 Martha EwellSep-10 Lee Ann MoodySep-10 Darlene TresseltSep-10 Arlise WilsonOct-06 Carolyn HynesOct-06 Nita SmithOct-06 Paula BurnsOct-06 Amy StoesserOct-06 Peggy WoodOct-06 Carla MeuthOct-06 Vicki DelgadoOct-06 Pat SchroyerOct-06 Susan Voradakis

A Look at Your Committees

The Achievement Award Committee recognizes Chapter members for their work at the State and local levels.  Throughout the year individuals will be singled out for their service to Lambda Sigma and the DKG Society. Mary Louise Ivey is chairman of this committee along with Judy Bartay, Kathy Riley and Nita Smith.Mary Louise is a charter member of Lambda Sigma. She retired from FBISD in 2000 with 30 years of service.  During the early years of the Chapter, she held a number of offices.  Since retirement, Mary Louise has worked as a Field Supervisor for ACT Houston (Alternative Certification program). She is married to Wayne and they have 5 grandchildren and another due in January.

Professional Affairs CommitteeChair - Jeannette SpainMembers - Paula Jay, Louise Nutzman, Lucille Williams, Sharon McGlaunPurpose - sponsor the grants-in-aid Lambda Sigma awards each year to high school graduating seniors or college student pursuing a degree in educationResponsibilities - The Professional Affairs Committee establishes a timeline, prepares the application, and provides information to the chapter members.  Applications will be distributed to counselors at each of the district's high schools and made available to members.  The Committee will establish criteria and a scoring rubric, review all applications, and make a final selection.  The grant-in-aid recipients will be invited to the Founders Day Luncheon in May to be recognized and receive the grant.  The Committee will submit a bio of each recipient to the Communications Chair for the chapter newsletter.

Committee Chair - Jeannette Spain is the Director of Gifted and Talented and Academy Programs for Fort Bend ISD.  In her job she oversees the GT Program for all students in the district, grades K-12, as well as the International Baccalaureate (IB) Middle Years and Diploma Programs, the middle school GT Academy, and nine high school career academies.  Jeannette served as Lambda Sigma's president from 2006-2008 and parliamentarian from 2008-2010.  Jeannette has three sons and one grandson.  Her oldest son Joe lives with his wife Holly Palmer and son Maceo in Hollywood.  Joe is a model, actor, artist, and all around creative person.  He recently finished a photo shoot for Target, three commercials for Apple, and worked as the art director for Mattel. You might also see him in the Walgreen's flu shot commercial.  Holly had a part in the movie My One and Only for which she also sang the film's lead score.  Her albums are available on iTunes.  Jeannette's middle son Scott lives in Maui and works as an assistant manager for Enterprise Rental.  The youngest son Logan graduated in May with a degree in film from the University of Texas and he leaves soon to complete graduate work studying special effects make-up.  Jeannette is certainly proud of her sons and visits them whenever she can.  This summer she spent ten days in Hawaii and then quality time with her precious grandson.

Getting to Know YouOur newest members

Stephanie Bailey holds a BA in Sociology from the University of Colorado. She moved to Houston several years ago to pursue a career in teaching, after having been a Corporate Trainer for a financial

institution in Denver, Colorado.   Stephanie currently holds both GT and ESL certifications, and teaches first grade at Lexington Creek Elementary.

When not teaching, Stephanie enjoys spending time with her husband Jarrett, walking and playing with her two year old Labradoodle, cooking/entertaining for friends and family, camping, traveling (almost anywhere) and fishing in the Gulf!

Stephanie is thrilled to have the opportunity to be a member of DKG and looks forward to the various service projects, professional development opportunities and the new friendships she will form with this great organization.

Currently Salethia Morris can be found doing what’s best for second graders at Austin Parkway Elementary. In addition to serving as Team Leader, Salethia teaches the gifted talented curriculum for her

grade level. She began her journey as a professional educator in 1985 teaching first grade at Martin Petijean Elementary School in Rayne, Louisiana. Mrs. Morris has been a member of the Fort Bend ISD family since 1986. She has shared her expertise on four

FBISD elementary campuses with experience spanning first through fourth grades additionally serving as team leader on three of the four campuses. Salethia is credited with service on a multitude of committees and programs to enhance education and community. In 2003, she obtained her Reading Recovery certification. It was her honor to serve as her Campus Teacher of the Year in 2004.

Salethia is the wife of Bill Morris and the proud mother of two daughters Jasmine, a sophomore at Elkins High School and Charmecia who is a sophomore at Baylor University.

In 1980 as a high school senior, Salethia was selected as a recipient of a four year annual scholarship award from the Beta Omega Chapter of this honorary society as she pursued her first degree in Elementary Education.

She is humbled and honored to have come full circle by being inducted to active status of the Lambda Sigma Chapter of The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International on Sunday, August 21, 2010.

Sue Sowell teaches Kindergarten at Settlers Way Elementary.  She has taught in FBISD for 11 years total; 2 years Reading Recovery / 1st Grade Math/Sci./SS, 1 year

PreK/ESL, and 8 years Kindergarten. 

Sue and her husband Martin have been married 28 years and have 2 sons. Erich graduated from Clements High School and Alex graduated from Elkins High School. Both sons went on to graduate from Texas A&M.  She attends All Saints Episcopal Church in Stafford, Texas and is involved in the Kairos / Cursillo / Mission ministries.

Sue enjoys reading, going to the movies and museums, traveling, and visiting with family and friends.

Julie Gehring is in her 26th year of teaching first grade. She loves first graders and is challenged by the enormous amount of academic growth that happens during that year. Teaching is and has always been her passion. When Julie was a child, her dad even let her convert the garage into a classroom, because she was so driven to teach! For many years, Julie’s birthday money was spent going to the local teachers’ supply store. Teaching is definitely in her blood also, as she comes from a family of educators. In 1999, Julie was very honored to be named the FBISD Elementary Teacher of the Year.

Julie and husband Ronnie have 3 wonderful children. Megan, 19, is in her second year of college. Austin, 17, is a senior in high school, and Hannah, 7, is a second grader. They are all very different in personality with varying interests, and they definitely keep them hopping!

Julie’s husband is a Middle-School Youth Pastor and Operations Pastor at their church, Colony Creek Community Church. He has truly found his passion as well and really has a way with those middle-schoolers! They are all very involved in church activities and feel blessed to have such a wonderful church home.Julie is so excited to be a part of Delta Kappa Gamma and looks forward to getting to know many of you better!

September Raffle

Don’t forget to bring some extra $$ to the September meeting. The Communications, Hospitality, and Yearbook

Committees will have items to raffle off in order to support our grants-in-aide fund.

Not only did Mary Ann Dolezal present a Treasurer’s Session (along with Ann Thompson) and a Personal

Growth and Services session at the Area IV workshop in Lake Jackson, but she also won the

Lambda Sigma raffle basket- Snack Attack!

Next months meeting –

October 27th - 4:30 p.m.  Lexington Creek Elementary. Traci Hoke the CFO of FBISD will speak about the FBISD budget.

Bookmark This!

http://lambdasigma.weebly.com/

Chapter News

Mary Ann Dolezal will be presenting an in-service workshop," If You're Smoking Around Here, You Better Be on Fire!" on Sept. 28 after school at Fort Settlement Middle School.  A class set of materials from the research based curriculum, Toward No Tobacco Use (TNT), will be distributed to teachers who sign up for the 10 session program that is appropriate for grades 4-8.  Health and Science TEKS objectives correlate with the curriculum.   To register, select the code HLTH 092.001 for Sept. 28 at FSMS.  Mary Ann is a retired FBISD health educator who now works with Fort Bend County Health & Human Services in tobacco control. 

Linda Russell’s youngest daughter, Pamela, had her third child, a little girl on June 24th. Her name is Rachel Hansen and weighed in at 6 lbs. 7oz. and 19 3/4 inches long.  They live in Pearland and Linda’s gets to see them often.  She now has 4 grandchildren. 

Linda had a busy summer out of town also, as she was in Il, WI, MN, and TN.  No escape from the heat, as everyplace she visited was hot.  Her oldest daughter met her in Chicago and they cel-ebrated Linda’s birthday at a surprise party and later met all the cousins at a Cubs game in Wrigley Field.  It was an experience that will be remembered!       

Mary Ann and Phil Dolezal are packing long sleeves, jackets and jeans as they head to Ridgway, Colorado to visit Lee and Jon LeGrand at their summer home.  They will be making the 22 hour drive in 3 days, spending a night in Amarillo, then in Durango, CO visiting Mesa Verde National Park to see the beautiful cliff dwellings before they reach Ridgway.  Temperatures are in the 40s in the evenings and 70s during the day. The aspens are beginning to turn so they are looking forward to some amazing scenery and time away from suburbia!

Sandy Harvey’s son, Michael, got married on July 31st.  He and his wife (Elaine Hymel Harvey) are both teachers at Cornerstone Elementary (Michael -4th, Elaine-3rd).  Sandy’s daughter, Allison Harvey, is teaching 5th grade at Sugar Grove Christian School, her first teaching position!  They are officially a family of teachers.  Sandy’s husband is the only one who isn’t officially a teacher, but is heavily involved in Scouting, which we think makes him a teacher in a way! 

Just a Thought

“If there be any truer measure of a man than by what he does, it must be by what he gives.” -Robert South

Minutes to the August 21 Initiation and Meeting follow:

Delta Kappa Gamma Lambda Sigma ChapterAugust 21, 2010

I. The gathering of Delta Kappa Gamma members began with the initiation ceremony. We are pleased to welcome Stephanie Bailey, Julie Gehring, Harriet Mantini, Salethia Morris, and Sue Sowell.

II. President Cathie Ritchie called the meeting to order at 1:35. Judy Wallis read the inspiration, a poem entitled, “To Be of Use” by Margie Piercy.

III. Carla Meuth read the minutes from the May 22 meeting. One correction was added and the minutes were approved.

IV. Reports:

A. Treasurer Dale Araujo reported our treasury has a balance of $1257.13. The estimated expected income for this year is $7380 and estimated expenditures - $7264. Dale re-ported some of the ways the money is used: on convention, initiation, miscellaneous sup-plies, and postage. Dale will send an email detailing exactly how the dues are allocated to the state and to our chapter. The membership dues for this year are: Active member $80, Reserve member $30, Initiates $80 + $10. Dues were collected. State dues will increase in 2011.

B. First Vice President Linda Russell explained the raffles for each meeting, and she will pro-vide a letter for members to give to businesses for possible donations for future raffles. The items for raffle at the meeting were: from the Music committee, 2 jeweled crosses, from the Finance committee, a cookbook, and from the Ceremonial committee a Refer-ence Bible. It was reported that the Communications, Hospitality, and Yearbook commit-tees will provide raffle items for the next meeting. The program for the next meeting will be Parliamentary procedures and the Lamba Sigma website. A progressive dinner is planned on Dec. 7 from 5-8 pm.

C. Second Vice President, Sally Cain, reported there were 31 members and 1 guest, Dawn Westfall from the Alief chapter, in attendance.

D. Mary Crochet, Yearbook committee chair, passed a paper for members to check their cur-rent information so it can be added to our yearbook.

E. Barb Hanson, Communications chair, requested that if you would like a hard copy of the newsletter sent to you, please provide 5 self-addressed stamped envelopes to her. Let her know of any news by the first of each month so it can be included in the next newsletter.

V. New Business:

A. There are 23 paid members set to attend the area workshop. Last year, our chapter won the award for having the most members in attendance.

B. Ideas of a magnetic name badge were discussed as a fundraiser. Any ideas for fund rais-ers should be given to Linda Russell.

VI: Announcements:A. Thank you to Kathy Nelson for providing her home for our meeting, to Sheri Lim for the re-

freshments, to Christi Chrisman and the music committee for the songs, and Denise Loftin and the Ceremonials committee for the initiation.

B. Janie Holsapple will provide applications for new member nominations at each meeting.

C. Our next meeting is at Lexington Creek Elementary on Sept. 30 at 4:30.

D. Our music committee entertained us with the song, “Where Oh Where”

VI. The meeting was closed with the singing of the Delta Kappa Gamma song.

Minutes reported by: Lana Petrizzo, Recording Secretary_____________________________________ ____________________________________ President Recording Secretary