WOT2013-02

Volume 17, Issue 9 February 2013

Women’s Activity ClubWinterthurerstrasse 18

8610 Uster043 305 9250

www.wac.ch

The Club is a multifunctional organization whose purpose is to meet the social, educational, and

personal needs of its members. The Club is designed to encourage

international friendship, support, and sharing.

WAC ON TRACK

http://www.wac.ch

http://www.wac.ch


WAC Board of DirectorsGood communication between the

board members and the membership of the WAC is important for the

continued growth and improvement of the club. If you have any concerns

or questions, please feel free to contact us.

President Carol Conzelmann044 940 02 [email protected]

Vice PresidentStephanie [email protected]

SecretarySusan Junodsusan [email protected]

TreasurerLeong See [email protected]

Activities ChairpersonHeike [email protected]

Special Events ChairpersonKalpana [email protected]

Marketing ChairpersonAngie Menendez 079 258 53 [email protected]

Membership ChairpersonSusan [email protected]

WAC Office &Learning Tree School

Office HoursMonday - Friday 9:00-12:00

Club Office ManagerJennifer Langkjaer

043 305 [email protected]

School DirectorIda Imbach

043 305 [email protected]

[email protected]

Editor’s Note Stacy Streuli

Advertising RatesFull page ad: 150 Sfr.

Half page ad: 80 Sfr.Quarter page ad: 50 Sfr.Inserts: 150 Sfr.Classifieds: Members: 10 Sfr. Non Members 30 Sfr.

WAC Notice board : (one month / max. size A5 / members: free. Please contact office for further information.)

“WAC on Track” Deadlines and ContributionsIf you have a story to share, a fun experience, a recommendation, a recipe or anything else

you’d like to share with other members, please email it to: [email protected].

DEADLINE FOR FEBRUARY ISSUE: 20 JANUARY

Dear readers,

Happy February - the month of love, and Carnival/Fasnacht! As we say goodbye to Christmas and end a very snowy holiday and January, we already get to look forward to the ski holiday break, hopefully a date night on Feb 14, and getting crazy in our costumes and dancing to the Gugge music of the Fasnacht parades. If you’re new to Switzerland, or if you haven’t seen how other cities do their Fasnacht parades, a small guide is included in this issue!

Here is a quick (and yummy!) February craft:

Chocolate Dipped Pretzel Hearts:

■ tiny twist pretzels (Migros)■ melted chocolate■ white chocolate with added red food coloring■ baking paper■ toothpicks/skewers

Melt chocolate, and carefully dip pretzels using toothpick. Lay on baking paper to dry.Place in clear bags to eat or give to your favorite Valentine!

mailto:[email protected]

























President’s Note Carol Conzelmann

Hello all,

I hope you all had a fabulous Christmas and New Year holiday. The holidays already seem like a long time ago, and what happened to January? February is all about snow and skiing – for those of you heading off into the mountains, I hope you have a wonderful time and the kids enjoy their time in the snow!

I’m now serving the last couple of months as WAC President, and I and the Nominations Committee are pleased to see many members stepping forward to take roles on the Board or as Chairpersons, but also very concerned that a number of key positions remain vacant. Please read the Nom Com article later in this edition and help out if you can. Your Club needs you!

We’ve done a small update to the notice boards at the WAC. There is now a space for ‘Classified Adverts’, designed for those members who want to sell (or give away) any items. If you have a business that may be of interest to other WAC members, you can also put up an advert on the advert board (please check with Jen in the office first).

Also new is a board with a ‘Volunteer-Tree’ – the idea is to have the chance to say a small ‘thank you’ to any member who has done something special for the WAC. Just fill out a leaf and attach it to the tree! There’s also

space for announcements such as births, or if you’re a new member or moving away, feel free to put up a note. Finally there’s also a ‘Help Wanted’ section which will include information about vacant volunteer jobs at the WAC.

We’ll also be putting up some new photos so I hope you’ll like the new look!

Have a great holiday and look forward to seeing as many of you as possible at the AGM in March.

-Carol


WANTED/NEEDED: NEW WAC PRESIDENT!Main tasks

• Chair board mee,ngs • Be nosy about what everyone’s up to, so you can…• Help them out or point them in the direc,on of help • Tell everyone how wonderful the WAC is• Get to know as many members as possible, so you can…• Twist their arms to volunteer• Go shopping (for liDle thank you giEs)• Keep an eye on the money • Chat regularly to our WAC employees • Write ar,cles for the WAC on Track• Deal with the odd crisis• ADending par,es/going out for dinner

Skills (not saying that I have them all though…)• Like working with a team, well organized, asser,ve and a good listener• Passionate about the WAC • Enjoy a challenge and self-‐mo,vated

Best things about the job• A great sense of achievement – something useful, besides being a mom!• GeRng to know a wonderful group of people, who become friends• Learning some new skills and brushing up on some old ones… keeps the brain working

Not so great things….• Not being able to achieve everything you want – can’t do it all, especially in a volunteer environment with

limited resources• Finding the ,me!

Time required• Board mee,ngs once a month – 2-‐4 hours prepara,on, aDendance and follow up• Other mee,ngs – an hour a month or so• Answering emails and phone calls – 2 hours/week in term ,me • WAC on Track ar,cle – 1 hour a month• Project work, suppor,ng others in their work – as much as you want/are able to give!• The majority of work can be done from home – it’s not necessary to be in the WAC office

Interested? Give me a call and I’ll tell you more…..

Carol Conzelmann 079 420 1744 / [email protected]




Do you remember reading this line when you filled out your WAC membership form? Although we do have paid employees at the WAC, their jobs focus on the school and on office administration. The rest of the WAC’s activities – playgroups, parties, social groups, courses, the library, the upkeep of common areas, our website and newsletter, to name but a few – are all the result of work done by unpaid WAC members. Without these volunteers, the WAC and our beloved Learning Tree Cooperative School could not function.

In March 2013, the current WAC Board and Chairpersons will change. Some of those serving are willing to continue for another year, but many volunteer jobs will become vacant. The new WAC Board will be voted in at our AGM on Thursday, March 21st, with voting taking place throughout March.

Have you volunteered at the WAC at all? Have you helped out in small ways, but are now willing to try out something new?

Volunteer work can be tremendously rewarding. Many of us are unable to take a paid job in Switzerland due to family commitments or because of a lack of suitable opportunities. By taking on a volunteer job, you have the chance to learn some new skills, and possibly brush up on some old ones. Working with a team, you learn how to work with others and step away from being a mom for a while. It can be a juggling act, but at the WAC we all have busy lives.

As a member of a volunteer team, you can expect help from other WAC members to help you find those few spare minutes (or hours!) to get things done.

The 2013 Nominations Committee has now been established and will be working hard to ensure that the WAC has a capable and talented team of volunteers to run our club in the year ahead. If one of us approaches you about a role, please don’t run away! Taking on a new challenge can be daunting, but we encourage you to think about how you can help out and what you might get out of it. There is always help and support on hand.

Equally, you might be interested, but we don’t yet know you personally. If you’d like to find out more, please don’t wait to be approached! We would be delighted to hear from you and tell you more about what roles are up for grabs – without obligation of course J

We’ll be posting job descriptions and a sign-up sheet on the WAC noticeboard, so please do have a look and see if there’s something that interests you. More information will also be available on our website and in the February WAC on Track (See next page).

NOM COM NEWS AND URGENT PLEA FOR HELP

‘As a cooperative club, the WAC runs on the efforts of our members’


NOM COM UPDATE:Although we’re delighted that a number of members have agreed to stand as Board and Chairpersons, we have a lot of big gaps in the 2012/13 board that MUST be filled. According to the WAC constitution, the Executive board members are President, VP, Treasurer and Secretary. To date, we only have a nomination for one of these roles, without which the WAC cannot function. In order to offer the full range of activities, playgroups, courses and events, and to keep the WAC functioning smoothly, the other roles also need to be filled.

The WAC is a vibrant community which provides an essential service to many people in the region from all over the world. But it is a VOLUNTEER organization and we need members to do their bit to make it work. Please consider what (if anything) you have done for the WAC since you joined. It is a requirement of membership to help out, even if in a small way. If you have thought of volunteering, but are nervous about what’s involved, then please read the articles that follow in this month’s WAC on Track to find out more.

You can approach any of the Nominations Committee (contact details below) or Ida or Jen in the office, to arrange for a chat with the relevant person. Remember, there are lots of experienced members at the WAC who have volunteered in the past who are very happy to share their expertise and support new members. We work as a team and there’s plenty of fun to be had too, making new friends and learning some new skills. What have you got to lose? Give it a try!

WAC Board

President' ' VACANT

Vice President'' VACANT

Treasurer' ' VACANT

Secretary' ' Swapna Patil

Activities' ' Heike Adler

Events' ' ' Louise Gooding

Membership' ' Susan Mailley-Smith

Marketing' ' Charlotte Stone

ChairpersonsIT' ' ' VACANTBusiness' ' VACANTSpecial Events'' VACANTPublications' ' Carol ConzelmannInterior/Exterior' Pamela Stankay-SherryLibrary'' ' Jessica BachofenPlaygroups' ' Claire

Thanks for reading and we look forward to being inundated with eager volunteers J

Carol Conzelmann' ' [email protected] Weber' ' [email protected] Junod' ' ' [email protected] Menendez' ' [email protected] Kummer-Wehli'' [email protected]












Dear Friends,

As some of you may know, in just a few months the WAC will welcome a new Board. We currently have several positions open including three of the four executive positions on the Board. There are opportunities for anyone who is willing to help, and positions to fit even the busiest of schedules. (I have two young children, one that’s school-age, and I don’t live in Uster – It hasn’t always been easy but it has always been worthwhile and it’s the least I could do for an organization that made my first few months so far away from home bearable.)

I have enjoyed serving as the Vice President and hope to pass the opportunity to serve the WAC family on to someone who loves this organization as much as I do. As VP, I support the President with various responsibilities, write a article or two for the WAC, spot check the hours submitted for the teachers and staff monthly salaries, and observe a few of the LTC classes as part of the yearly review and appraisal process for our dedicated teachers. As a member of the Board, the VP also helps support its activities, including brainstorming at monthly meetings, organizing the Annual WAC BBQ and other staple events. The VP position takes approximately 8 -10 hours a month and this time includes attending a Board meeting once a month.

You can work with your friends or make new ones. Volunteering helps you set the direction for where the WAC is headed, in terms of new programs. Most importantly, it is rewarding to know that your time is going to help others like yourself in so many valuable ways. You also help support an organization that strives to always be a place someone can go and feel welcome!

It’s hard to believe a year has passed already and it’s been great connecting with something bigger than myself. The best part of volunteering at the WAC has been meeting and getting to know a great and dedicated team of ladies. It takes many hands to keep the WAC running, and we need your help. So, who’s ready to pay it forward?

-Stephanie

Vice President’s Note" " " " " " " Stephanie Weber


Welcome back! Hope you all enjoyed the Christmas holidays – with or without snow!

It seems that we just got back from our Christmas holidays and the Ski holidays are already around the corner!

The teachers and I would like to give a big THANK YOU to all the parents and children for the very thoughtful and nice Christmas cards and your generous gifts!

I would also like to remind the parents of our ‘Sick Policy’. It’s winter and ‘tis the season for colds, coughs, flu etc. Please remember that should your child have any of the symptoms listed in our policy, they should be kept at home. This is for the consideration of the other children, their families and of course, the teachers. Here is an excerpt from our Sick Policy:

1. Sick policy. Parents are required to notify the school whenever a child has been exposed to a communicable disease. Children who are sick or who have a communicable disease are not permitted to attend class. This Is also applicable if any sibling is sick or has a communicable disease. Staff members will not come to work when feeling or displaying any signs of communicable disease. All other parents will be notified when the school is informed of a student or staff member having a serious communicable disease, either by written notice posted on our bulletin board or through the phone tree.

A child with any sign of the following symptoms will be immediately isolated and discharged to his/her parent or guardian:

• diarrhea• severe coughing, causing child to become red or blue in face or make a whooping sound• difficult or rapid breathing• yellowish skin or eyes• conjunctivitis• elevated temperature and / or any other sign of illness• untreated infected skin patches• unusually dark urine and/or gray or white stool• stiff neck• unusual spots or rashes• sore throat or difficulty swallowing• vomiting• evidence of lice, scabies, or other parasitic infestation

I thank you in advance for your cooperation.

Our second semester begins on the week of February 4 and our school’s winter holidays are from February 18- March 3. After the ski holidays, we will schedule our class picture taking. We will post the schedule on our bulletin boards and on the next Wac on Track!

So, here’s hoping for snow so we can all enjoy our ski holidays!!!

LTC School News Ida Imbach


COM Corner Jennifer Langkjaer

If you would like an updated 2013 membership list, please feel free to come by the office to pick one up. (Please remember that these lists are for personal use only and not to be distributed or used for advertising purposes.)

Disco Night - February 8th

Cooking Class Sushi - February 7th

Flea Market - March 9th

WAC Annual General Meeting - March 21st

Arts & Crafts Easter Workshop - March 23rd

WAC DATES FOR YOUR DIARY


Dear WAC Members,

Because February is the month of Love, we have a few more love/friendship stories on DVD.

William & Kate --- The courtship of Prince William & Kate Middleton: how they met, parted & got back together again.

The Intouchables --- Wealthy paraplegic Frenchman hires unlikely poor black domestic. They become friends & his helper’s unconventional ways help get the Frenchman out of his depression.

A Dolphin Tale --- Boy befriends an injured dolphin. They become friends. And the boy helps the dolphin get a prosthetic tail. Movie is based on a true story of a dolphin injured in a crab trap.

And for the children, there is Madagascar --- Europe’s Most Wanted (the latest Madagascar movie) and Clone Wars. For the complete list, look at the flyer posted around the WAC. Also there are a lot of new books: The Story of Chocolate, The Biography of Winston Churchi!, Who was Roald Dahl, etc.

Happy Valentines! Happy Fasnacht!

Warm Regards,

J Judy

LIBRARY NEWSJudy Burckhardt

Once your child turns 6, you are in for a shock as he/she will suddenly have to pay for entrance fees, tickets, rides etc. where most things up to this point are free in Switzerland.

The SBB has a great offer called a Junior Card. For just Fr. 30.- per year, you receive a travel pass for your child (6 – 16 years old), which allows them to travel accompanied by a parent with a valid ticket, at no extra charge throughout that year. In other words, no more buying children’s train or tram tickets if they are travelling with you. This Junior Card is valid throughout Switzerland where normal train/bus/tram tickets are valid.

One thing to remember, the Card is only valid with a paying parent! The parent has to have a valid ticket, and the Junior Card should just be shown to the conductor along with the parent’s ticket. This Card it not valid when your child is travelling with another adult (e.g. friend, grandparent, or godmother etc.) It is only valid with a parent!.

Also, many places that offer discounts for the half-fare travel card (HalbTax) offer a discount for Junior Card holders too.

Sharon’s Tips


The Christmas Train

The Christmas Train

In December the Readers gone WACky read The Christmas train by David Baldacci. The book proved a nice fast read, very good to put you in a Holiday and train traveling mood. The story is built up very well: Tom, a journalist, is boarding a train to bring him from Washington via Chicago to Los Angeles, to spend Christmas near Lake Tahoe with his girlfriend. On board he meets all sorts of nice and original people, including a singing train attendant, a laid off train expert, a priest, Tom's ex-girlfriend Eleanor whom he never could forget, and her boss, a famous film producer. Tom and Eleanor get closer, and after a blizzard when the train is stuck because of avalanches they decide to go searching for help together.

The end of the story is full of Christmas miracles and holiday spirit, a bit too much according to us. But all in all, readers recommend the book for wintertime reading.

After discussing the book we had our annual White Elephant celebration with presents and something to drink. --Henriette de Rooij

Our next meetings and books in 2013 are:

March 6 ' Round House ' ' by Louise ErdrichApril 3 ' March" ' ' ' by Geraldine BrooksMay 15 ' The Buddha in the Attic 'by Julie Otsuka

Meetings are held on Wednesday evenings at 8 PM at the WAC. New readers are very welcome! Please call or email Alice Knoepfel for more information (044 912 2326 [email protected])

Readers Gone WACkyAlice Knöpfel


Congratulations to Angie, Marc, and big brother Santiago on the

birth of

Siena Vittoria Patricia Menendez

born December 19, 20123.43 kilos, 50 cm

Bir! Announcements

Congratulations to Katie, Philipp and big brother Hudson on the

birth of

Abigail Haley Arnold

born on 28 November 2012 in Spital Uster


Thursday March 21st

, 7 .30-9pm, in the WAC Clubroom

The AGM is open to ALL members.

• Outgoing board report on the past year

• New board gets voted in, and gives a sneak peak of their plans

for next year

• Open forum for questions, concerns and suggestions

Come along and be an active member of your club!

Important!! Dessert buffet will be served…. Yum!

!

Girls ClubJana Parkin

This month the girls in Girls Club donned their wizard math hats as they enjoyed some board games all having to do with math and numbers. Noodle O’s, Multiplication Bingo, Life, and a Hershey’s kiss math game brought lot of fun as the girls worked on their “Math Wiz” badge. “Usually math is pretty boring but doing it at Girls Club was super cool!” said one enthusiastic Girls Clubber. “I really loved the singing part, I had the Girls Club theme song in my head all afternoon!” said another Math Wiz. The girls are all at different levels in school but they really came together well to work on the games that suited their school level best. Board games and good friends, what could be better on a cold winter day?!

The next Girls Club activity is scheduled for February 2nd. For more information about Girls Club please contact Jana Parkin

Girls Night In at the WAC

A TASTE OF INDIA

Wednesday, March 13th, 7.30pm in the WAC clubroom

Join us for a fun evening with delicious home cooked food, good company and lots of laughter. The theme is Indian, and we’ll be sure to have some authentic dishes of varying degrees of spiciness to cater for all tastes…

Each person brings starter/ main course or dessert plus their own drinks

Sign up on the WAC noticeboard or via email to [email protected]


Basler Fasnacht 18.02. - 20.02.2013

Berner Fasnacht 14.02. - 16.02.2013

Bieler Fasnacht, 13.02. - 17.02.2013

Churer Fasnacht 08.02. - 12.02.2013

Glarner Fasnacht 08./16./17.02.2013

Luzerner Fasnacht 07.02. - 12.02.2013

Schaffhauser Fasnacht 31.01. - 03.02.2013

St. Galler Fasnacht 07.02. - 12.02.2013

Winterthurer Fasnacht 04.02. - 22.02.2013

Zuger Chesslete Zuger Fasnacht

07.02. - 12.02.2013

Uster Fasnacht 17.02.2013




LUCERNEThe so-‐called "Fritschi-‐Fasnacht" in Lucerne has its origins in the Middle Ages and is based on the traditions of the "Fritschi" Guild. Carnival always begins with the arrival of the Fritschi Family on "schmutziger Donnerstag" ("dirty Thursday"). Dirty Thursday is celebrated only in Catholic cantons -‐ as a concept, it is comparable to "Mardi Gras".

FASNACHTFasnacht, or carnival, in Switzerland may not be quite the spectacle that its counterpart in Rio is, but anybody who thinks the Swiss are conservative and staid may be surprised at the festivities during this time of year. During the carnival season, participants let their hair down and enjoy life to the full. Masks and costumes help people take on a new identity while they parade through the streets, often playing musical instruments.

Fasnacht happens normally just before or just after the beginning of Lent. The roots of the tradition are disputed: some people claim it goes back to a mixture of pagan spring festivals, Christian rites and secular folk customs. In some cantons, carnival is based on pagan traditions of using fearsome masks to chase away evil spirits.

Although carnivals were held in mediaeval times, in later centuries the authorities often saw them as subversive and tried to ban them. Carnivals as they exist today date back usually no further than the 19th century. Bern's modern carnival was introduced as recently as 1982.

Switzerland's biggest and best-‐known carnivals are held in Basel and Lucerne. Dates for other celebrations can be found on the previous page. Additional info on Children’s costume parades can be found here (German): http://www.familienleben.ch/56-‐feste/2180-‐die-‐schoensten-‐fasnachtsumzuege-‐fuer-‐kinder

BASELFasnacht in Basel is one of the country's best known and most extravagant traditions. When the carnival gets underway in the early hours of the morning (the Morgenstraich) the streets of this northern Swiss city come alive with the sound of drumming, flute-‐playing and marching by masked and costumed figures.

The Morgenstraich traditionally starts on the Monday after Ash Wednesday, at 4 am precisely. Although the Fasnacht tradition can be traced back to the 14th century, the Morgenstraich was first given official approval in 1835. Participants would march through the city with torches -‐ until these were banned ten years later -‐ and then with lanterns. Today, all street lighting is turned off in the city during the Morgenstraich, to make way for the procession of large decorative lanterns.

The day continues much in the same vein, with music, processions, and plenty of noise. In addition, some cafés and restaurants provide a forum for the Schnitzelbank tradition: participants get up and spout satirical verses about a subject of their choice.

Like this tradition, many of the costumes worn at the carnival reflect current affairs and events.

http://www.familienleben.ch/56-feste/2180-die-schoensten-fasnachtsumzuege-fuer-kinder





Mothering Mattersis a non-profit, bi-monthly journal

for English- speaking parents living in Switzerland with articles and information on child-rearing topics, suggestions and practical

tips for child-related activities.

A year’s subscription costs SFr. 33.

For more information, or to subscribe, go to

www.mmjournal.com

THE WAC DAY EXCURSIONS BOOK

For all those excursions around Zurich and beyond, don’t forget the

revised WAC Excursion Book, listing great days out in and around the

Zurich area.

Available from the office or library for just 15 SFr.

Lunch Club

A Two Hour Supervised Lunch Break for you and your kids! Mon-Tues-Thurs-Fri 11:45-13:45

Cost: 15chf per child/per day

Parents are responsible for their own child’s sack lunch.

Please fill in a registration form at the WAC or see our website for more info.

http://www.mmjournal.com

http://www.mmjournal.com


PLAYGROUPS

Disclaimer: Members, their families and guests are reminded that participation in WAC activities is entirely on their own discretion and/or risk. Neither the Women’s Activity Club nor its representatives shall be held responsible for damage, injury or loss incurred by the use of

Club property or participation in club events.

Zoom Zoom Zoom !

* Lots of singing, dancing, and moving

* Story time or theme discussion

* Every Tuesday starting at 9:30-11:30

Come make some new friends!

Interested? Ask Jana for more info.

[email protected]

ROCKIN’ RASCALSRockin’ Rascals welcomes kids aged 0-4 and their mom-dad-caregiver

Every Thursday from 9:15-11:15for songs, playing, crafts and snack!

Hosted by Annie Forster, Bettina Ditzen and Louise GoodingFor more information please contact Louise at: [email protected]

https://plus.google.com/u/0/118139481369646933889?prsrc=4

https://plus.google.com/u/0/118139481369646933889?prsrc=4



Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

19:00 Library open11:45-1:45pm Lunch Club4:00pm Ballet

210-11 Ballet11-11:30 Tap1:30-4:30 Arts and Crafts Workshop

3 49:00 Library open 11:45-1:45pm Lunch Club4:15 Ballet

511:45-1:45pm Lunch Club

69:00 Library open9-11 Music Learning-Gordon Method1:30 Library open

79:15-11:15am Playgroup11:15 Library open11:45-1:45pm Lunch Club4:30 Library open19:00 Zumba19:00 Cooking Class - Sushi

89:00 Library open 11:45-1:45pm Lunch Club 4:00pm Ballet6:00 Kids Disco Night

910:00 Free Trial Class Ballet (registration required)



139:00 Library open 9-11 Music Learning-Gordon Method1:30 Library open

149:15-11:15am Playgroup11:15 Library open11:45-1:45pm Lunch Club4:30 Library open19:00 Zumba

159:00 Library open 11:45-1:45pm Lunch Club 4:00pm Ballet

16

17 18 19 20 21 22 23

24 25 26 27 28


February

SPORT HOLIDAY

SPORT HOLIDAY

SPORT HOLIDAY

Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday

1 2



69:00 Library open9-11 Music Learning-Gordon Method1:30 Library open 8:00 Readers gone WACky



910-11 Ballet2:00 Flea Market



139:00 Library open9-11 Music Learning-Gordon Method1:30 Library open 7:30 Ladies Night In: Indian



1610-11 Ballet




219:15-11:15am Playgroup11:15 Library open11:45-1:45pm Lunch Club4:30 Library open19:00 WAC Annual General Meeting19:00 Zumba


2310-11 Ballet1:30 Easter Arts and Crafts




29 30 31


MarchSPORT HOLIDAY

EASTER WEEKEND

WOT2013-02

Documents

Transcript of WOT2013-02