Wisconsin Community Education Association Annual Conference 2014 NOVEMBER 4-5 Kalahari Resort - Wisconsin Dells, WI Get CHARGED UP about Community Education, PLUGGED IN to what is going on at the state level & with Fund 80, and RE-CONNECT with Community Education leaders across the state. Join us for a day and a half focused on the value of community education in our state and enriching activities to keep your program fresh. Where are we going? What value do we bring to our communities and our state? Network, reach out, and improve your program through workshops, round table discussions, breakout sessions, speakers, and more! See attached registration packet to register now! A greeting from our president… Welcome to the new school year! I am sure that many of you recognize this time of year as a new beginning and one of the best times to launch new classes and programs. As you start the school year we would like to let you know that the WCEA Board spent part of the summer analyzing and planning, and we are ready to kick off the year with a fresh step! The WCEA Board met for two days in late July and we have a great start on the fall conference (November 4-5 at Kalahari Resort). We decided to create two more regional districts and have developed ideas and strategies to increase activity and membership in those areas. The board also determined four areas of focus and discovered in historical documents that these areas mirror the original goals of WCEA in 1984! It seems we are on the right path! Supporting each other in these times of more restrictions and frozen levies is crucial and we know that a strong organization is the key to the success of all of our programs. Our areas of focus are:     Legislative/Advocacy: Shelly, Kathryn, Kale, Nathan Increase Membership: Kathryn, Jolene, Shelly, Scott Awards/Recognition: Kale, Sue, Karen, Monique, Jolene Professional Development: Monique, Steve, Karen, Nathan, Sue As you see, our board members are all serving on one or two of the above committees, with the lead person noted first. We welcome assistance from all of you and if you are interested in any of the committees, please contact me. Always feel free to contact any board members with your needs, ideas, or concerns. As we work to build our connections statewide we depend upon all of you and your valuable input. Thank you and have a great year! Kathryn Murray, WCEA President Plymouth Joint School District, Plymouth, WI Something Borrowed! The best new things from around our state! Community Ed departments all over Wisconsin are offering fun, fresh programs that bring in new community members and keep regular customers coming back for more. Take a look at these great programs and think about how you could bring them to your community, even if it means modifying the course content, instructional format or other details. Cornell & Lake Holcombe Silverware Windchimes Daddy-Daughter Dance Oregon Mindfulness for Runners & Kids Glass Fusing Franklin Middle Eastern Dance Healthy Digestive Systems Spring Wild Edibles Plymouth Dog Care & Wellness Kids Mystery Food Challenge Hudson Art & Craft of Homemade Books Star Watching Party Menomonee Pies and Pastries Hooping for Fun & Fitness Menomonee Falls Soap Carving River Falls Oil Pastels Minecraft in Real Life Spooner Samurai Techniques of Ancient Japan Unity Foods to Reduce Pain & Inflammation West Allis-West Milwaukee Table Tennis Instruction Anime Writing  An affordable district wide membership  Discounted fees for the annual conference of pertinent presentations and useful workshops  Connections to other school districts, community education programs, recreation programs, CLC professionals and school administrators throughout the state  Program mentorship -Contact a board member and we will connect you with an experienced professional near you  Professional development scholarship funding/mini-grants  Opportunity to be a statewide leader  Newsletters, regional meetings and a dynamic website WECA Member Highlight The WCEA Board met in Marshfield, WI for a twoday retreat on July 30 and 31. The Board discussed a slew of items on the WCEA radar, including plans for the annual conference (see the conference article for more details), Fund 80 hearings and publicity, professional development for members, and potential redistricting of WCEA regions. Stay tuned for future updates regarding all of these items in the coming months! 2014 - 2015 WCEA Board Meetings:  Monday, November 3 at Kalahari  January 2015 - phone meeting  April 2015 2 day retreat - between 9 and 29th at a district meeting  July 2015 - in person Cheryl Emerson: CPP, Director of Community Education and Community Commons Facilities Manager, STEP coordinator, School District of New Richmond - ICEPAC Region The greatest issue facing WCEA is: Getting support and recognition at the state level. We need our Wisconsin districts to understand that Community Education is not just a "fun" enrichment program; it is a viable and sustainable part of the community fabric. There should be CE programs in every school district and if I had a wish list it would be that those programs would be state funded as well. Also, that each community had a full time director with support staff and resources. There are many studies done about referendums, and it is a proven fact that if your district is going to referendum, you should have a strong and viable CE program in place. What would I like the WCEA to accomplish this year: I would like to see membership increase, and also to see the conference grow. I would like to see more communication between WCEA and the members and also possibly a marketing campaign to rival Travel Wisconsin's!! Community Education is a wonderful part of the communities it is in, and a valued resource, that sometimes goes unnoticed. We need to toot our collective horn more! The brain power between the WCEA board and the CE directors/coordinators around the state is a powerful force! What excites me about my profession: What excites me is the ability to connect people together, and partner with so many different organizations to make things happen. We are not limited in what we can do to make the quality of life in our community even better. We affect lives in a positive way, and we get people excited about lifelong learning! I also enjoy meeting interesting people who want to share their passion with their community. When things come together, and that magic synergy happens, it is bliss! What is my advice to all the other members of WCEA: “Reach for the moon, even if you miss, you will land among the stars!" The WCEA Board has been discussing redistricting for the last two years. Board members spent time researching and analyzing school districts utilizing Fund 80 and drew up the regions represented in the following map at our retreat this summer. The most active community education region in the state is the ICEPAC region in the northwest corner. This successful group was left untouched. The ICEPAC region should be the model for the other areas of the state. Look for ICECPAC members at the conference or other meetings for ideas on networking, program sharing and hosting interesting regional meetings. They know how it’s done! The metro Milwaukee area is unique. Most schools utilizing Fund 80 are recreation focused. Most of them are active in WPRA (Wisconsin Park and Recreation Association) which also includes municipal recreation programs. The Milwaukee school districts have created their own spin off group from WPRA focusing on the specific issues they face under school district jurisdiction. It should be no surprise that a hot topic of late is Fund 80! The newly created regions allow for ease in member recruitment and outreach to other districts as well as the opportunity to host regional meetings that are reachable within a two hour drive or less. We listened to our membership and made a few tweaks. Contact any WCEA board member with feedback and further ideas on these changes. And look for emails on meetings near YOU!! WCEA 2014-2015 Board Position & Contact Information PRESIDENT Kathryn Murray (2013) Comm Ed & Rec Director Plymouth Joint Sch Dist 125 Highland Avenue, Plymouth, WI 53073 920 892-5068 FAX 920892-6366 [email protected] PAST PRESIDENT Scott Lein (2011-2014) Comm Ed & Rec Assistant Director Oregon School District 123 E. Grove Street, Oregon, WI 53575 608 835-4097 FAX 608 835-9509 [email protected] TREASURER Shelly Strasser (2012-2015) Community Education Director West Allis-West Milwaukee Sch Dist 1205 S 70th St., 4th Floor West Allis, WI 53214 Tel: 414 604-4937 FAX: 414 256-6311 [email protected] SECRETARY Scott Lein WCEA PROGRAM ASSISTANT Jill Arens Shawano School District 1050 S. Union Street, Room 102 Shawano, WI 54166 715 526-2192 X 3202 FAX 715 524-1070 [email protected] ICEPAC REGION Karen Collins (2009-2012) Spooner Area Community Education 801 County Hwy A, Spooner, WI 54801 715 635-0243 FAX 715 635-7174 [email protected] ICEPAC REGION Kale Proksch (2012-2015) Community Education Coordinator Menomonie Area School District 1715 5th St., W. Menomonie, WI 54751 715 232-1197 [email protected] ICEPAC REGION Monique Squire Community Education Coordinator Certified Program Planner, CPP School District of River Falls River Falls High School 818 Cemetery Rd. River Falls, WI 54022 (715)425-1830, ext. 3801 [email protected] INDEPENDENT Steve Kretzmann (2011-2014) Department of Public Instruction 125 S. Webster St., PO Box 7841 Madison, WI 53707 608 267-9278 [email protected] LIGHTHOUSE REGION Nathan Werley CLC Program Specialist Menasha Join School District 328 6th Street, Menasha, WI 54952 920-967-1453 [email protected] LIGHTHOUSE REGION Jolene Huc (2012-2015) Community Education Director Crivitz School District W10982 Highfalls Rd, Crivitz, WI 54114 715 854-2721 X442 HS 385 CELL 715 927-3184 FAX 715 854-2050 [email protected] LIGHTHOUSE REGION Susan Schwartz [email protected] SOUTHERN REGION Shelly Strasser (2012-2015) SOUTHERN REGION Scott Lein WCEA WEB MANAGER Julie Kosher [email protected]