RICHARDSON RETIRED SCHOOL PERSONNEL An Affiliate of the Texas Retired Teachers Association Volume 26, Issue 5

March, 2016

FROM THE PRESIDENT -

Live, Laugh, Learn The March 17th RRSP meeting will be close to the first day of spring this year. I am referencing the date on the calendar and NOT making a weather prediction. As warm as February was, March may remind us that the weather here in Texas is fickle indeed. In fact, as I write this, it is cold and raining. Years ago during the first part of March, I would switch my spring and summer clothes to the front of the closet and take my wools to the cleaners. However, I learned that is dumb!! Regardless of the weather on March 17th, the luncheon atmosphere will be warm and inviting! At the February meeting we voted in four officers for the 2016 – 2018 biennium: Presidents-Elect: Tobi Bray and Louise Link. (Tobi and Louise will serve next year as Presidents-Elect, the following two years as Co-Presidents, and the two years following that as Immediate Past Presidents.) Third Vice President/Programs: Janie Garretson will team with Melanie Cottam to provide our programs. Treasurer: Sallie Loop will continue in this position. Assistant Treasurer: Billie Askew. We thank these members for agreeing to give of their time to serve in these important positions; they will be installed at our May meeting. March signals the time to renew your membership to RRSP for the 2016-2017 year. I don’t have to remind you how important it is to be a member of TRTA and also part of RRSP. When talking with legislators or those aspiring to the office, I always stress that we are a large block of potential voters, and that our numbers are ever growing. Currently there are around 80,000 TRTA members across the state, and the goal is to reach 100,000 members. For your convenience, there is a membership form attached to this newsletter. Please fill it out and either bring it to the luncheon on the 17th or mail it in. I really encourage you not to put this in your “to do” list. We all know what can happen to those piles. At our meeting on Thursday, March 17, our program will be presented by Dave Tanner, “Singing Irish Songs for St. Patrick’s Day”. Mr. Tanner has been with us before and is returning by popular demand! You won’t want to miss! Our menu will be: House Salad, Rolls/Butter, Pork Tenderloin, Rice, Vegetable Medley, and Chef’s Choice of Dessert. Remember to make your lunch reservation no later than Wednesday, March 9. Better yet, make your reservation today. I’ll look forward to seeing you there! Dana Gant, President March Meeting Date: Thursday, March 17, 2016 Time: 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM Location: Highlands Springs, 8000 Frankford Rd. (at Coit), Dallas, TX 75252 Program: Irish Songs by Dave Tanner Lunch Reservations: Call 214-890-6989 by 6:00 PM Wednesday, March 10

Page 2

RICHARDSON RETIRED SCHOOL PERSONNEL

March Program—Irish Songs by Dave Tanner Dear Friends, Our March program will be especially touching. Dave Tanner will be singing Irish songs for us on St. Patrick’s Day. Bring your handkerchief to wipe sentimental tears and tears of happy memories. This promises to be an outstanding program!! After Dave did Nat King Cole’s songs last year, there was a big demand to invite him back. Wear your green and invite a friend. May your pockets be heavy and your heart be light!

Dave Tanner

Melanie Cottam, 3rd Vice President Programs

Retirement Education Seminar RRSP presented a very successful Pre-Retirement Seminar on February 6 in conjunction with Carrollton-Farmer’s Branch RSPA. We had a record 231 people in attendance, and they were most complimentary and grateful for the opportunity. We wish to thank the Retirement Education Committee members Carla Bremer, Jo Odom, Mary Ann Schwab, and Marilyn Rice for their many years of continuing commitment to this seminar. A big thank you, also, to Sallie Loop, Cori Pratt, Jean Coupe, and Debbie Rowley for volunteering for this early morning, very busy event. Dana Gant kicked us off with welcoming remarks and provided information about TRTA and RRSP. Then, once again, Tonna Duke gave an informative and inspiring talk about TRS and TRTA and the “friendly difference” between the two. They must have gotten the message across as we received many RRSP memberships that morning and others were planning to mail theirs. CFB RSPA also received new members. Thank you, ladies! Our TRS speaker thoroughly covered the many aspects of the retirement process, and the delicious pastries provided by Credit Union of Texas were enjoyed by all. We also appreciated the gift card door prizes provided by the Credit Union and AMBA. One lucky attendee received complementary memberships in RRSP and TRTA. Our thanks also go to the RISD for the facilities at the PDC, personnel to assist us, and lots of hot coffee. Mark your calendars for February 2017 if you would like to help us next year with this very important service to future retirees. We would love to have you join us. Jan Casner, Retirement Education Chair

Page 3

RICHARDSON RETIRED SCHOOL PERSONNEL

Membership Our 2016-2017 membership campaign begins March 1. The membership form is the last page of the newsletter. Your current membership is good through June 30, 2016. Renewing now helps reduce the number of members that will need to be contacted in June. Membership forms will be available at the March, April, and May meetings. Save a stamp and turn your form in at the March meeting. If you have any questions or concerns, you can always reach me by phone at 972-668-4522 or by email at [email protected]. The “Diamond Plus” program was introduced a couple of years ago. It is open to all members who pay their TRTA dues monthly either through monthly payroll deduction or bank draft ($2.92 per month). Benefits include: permanent membership card, frequent email updates about TRTA legislative issues, eligibility for quarterly prize drawings, additional discounts for products and services, hassle-free membership renewals, free subscription to “Before the Bell” online Texas education blog (email required). The program helps TRTA use your funds for legislative activity to protect your retirement benefits more efficiently by decreasing paper, printing and mailing costs. Forms to join TRTA and payroll deduction authorization may be found online at www.trta.org. Click on the FORMS tab and chose Membership Forms from the drop down window. Local dues (currently $10.00) would be paid yearly to Richardson Retired School Personnel (RRSP). Our March meeting will be Thursday, March 17th at 11:00 at Highland Springs located on Frankford just east of Coit. The deadline to make lunch reservations will be Wednesday, March 9th at 6:00pm. Make your lunch reservations for you and any guests. IF you have an emergency and cannot attend the meeting for which you have made a lunch reservation, please call back to the RRSP hotline and leave a message. There MAY be time to remove your name. The RRSP lunch reservation hotline number is still 214-890-6989. Of course, you are always welcome to attend only the meeting (about 11:30) without having the lunch. For those of you who paid the $2.00 to have a 2015-2016 yearbook mailed, you should have received it already. Remaining books will be available at the March meeting if you have not yet picked yours up. We still have a VERY limited number of large print yearbooks. Call me or see me at the meeting if you need a large print copy. Barbara Westberg, First Vice President, Membership “I n the meantime, get to know your legislators and candidates.”

RICHARDSON RETIRED SCHOOL PERSONNEL

Page 4

Member News & Notes We recently received news that Katie Brittain passed away January 5 in Ben Wheeler. She had taught fourth grade at Dover and Bowie Elementary Schools for many years. Susan Dorsey had been suffering from ALS and passed away February 6. Susan held a Master’s Degree in Library Science from Kansas State University and worked as a librarian in the district for 29 years, most of them at Big Springs Elementary. After her retirement she worked for nine years as a children’s librarian at the Allen Public Library. Marilee McMichael, former RISD and Frisco ISD administrator, recently underwent successful spinal surgery and is recovering at the Baylor Institute for Rehabilitation in Frisco. We wish her the very best as she recovers. Jeanette Wilkelmann, Sunshine Chairman

A Note from the Treasurer Your treasurer is preparing for what she hopes will be a very busy March collecting all your dues for 2016-2017 RRSP/TRTA memberships! Even though the upcoming TRTA fiscal year does not begin officially until July 1, 2016, RRSP and TRTA will begin accepting dues for the next year on March 1, 2016. Please remember to make out your membership checks to “Richardson Retired School Personnel” or to “RRSP”. That check will cover both RRSP and TRTA dues unless you have made other arrangements to pay TRTA (online state dues payment is being implemented, but it helps us to know what is paid if you pay both through RRSP.) Give TRTA about two months to process new memberships and renewals, and then to send out annual membership cards to anyone who is not paying monthly. TRTA members who pay $2.92 every month will receive a permanent TRTA membership card. TRTA processes thousands of renewals and new members, but it takes time to update their records. Remember that TRTA is your Texas Retired Teachers Association (not to be confused with TRS, Teacher Retirement System, which is controlled by the state for distributing your retirement pension.) Please be understanding as I try to collect lunch money from those who make a reservation but for whatever reason are unable to attend the meeting and are unable to cancel before the reservation deadline. Following the meeting, I will try to reach you if your name is not marked “paid” on the reservation list. If there is an error in bookkeeping, please accept my apologies. Glitches will happen. If not, we ask that you cover that $10 cost as that reservation must be paid by RRSP even if you are not there. I welcome questions, so please contact me with any questions (or comments) you might have at 469-626-3232, or email to [email protected]. Sallie Loop, Treasurer

RICHARDSON RETIRED SCHOOL PERSONNEL

Page 5

Community Volunteer Services RRSP will be making a presentation to Richardson’s Mayor Paul Voelker during our March 17th meeting. This represents our celebration and recognition of RRSP’s commitment to community volunteering. We will present a “mock check” to the Richardson Mayor in the amount of “Three million, three hundred thirty seven thousand, six hundred eighty six dollars and eighty five cents” ($3,337,686.85). The check amount represents the total 2015 volunteer hours reported by RRSP members multiplied by the current hourly “volunteer compensation” for comparable paid work. RRSP reported a total of 144,676.5 volunteer hours in 2015. Kudos to so many! Barbara K. Cannon turned in the highest number of hours; Barbara Westberg, her calling committee, and Ginger Mayo, assisted in the collection and calculation process; Carla Bremer and Mary Ann Schwab gave their valuable guidance and suggestions. RRSP members willingly gave valuable contributions of time, talent, support, knowledge and experience to our communities. Thank you!! “The world is hugged by the faithful arms of volunteers!” Terri Guillemets Tobi Bray, Community and Volunteer Services Chair

March Door Prizes Thanks to ALL those who brought door prizes to the February meeting: Janet Gee, Jan Flesch, Martha Harris, Sally Loop, Lori Oswald, Mary Ann Schwab, Laura Snow The great February door prizes Gave some of us super surprises. So for the March meeting, Let’s keep up the greeting: Door prizes of all shapes and sizes.

“I n the meantime, get to know your legislators and candidates.”

The jackpot for limericks is rising. The total for you we’re revising, No March limerick so In April more dough. Twenty bucks for your limerick devising! Since we had no entries for March, the prize doubles from $10 to $20 for the winning limerick asking for April door prizes. You can email me, or see me at the March meeting. You wouldn’t want to miss the chance for $20, would you? Carolyn Downing, Door Prize Chairman, [email protected]

Page 6

RICHARDSON RETIRED SCHOOL PERSONNEL

Health and Protective Services—Liz Zsohar Chairman

LEAGUE OF WOMEN VOTERS of Richardson EMERGENCIES IN THE RICHARDSON AREA What to expect · How to prepare · How to help Tuesday, March 29, 2016 7:00 p.m. Richardson Civic Center 411 W. Arapaho Rd. Do you have a question you want the panelists to answer at the program? Email it to [email protected]. Questions that are emailed are given the same consideration as questions submitted during the program.

Page 7

RICHARDSON RETIRED SCHOOL PERSONNEL

Texas Retired Teachers Foundation (TRTF) Student Scholarships and Classroom Assistant Grant Applications from the Texas Retired Teachers Foundation are available at this time. To be eligible for a scholarship, students must be a relative of a TRTA member and studying education. To be eligible for a classroom grant, teachers must be doing innovative projects and activities in their classrooms. To receive applications, contact Tonna Duke, [email protected] or 214-803-3804. The deadline for submitting applications is March 17, 2016 by 5:00 p.m., so apply quickly. Tonna Duke, TRT Foundation Representative

TRTA Says “Thank You” TRTA wishes to thank all of our members who helped to gather information about the Primary candidates, and for those who voted in the Primaries. The Primary Election is over, and now we can plan for the November election. RRSP was represented at the recent TRS Board meeting in Richardson by Tobi Bray, Tonna Duke, Jack Noteware, and Sylvia Urech, who spoke briefly to the Board about the importance of our Defined Benefit Pension Plan.

Children’s Book Project Thanks again for your donations to the Book Project Fund. Your generosity is really what makes this rewarding project possible. It is time once again for the book project committee to meet and label the books with a sticker which says that the book was given by the Richardson Retired School Personnel. You may think you are not on the Book Project. All you have to do is show up at a meeting and you are on the committee. We are having our meeting on Wednesday, March 16 from 9:30-12:00 noon. All meetings are at my home. My address is 2906 Ambleside Lane, Richardson 75082. My phone number is 972-669-0531. Please call and let me know if you will be able to come. “I n the meantime, get to know your legislators and candidates.”

We will be having another meeting in May where we will be sorting the books to go to each 1 st and 2nd grade class at Aiken Elementary, Mark Twain Elementary, Stults Road Elementary, and Thurgood Marshall Elementary. Laura Snow, Vice President (Book Project) [email protected], Phone 972-669-0531

Richardson Retired School Personnel (RRSP) Established in 1979 An Affiliate of the Texas Retired Teachers Association (TRTA)

MEMBERSHIP FORM 2016-2017 (Deadline: June 15, 2015 for yearbook inclusion)

PLEASE: PRINT AND USE ONE FORM FOR EACH PERSON. Complete Part I with the contact information. If you are retired and receiving a TRS (Teacher Retirement System) annuity, also complete Part II (TRS Retiree Members). If you are not a retiree, complete Part III (Associate Members) instead. Complete Part I; then complete either Part II OR Part III. I. Contact Information (Everyone will complete this section) NAME _______ ______________________________________________________________________________ (Ms., Mrs., Mr., or Dr.) First Name Middle Name/Initial Last Name ADDRESS __________________________________________________________________________________ Number and Street or PO Box Number Apt. # City State Zip 9-digit PHONE NUMBER ______________________________________ (for directory unless “unlisted” indicated) EMAIL ADDRESS (Print please)________________________________________________________ Send my RRSP newsletter via email?

□YES □NO (Select one)

Contact me by phone with meeting reminders (in addition to email reminders)?

□YES □NO (Select one)

BIRTHDAY ________________________________________________________________________ II. TRS Retiree Members (Retirees receiving a TRS annuity) Select ONLY ONE of the following three categories:

□ New Member in 2016 of TRTA and RRSP □ Renewing (within 3 years) Member of TRTA and RRSP □ RRSP dues only;’16 -’17 (TRTA dues must be already paid*)

Annual Cost for 2016-2017: $45.00 (total for both)

___________

$45.00 (total for both)

___________

$10.00 (RRSP) * TRTA Life Members (LM), or pay TRTA directly by payroll deduction (CM) or bank draft (DM)

___________

If you want us to mail your yearbook/directory, please add:

___________

$ 2.00

RETIREE TOTAL DUE

___________

III. Associate Members (Not receiving an annuity; still working for the schools/friend/spouse of a retiree) Select ONLY ONE of the following three categories: Annual Cost for 2016-2017:

□ New Associate Member of TRTA and RRSP □ Renewing Associate Member of TRTA and RRSP □ RRSP dues only;’16-’17 (TRTA dues must be already paid**)

$40.00 (total for both)

___________

$40.00 (total for both)

___________

$5.00 (RRSP) ** TRTA dues paid by monthly bank draft (draft instructions have already been submitted)

___________

If you want us to mail your yearbook/directory, please add:

___________

$ 2.00

ASSOCIATE TOTAL DUE

___________

Your check will be made out to Richardson Retired School Personnel or to RRSP for the total amount from Part II or Part III. Please mail your check and this form to our treasurer at:

Sallie Loop 8010 Frankford Rd, #214 Dallas, TX 75252-6834