WEAC Summer Conference Daily News Sunday August 1, 1999

Welcome to Whitewater

A Great Experience lies ahead

At this time of enormous change in society and in the classroom, it seems appropriate that change is becoming a dominant theme at WEAC and at the Summer Conference.

For the second year in a row, we have changed locations and the conference format. Veteran Summer Conference participants already have noticed the new, pleasant surroundings here at UW-Whitewater. Now, you are about to experience many more changes, including a fresh - and far more challenging - agenda. And you will see a lot of new faces, both among participants and WEAC and UniServ staff.

This is more than just a casual change for the sake of change. It represents a major shift within our organization, driven by the changing landscape of education and politics in Wisconsin.

This year’s Core Session directly reflects this dynamic shift by focusing on the single biggest change agent this organization has experienced in recent times: the Great Schools initiative. This is a mammoth association campaign through which we are all working together to generate broader, stronger support for public education throughout Wisconsin. As a participant at this conference, you are at the leading edge of this important effort. In the next five days, you will expand your knowledge of issues, learn how you can help generate increased member unity, and develop strategies for building power and influence in your local communities.

While adding the new, we’ve carried over many of the effective and popular features from past conferences. Specialized Session participants again have many education and association-related workshops to choose from. And recreational opportunities continue to abound. These include volleyball, softball, movies, picnics, and of course, the nightly dances.

So, work hard and play hard as you get ready to meet change head on in the 1999-2000 school year.

Today's Bulletin Board

Events

• 3:00 - 5:00 p.m. Registration, Benson Hall
• 5:30 - 6:30 p.m. General Session, tent near Carlson Hall
  Opening Address
  - Terry Craney, WEAC President
  - Michael Butera, WEAC Executive Director
• 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. Picnic, tent near Carlson Hall
• 9:00 p.m. to midnight; Dance, University Center Band - Fax & Company (This 10-piece band plays a mix of rock and soul.)

Meet Michael Butera

Michael Butera, WEAC’s new executive director, will join WEAC President Terry Craney in welcoming conference participants to Whitewater this evening.

Please join Michael and Terry at 5:30 in the tent near Carlson Hall.

Michael Butera took over as executive director just last Monday and is anxious to meet WEAC members and hear their experiences, concerns and hopes for the future.

He had been executive director of the Maryland State Teachers Association for 14 years. A native of Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania, he is a former public school music teacher with an extensive background in association work in Illinois, Pennsylvania, Maine and Maryland.

Great Schools

You are at the forefront

Only a community can define a Great School. It is a vision of parents, teachers, other school employees, principals, school board members, senior citizens, and all other interested people. Working together, they decide how their schools can best meet the needs of their children.

Defining a Great School means asking questions like:

• Is the school directed by goals and expectations that are commonly known and clearly understood by all members of the school community?
• Is the school adequately staffed to perform all of the work needed to meet these expectations?
• Does the school have a well-disciplined and hospitable environment in which all feel welcome and free from violence and other threats?
• Is the school adequately supplied with teaching and learning resources?
• Is the school building adequate for all of the learning activities implied by the goals and expectations?
• Does the labor-management relationship recognize the responsibilities of both parties and does it contribute to a successful educational environment?

As it discusses issues raised by such questions, the community will create its vision of the school it wants. These schools will be Great Schools.

The Great Schools initiative is designed to help communities start this process. It is a grassroots effort to return responsibility and authority for school quality to local communities.

Great Schools encourages and supports the creation of Great Schools Committees in every school district. These committees will offer opportunities for thoughtful discussions of what makes a school great. They are an opportunity to translate community values and expectations into a plan that offers each child a realistic promise of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" in the world of their tomorrow.

For Great Schools Committees to work, all the people who share the belief that Every Kid Deserves a Great School need to be involved.

The Daily News invites your input

The Daily News is published Sunday through Thursday. It will be distributed every day at lunch. Got a story idea? You may leave items at the WEAC office in Room 4041 Carlson Hall, or track down Editor Bill Hurley.

Important information for your stay at UW- Whitewater

Please take advantage of the Summer Conference Cyberlobby and let elected officials know your opinions about critical education issues in the stalled state budget. Come to the Cyberlobby in Room 3004 of Carlson Hall Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday during breaks and lunch, and from 4:00 to 5:00 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday.

The outside doors of the residence halls are locked at 11 p.m. The key you received at registration operates the outside door of your building. If the key is lost or not returned upon check-out, you will be charged a $30 replacement cost.

Upon checkout, you must return sheets, pillow, pillow cases, towels, washcloths and your blanket to the reception desk. They must be folded and stacked.

Parking is in Lots 2, 6 and 8 only. These are the lots closest to the dorms (Benson and Arey Halls) and Carlson Hall. When parking in these lots, you do not need any parking permit. If you park in any other lots, you will be ticketed and towed at your own expense.

All meals, except picnics, are at the University Center Commons, not at Drumlin Hall as stated in some early materials.

WEAC Office

Carlson Hall - Room 4041
414-472-1057 Daytime number
414-472-1427 Night and emergency number
Office staff
Gerene Nelson
Becky Adams

Posted July 30, 1999

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