Updates and
other important DECA notices will be placed here, so come back often!
Final
DECA E-mail-
May 31
With only a
few weeks of school left to go, I think it's safe to say that DECA season
is almost over. For some of you, you're already home for the summer.
Therefore, this will likely be the last DECA message until August.
I got an overwhelming response
from those of you interested in a fashion/international trip to Italy,
and nearly all of you preferred a summer trip. In fact, the response
was so great that there's no possible way to take everyone. I'm going
to look into the possibility of hosting two concurrent trips, but can't
promise anything. It may come down to a lottery and a waiting list.
I'll secure some dates (likely mid-July) and contact those of you that
have expressed an interest rather that contacting everyone. Be sure
and continue to check your e-mail from home this summer.
The Caribbean cruise is another
story. I'm not sure if we've generated enough interest for the cruise
to occur or not. I've contacted the person putting it together with
some rough numbers, and I'll let you know what the minimum might be.
Once again, I'll contact you directly.
Many of you have contacted
either Margaret or myself about personel changes in your school/system.
Please continue to do so as changes/transfers/new hires occur. Speaking
on behalf of both of us (and I'm sure that's ok with Margaret), we REALLY
appreciate the fact that you're keeping us posted. It makes life much
easier as the new year begins.
And finally, if you haven't
contacted the press about your ICDC winners already, I will be posting
a PR announcement letter that I've received from DECA Inc. on the lessons
pages. Be sure to contact your local paper before your school year
ends and get your student recognized!
It's really been a spectacular
year with Virginia DECA, and I hate to see it end (not really, but it
sounds touching, eh?). A few of our most notable achievements have been
posted on the home page of the Web site. And if that's not enough, Virginia
DECA--unless something has changed in the last week--has surpassed Wisconsin
by approximately 100 members and become the nation's largest state association!!!
WE'RE NUMBER ONE, BABY!!! And we'll retain that status throughout the
2005-2006 school year. It's very exciting, and hopefully will lend us
even more momentum as we enter next year.
Have a MAGNIFICENT summer.
You've earned it. Get these finals behind you, and I hope you have a
summer like you've never had before. If you get the urge to work during
the summer--and I'm sure you will--come by and visit me. I'll take you
to the beach. See you at the VAME Conference.
Cruise
or Italy?, DECA Research-
May 25
For some of
you, this is your last week! I'm green with envy. The rest of you have
to contend with senioritis for a few more weeks. Just remember to keep
saying to yourself, "There IS no senioritis, there IS no senioritis..."
I have two thing for you.
First, we have a couple of options for exciting travel/educational opportunities
through DECA. One option is an ADVISORS ONLY fashion/international marketing
trip to Italy. The second is a hospitality/travel-tourism cruise to
the Caribbean. (The Italy trip will be offered as a college course through
ODU for recertification/licensure.) If you are interested in exploring
either of these options, please visit the Web at http://www.lions2.odu.edu/org/deca/conferences/travelwithdeca.html
Remember, making these trips happen will not require a firm commitment
on your part, but if there is little or no interest involved, planning
will go no further.
Finally, I don't usually
do this, but I'm asking for your help to provide information for an
ODU student because I think his research will benefit Virginia DECA.
He is doing a research paper that is attempting to discover why some
chapters utilize written events in their curriculum while others do
not. In return for responding to his survey, he has promised to share
his results with us. Regardless of which side of the spectrum you fall
on, please take a few minutes to complete the survey located at http://www.lions2.odu.edu/org/deca/researchletter.html
I've taken the survey myself, and it took me approximately 3 minutes
to complete. I hope you'll be willing to help our student, as well as
Virginia DECA! Thanks for your understanding.
If I don't talk with you
before, have a great summer, and I look forward to seeing all of you
at the VAME conference this summer!!! (It ought to be another good one.)
Tentative
Calendar, New Events, Dues Increase, VACTE Scholarship-
April 19
With so little
of the year remaining, there's a LOT going on in DECA! I know that you
are in the midst of planning next year. As a result, I've posted a TENTATIVE
calendar HERE, providing you with the dates you'll need. Do take
a close look at the Southern Region Leadership Conference. It's in Orlando
this year--a student favorite--and heavily discounted airfare is available.
I hope to see you there.
Your May issue of Advisor
has been sent, and identifies new events for the 2005-2006 year. Virginia
DECA has adopted the Business Law and Ethics Team Decision Making Event
(BLMDM), and has decided NOT to adopt the Accounting Applications Series
Event. The rationale, as discussed and voted on by your Board, is that
the Accounting Applications Event is not currently supported by the
curriculum in Virginia.
There will be a $2.00 per
member dues increase for the 2005-2006 year. DECA Inc. has increased
its dues, and your state dues will remain the same. Therefore, you will
pay $8.00 for national dues, and $6.00 for state dues, totaling $14.00
per member. The increase is truly justified and probably overdue. The
entire country--including Virginia--voted overwhelmingly to pass the
increase by a vote of 387-4. I will be happy to provide the rationale
behind the increase to you if you have not already received it.
Finally, be sure to have
your students visit www.vacte.net
or CLICK HERE to download a scholarship
application for anyone wishing to become a CTE teacher. This scholarship
normally has a limited number of applications, but the $1000 still spends!
The deadline for applications is June 1.
One final congratulations
to our very own Jen Vaziralli for becoming the DECA Inc. national student
president. We couldn't be prouder of everything she has accomplished
this year, and wish her the best on her adventure next year.
Have a great rest of the
week, and I look forward to seeing you all this summer at the VAME Conference!
ICDC-
April 19
Last call for Anaheim!
As you know from reading
the memo (ha ha), all ICDC competitors should bring contact information
with them for their home town newspaper. This year DECA Inc. has requested
that you also bring e-mail addresses for the local editor and reporter,
as they intend to submit this information electronically. You should
be able to retrieve this information directly from your newspaper, but
you also may be able to get it at www.usnpl.com.
And one final reminder...
Remember, the Board has provided you with $50 per competitor at ICDC.
In order to maintain this status for your chapter in future years, you
must meet the following requirements:
Students and Advisors must
attend all mandatory meetings, general sessions (and remain until the
end, including voting delegate sessions), and
Advisors must complete their assigned tasks during the conference.
Details for verification
will be provided at the state meeting on Thursday.
I hope you're as anxious
to see Virginia DECA kick butt and take names as I am. See you in Anaheim.
ICDC,
Road to Nationals, King's Dominion- April 5
Only a few weeks
away from ICDC, and the Virginia delegation has again reached historic
numbers with 678 current registrants! That's about 110 more than last
year's record setting number. I suspect we'll see a proportionate increase
in stage successes, so I hope you're working hard. Attached is your
ICDC memo and advisor assignments.
And speaking of ICDC, please
consider bringing your competitors to the Road to Nationals, a very
worthwhile series for workshops and competitions for your competitors.
It even promises a new "twist" this year that I think you'll
like, making it more realistic than ever before. You can find details,
as well as the application at http://www.lions2.odu.edu/org/deca/conferences/icdc.html
(and also attached to this message). Please make your reservations as
soon as possible so that judges and meals can be planned accordingly.
While information on DECA
Day at King's Dominion has been posted,
I'm still trying to get clarification from King's Dominion on the dates.
Originally the dates I had received from KD were 5/4 and 6/2, and I
forwarded you those dates. However, the dates published online at the
KD Web site are KD are 5/14 and 6/2. I've been trying to reach them
for clarification, and will let you know as soon as I do. I know that
many of you have already put in field trip requests, and I apologize
for any inconvenience this might cause.
Web
Site Change, ICDC, etc. - March 29
I'll remind you several times
over the next few weeks, but the Web address for Virginia DECA has CHANGED
to www.lions2.odu.edu/org/deca, the difference
being the insertion of the "2" following the word "lions".
ALL pages will change. Rather than trying to remember the details, just
visit www.virginiadeca.com when you
need to go there, then follow the links (the forwarding address should
be working within 24 hours). If you have bookmarked any specific pages,
you will need to delete these bookmarks, then RE-bookmark the page(s).
Existing pages will no longer be updated, and will be removed within
a week or so. I apologize for the confusion, but didn't have any "say
so" in the matter. I'll try and do everything I can to make the
transition smoother.
DECA Inc. is asking for your
help in a worthwhile cause. In an effort to obtain empirical data on
the benefits of DECA, the USDOE has initiated a program to collect such
data. I don't have most of the details, but know that participation
would include surveying approximately 20 of your students later this
year. The letter from Dr. Davis, DECA Inc. executive director, states
that advisors and students will be compensated for participation, but
provides no details on the compensation. Obtaining this data is important
to the future of our organization. If you are willing to take part in
this important study, please let me know. I will forward to you the
information that I have, as well as the application.
If you didn't already know,
videos from SLC can be purchased online. Visit the SLC
page for details.
In preparing your written
events for ICDC, be sure to go back and check your table of contents
for errors! If you're not sure whether or not your pages had errors,
call me. I'll be happy to help you clean them up. BE SURE THAT EVERY
ROMAN NUMERAL HAS A PAGE NUMBER REFERENCED.
Have a great rest of the
week, and if you are on spring break, enjoy!
Constitution,
ICDC Voting Delegates- March 15
Thanks for your
support! The Constitutional amendment proposed at the SLC has passed.
We needed 135 "yes" votes. We received 143 votes, and every
single one was in support of the amendment. The new document is on the
forms page of the Web.
One final reminder, please
hold your e-mail and phone messages beginning Thursday, March 17. I
will not be in a position to respond to it, and don't want any important
messages being put on the "backburner" when I return on the
March 28. If you have ICDC cancellations and/or substitutions, put that
in the subject line of your message. I will begin with those messages,
and work my way back from there. It may take a couple of days to filter
through all the messages.
If you are attending ICDC,
please read on for the following ICDC messages:
We had an overwhelming request
for voting delegates slots this year, a good problem to have! Virginia
has an allocation for 21 voting delegates, and 52 of you asked to participate.
I have gone through and selected 21 voting delegates for ICDC this year.
If your student was registered as a voting delegate but was not selected,
I have changed that student's status to LDA. I've never met a student
yet that didn't love LDA, so they won't be disappointed. Reinforce the
idea with them that attending ICDC is a privilege, and they should make
the most of it. Please do not break this to them as "negative"
news. Your approach will make the difference as to how they respond.
The list of delegates is attached. If your student(s) was selected,
you will be receiving further instructions in a separate e-mail, shortly
following this one.
Advisor assignments will
be coming out the first week in April, as well as other ICDC instructions.
Meanwhile, start gearing up for sunny California!
Wizards,
ICDC, Tours- March 9
It has come
to my attention that some chapters are planning to send students to
DECA Day with the Wizards without advisors/chaperones. Note that this
is an official DECA event, and sending unchaperoned students is not
permissable. Should this occur, this practice can and will lead the
end of this event. Please don't ruin such a fun event for all of us.
Treat it as you would any other field trip or DECA event. If you can't
chaperone your students, please don't send them. Thanks for your help
in this matter.
Don't forget, the ODU Web
server will be going down on Monday. Therefore it is imperative that
your students are registered for ICDC PRIOR to the 14th. By the 14th,
I must have your:
***Electronic registration
data
***Housing forms.
I can wait on your invoices
and checks if I need to, but these items must arrive on time (rooms
will be blocked on the 15th). Make plans to send your electronic data
by Friday. Faxed housing applications are fine.
I am attaching a NEW tours
sheet that I received yesterday. It includes a new event, a Dodger's
game against Arizona on Tuesday, 4/26. I will also post this on the
ICDC Pages.
And finally, while I'll send
one more reminder next week, please hold all substitution, cancellations,
etc., from March 17-March 27. I will be out of the country, will not
be able to reply to your messages, and will likely have 2000+ e-mails
to sort through when I return (if everyone e-mails during that period
of time). This is for you as much as it is for me, to ensure that your
communication is handled efficiently and correctly. Hold your adjustments
and send them to me on 3/28. I will catch up on messages dated 3/28
or later first before I sift through the rest of the messages. Thanks
for your help in this matter.
I hope that your students
are gearing up for an exciting, Virginia dominated ICDC!
SLC,
ICDC Update- March 1
I hope that
you and your students had a fun and meaningful weekend at SLC, and a
special congratulations to all of you moving on to ICDC! The extra competitive
slots have now all been extended via e-mail. Virginia should have quite
a delegation this year.
Please provide your input
on the overcrowding issue by completing the BRIEF survey located at
http://www.lions.odu.edu/org/deca/conferences/survey.html
This should take you less than 60 seconds (only 3 questions), and will
go a long way in aiding our discussion at the May Board meeting.
As mentioned in the ICDC
orientation, if you are interested in helping Jen Vaziralli with her
campaign for national president, that would be awesome! You can help
her by giving up a few hours (or as much as you are willing to part
with) at ICDC. She is also in the process of raising approximately $5000,
and any contributions to her campaign would be greatly appreciated.
Jen is a very special person, and will make a fantastic national officer.
She is responsible for arranging her own help, so she can provide you
with details on exactly how she can best use your support. As a result,
interested/willing parties should contact her directly at sparkalbm@aol.com.
Please cc her advisor, Ann King, at apking@vbschools.com.
Virginia DECA TRULY appreciates your support of such a wonderful opportunity
for both Jen and Virginia DECA.
Finally, don't forget to
move your ICDC registration deadline up to 3/13 (Sunday), as the Web
site will be going down some time on 3/14.
Again, I hope you and your
students had a great experience at SLC. Thanks for all of your efforts
in helping our conference to continue to grow.
SLC,
ICDC, Wizards, King's Dominion- February 21
This the last
of the SLC updates, but a very important one. We have managed to fit
approximately 100 more people than originally anticipated into the Norfolk
Ballroom for the general sessions. Therefore, most of those that have
registered for SLDA will be seated with their chapter.
Please open and read the
attachments. There are two items. First, there is a name by name list
of who will be seated in the 3rd floor ballroom. We have counted the
seats one by one, and have filled every single seat. If a name is on
this list, and they do not sit in the 3rd floor ballroom, they will
be displacing a student somewhere. Please be considerate.
If you chapter has "advisor"
listed, you may decide which advisor will move the Hampton Roads ballroom.
It may be the same person each time, or you may rotate.
Make a mental note: While
the ICDC registration deadline is March 14, I have been informed that
March 14 is the day that our Web site will be going down. I will try
and post the registration form on another Web site on that date, but
you really need to make plans to register by the 13th, NOT the 14th.
I know how inconvenient this is for you, but unfortunately have no control
over that date (and was just informed this weekend). Write it on your
calendars. ICDC tours applications have been posted on the Virginia
DECA Web site.
And finally, while I know
you have other things to worry about, it's now official. We have dates
for King's Dominion and for DECA Day with the Wizards, Part II. They
are:
King's Dominion: May 4, June
2
Wizards: April 15.
I hope you can join us for
both of these events. I realized the May 4 date is very close to ICDC,
but between the two dates it should work out for you.
SLC
Flotsam Jetsam- February 17
Substitutions
and refunds are now closed for competitors. Please pay special attention
to MDM competitors because a drop at this point would leave a team member
without a teammate! If you have requested a refund up to this point
and purchased the meal package, you will receive a full refund on your
meals, and 50% on your registration. However, the meal count is official
as of now. If you have a last minute drop--and I know that happens--you
may still substitute with a NON-competitor. I'd rather see you do that
than lose your registration/meal function fees.
The bullet in the Monday's
memo conflicted with what was written in the body of the memo. Evening
attire IS allowed and encouraged at the Grand Awards Session. We want
you looking pretty! Therefore, females may wear evening attire of jackets
at the Grand Awards. My apologies for the confusion.
While the walk is very short,
there will be two buses continuously looping between the Courtyard,
the Clarion, and the Marriott.
For those of you staying
at the Marriott and the Sheraton, please make the following note (and
share with your students):
Lost room keys will not be
replaced for students unless YOU do it for them. Reprogramming a room
key makes the existing three keys for that room unusable, thereby forcing
EVERYONE in the room to have their keys reprogrammed. We need the staff
available to tend to all of our needs, and they can't do it if they're
constantly handling these details. I would suggest that if only one
person loses their key that you have them find a roommate to let them
in rather than reprogram their keys for everyone. They can do just fine
with three keys.
Along the same lines, any
requests for amenities need to be handled by you. Please instruct your
students not to call housekeeping for extra towels, forgotten toothpaste,
etc. We want them to have clean teeth, but please collect the list from
your students and handle all amenities requests for your chapter/district
at one time. As mentioned in Monday's memo, if they want extra towels,
they should consider bringing their own since the hotel will be at capacity.
I hope your students are
getting as excited as I am. I'm looking forward to a great conference,
and I look forward to seeing you there!
SLC
Update - February 10
This is a critical
message. If you are attending SLC, please read it through to the end.
We have truly had an SLC
explosion in '05!!! With more than 2000 registrants, we couldn't be
more excited. However, along with the excitement comes a few challenges
that must be overcome.
The Norfolk Ballroom--the
host of our general sessions--doesn't house that many people. As a result,
we're having to move to "Plan B" to accommodate some of our
participants. The Hampton Roads Ballroom on the third floor will be
set as a video-conference/simulcast for our general sessions. Approximately
350 people will view the general sessions from that room. Those that
will view the conference from the satellite room are:
PLEASE adhere to the list--we're
counting on you to help us make this work. While we realize that this
will be disappointing to the impacted students, chaperones and family,
and advisors, PLEASE approach this positively with your students. How
you approach it with them will have a direct bearing on how they accept
the news. Don't point it out as "bad news," but rather that
the only alternative is that they might otherwise not be able to attend.
I know you know this already, but a friendly reminder for an awkward
situation.
I will send you a "name
by name, chapter by chapter" list next week of who falls into this
category. Chapters with multiple advisors attending will decide for
themselves which advisor will view the simulcast at any given session.
The hypnotist and mini-awards will not be affected.
During the opening session,
students will be prompted as to when to come downstairs to a designated
holding area. For example, if an upstairs student is receiving a Merit
Award, they will be told--with ample notice--when it is time to come
downstairs to the holding area to prepare to receive their award.
Thank you for your understanding.
As stated, a complete list of names and chapters will be sent to you
next week, along with your conference assignments. I'm anticipating
our finest conference ever!
SLC
Update - February 1
One final friendly
reminder. Your SLC REGISTRATION IS DUE BY THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 3. I know
I've said it several times, but I don't want anyone slipping through
the cracks. We want you there! I realize that some of your bookkeepers
work at their own pace, and if the check is running a little late, it's
ok. However, the electronic registration will be closed when I return
to the office Friday morning at about 7 a.m. Everyone that has registered
up to this moment (8:30 a.m) has received a confirmation, along with
a copy of your registration.
IF YOU HAVE REGISTERED BUT
HAVE NOT RECEIVED A CONFIRMATION, YOUR REGISTRATION DATA HAS LIKELY
NOT BEEN RECEIVED, AND YOU SHOULD FOLLOW UP PRIOR TO FEBRUARY 3RD.
While I can only take a few
of you, if you would prefer to work at the Saturday night dance as your
assignment, please let me know. I suspect I'm going to have to draw
names out of the hat for this one, and will be as fair as I possibly
can in the selection process. Let me know if you are interested.
Voting delegates will receive
pre-conference information this year, better preparing their for their
role at the conference. In addition, they will receive a free lunch
during the business session. As a result, please prepare them now--they
may not leave once the business session has begun. There will be a constitutional
amendment proposed at this session. Prepare your voting delegates by
showing them the documents on the Web (Advisor
Tools/Forms). There they can find a copy of the existing Constitution
and Bylaws, the proposed new document, as well as a two page rationale
behind each of the changes. This rationale will provide them excellent
preparation for the meeting, enabling them to make an informed, intelligent
decision.
As noted two weeks ago, superstar
chapters have been posted on the membership
pages. If you feel you should be on this list and are not, or if
your status has changed (and many of you were only one or two members
away!), please point this out to me. Identifying these chapters is a
manual process for me, and I certainly don't take offense if you tell
me that I've overlooked your chapter. I don't want any eligible chapter
to miss out, so please let me know!
And finally, I'd like to
turn the Saturday evening banquet into something a little more special
than just a "dress up dinner." If anyone has any suggestions
on what they'd like to see in the way of speakers, presentations, etc.,
for the banquet, please let me know. In fact, if you like to plan that
sort of thing, let me know. You can give it your personal touch.
SLC
Reminder . - January 28
Just a friendly
reminder that the SLC registration deadline is Thursday, February 3.
If you have sent your registration
in but have not received a reply (other than today's/Friday's submissisons),
it has likely not been received and you should follow up.
SLC
Update . - January 25
After having
too many judges last year (ordinarily a very good problem to have),
we're coming up short so far this year. If you are bringing a chaperone
with you to SLC that would be qualified and willing to judge, please
contact Lynne Williams (htlmktg@aol.com)
at your earliest convenience. Also, if you live in the Hampton Roads
area and feel like you know someone that might be willing to help, we
would love your help in securing more judges.
Congratulations to the following
four chapters on earning their way to the Quiz Bowl (listed in no particular
order):
Classroom on the
Mall, Pembroke
Fauquier
King William
Abingdon
More information has been
sent to those four chapters regarding registration.
Assignments - I'm hoping
to find a few volunteers for the "off hours" assignments during
SLC. We need two people to work the Quiz Bowl game show (approximately
4:30 to 6:00ish on Saturday afternoon), and two volunteers to work the
manual distribution on Sunday morning. If you would prefer one of these
slots in lieu of a Friday evening or Saturday morning assignment, please
let me know.
Also, please remember that
advisor assignments are given at random. Friday night slots--being the
"choice" slots--are done in a rotation by alphabetical order.
Please don't request a Friday evening assignment, as I cannot honor
your requests. Once the assignments are posted, you are certainly free
to swap with someone if you both agree. Then let me know so that I can
inform the series/testing director. More on that after registration
has been completed.
The voting
delegate list is attached, identifying how many voting delegates
your chapter is entitled to at SLC.
Would you like to place a
student on the nominating committee? This is the committee that interviews
state officer candidates. The two stipulations are that A), you do not
have a state officer candidate running for office this year, and B),
your student will need to arrive at the hotel by 1:45 p.m. on Friday.
It's a good learning experience, but I can only honor 6 requests to
sit on the committee (two from each region), so let me know at your
earliest convenience if interested.
And finally, the hotel information
provided to you recently regarding guests and parents staying at the
Clarion (see January 18 below) does NOT apply to chaperones. Obviously
if your adult attendee is a chaperone, they need to stay on the same
property as you.
Newsletter,
Fashion Show, Etc. - January 18
The qualifying
superstar chapters are posted! Check the membership pages to see if
you've qualified. Some of you are SOOOOOOO close...
The winter newsletter has
been sent to you DA of note on the Website (Contact/Who's your DA/DP?).
Please help them in making distribution arrangements rather than waiting
for them to get them to you. I'm sure they'll appreciate it. Fairfax
County newsletters have all been sent to Nancy King.
Unfortunately we are completely
out of membership cards. Please apologize to your additions for me.
I'm REALLY sorry, but didn't anticipate an 1100+ member increase.
It would be MOST appreciated
if parents and guests for SLC would stay at the Clarion hotel, approximately
3 blocks from the conference. This will help us to keep our rooms for
our students and advisors, and should eliminate the need to call in
a third hotel for our chapters. We WANT them to be there, but please
help us out by informing interested guests. The hotel information is
Clarion
Hotel James Madison
345 Granby St.,
Norfolk, VA, US, 23510
Phone: (757) 622-6682 Fax: (757) 623-5949
Online reservations will
get your parents/guest an $80.95 room rate, and it's a very nice hotel.
Thanks for your help in this matter.
Finally, the ODU and Delta
Epsilon Chi (DEX) will be hosting a fashion show and open house on March
24. Details will be mailed for interested parties, but put in on your
calendar now if you think your chapter might have an interest.
Quiz
Bowl , ICDC, Virtual Business- January 11
Next week will be our first
"online edition" of the Quiz Bowl test. If your chapter will
be testing, you can find the instructions at below. Remember, your student(s)
must be members to sit for the test. Their password will be their ID
Member, so it's time to whip out that spreadsheet that I returned to
you when you registered.
QUIZ
BOWL TEST INSTRUCTIONS
I also have your ICDC information
packets prepared. This is Section N of your Chapter Management Guide,
and you can find it at forms page or at the
ICDC page. FYI, the state registration
is broken into two separate components, the conference registration
($32), and the conference packet ($18), which includes your conference
shirt and trading pins. I encourage everyone to purchase the conference
packet to help maximize your students' conference experience.
ICDC
INFORMATION PACKET
The second Virtual Session
began yesterday. If you haven't already started, visit http://www.knowledgematters.com/
and get started! Congratulations to Franklin High School who had Virginia's
top team. Also congratulations to Virginia High School who was selected
by the State Action Team as the December Chapter of the Month. You can
learn more about what they did in December by visiting http://www.lions.odu.edu/org/deca/contact/com.html
I hope that you'll enter YOUR chapter for January...
Several of you have asked
about registering for the State Leadership Development Academy (SLDA)
at SLC. When you register your chapter, simply select SLDA as that student's
event code on the registration form. Remember, there is a limit of two
per chapter for this inaugural year. We'll play it by ear for next year.
And finally, don't forget
that the ODU Web server will be going down for about 2 days in the very
near future. I don't have the dates yet, but if you try to register
for SLC and get lots of error messages, you'll know why. Don't panic--it's
not your fault, and should be a short term situation (approximately
48 hours).
Have a great week!
Auction,
Membership, Pictures- January 4
Read the full
text of this message at http://www.lions.odu.edu/org/deca/advisors/update010405.html
Message topics are:
Performance
Indicators
Web Downtime in Janaury
Quiz Bowl
Chapter of the Month
ICDC Shirts -- BIG CHANGE, PLEASE READ
Finish Line DECA Day
Auction,
Membership, Pictures- December 14
Because you
have a well-deserved holiday break around the corner, it's been an exciting
week. Are you geared up for the holidays?
To add to that, we're ending
the year on a VERY positive note in Virginia DECA. Thanks to everyone
that participated in the online auction last week, together we were
able to raise more than $1800 for the Foundation. Virginia DECA and
the Foundation appreciates your support!
Next, the question is, "Who
will be the first eleven-thousandth Virginia DECA member ever? I don't
know the answer, but I'll bet it's going to happen before the week is
out. We're currently 10,956 members strong. WOOHOO! If you have the
11,000th member, I'll let you know who it is, and we'll ask your permission
to post him/her on the home page.
And finally, I'm now collecting
your pictures for the SLC slide show. If you've sent me pictures already
this year, there's no need to duplicate your efforts. I save them all
and forward them on to the AV company. For all other pictures, however,
you can start sending them.
If I don't talk to you before,
have a WONDERFUL holiday!
Auction,
Recertification- Nov. 29
The Virginia
DECA "D-Bay" Auction is next Monday and Tuesday, and we hope
that you'll participate! Remember, all proceeds will go the Foundation
providing scholarships for your students. It truly will be a worthwhile
event.
You DON'T have to be an advisor
or student to place a bid! Attached is a flyer providing some of the
fundamental details. Please make a copy and distribute it. There are
LOTS of ways to help get the word out. You can place a copy in your
colleagues' boxes, send them home to parents, drop them off with employers,
etc. There are some great items to be auctioned that will appeal to
all. I know that there are still at least a few of you not done with
your Christmas shopping yet. You know who you are. :o)
For those of you needing
recertification points, ODU will once again be offering OTED 401/501
as a Web-based course, analyzing new information on Perkins and VERSO,
to mention a few. You can take it as a 400 or 500 level course, using
it as it best suits your needs.
I hope you had a great Thanksgiving.
We'll "see" you at the auction!
Membership,
Quiz Bowl, Auction- Nov. 23
10,149. That's
how many members we have so far. We are BLOWING away our numbers from
last year by more than 1000 (at this date)! Keep up the great job, and
keep 'em coming. At this pace, we just may catch Wisconsin, even if
they don't require their members to be marketing students (but I'm not
bitter).
IF YOU PLAN TO TEST FOR THE
QUIZ BOWL THIS YEAR, it's IMPERATIVE that you test the site for compatibility.
Using the computers that you will take the test from, visit http://www.vtdata.org/mozquiz
and take at least part of the sample test. IF YOU ENCOUNTER ANY PROBLEMS
WITH THE SITE, I need to know about it as soon as possible. More instructions
will come at a later date, but for now let's be sure that everything
is working mechanically.
And finally, don't forget
about the online auction coming up on December 6th and 7th. I'll be
sending you a flyer on Monday, November 29th with details. For now,
get as many people involved as possible! Parents, employers, teachers,
etc. may all find something that will help them to fill their Christmas
shopping list.
10,149? WOW! Keep up the
great work, and have a terrific Thanksgiving. You deserve it!
Wizards
Day, DECA Cruise, Moving Day- Nov. 9
Thanks for getting
most of your initial rosters to us on time! Membership is currently
over 8,000 and counting, with a lot of schools still pending. By the
deadline last year we had 7214 members. That's an increase of nearly
800+ members!!! If we can keep this pace, you never know. We may just
catch Wisconsin. There is a LOT of growth in a LOT of your chapters,
and it looks like we'll be handing out a LOT of stars at SLC this year.
However, if you don't have 100% membership, keeping plugging. If you
do, way to go! Professional and alumni membership is also up, so you
are doing a FANTASTIC job.
For those of you that wanted
to attend the Wizard's Day in December but couldn't because of the terrorist
alert, I'm sure you're aware that the alert level was lowered the latter
part of last week. If that means you can now join us, please do! You
can find the details at
http://www.lions.odu.edu/org/deca/conferences/wizards.html
If you can't have a check cut by the deadline, call me and talk with
me. We'll see what kind of arrangements we can make. The Wizards have
been very amenable in making arrangements, and they do understand your
situation.
In an effort to continue
to provide new services, for the past year I've been working together
with Texas DECA on assembling a DECA cruise to the CARIBBEAN. Plans
have moved to the point that I now need your feedback. The cruise would
leave from Galveston, TX, and would have a focus on Travel and Tourism/Hospitality.
There would be a tour of a major hotel chain in Texas, followed by a
tour of a cruise ship, and several hotels as you island hop for a few
days. There would be a marketing tour/presentation at each destination.
The cost? Approximately $400 per person plus your airfare to get to
Texas. The time of year would likely be early April. This would begin
NEXT year, not this year.
I realize you need more information,
but given what I've just told you, my questions to you are:
1. Are you interested in this (should I continue to work out the details)?
2. Does early April work for your chapter? If not, what time of year
would you like to see it?
3. If you believe you would attend, please give me your best guess on
how many you think you would bring from your chapter. I'm not going
to hold you to it, but need some kind of idea for planning purposes.
And finally, I'll be moving
today and tomorrow, and may not have a telephone for another week or
so. I will do my best to retrieve my
messages from my wireless phone and return your call(s). The new address
will be:
Virginia
DECA
ODU, Education Bldg, Room 252-6
Norfolk VA 23529
PLEASE
NOTE THAT THIS ADDRESS DOES NOT MATCH THE ADDRESS THAT WAS GIVEN TO
YOU EARLIER THIS YEAR. It has been changed several times,
but I think this
one is final. I'll be there by the end of the week. PLEASE
MAKE YOUR
BOOKKEEPER AWARE. All mail sent to the current address
will find its way
to me, but go ahead and start using the new address effective immediately.
Thanks for your help in this matter.
Membership,
ODU S&E Day, Auction - Nov. 9
The memberships
are rolling in, and WOW. We're really off to a fast start. It's great
to see so many of you growing so much and earning your stars for SLC!
One quick reminder on your membership paperwork. The things we need
for your membership to be official:
1. electronic
roster (online-NO PAPER ROSTER IS NECESSARY)
2. your invoice (received from DECA Inc. or found on the Virginia
DECA Web site)
3. and a check that matches the invoice.
It looks as though the ODU
S&E Day has not generated much interest, and possibly will not make.
If you plan on attending, please let me know by the end of the week,
as well as approximately how many will be in your group. If we don't
get enough feedback, the event will likely be canceled due to lack of
interest.
And finally, the December
auction (raising money for the Foundation) is nearly set, and I think
you'll be pleased. A few of the items for auction are Washington Wizards
VIP tickets, weekend getaways around the state, Virtual Business, NASCAR
tickets, DVD players, airline tickets, and much more. I'll be putting
together a brochure for you to read and duplicate for your students,
colleagues, parents, employers, etc. Getting people in your community
involved will be very helpful, and might make for a good lesson in promotion.
It will be a golden opportunity to teach your students some of the challenges
companies/organizations face in trying to generate interest in their
products and services by putting them right in the middle of a similar
project.
And by the way, don't forget
that the Virtual Business Challenge started YESTERDAY! Visit http://www.lions.odu.edu/org/deca/advisors/update110204.html
for details, and let's bring the national winner back to Virginia where
it belongs.
New
Categories, Seasonal Lessons, Auction, Virtual Business- Nov. 2
What other important
days--aside from today's election day--happen this week? Why it's SANDWICH
Day, of course! Happy Sandwich Day (Thursday). Don't forget to celebrate.
Resulting from your feedback,
there are a few new buttons on the Web site that will hopefully make
navigation easier. The first is the "Other Events" button.
DECA Events that aren't actually conferences will start going here.
It's under the category of "Conferences". Also, there's a
new "Chapter of the Month" button under the category of "Contact
Us" (I wasn't sure where else it fit). Take a peek to see what
the first two winning chapters accomplished. Then be sure to submit
the information for YOUR chapter for next month.
With Thanksgiving, Christmas,
and Hanakkuh right around the corner, I hope that you will consider
submitting a fun holiday-specific lesson plan. The Halloween lessons
were a smash, and received a LOT of hits. We've got a few Thanksgiving
ones, but would love to have more.
The Virginia DECA auction--with
proceeds going to the Foundation--will be December 6th and 7th. I'll
be sending out a list of items in next week e-mails, so keep an eye
out for it. Some of the items are AWESOME! Please encourage students,
colleagues, parents, and employers to participate. The more the merrier.
Finally, for those of you
that are going to participate in the Virtual Business Challenge again
this year, visit http://www.lions.odu.edu/org/deca/advisors/update110204.html
for details. If you've never played before, it's time to start! The
first challenge begins November 8th, and best of all, it's FREE, as
always.
Now go pack your sandwich
for Thursday.
Chapter
of the Month, Superstar Chapters, December Auction - Oct. 26
Happy National
Denim Day! I hope that your administrators have let you wear denim to
work today. If not, let them know that they owe you one.
First, a word from Angela
Willet, our state reporter:
"Heres a reminder
that there will be a highlighted chapter of the month on the Web site
featuring the school that shows outstanding efforts towards the state
charity and community service awards. Make sure you send in your stories
and pictures to me at rhsdancechick@aol.com
so we can post all the awesome contributions you all are making towards
this year's program of work! Thanks!"
Second, I hope you're working
hard to become "Superstar Chapters" in 2004-2005, thereby
earning your glow stars at SLC! If you're not sure how many members
you'll need to qualify, you can find out on the membership pages by
visiting http://www.lions.odu.edu/org/deca/advisors/membership.html
and clicking on the Superstar Pages. We already have chapters that have
EASILY met their goal. Way to go Lee County, Dominion, Graham, Bassett,
Magna Vista, Heritage (Leesburg), Stone Bridge, Warren County, Riverbend,
and Classroom on the Mall (Pembroke). We're off to a booming start!
Finally, keep an eye and
an ear out for the Virginia DECA auction, coming up in December (all
proceeds going to this year's state charity, the Virginia DECA Foundation).
Some of the items up for auction are valued at approximately $800! The
state officers are working diligently to continue to gather more items,
and a full list will be distributed some time in November. If you or
one of your partnering businesses would like to contribute, we'd love
to hear from you (and will be happy to provide you with a letter for
their donation). Start sharing the information with your parents, employers,
etc. Everyone and anyone is invited to participate. More details coming
next month...
Finally, if you haven't checked
out the Halloween home
page, take a peek before next week. Have a great rest of the week!
Newsletters,
ODU S & E Day, Foam Boards- Oct. 13
Your fall newsletter
has now been sent! Each primary district advisor has received a packet
with newsletters, enough per chapter to cover your paid membership from
last year. While I know they will do their best to get these to you,
hopefully you can help your DA out and help to make arrangements to
receive yours by following up with them. I'm sure they'll appreciate
it! You can find out who your primary DA from the Web
site.
I've received a lot of questions
surrounding the ODU event that includes a basketball game and various
speakers. Speakers include marketing experts from ODU basketball, local
pro baseball and hockey, and a concert/events speaker. It should be
a very good event, and a registration packet has been mailed to each
of you through ODU. Keep an eye out for it.
And finally--if you do written
events, this is a big one--I've received word from DECA Inc. regarding
foam boards for your presentations this year. When DECA set the new
guidelines, they apparently measured a standard poster board. An off
the shelf poster board measures 22" x 28", hence the new guidelines.
However, a typical foam board measures 20" x 30", which exceeds
the guidelines set forth by DECA Inc. Once this was pointed out to me
by one of our advisors--and knowing that this was not their intent when
they set the guidelines--I called Shirlee Kyle to get a ruling. Coming
straight from Ed Davis, you WILL be required to cut your foam boards
down so that they meet the 28" guideline. I realize this is not
ideal, and will push for it to be changed to 30" for next year.
However, because it's already in print, DECA has decided not to alter
the guidelines for this year. Be aware! I'll be sure and remind you
of this several times as competition draws nearer.
VCU
Fashion Day, ODU S & E Day, SRLC- Oct. 5
Don't forget, only a little
more than a week left to register for the Southern
Region Leadership Conference. If you need help in pairing your students
to fill a room, either send me an e-mail or post your message on the
message board.
The itinerary is out for
the Sports and Entertainment Day with ODU. If you are the LEAST bit
interested, take a look. They have a LOT planned for you for only $19,
and it sure sounds like it will be worth your while. Get the information
at http://www.lions.odu.edu/org/deca/advisors/update100504.html#odu
The only thing I don't know at this point (Ok, so it's not the ONLY
thing I don't know...) is the registration process. I'll stay on top
of that for you, and let you know as quickly as I do.
The VERY popular VCU Fashion
Day has been announced, and details can be found at http://www.lions.odu.edu/org/deca/advisors/update100504.html#vcu.
Last year this event sold out, and VCU had to turn people away, so don't
hesitate to get registered.
Have a great week!
State
Fair, ICDC, ODU Basketball- Sept. 27
For those of
you that are planning on heading the State Fair tomorrow, I'll still
be there in spite of the weather. MANY of you have asked about an alternate
date. Unfortunately we will not have the facilities reserved for any
other day, so there really is no "plan B." However, if you
can't go tomorrow, I still hope you are able to enjoy a good "fried
Oreo" or "fried pickle" later in the week.
Great news! I don't know
how we did it, but we got the hotel of choice for ICDC in Anaheim. Somebody's
watching over us. Virginia DECA will be staying at the Hilton Hotel
directly across the street from the Convention Center. The only transportation
you'll need is to the parks, and I think you'll be very pleased with
the property. Pricing and other details are forthcoming.
And finally, MANY of you
have also said that you will not be able to attend DECA Day with the
Wizards due to our nation's security alert status, as your school systems
are not permitting you to travel northward. If you fall into this category,
I'm putting together a plan B that I hope will be a good alternative
for you. If you're interested, mark you calendars for Saturday, December
18. The trip will include an ODU men's basketball game at the Ted Constant
Convocation Center. In addition to the game, the presentation may include
a gathering with representatives from the Norfolk Tides (Baseball--NY
Mets AAA farm club), the Norfolk Admirals (Hockey--AHL), and a concerts/events
specialist. We hope to make it worth you while to attend, and trust
that it will be a good alternative to the Wizards' game. The presentation
will be Saturday afternoon, and the game will be at 7 p.m. If you are
interested and think that you will need lodging Saturday night, please
let me know. If there are several of you, I'll try and put something
together for you. Whether you need lodging or not, if you are interested
in attending, please let me know so that I'll have some kind of idea
on how many to plan for.
Have a great rest of the
week!
OTC,
SRLC, Wizards, POW- Sept. 21
Are there enough
acronyms in the subject line for you?
Planning on attending DECA
Day with the Wizards? Remember the format is different this year. We
will have an afternoon presentation followed by the game. Therefore,
if your chapter is in need of lodging, PLEASE LET ME KNOW BY NOON FRIDAY.
I will not hold you to your headcount, but need to know approximately
how many rooms you will need so that I can block rooms and negotiate
the best possible lodging rates.
OTC registration deadlines
are Sept. 24 for Roanoke and Sept. 29 for Richmond. We are expecting
a possible overbooking at Richmond, so please be sure and get your information
into us.
Need a roommate for SRLC?
Try posting your request on the message
board (Contact Us/Messageboard).
And finally, a few words
from this year's Virginia DECA State Reporter:
Dear Chapter Advisors:
I'm sure you have
heard about the two recognition awards being continued from last year:
The Community Service Award and the State Charity Award. These awards
were so successful last year, we can't wait to see what your chapters
contribute in time and funding this year! Virginia DECA would like to
highlight one school every month who we feel has made an outstanding
effort towards these awards, so make sure you keep us updated with all
the great things you're doing for your community and the state charity!
Send a picture and a story about your contribution to me at rhsdancechick@aol.com
and you could see YOUR school on the Virginia DECA Web site! (http://www.virginiadeca.com)
Thank you so much and keep up the good work!
Angela Willett
State Reporter
Upcoming Events, Wage and Hour
Report Spreadsheet - Sept. 14
I know you're all back in full swing now and plugging
DECA with your students! We hope to see membership go through the roof
this year. Remember, we want you ALL to become Virginia DECA Superstar
chapters, earning free glow stars at the opening session of the 2005
SLC. I'd love to see that place completely lit up! (or is it lighted?)
As you continue to plan your year, don't forget the following dates:
OTC
registration, Roanoke 9/24
OTC registration, Richmond 9/29
State Fair 9/28
Southern Region Leadership Conf.
10/14
DECA Week 10/10-10/16
We hope to see as many of you as possible at these events, especially
SRLC. Never been? This one should be especially good with Chuck Blood
promising to "spill his guts" with competition secrets!
Finally, I don't normally promote lessons that are posted on the Web
site, I simply post them and let you check them from time to time. However,
I posted one this morning that deserves your attention. Mary Eckert
of Henrico Public Schools has provided us with a Wage
and Hour Report Spreadsheet that is fantastic! Students enter data
once (such as name, hour wage, etc.), then enter the hours they have
worked on any given date. The spreadsheet then calculates hours by week,
month, and aggregately, and does the same for your students' wages.
It's a great tool. The only thing you have to do is to update the calendar
once per year. If you don't have something in place that already does
this, you will want to take a look and see if you can use it.
OTC, DECA Day with the Wizards-Sept.
7
One more time, welcome back! For many of your today is
your first day back with your students. For a few of you, you're already
settled in. Either way, I'll keep it brief so that you can get back
to Taking Care of Business.
First, please note a critical date change in your Chapter Management
Guide. If you intend to register for the ROANOKE officer training conference,
I need your registration by Friday, September 24--NOT September 29,
as stated in the CMG. I apologize for any inconvenience this might create,
but Hollins needs the lead time for ordering food. This does not affect
the
Richmond registration.
Many of you have been asking about the Web site scavenger hunt. The
SH has been completed and posted, and can be found near the top of the
forms page.
DECA Day with the Wizards is in full swing, and the registration form
can now be found online at http://www.lions.odu.edu/org/deca/wizards04-05_files/slide0002.html
Bobbleheads will only be given to the first 500 that are registered,
so make sure you register early (we're anticipating 1500-2000 registrants
this year). Details can be found on the printable form.
Finally, I hope you'll consider working with your local Finish Line
in placing your coop students. Finish Line has been a GREAT partner
to work with, and if they haven't already, will probably be calling
you to discuss hiring your students. They also welcome your calls (really!)
with regards to student placement. Attached is the local manager's list.
I hope to be sending you a local manager's list for Payless Shoes in
the VERY near future, as well. Many students find retail a great option
compared to restaurant/fast food work.
With the exception of conference time, the plan is to send DECA updates
on Tuesdays this year, so keep an eye out for them. As always, you can
catch any updates that you've missed by visiting the DECA News! page
of the Web site.
Have a fantastic year!
