Vol. 61, #3 • Jan-Feb., 2021 • Area XII • San Mateo County Division #22 • Bi-monthly Bulletin of the SMCalRTA President’s Message A fresh launch has arrived for us with plenty of expectations, fresh possibilities and good memories. Let’s welcome the New Year 2021 with big cheers! With all the restrictions this past year, I’m sure we are eagerly energized all over the world as we prevail to overcome the pan- demic. Operation Warp Speed, the program to acceler- ate COVID 19 vaccine development and its approval, helped lift the veil, but it won’t be until late spring/early summer, according to the news, when success is achieved in neutralizing/eradicating antibodies to prevent further viral infections. There is a hope for a brighter tomorrow and back to normalcy. CalRTA’s focus is still increasing our membership! Based on experience I’m sure several active teachers have planned to retire at the end of the school year. Please contact your friends or former districts to obtain names of those retiring. We need to contact them while we still know where they teach. We have brochures to inform them of member benefits. Please pass the information to any of the officers or committee members so we can We had a delightful Holiday Event with Area 12 Divi- contact them. sions and guests on December 15th! Very successful get What would you like to do for With that said, together with 47 attendees! Talented Mountain View our division that you can’t do now? Give us your High School Madrigal and Choruses! input so we can meet the needs of the members of the organization. Reflect on the challenges and blessings this past year. Membership Make the most of your day—Laugh, love, live, learn, Happy 2021 to all! Division 22 welcomes its newest play, dream and JUST BE HAPPY. LIVE EVERY members—CLARE ELLEN GALLAGHER, BENE- MOMENT! DICTE S. WENGER & LEONARDA BRUSH. Best regards, The virtual MRRC meeting last month pointed some Lyn Chan information regarding membership. Review the MRRC article in this issue about the frightening news of the decreasing membership number in our organization who’s primary purpose is to protect our teachers’ pen- sion. We need everyone’s support to help increase our membership. Please encourage active and newly retired teachers to join CalRTA. ­­—Ron Quok, Membership Chair

To Enhance And Protect The Benefits Of Retired Educators CalRTA State Committee Reports Membership Recruitment and Government Relations Committee (GRC) Retention Committee (MRRC) Championing Advocacy Membership For years, CalRTA was a growth organization, striving Hope the New Year is finding you well and hopeful. for 100,000 members in order to increase advocacy 2020 was a wild ride! Covid affected how our state clout. Now, CalRTA continues on a dangerous downhill and federal legislatures chose to budget their money. slide — losing over 10,000 members during the last 10 Many important issues have been put on the back years. From 2005 to 2020, there has been a 30% loss of burner so that more focus goes into the issues related to membership in CalRTA. At the peak, membership was Covid. Our Government Relations Committee keeps a at almost 53,000. Today, membership is at 37,255. Over close eye on all things related to public schools and our one half of our members have been a part of CalRTA for retirees and their needs. over 20 years. As they are lost, there are not enough new Please keep in mind CalRTA is a non-partisan members recruited to keep membership growing. organization. People on both sides of the aisle care about Beginning in 2008, membership became a major con- education. We’re proud of the non-partisan bills we’ve cern of our association. Our CalRTA Board monetarily been able to encourage. supported professional research to learn how to attract Still, we must pay attention to the make-up of both more Baby Boomers into our association. Three major the House and Senate. Democrats now have a very nar- studies of CalRTA members and potential members row lead in the House. They used to have a 30 seat lead, were conducted — (1) Membership Study - Marketing but no more. That means there will be a lot of fluctua- Challenges, (2) Focused Thinking: Current Teacher Focus tion on the outcome of various bills. Groups, and (3) Visionary Group — The Strategic Plan- We’ll have to watch the Senate closely. There is still ning Project: The Future of CalRTA. For more informa- a lot of division in our country. We must wish our new tion about these studies, contact Lorraine Martinez at president well in his attempts to have the parties [email protected]. cooperate with each other enough to get things done. Through surveys done in 2016, it was discovered that Covid, recession and social issues continue to loom what mattered most to division members was advocacy large. We’ll see how things play out. These are CalRTA’s for their continued retirement security, and secondly, primary concerns on the Federal level: retirement information including benefits. Another Health Care: Covid 19 vaccine distribution; Protective survey to members of one division supported these find- equipment and other needs in Senior Living Facilities ings and shared that for recruitment. CalRTA should Medicare; Medicaid changes to the Affordable Care Act; emphasize active, personal advocacy on legislative issues, and Prescription Drug Cost Control provide useful information for seniors, and support public education. Interesting that social activities were Social Security: WEP/GPO repeal; Solvency and way down the list and were not supported as necessary Funding for recruitment purposes. CalRTA: March 1-3 — Advocacy Days — Most likely David Walrath, our CalRTA Legislative Advocate, virtual suggested having an additional category of membership, Advocacy Member, where a person could be a “virtual/ Our Issues on Education: Fair funding: No voucher electronic” member. This membership category was ap- proposals; Limitation on charter school expansion and proved by the Board at the September 9, 2020 meeting. support Free; Community college—Free first two years Important Points from the CalRTA Standing Rules, of public colleges and universities (That would be true Article II: Membership, Section 40 for parents who make less than $120,000/yr.); Increase • CalRTA Advocacy Membership solely focuses on funding for Special Education; Universal pre-school; engaging in advocacy activities for CalRTA issues, but and School infrastructure funding the member prefers not to attend Division meetings Issues in : Immigration Reform (We are the or attend conferences. Nor are they interested in number one agricultural producers in the country. We receiving publications or attending meetings. need to protect our workers.); Protection of DACA; • All information will be received electronically. Climate Change mitigation; Tax Equity; and Federal • Advocacy Membership dues will be the same as a stimulus funding for state and schools CalRTA Member. You’ll find up-to-date information on the CalRTA.org • Advocacy Membership shall be its own Division with website. Check it out! dues being allocated to that Division. Dues from this —Bobbie Whiteman, GRC Area Rep Division shall support CalRTA Advocacy of our legis-

Page 2 To Enhance And Protect The Benefits Of Retired Educators lative platform. Expenditures from this Division shall 2021 Tentative Dates and be under the direction of the CalRTA Government Relations Committee, will be used for advocacy Virtual Programs activities. Mon., Jan. • Full wording can be found at: https://calrta.org/wp- No Meeting content/uploads/Standing-Rules-as-of-111820.pdf Mon., Feb. 8th Founders’ Day Members must sign in to go to Division resources/ Mon., Mar. 8th TBA Division handbook Standing Rules. Fri., Apr. 16th Area 12 Legislative Event— Virtual at 1 P.M Communication Technology Mon., May 10th TBA Committee (CTC) UPDATE Mon., June 14th Flag Day/Fun Event/ WEBINARS ON DEMAND: Entertainment CalRTA on YouTube—1 click does it! Looking for recordings of past webinars? Want to revisit Grant Committee and review a Zoom, Facebook, or Division Website This year the Grant Committee was able to award 16 presentation? You can easily access any of CalRTA’s past teacher support grants of approximately $600 each to webinar recordings simply by clicking on the YouTube teachers from Hillsborough, Pescadero, Atherton, Menlo icon in the upper right-hand corner of the calrta.org Park, East Palo Alto, San Mateo, Belmont, Woodside, home page OR your Division’s website. No more search- and Redwood City! We were happy to be able to distrib- ing. No more frustration. One click and all the webinars ute the money before the holidays to very appreciative are there for the viewing. Just click “Videos” once you and deserving teachers! What a great list of recipients! open CalRTA’s YouTube. Congrats to all of them and much luck throughout this —Sue Breyer, CTC Specialist school year! Stay safe- TECHNOLOGY / iPADS: —Molly Griffin, Grant Committee Member iPads do some Zoom things differently – here’s help! We have provided webinars and written how-to pages Financial Report so people can use Zoom successfully on their comput- ers and smartphones. Now we have a how-to file for those who use iPads for Zoom sessions. Much is similar to Zooming on computers, but there are still a few diferences. Knowing these should be helpful for our attendees with iPads. A “How To” sheet should soon be available to download from the state website —Marilynn Smith, CTC Specialist Scholarship Committee We congratulate Kaylee Basso for doing student teach- ing at Sunset Ridge Elementary School, Pacifica School District. A check for $750 was sent to her. According to Scholarship guidelines, past scholarship recipients may apply for addition funds if they student teach in Califor- nia and inform the Scholarship Committee. Document needed is the confirmation of their assignment on a school letter head signed by the principal or the master teacher. FYI: with the changes in class structures from in-person to hybrid classes, teachers are looking for alternatives on how to teach and motivate students to stay focused and keep on learning. Kaylee is the first student teacher who has applied for additional support since this provision was implemented many years ago. Congratulations, Kaylee! ­—Lyn Chan, Scholarship Chair

To Enhance And Protect The Benefits Of Retired Educators Page 3 2020-2021 Teacher Support Grant Recipients

Hillsborough School District Sally James – South Elementary Material for garden science project

La Honda/Pescadero School District Randall Vail – Pescadero High School Bike repair and maintenance program Kevin Allen– Pescadero Middle School Another Opportunity for Classroom License for “Language Live”, an online reading program Teachers! State CalRTA Teacher Subscription to SCOPE and ACTION Grants for 2021 School Year. Inform Las Lomitas Elementary School District your friends! Carolyn Larsen – Las Lomitas Elementary 26 books on diversity for her 2nd graders You’re working virtually and the State CalRTA grant program has gone virtual, too! Second round coming: Martha Lampert – Las Lomitas Elementary 40 grants …...... $100 each grant Magnetic letters & tubs, slate chalkboards, foam dice Checks will be mailed to recipients. Use the $100 any way to support virtual teaching goals. SPRING 2021 – Ravenswood School District Open 2-17-2021 to 3-7-2021 Melanie Bang – Belle Haven Elementary Questions? Email us at [email protected]. Material for butterfly science project Founders’ Day in February Julia Gauci – Costano Elementary CalRTA began in 1929 as the country struggled Paper center, ink-black and colored through the Great Depression. A small group of teach- David Novosyolov – Ravenswood Middle School ers banded together to fight for better pensions for Tennis balls for juggling, 3 Bluetooth speakers colleagues who were living in poverty after a lifetime of teaching. In 1929, a retired schoolteacher received a Melisa Fuentes – Ravenswood Middle School maximum of just $500 a year in pension benefits. Laura Resources to enhance PE program E. Settle, CalRTA’s founder and president until 1945, Charles Dietz – Ravenswood Middle School drove the dusty highways of the state to help organize Mathematical tool kits teachers in a common cause. All were welcome to join for the annual dues of $1. Thanks to Ms Settle who set San Mateo Union High School District the tone for the organization—a spirit that endures to Katherine Ward – this day. Wireless digital microscope camera

Sequoia High School District John Rowe – Equipment to run tax center Leaseth Ramirez – East Palo Alto Academy Working space—desk, chair, monitor, white board Ana Ventura – Menlo Atherton High School Subscription to Padlet & Kahooti, learning applications James Bender - Redwood High School At home tool kits for Construction Trades class Patrick McDevitt - Woodside High School Subscription to Sutori, an online platform

Page 4 To Enhance And Protect The Benefits Of Retired Educators Thank You Notes From Our Random Grant Winners in September The kids love to read with the Apologies for the delayed response— stuffies and are motivated !! I hadn’t been to campus in a while, I wanted to show you what I and hadn’t seen that the check bought: characters from the books had arrived. However, I have now we read and a box of sight words. picked it up, and I have included a Thank you so much!! pic of me holding it here. ­—Jeanne McCann Thank you again! Encinal, Menlo Park SD —Jordana Wolf Junipero Serra, SSFUSD

Thank you for drawing my Thank you also for this awesome name. opportunity to help my students. It, absolutely, made my day!! We are using this grant money to It’s been rough and busy and help bring field trips to our students. the gift was just what I needed! They won’t be able to take the ones Your committee is so generous we normally do but it’s been great to do this!! Thank you! I am to bring some to them. Trying to attaching my photo. Have a inject some of our normal fun into wonderful Thanksgiving and their virtual learning! thank you again for the gener- —Alison Lansing ous gift. Brittan Acres Elementary School —Amy Gee San Carlos SD Menlo Park SD

Larra Olson Encinal Elementary, Menlo Park CSD

Words From Our 2020/2021 Grant Award Recipients

My thanks for your support. I truly John Rowe was awarded a appreciate the grant and I look grant of $600 to purchase forward to working outside with equipment to run a Tax the children in January 2021. Center at Carlmont HS, (Her grant will fund an outdoor Sequoia UHD garden science project.) My regards and gratitude, —Sally James, South Hillsborough Elementary

Casey Barry, 4th Grade Teacher Junipero Serra Elementary, SSFUSD

To Enhance And Protect The Benefits Of Retired Educators Page 5 On the Horizon Words from the Wise 1. The CalSTRS Supplemental Benefit Maintenance James Monroe Account (SBMA) has an excess of funds. The teacher “It is by a thorough knowledge of the whole subject that retirees that retired long ago are being hit very hard by [people] are enabled to judge correctly of the past and to the erosion of their purchasing power. There are 330 give a proper direction to the future.” retirees who are 100 + years old. Most are women. Here are some options that the CalSTRS board is considering. Encouragement/Inspiration Option 1 would give a percentage increase to mem- Especially with this pandemic, remember this. bers that retired before 1999. The sliding scale would be: a 15% increase for those who retired before 1980, a Be Good to YOU! 10% increase for those who retired 1980–1989, and a 5% increase for those who retired 1990–1998. Be yourself, truthfully. For more details google: SBMA CALIFORNIA Accept yourself, gratefully. STATE TEACHERS RETIREMEN SYSTEM Value yourself, joyfully. - CalSTRS Treat yourself, generously. Balance yourself, harmoniously. Volunteers Bless yourself, abundantly. Here are some small volunteer jobs that members may Trust yourself, confidently. want to consider being involved. If you are bored with Love yourself, wholeheartedly. Covid, step up! Empower yourself, immediately. 1. Call a few senior members that you know to check Give yourself, enthusiastically. in on them. Express yourself, radiantly. 2. Make calls to members who have not renewed their From First Aid for the Soul membership. 3. Help with the scholarship or teacher grant Still Applicable In Our Lives Today application process. Heraclitus, Philosopher: 4. Help with collections of glasses for Lions club, The content of your character is your choice. Day by canned food for the Food bank, toys and books for day, what you choose, what you think and what you do children, toiletries for the homeless, etc. is who you become. 5. Suggest good programs to your Program chair. Democritus, Philosopher: (Share good programs with other divisions.) Happiness resides not in possessions, and not in gold, happiness dwells in the soul. 6. Search online to update the names of local superin- tendents and principals and possibly emails. 7. View one of the great webinars on the CalRTA website. 8. Use the website to advocate for our causes. It only takes seconds since letters are prewritten! 9. Track the activities of local elected representatives. 10. Let local newspapers know about your division happenings. 11. Send Thank You notes and cards of cheer for your division. 12. Collect and share local events that may be of interest to other members.

Page 6 To Enhance And Protect The Benefits Of Retired Educators SMCalRTA Scholarship & Education IN MEMORIAM Foundation, Inc. Donation Form Sympathy cards were sent to the families of: Enclosed is my donation of $______payable to SMCalRTA Scholarship & Education Foundation. Craig Brown — Pleasanton, CA Date______Check #______Pat J. Fischer — East Wenatchee, WA Name______William M. E. Harriman — Santa Rose, CA Address______Robert A Meadows — Albuquerque, NM City/CA/Zip ______Mary F. Pecci — , CA Phone #______Janet A. Warren — Lincoln, CA In memory of ______or In honor of______—By Jane Reed, Sunshine Chair To celebrate, commemorate or express wishes for (please indicate):______Support The Scholarship and Please tear off and mail to: Education Foundation, Inc. SMCalRTA Division 22, San Mateo CalRTA, Div. 22, Area XII c/o Scholarship & Education Foundation P.O. Box 25021, San Mateo, CA 94402 • Include SMCalRTA #22 in your will or estate plan Contributions to the San Mateo Div. #22, CalRTA Scholarship & Education Foundation, Inc. are now completely tax deductible. • Gift donations to foundation fund may be made honoring birthdays, anniversaries, or other special _ Important: Please, continue on overleaf. events or as a memorial to those no longer with us. The form on this page is for your convenience. It can Important Note also be used for future donations. If you have a mailing address or email change for any reason, please use the form provided in this newsletter on the back page. Donations to the Scholarship INFORMATION PLEASE & Edudaction Foundation Questions about SMCalRTA? From: Loretta McClurg in honor of teachers Contact Lyn Chan, President, at [email protected] or 650 490-0125 (mobile), or email: [email protected]. [email protected] Got questions? Answers are here! Here’s where any CalRTA member can seek and get answers to questions ranging from registration for events to division website updating and from discounts on See’s Candies to how to handle spam email.

Do you have news for the REMINDER? Deadline for the March/April 2021 issue is Thursday, Feb. 4, 2021. Contact Lyn Chan, President, at [email protected].

Applause Please! Thanks to Ron and April Quok, Pat Marsala, Dolores Crabtree and Mike Harris for undertaking the prepara- tion and publication of the REMINDER. WHAT A WONDERFUL TEAM! Volunteering many precious hours are truly labor of LOVE & SUPPORT!

To Enhance And Protect The Benefits Of Retired Educators Page 7 SMCalRTA Scholarship Making Changes? Please complete and mail the form below to SMCalRTA Please send acknowledgement card to: Membership. We don’t want to waste postage by getting Name______returned mail which has gone to the wrong address. Division 22 Contact Change Form Address______Mail to: SMCalRTA Membership Chair City______157 Southclif Ave., South San Francisco, 94080 PLEASE PRINT CLEARLY & COMPLETE FORM State______Zip______❒ New address How do you wish the acknowledgement card signed? Name ______

Address______

NOTE: An acknowledgement card giving your name(s) will be City, State, Zip ______sent as you direct but the amount will not be disclosed. You will receive a letter of verification. All contributions are completely Efective date______Phone ______tax deductible. ❒ Remove from Mailing List ❒ Cancel the REMINDER Notice: Save A Tree/Save Postage ❒ New email?______Can we email you the REMINDER rather than mailing a hard copy? Please send your email address

to [email protected]. Check out http://www.calrta.org

San Mateo, CA 94402 CA Mateo, San

25021 Box PO

SMCalRTA RETURN TO: RETURN

Page 8 To Enhance And Protect The Benefits Of Retired Educators