<p> Mississippi Department of Education Tom Burnham, Ed.D., State Superintendent of Education Lynn J. House, Ph.D., Deputy State Superintendent • Instructional Enhancement and Internal Operations</p><p>Office of Vocational Education and Workforce Development  Jean Massey  Associate State Superintendent </p><p>TO: Business Educators and/or Current FBLA Advisors JG FROM: Jan Guyse, State FBLA/PBL Advisor Office of Student Organizations</p><p>RE: FBLA 2011-2012 Fall Update</p><p>DATE: August 2, 2011</p><p>Welcome back to another exciting year for Mississippi FBLA. Having students involved in an active FBLA Chapter can assist in making this a successful year for you and your classroom! The FBLA State Association provides new opportunities for you and your students to grow. This memo will provide you with information regarding the following: Mississippi recognition for the 2011 National Leadership Conference, membership renewal, Mississippi Fall Conference invitation, conference dates, FBLA Foundation information and pertinent information regarding competitive events for FBLA. If you have questions or concerns at any time, please contact me at [email protected], 601.576.5011, or fax me at 601-354-7788. Please check the website periodically throughout the year for new information and possible date changes. All future correspondence will be available on the state website. View at www.mde.k12.ms.us/vocational/fbla frequently.</p><p>2011 National Leadership Conference recognitions in Orlando, Florida Local Advisor of the Year Debbie Griffin Northeast Jones High School Who’s Who Zach Newton Picayune Career Center Gold Seal Chapters Prentiss Co. Vocational Center 3rd place Job Interview Mollie McKay Philadelphia High School</p><p>We are extremely proud of all of the competitors and their diligence in representing Mississippi well. The advisors’ and competitors’ commitment to FBLA made Mississippi look great!</p><p>MEMORANDUM # 11.062 OVEWD Business Educators and/or Current Advisors July 22, 2011 Memorandum #11.062 Page 2</p><p>Membership Renewal for current School Year, National Deadlines (October 20 and March 1) Membership State Deadline for Students Competing in District Competitions (November 19). For any questions or information about starting a new chapter or re-activating your chapter, please contact the National Office at 1-800-325-2946, Jan Guyse at 601.576.5011 or Gwen Dodds at 601.795.3480. The FBLA Membership Affiliation form is available online at www.fbla-pbl.org or by calling the National Office.</p><p>Tuesday, November 1, 2011, is the deadline for dues to be paid for students competing in district competitions. If your competing student has not paid state and national dues by this date, the Mississippi online registration will not allow that name to be entered to compete on the district level. Please ensure that each competitor is a paid member early to avoid any problems and disappointments!</p><p>Write one check to cover both state and national dues. State dues are $4 and National dues are $6 per member. Send the check to:</p><p>Future Business Leaders of America Membership Lockbox P .O. Box 79063 Baltimore, MD 21279-0063</p><p>Thursday, March 1 is the last date in the year to submit the Membership Reporting Form for both national and state dues.</p><p>2011 Mississippi FBLA\PBL Fall Leadership Conference Mississippi State University will be hosting the 2011 Mississippi FBLA\PBL Fall Leadership Conference Friday, October 14, 2011. All FBLA members and prospective members are encouraged to attend. The registration fee is $25 per person attending. Registration is due to MSU PBL, attention: Vick Keel PBL on or before Thursday, September 15, 2011. A late registration fee of an additional $25 per person will be accepted through Friday, September 30. Please find the tentative agenda and registration form on the MDE/FBLA website. This is a great conference to kick off the school year. Business Educators and/or Current Advisors July 22, 2011 Memorandum #11.062 Page 3</p><p>2011 National Fall Leadership Conference (NFLC) The Mississippi State Chapter will be attending the NFLC in Little Rock, Arkansas, November 18-19, 2011. You will find the National Fall Leadership Conference (NFLC) registration packet on the National website at www.fbla.org. Please submit your chapter NFLC intent form (located on the MDE/FBLA website) to the state chapter if you plan to attend. </p><p>2011-2012 Calendar Be sure to download a copy of the FBLA event’s calendar on the state FBLA website. View the website frequently for any mandated changes.</p><p>Mississippi Competitive Events Guidelines There are changes to the Mississippi Competitive Events Guidelines for 2011-12. Please be sure to download a revised copy of the Mississippi Competitive Events Guidelines from the MDE\fbla website. This guide provides you with the current competitive events offered on the district and state level. </p><p>2011-2012 State Officer Candidate Applications These packets are due on or before Thursday, December 1. Please consult the Revised State Officer Candidate Handbook on the MDE/FBLA website for the required forms, duties and responsibilities of the FBLA executive board.</p><p>NOTE: The officer candidates must be in the 9th, 10th, or 11th grades. In addition, the applicant’s chapter must be a current member of the FBLA-PBL Foundation.</p><p>Prerequisite for District Registration The district online registration process will not allow you to register your students until the national office has received your membership with full payment. To ensure that all of your students are allowed to register, send your membership with payment into the national office on or before Tuesday, November 1, 2011.</p><p>District Conferences Dates and Locations</p><p>District Conference Registration Conference Date Conference Location Postmarked Due Date Southern JCJC – Ellisville December 1, 2011 February 2, 2012 Central ECCC – Decatur December 1, 2011 February 9, 2012 Northern TBA December 1, 2011 February 23, 2012</p><p>Business Educators and/or Current Advisors July 22, 2011 Memorandum #11.062 Page 4</p><p>Online District Registration District chapters will not receive a registration packet by mail. Please visit the MDE/FBLA website for instructions for the online registration. All 7th - 10th grade students who compete in district competitions only must submit a transcript or letter from the school counselor or principal along with your district registration verifying the grade of the student. Unless you provide this verification, your students will not be allowed to compete. The local advisor will not be contacted if this information is not received by the community college. After registering online, a copy of the district registration form, grade verification form, check or purchase order, etc. must be mailed to the community college (as a packet) by the deadline date. If the information is not received as a packet, the competitors will not be allowed to compete on the district level. Please note that there will be no on-site registration or refunds for any district conferences. A portion of your district registration fee goes directly to hosting PBL chapter(s) as a PBL fundraiser. Other expenses include state officers' and their advisors' travel expenses to district conferences, district judges' luncheons, medallions, and other expenses incurred by the hosting community college.</p><p>Word Processing I National Rule: Only 9th and 10th grade students can compete in this event. To confirm the student’s grade level, the student’s transcript must be included along with the district registration form that will be mailed to the district community college coordinator.</p><p>In an effort to clarify which students are eligible to compete in Word Processing I, please read the following statement. “If student(s) have not taken any other computer course except Computer Discovery prior to BCT I, a BCT I vocational student in the 9th or 10th grade can enter the Word Processing I Event. If they have had “any other” computer course (except Computer Discovery) such as Keyboarding, Computer Applications, Word Processing, Information Processing, Desktop Publishing, etc., they cannot enter the Word Processing I Event. </p><p>Job Interview and Future Business Leader Events You must enclose your letter of application and resume along with your conference registration for these two events for district competition. This will allow for the scoring of these documents prior to the day of competition. Business Educators and/or Current Advisors July 22, 2011 Memorandum #11.062 Page 5</p><p>Competitive Events Important Note: According to national guidelines, if students have competed on the national level in an individual event, they cannot compete in that event again on any level. Please do not place students in any event in which they have previously competed on a national level. A few team events have exceptions to this rule. Please view your National Chapter Handbook.</p><p>Middle Level Competitive Events for 2012 Please consult your National Management Handbook and your MS Guidelines Book to review the Middle Level Events offered at the District Competitions ONLY. These events are: Keyboarding Applications I, Keyboarding Applications II, Spreadsheet, and Proofreading and Editing. All tests will be production tests except for the Proofreading and Editing test which will be a 45-minute online test.</p><p>FBLA State Conference The State Leadership Conference is scheduled to take place at the Marriott Hotel, April 12-13, 2012, on Amite St. in Jackson, Mississippi. The 2012 theme is Gateway to Greatness.</p><p>State Conference Online Registration We are offering online registration for the SLC. Visit www.mde.k12.ms.us/vocational/fbla for instructions. Please submit the completed hotel form to confirm your room reservations. This form is located on the FBLA/MDE website. Telephone reservations will not be accepted by the hotel. Advisors will need to assist with state conference event testing. If you would like to be considered to assist with a particular event, please contact Gwen Ladner at [email protected]. Otherwise, you will be assigned an event.</p><p>Dress Code for all FBLA Conferences Please inform your students that capris and gaucho pants with a coordinating jacket or suit are acceptable dress code. Review the revised dress code on the national website. Please remember that ALL students and advisors attending any sessions at the district and state conferences are to adhere to the dress code outlined on the state and national websites. </p><p>Local Advisor Responsibility at all FBLA sponsored Conferences Responsibility for student behavior and conduct rests with the local education agency (LEA) and its representatives in attendance at student organization events. The LEA’s student advisors and teachers chaperoning student organization conferences and other activities are responsible for the behavior and conduct of students under their supervision. State-level personnel (i. e., Business Educators and/or Current Advisors July 22, 2011 Memorandum #11.062 Page 6 coordinators, directors) are not responsible for the behavior and conduct of students in attendance at such gatherings, nor are they responsible for disciplinary action(s) that might result from poor behavior and conduct on the part of students in attendance at such events.</p><p>New Advisors to FBLA All memos and necessary forms for conferences can be downloaded from the Mississippi FBLA website. All 7th - 10th grade event participants in district competitions only must submit a transcript or letter from the school counselor or principal along with your district registration verifying the grade of the student. Without this verification, your students will not be allowed to compete. Gwen Dodds, State Specialist can be contacted at 662. 795.3480 or [email protected]. She can assist you with questions you may have concerning your local chapter.</p><p>National Officer Applications Please consult the Mississippi State Officer Handbook and the National Chapter Handbook for information.</p><p>Join the FBLA/PBL Foundation! Don’t miss this opportunity! Join by December 31 to reap the benefits for 2012!</p><p>To receive Foundation financial disbursements for the 2012 NLC you will need to meet the following requirements: </p><p> Yearly contribution must be postmarked on or before December 31 of each year.</p><p>Make check payable to:Send to: Mississippi FBLA/PBL Foundation</p><p>Mail to: Tracy Mangum Trustmark National Bank Post Office Box 291 Jackson, MS 39205-0291</p><p> Chapter membership ($50.00 bronze level membership) and  One business membership or an additional $50.00 from your chapter (for a Silver membership)</p><p>A copy of the FBLA/PBL Foundation agreement can be found in your MS Guidelines which can be downloaded from the Mississippi MDE FBLA website. Chapters are encouraged to become members or to renew their membership to the Foundation. If your chapter encourages local businesses or persons in the community to become members, contributions should be sent in the Business Educators and/or Current Advisors July 22, 2011 Memorandum #11.062 Page 7 fall for maximum accrual of interest; however, the deadline for sending contributions and receiving recognition at the state conference and being eligible for NLC assistance is December 31 of each year. There will be no exceptions. A local chapter must meet the Foundation requirements listed above to receive compensation for NLC (if available). Chapter and individual contributions to the Foundation has placed us over the $300,000 mark. Remember that interest income is divided among FBLA/PBL state winners and state officers to assist them with expenses each year. Currently interest rates are extremely low due to the effects of the economy. Please do not allow this fact to keep you from joining the Foundation as this is an investment for the future. The principal is never used to defray expenses. The goal of the FBLA Foundation is to eventually pay the total expenses of national contestants. Keep up the good work, renew your membership in the Foundation, and solicit new business and individual memberships.</p><p>March of Dimes Contributions Please set your goals high for this year’s March of Dimes contributions. Mississippi wants to be “on top” again. Submit your check along with the submission form to the address below:</p><p>March of Dimes 991 Lakeland Dr. Suite G Jackson, MS 39216</p><p>You must submit your funds using the March of Dimes donation form located on the MDE/FBLA website. Place chapter name and address on the check. Taking this action will further ensure that your chapter receives credit for the donation.</p><p>State FBLA Guidelines You can download the Revised State FBLA Guidelines from the Mississippi FBLA website after August 2011. This guideline book should be followed for the district and state competitions along with your 2011-2012 National Chapter Management Handbook.</p><p>One important item to notice in the handbook is the fact that “no cell phones, pagers, or other communication devices will be permitted in any testing rooms, holding rooms, or preparation rooms.” Please review ALL guidelines with your students. </p><p>The National Chapter Management Handbook is a publication of the FBLA/PBL Office in Reston, VA. The Handbook will provide listed competitive event guidelines for national conference participants. Upon receipt of your chapter membership, your chapter should be receiving your copy from the national office by the end of August. It can also be downloaded from the national website at www.fbla-pbl.org. Please keep in mind that all events listed in the national handbook will not Business Educators and/or Current Advisors July 22, 2011 Memorandum #11.062 Page 8 be offered on the state level, therefore it is essential that this book is used in conjunction with the MS guidelines publication.</p><p>Be sure to read the Mississippi Guidelines and National Handbook very carefully to assure that your students adhere to all regulations. Unless all regulations are followed, points will be deducted and/or students will be disqualified.</p><p>FBLA Supplier The supplier for FBLA/PBL is the Marketplace. You can locate a catalog in your National Chapter Management Handbook.</p><p>Professional Division, Mississippi Chapter Local chapters that gain 15 or more professional division members by June 2012 will receive certificate recognition at the 2012 NLC. Take advantage of this opportunity and recruit new members. The Professional Division membership is a great way for former FBLA members to remain involved after graduation from high school and/or college. Professional Division application forms are located in your Chapter Planning Packet.</p><p>Liability Form Process Prior to attending any state sponsored event, the local advisor is responsible for completing the liability form for every student. This form is located on the website. At each conference, the contact advisor will sign a form stating that he/she has the liability release forms in possession for all members, advisors, and guests in attendance. This is a policy being strictly enforced by the Office of Student Organizations. Do not mail in a liability form. c: Jean Massey Mike Mulvihill Bill McGrew Angela Kitchens Memo Book</p><p>JG/jg </p>