Florida Foreign Language Association, Inc. Board of Directors Meeting

Walt Disney World Swan and Dolphin Resort

Walt Disney World Swan, Mockingbird 1

Lake Buena Vista, FL

Saturday, January 12, 2008, 8:00 a.m.- 4:00 p.m.
Minutes

8:00 a.m. Continental breakfast (coffee, tea, pastries) Courtesy of EMC

8:30 a.m. Call to Order and Welcome Jan Kucerik

Introductions

Overview of Agenda/Agenda Update

Approval of Minutes from 10/20/07

Motion: Approval of minutes from 10/20/07

Dawn Russell, Region10, moved to approve minutes as submitted

2^nd by Gale Jones, Region 3 Director

Vote unanimous; passed.

8:44

8:45

Report from ACTFL Delegate Assembly/ 2007 ACTFL Convention

Jan Kucerik and Linda Santiago

Written report to follow for FFLAN

8:55

Executive Director’s Report Linda Santiago

Old Business

1) 2007 Conference

Evaluation Report 9:02am Margie Fox

Discussion ensued regarding incentives for conference participants to complete evaluation forms. Suggestions included:

Offer incentive of book from a publisher, prizes, novels

Provide opportunity for online evaluations (Alysse Rasmussen)

Discount off conference or coupon book (Marcela Van Olphen)

Best Practices book (Jacki Cinotti)

Recipe book (Dawn Russell)

Make evaluation form detachable with second half used for raffle.- (Judy McDermott)

Teacher scholarships- Mary Devore. Raffle is more cost effective and reasonable. Mary Risner believes we need to place more emphasis on the importance of getting these evaluation forms back. Anyone at the microphone at conference should reiterate this at every opportunity. Mario Nunez suggested frequent PA announcements with raffle at end of conference.
Financial Report Linda Santiago

Suggestion for a form to be used when submitting receipts to explain name of vendor, date of transaction and purpose of spending before reimbursement can be issued.

Motion for approve financial report

Name: Livia Wein, Region 6

2^nd: Margie Fox, Past President

Vote unanimous; passed.
2) Summary of Committee Reports 9:22am Board members received a copy Jan Kucerik

3) Reorganization of Regions 9:24 (tabled to committee) Jan Kucerik

4) Endowment update 9:25 Sherry Zacharkiw

Discussed three types of endowments: restricted, unrestricted. Quasi. Attorney and/or lawyer to review.

Deanna Scheffer – more on endowments. Guidelines are provided on request.

Allyse Rasmussen – be careful about IRS requirements. Livia Wein – be careful about receiving anything other than cash for investments. For instance, donations consisting of boats and cars gets too complicated. Geoffrey Revard agrees to limit donations to cash only. Mary Fisher states either way, a knowledgeable person to handle the funds is necessary. Nancy Decker – donations for retiring teachers or teachers who have died. Discussion continued. Jan Kucerik summarized that this is very involved project and may require a committee. Mary Fisher volunteers. Deanna Scheffer, Gale Jones, Dr. Gurney, Livia Wein, Sherry Z., Mary Fisher will be members of this committee.

Nancy Decker Rollins College has a Philanthropy Center that deals with this and may extend this office as a resource for FFLA. (Project for 2009)

9:41am

1) Santillana Student Essay Contest 2007

Student Response Louis Lillard absent

2) Santillana Student Essay Contest

2008 Proposal Mario Nuñez

Handout provided. 2007 contest very successful. Suggestion by Gale Jones for extending this to the post-secondary teachers. Marcela and Dr. Jane Govoni agree. Jeff Morgenstein inquired about number of 2007 entries: 150 elementary, 80 secondary. He suggested that Proclamation from DOE should be attached to contest so that teachers and administrators can see the connection to Florida standards. Purchase of books not necessary but of course this is a promotional tool for Santillana and book purchases are encouraged.

Jacki Cinotti would like to see the winners in the FFLAN as advertised and is filtered through the regions vs. the President of FFLA.

Geoffrey Revard inquires if we should be using our FFLA logo with this Santillana contest. Does this give the impression that FFLA does not promote the use of other original literary texts. Jeff M. encouraged us to ask SAC, Clubs, other resources to obtain funds to purchase these texts. Be creative with obtaining funds for these purchases so that each school has at least a set that children can borrow as from a library. Jacki mentioned that any other publisher may work with us to have a promotional contest. This association is not strictly limited to Santillana. Mary Devore of Holt agrees this opportunity is clearly not exclusive to Santillana. Tracy Veler-Knick mentioned that this original contest began very limited and has extended the guidelines. Geoffrey Revard confirms that FFLA is open to the idea of obtaining other cooperative ventures with other publishers especially to open the contest to students of other languages not as common as Spanish and French, for instance Latin, Japanese, and German. Nancy Decker idea about contacting a German company.

Alpha Mu Gamma’s website, designator of National Foreign Language Week March 3-9, 2008. You’ve got the World on a String with Foreign Languages.

www.lacitycollege.edu

Motion: Approval of contest as presented by Mario Nunez

Name: Linda Santiago

2^{nd Margie Fox}

3) Action on Date for 40^th birthday celebration Jan Kucerik

Jan McDermott

First president elected in 1968. Paul Dickson

Discussion ensured around whether we celebrate our 40^th anniversary at the 2009 FFLA conference so that we do not conflict or compete with the ACTFL collaboration in 2008.
Dr. Gurney attended the 1969 FFLA conference. Maria Sanchez also attended –she can be a possible resource for history. Jacki Cinotti reminds us that we have been numbering our conferences, but when did it begin? The 2009 conference will be conference # 41.

A year of celebration culminating at the 2009 can be friendly amendment to motion. 2009 would really be more appropriate as the anniversary is a celebration of the entire year. Discussion ensued regarding kicking off a year of “birthday/anniversary” celebration in 2008 and culminating the celebration at the conference in 2009.

Motion: Approval to celebrate 40th anniversary culminating at the 2009 conference

Name: Judy McDermott

2^nd: Allysse Rasmussen

Vote unanimous; passed.
10:23 am Break (*Board reports distributed during break.)

Report back at 10:45am

Each regional director, associated league rep and board appointee is asked to bring 45 hole-punched copies of their report for distribution to board members.

Board members wishing to also present an oral report will be limited to two minutes.
Nancy Decker FATG April 18-20 Sprachbad

Fulbright study abroad – 6 K-12 teachers, 6 college professor to Namibia summer of 2008.

Dawn Russell – Gabriel Valdes retired. Please contact Dawn Russell, Region 10 Director until a replacement is named.
Dr. Gurney – Missing child info, video 41 seconds long to follow. Suggestions for interdisciplinary units as handout to involve school.
Geoffrey Revard- Refer to FFLAN for his report. Student won nationals. Regional competition end of Jan, beginning of Feb.

Student Forum April 3-5, 2008 Jacksonville

Cheng Mei- March 28-29 3^rd annual competition for students hosted by Berkley Prep.

Membership dues are from Sept to Sept. Conference is in November. Place on registration form that asks if enrolled person is a member of FFLA. Membership list is due to ACTFL monthly. We need a venue for FFLA members to pay for new membership. Discussion continued regarding how to best collect 2008-2009 membership. Issue went to committee, with motion to come later.

$15 for 501 and more registrants.

$30 for 501 or more registrants.

Jan will find out when registration will be open to begin signing up for conference.

Motion: to accept letter of agreement with ACTFL as presented

Name: Jacki Cinotti

2^nd Judy McDermott

1:45-2:45 Committee work groups 2:18pm- 3:27pm

Motion: Membership before June 1^st to remain at $20 for 2008-2009 dues. Membership after June 1^st would increase to $30.00.

Name: Linda Santiago

2^nd – Jane Govoni

Discuss ensued.

Motion to end of discussion regarding membership

Name: Livia Wein

2^{nd- Jeff Morgenstein}

Vote: passed

Motion on the floor put to vote

• 
  ACTFL Workshop and Sessions – Sylvia Amaya and Danny Boulieris, chairs. Selected 12 proposals out of 75. one for 3 hr session: JoJo Lowe
  

• 
  FFLA Annual Initiatives/Business Meeting – Judy McDermott, chair
  

Proposals by the committee: No need for board meeting Wed prior to conference. Next deadline for FFLAN - 15th of March 2008. Saturday am 75 minutes, no speaker, same length session, announce winners of awards then. Post conference board meeting will be held in January. Friday evening at St. Augustine in January. The committee proposed that TOYs be honored along with Hall of Fame winners at a breakfast Saturday morning.

• 
  Greeters and Workshop Monitors – Diana Cano, chair
  

• 
  Publication Relations/Communication/Website – Pam Benton, chair
  

• 
  Teacher scholarships to attend ACTFL-Mary Devore, chair
  

K5, 6-8. 9-12, post-secondary. $1000 total estimate cost per person, this is our goal, so $8000 in total is our goal. Donations, publishers, businesses. Block out 10 rooms guaranteed in good locations. Application process has been discussed and will be finalized and submitted as part of the final written report.

Application Deadline will be Sept 1. Teachers must have taught at least 1 yr but less than 5 yrs for applicants and must have NEVER attended ACTFL

• 
  Exhibit Booth – Livia Wein and Alan Blessing, chairs
  

3 baskets. We need a button making machine to sell buttons with cool sayings. Multicultural, holidays items. Cards with cute language appropriate costumes on front of cards, posters or maps of world. Contact National Geographic, Rand McNally for donations. Please email Livia for further ideas.

• 
  40^th Birthday Celebration – Esther González-Wright, María Wyatt, chairs
  

3:55 Announcements

4:00 Adjournment
The next FFLA board meeting will take place Saturday, May 3, from 8:00-4:00 at the Swan and Dolphin Resort. Please make your room reservations with Linda Santiago by April 1, 2008.
Bulk mailer due in March, 2008

Next FFLAN deadline is March 15.

End of meeting: 3:58

Motion to adjourn

Name: Jacki Cinotti

2^nd:Sherry Zacharkiw

Electronic Motion – March 7, 2008

Original motion: “Linda Santiago moves that we allow Santillana, USA Publishing Company to submit for posting on the FFLA website details regarding two editorial open positions. Esther González-Wright seconds.”

Anne Marie Tijerino suggested a “friendly amendment” to the motion. Amended motion read: