Professional Learning Opportunities

There are several upcoming opportunities for professional learning. FCCLA hosted its first webinar today on Membership development. Watch the playback of the first Adviser Essentials Webinar Series: Membership Development for free. Additional webinars in this series are being held throughout the year. Visit the Chapter Adviser section of the website for more information on topics and dates.

Additionally, AAFCS has offered FCCLA advisers a discount on their webinars. FCCLA advisers can register for $50 ($65 Regular price). Enter Promotional Code “FCCLA” when prompted. Two upcoming opportunities from AAFCS inlcude:

Creating and Using Digital Movies in the Classroom and Beyond

Presented by Tina Shank

90-minute program including Q & A

September 30, 4pm ET

Food Psychology:  Why We Eat More Than We Think

Presented by Dr. Jim Painter

90-minute program including Q & A

October 6, 4pm ET

We hope you take advantage of these professional learning options. As always, feedback is appreciated. We look forward to hearing from you.

STAR Events Manual Now Online!

The 2010-2011 STAR Events Manual is now available online. Use the updated manual to plan for your year in competitive events and integrate STAR Events into your classroom. FCCLA is proud to offer three new events this year: Advocacy, Nutrition and Wellness, and Leadership. In addition to the new events we now offer a new take on the hospitality industry with the Hospitality, Tourism and Recreation STAR Event.

You'll see several technological updates to the events this year. As you scroll through the manual you'll find everything from an electronic portfolio option to web design. We hope your students enjoy putting their FACS and FCCLA knowledge into action during the 2010-2011 competition. For more information about how your state is using STAR Events to recognize members, please contact your state adviser. We look forward to your feedback on the new events and updates.

Updates, Changes and New Projects

As with the beginning of any school year, we have hit the ground running with updates, changes and new projects at the national office. Over the course of the next several months you’ll find things aren’t exactly the way they were last year.

One of the changes you may have already noticed is a change in the day we publish this blog. We’ve moved from Mondays to Wednesdays in hope of increasing readership and reporting in a more timely way. Additionally, you’ll be hearing from more advisers throughout the year. This blog was intended to be for advisers, by advisers and we’d like to keep moving in that direction. If you are interested in contributing to the blog, please let us know at adoane@fcclainc.org.

Updates are part of every new year. We are working diligently to continue updating the membership database with accurate and helpful tools. As you go through the affiliation process, you’ll note some of these updates. Others may not be seen right away, but will make a difference in our office. One of the new projects we had this year involved creating a “how to” webinar for affiliation and using the database. That is now online and can be accessed through our homepage.

Another new project this year is a 10-year membership survey. We are beginning the exciting challenge of asking our membership what is good, what is bad, what can be improved, and what opportunities there are for the future. There has been a lot of change in the education system since our last survey and we look forward to hearing what members and advisers have to say.

Advisers are skilled at adapting to change and we thank you for putting up with changes at the national office. We think we are, with your input, headed in the right direction and hope that you feel the same way. We encourage you to contact us with questions, concerns, and suggestions for improvement. Your feedback only makes us better!

Two Heads Are Better Than One

The official close to summer comes with the passing of Labor Day. The long holiday weekend is always a bittersweet reminder that seasons are changing and new things are right around the corner. Not only new seasons, but new students, new meeting experiences, new opportunities for involvement, and new areas for improvement—not to mention all the surprises along the way!

As you have these new experiences, we encourage you to find a fellow adviser to share them with as a mentor. Finding a mentor, even for experienced advisers can provide an opportunity to generate new ideas, change something that doesn’t work quite right, and build a stronger and more vibrant chapter.  It always helps to have someone cheering you on, so link up with another adviser to start a partnership that will reward and refresh you!

Tip: Attending district, regional and state meetings are an excellent way to meet fellow advisers. If you would like help finding a mentor or connecting with another adviser, contact your state adviser for assistance.