LAMBDA SIGMA NEWS

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International Alpha State, Texas Lambda Sigma Chapter

Sugar Land, Texas

Volume 29, Number 1 August, 2010 Area IV, Number 282

President: Cathie Ritchie Editor: Barb Hansen

President's Message

Dear Lambda Sigma Sisters,

As per usual, the summer has flown by. I have had a wonderful time spending relaxing hours with good friends and more energetic hours with my three grandsons. I trust all of you have had a good time also. My summer began with our state Convention in Waco. Mary Ann Dolezal, Mary Crochet, Dale Araujo, and I attended this motivating, friend building, and stimulating convention. We all came away with fun new ideas for our chapter.

In July I was thrilled to have 18 ladies attend our Lambda Sigma planning meeting. This is going to be such a good year with so many creative sisters throwing out great ideas for making our meetings enjoyable from beginning to end. Those who attended were: Margaret Larson, Georgia Hicks, Christy Chrisman, Lana Petrizzo, Janie Holsapple, Dale Araujo, Abby Grobe, Christine Saberi, Mary Ann Dolezal, Sally Cain, Mary Louise Ivey, Debbie Reynolds, Joan Eubanks, Julia Hamilton, Andrea Fine, Ann Thompson, and Linda Russell. Everyone left the meeting feeling very enthusiastic about our 2010-2011 calendar of events. We planned our programs to involve more members, to utilize members’ abilities, and to keep us informed of issues challenging educators.

We now have our own website! Barb Hansen and Abby Grobe have it up and running and there is a link on International’s website to ours. The web address is included in this newsletter.

Projects for Lambda Sigma were discussed at length at our planning meeting. We will definitely continue our Cinderella/Cinderfella project and juvenile detention center commitment. We also want to provide support to our own sisters who are physically impaired or ill. This will be discussed at our first meeting.

We obviously need to raise money for our grants-in-aid and scholarships, so many suggestions were presented. It was decided that we would have 3 raffle items per each meeting. Each committee will be responsible for providing one item per year. Suggestions for items were baked goods, craft projects, floral arrangements, etc. to be decided by each committee. We will have a garage sale in April. We are also trying to find out how to produce rose shaped magnetic identity card badge holders to sell at conventions and to members. As you can see, our members are full of great ideas!

Naturally we want to enjoy each other’s company, so we are going to have a progressive dinner in December. Put December 7 on your calendars. What fun! And our January meeting will be held at the University of Houston, Sugar Land Campus, to tour their new facilities. I know we will all enjoy doing that as well.

The meetings are listed in this newsletter. I do hope you will all be able to participate. It is such an honor that you have elected me to be your President. The officers and committee chairmen are all fantastic, fun ladies who want this to be your favorite organization. I look forward to seeing you at the Initiation of our wonderful new sisters on August 21st. Then, one week later, we can attend our Area IV Workshop in Lake Jackson. Over 20 members have already signed up to attend. What fabulous participation!

Blessings,Cathie Ritchie

The Delta Kappa Gamma Mission Statement

The Delta Kappa Gamma Society International promotes professional and

personal growth of women educators and excellence in education.

August Chapter Meeting

Saturday, August 21, 2010 1:00 p.m.Kathy Nelson’s home4215 Maranatha Dr., Sugar Land 77479Tel: 281-980-4160

Hostesses: Shari Lim, Chair

Program: New member initiation

Pay Dues and Update Yearbook Information!

Bookmark This!

Lambda Sigma has anew website –

http://lambdasigma.weebly.com/

Schedule of meetings 2010-2011

August 21st- 1:00-3:00 p.m. at Kathy Nelson's home.  Initiation of new members

August 28th- 7:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Area Workshop in Lake Jackson.  Carpools will meet at the HEB at Sienna Parkway at 7:00 a.m.

September 30th - 4:30 p.m.  Lexington Creek Elementary.  Learn about parlia-mentary procedure and our new website.

October 27th - 4:30 p.m.  Lexington Creek Elementary. Traci Hoke the CFO of FBISD will speak about the FBISD budget.

December 7th - 5:00-8:00.  Come join us and enjoy great food at the first DKG Pro-gressive Dinner.  The dinner will be held at three different homes in the Sweetwater area.

January 15th or the 22nd (date will be confirmed later) Come tour the U of H Sugar Land campus and learn what U of H has to offer our area.

February 22 - 4:30 p.m. Lexington Creek Elementary.  Christi Chrisman will be teaching us new songs and Frances Courville will show how we can acces-sorize with scarves.

April - possible participation in the Sienna Plantation garage sale.

May 21st - Founder's Day Luncheon at Christi Chrisman's home.

A Look at Your Committees

Communications-

The goal of the Communications Committee is to support the efforts of chapter members and groups to communicate effectively with one another. It seeks opportunities to publicize information about the Society, its Purposes, its program of work, and the noteworthy achievements of its members. This is done through our Lambda Sigma newsletter, chapter website, and published articles in local newspapers and publications. The members of your Lambda Sigma Communications Committee are Barbara Hansen (chair), Mary Ann Dolezal, Abby Grobe, and Janice Moore.

Yearbook-

The Yearbook is planned for the use of members and is the historical record of the chapter work each year. It contains information most often needed by members, such as members’ names, addresses, phone numbers, and birthdates, as well as lists of officers, committees, and meetings dates and times. As a historical record, our yearbook lists past Lambda Sigma presidents, chapter charter members, and Achievement and Red Rose recipients. The members of your Yearbook Committee are Mary Crochet (chair), Paula Jay, and Rita Drabek.

Hospitality-

The duties of the Hospitality Committee are to provide healthy refreshments for each meeting.  The ladies assigned to this com-mittee will be calling 3 to 4 Lambda Sigma members to help with the refreshments for each meeting.  Please be ready to help out when you receive a call.

The members of the Hospitality Committee are Margaret Larson (chair), Martha Ewell, Pat Hall, and Shari Lim.

Birthday Girls!

Aug-11 Cathie RitchieAug-14 Sue TullAug-19 Sally CainAug-19 Kay Slack BeardAug-21 Dixie EllisAug-29 Judy Bartay

Sep-1 Mary E. "Zooks" CampbellSep-10 Joan EubanksSep-14 Martha EwellSep-17 Lee Ann MoodySep-23 Darlene TresseltSep-23 Arlise Wilson

Cinderella/Cinderfella Project

The Cinderella/Cinderfella Project is one of Lambda Sigma’s ongoing projects. This organization selects high school seniors who may have emotional, financial, or family challenges and helps them realize the dream of their senior prom. Our chapter collects donations of money, gift cards,

make-up and toiletries, and gently used prom dresses each year to help this cause. At the end of this newsletter is the Kroger Donation Program customer letter. Print this off and take it with you the next time you shop at Kroger. They will scan the barcode and then each time to use your Kroger card, they will contribute a percentage of your eligible purchases to The Cinderella/ Cinderfella Project. Help others just by doing your weekly grocery shopping!!

Chapter News

Vicky Hemme is enjoying a "double header" adventure this summer, spending the days from July 27 -Aug 7 in southern England, exploring the areas around Bath (including Stonehenge, Avebury, Cotswold villages, Glastonbury and Wells), Winchester, Salisbury, and London.  Cathedral and abbey services, plus Shakespeare's "Henry VI" at the reconstructed Globe Theatre will be enjoyed, as well as other diversions.   Then on the 7th, college friend Cindy will fly home while Vicky flies to Copenhagen to meet another friend and begin chapter two of the vacation adventure.  Discovering Copenhagen's attractions will fill the days until the Star Princess 10 day Baltic cruise begins august 10, providing the grand finale.   If all goes according to schedule, she will return late August 20.

Debbie and Sam Reynolds took their first Caribbean cruise this summer!They were trying to be spontaneous and started looking at cruises only a few days away from the departure date and they were sold out! But Mary Crochet came to the rescue and put them on the waiting list.  Twenty- four hours before

departure Mary called and said “you better get packing”!Debbie and Sam had a wonderful trip and loved the snorkeling excursions in Montego Bay, Grand Cayman and Cozumel!

Just a Thought

"Cheerfulness removes the rust from the mind, lubricates our inward machinery, and enables us to do our work with fewer creaks and groans. If people were universally cheerful, there wouldn't be half the quarreling or a tenth part of the wickedness there is. Cheerfulness, too, promotes health and morality. Cheerful people live longest here on earth, and afterward in our hearts" --Unknown

How to Stay Young

1. Try everything twice. One woman said she wanted this epitaph on her tomb-stone, “Tried everything twice. Loved it both times!”

2. Keep only cheerful friends. The grouches pull you down.

3. Keep learning. Learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever… Never let the brain get idle.

4. Enjoy the simple things.5. Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until

you gasp for breath. If you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with HIM/HER!

6. The tears happen: Endure, grieve, and move on. Live while you are alive.

7. Surround yourself with what you love: family, pets, music, plants, hobbies, whatever. Your home is your refuge.

8. Cherish your health. If it is good, pre-serve it. If it is unstable, improve it. If it beyond what you can improve, get help.

9. Don’t take guilt trips. Take a trip to the mall, to the next county, to a foreign country, but NOT to where the guilt is.

10. Tell the people you love that you love them at every opportunity.

11. Forgive those who made you cry. You might not get a second chance.

Remember! Lost time can never be found.

2010-2012 Committees

FINANCE MUSIC CEREMONIALS*Ann Thompson *Christi Chrisman *Denise LoftinKaren Paulus Andrea Fine Bonnie AlversonTerri Harris Vicki Hemme Julie HamiltonRene Lamb Ocie Whitaker Sheryl Lambert

Liz Ellis Arlise Wilson

COMMUNICATIONS HOSPITALITY YEARBOOK*Barb Hansen *Margaret Larson *Mary CrochetAbby Grobe Pat Hall Paula JayMary Ann Dolezal Shari Lim Rita DrabekJanice Moore Martha Ewell

INSPIRATION ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS PROFESSIONAL AFFAIRS*Joan Eubanks *Mary Louise Ivey *Jeannette SpainMary Prine Judy Bartay Paula JayJudy Wallis Kathy Riley Louise NutzmanDixie Ellis Nita Smith Sharon McGlaun(Julie Gehring) Lucille Williams

PERSONAL GROWTH SCHOLARSHIP/WORLD NOMINATIONS*Debbie Reynolds FELLOWSHIP *Pat Caldcleugh Shirley Renfrow *Georgia Hicks Frances CourvilleTrevanion Smith Vicki Del Gado Kathy NelsonPeggy Wood Karen Foster Kathy RadekSusan Voradakis Carolyn Zaskoda Zooks CampbellKay Slack Beard Scotty Bass Carla Meuth

RESEARCH MEMBERSHIP/NECROLOGY CONSTITUTIOJ/BY LAWS/*Andrea Fine *Janie Holsapple LEGISLATIONMary Jo Voitle Christine Saberi *Peggy NormanSue Tull Sandra Harvey Carolyn HynesPatsy Vorochoff Pat Schroyer Carolyn MaddenMignonette Underhill Donna Whisonant Margaret Dzierzanowski

RAFFLES: August meeting: Finance, Music, Ceremonials Sept. meeting: Communications, Hospitality, YearbookOct. meeting: Inspiration, Achievement Awards, Professional Affairs

Jan. meeting: Personal Growth, Scholarship/World Fellowship, NominationsFeb. meeting: Research, Membership/Necrology, Constitution/ByLaws/Legislation