May 2015

NCTE Standing Committee on Affiliates

Affiliate Annual Reports to NCTE: Technically due July 15, affiliate annual reports often require time to prepare. Reviewing or composing policy statements are ideal topics for spring board meetings. Compiling the required lists and assembling meeting minutes can provide focused leadership experience for board members entering the presidential pipeline. Better yet, the details in the report may motivate the board to apply for the Affiliate Excellence Award (application also due July 15).

Review the list of items required for submitting annual reports on the NCTE website. The list below itemizes the component documents:

• 2015 Affiliate Annual Report Survey (Please assign only one officer to submit this online survey. Working on the responses collaboratively is helpful, yet NCTE needs a unified form. Items 29-33 prompt you to advise NCTE about what to continue, what to change, what to stop, and what to begin. Vent!)
• Roster of Officers and Roster Statement Form
• Affiliate Directors Form (thinking ahead to the Annual Convention in Minneapolis)
• Affiliate Abstract (Verify or revise the information appearing on the Find Your NCTE Affiliate page.)
• Policy of Involvement of People of Color (Send your affiliate’s policy if you are uncertain whether NCTE has a copy.)
• Policies for Tax-Exempt Organizations (if relevant)
• Budget/Financial Statement
• Meeting Minutes
• Affiliate Publications (Send a copy of any newsletter, journal, membership brochure, special publication, and conference program if you have not already done so at the time of publication.)

Avengers Assemble! (and so can you): NCTE hosts several assemblies, membership groups the Executive Committee has authorized to “serve individuals who share the same special interest or who have similar jobs.” A new group has begun this year:

Studies in Literacies and Multimedia Assembly (SLAM): This assembly disseminates and promotes research and information related to the field of multimedia and literacies; invites dialogue among all individuals interested in the field of multimedia and literacies; and promotes advances in the field of multimedia and digital literacies not limited to uses of multimedia in classroom teaching, modes of research production with digital tools, and cultural shifts in relation to societal uses of multimedia. For information or to join, contact SLAM Treasurer Shelbie Witte, Florida State University, 1114, W. Call St., Tallahassee, FL 32306. Dues are $20/year and $10/year for students.

Broken-Record Repetition (Summer Leadership Meeting, July 10-12 in San Jose):Affiliate leaders can still register for the summer leadership meeting at the San Jose Hilton (meeting registration and hotel reservations close June 5). NCTE and SCOA welcome affiliate leaders from all regions, yet cost-sharing in 2015 applies only to regions 1, 3, 7, and 8. Full details appear on the NCTE site. Participants need to complete two steps.

• Register for the meeting by completing an online registration form.
• Reserve a room at the San Jose Hilton.

Featured Affiliate:

VATE (Profile by Tori Otstot): The Virginia Association of Teachers of English Language Arts (VATE), a state affiliate of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), is dedicated to excellence in the teaching of English and language arts. Membership is open to all Virginia English teachers and anyone in the state dedicated to the advancement of the English and language arts curricula. VATE keeps its members on the cutting edge of the teaching profession, offering a clear vision of English education, innovation in instructional methods, and opportunities to connect with others who share the vision that English teachers lay the foundation for our culture.

The Purposes of VATE

• To promote a professional spirit among Virginia teachers of English Language Arts
• To provide a forum for dissemination of information among these teachers
• To provide a medium for the exchange of opinions and information
• To provide an agency to foster cooperation between Virginia teachers of English Language Arts and NCTE.
• To provide varied programs and services to meet the needs of all levels English Language Arts instruction represented in the organization

Our affiliate offers an annual fall conference for educators as well as a spring event, Literacy Explosion, to celebrate and recognize excellence in student literacy products.  We publish VATE Voices, a quarterly newsletter, and the Virginia English Journal, published twice a year, as well as the VATE Inbox, an email update that reaches members more frequently as information needs to be disseminated.  We also offer awards to educators and preservice teachers that recognize and celebrate service to the profession, service to our organization, diversity, and creativity.

In 2014, VATE celebrated its 100th anniversary. At our fall conference, long-time members Pat Kelly and Leila Christenbury presented on the history of VATE. VATE officers and board members served as convention officers at NCTE’s 2014 Annual Convention in Washington, D.C., with additional members serving as local committee volunteers.

Our officers and board members are consistently and creatively working to attract members and provide opportunities for educators and students.  We consider our relationship with NCTE and local affiliates to be very important to our ability to serve our members.

Regional News:

From Region 8, President Jeannine Ugalde of the Greater San Diego Council of Teachers of English(GSDCTE, part of CATE) describes the first iteration of a popular event: “We hosted our first Beer and a Book held at the Karl Strauss Brewery and Restaurant.  Beer was free to those who brought a new book to donate to the Polinsky Children’s Shelter.” Long live alliteration, literacy, and lager.

From Region 7, following its spring board meeting, the Montana Association of Teachers of English Language Arts (MATELA) hosted a group of university faculty teaching English education and representatives of the two state branches of the National Writing Project. The group discussed current projects and ways to collaborate more productively.