BIG DAY AHEAD!
On
Friday
April 28, lots will be taking place at La Causerie.
Read more below about:
Annual
Meeting: 11 a.m. April 28
Make
plans
to attend the April 28 Annual Meeting at 11 a.m. (no classes held at
11:00 or
12:00) in the church Fellowship Hall.
Several strategic issues will be discussed:
By-Laws
Revision Merrill Toms and Susan
Gardner
finished review of the By-Laws and presented their suggested revisions
and
updates to the Executive Board. The
Board examined these carefully, and approved changes that will be sent
around
to the membership and posted on the bulleting board two weeks prior to
the
Annual Meeting. By-Laws changes require
approval by a quorum of active members, so please review these
recommendations
carefully and raise any issues you have with a Board member prior to
the
April 28 meeting. We will have limited
time to wordsmith these within our one-hour meeting time frame, but do
want to
take your input into account.
Election
of Officers A thank-you “fortissimo!”
from us all to Thad Carver and Cerise
Harris, who have volunteered for the maximum terms and are retiring
from the
Executive Board, as well as to Anastasia Thompson who is resuming her
concert
schedule and won’t have time to serve. We
are looking forward to forming a similarly effective Board for
2006-2007, and a Nominating Committee has convened to fill all
vacancies. They will present a slate of
officers two
weeks prior elections at the Annual Meeting.
If you are interested in serving on the Board, please talk with
any
officer. They are glad to explain
responsibilities to you.
President
Inez
Pennington (eligible and willing to serve another term)
1st VP
Open
Position
2nd VP
Open
Position
Secretary
Open
Position
Asst. Secretary
Dalene
Bradford (eligible and willing to serve another term)
Treasurer
Open
Position
Asst. Treasurer
Mary
Lew McCarty (eligible and willing to serve another term)
Schedule
Expansion Plans for 2006-2007 The Board has created a
class meeting schedule for next year
that adds three additional weeks of instruction to the calendar. This change and related implications (in
staffing, space and rental costs) will be discussed.
Fee
Increase in 2006-07 School Year. As discussed at the Fall
Membership meeting, membership
cost has only gone up only $10 in over six years, while costs for
everything
else have increased. Also, we have improved our teacher salaries and
expanded
course offerings several times, with more coming. The Board will
present the
new fee schedule for the upcoming year, reasons for the increase, as
well as
ways you can reduce your expense through early enrollment.
Spring Fête: Noon, April 28
The
Spring
Fête will take place at noon, April 28, directly after the Annual
Meeting. (Note:
The noon Italian Class will not be held that day.)
Members
are
asked to bring a dish to be shared with the group—hors d’oeuvres,
snacks,
nibbles, desserts. Food with an
international flair is especially welcome.
Rosemary is already getting her famous punch ready and we will
provide
plates, napkins, plastic ware and cups.
NEW!
Also,
please invite prospective members to the fete, introduce them to your
colleagues and acquaint them with La Causerie through our terrific
triumvirate
of entertainment, including:
1. Thanks to Mary Ann Hope, Olé Music and Dance of Spain will perform Flamenco and Spanish dance for us. Led by professional dancer and educator Tamara La Garbancita Carson, the group dresses in native Spanish costumes and uses castanets and footwork to demonstrate the colorful and lively dances of Spain. The group has been performing together since 1991 and is accompanied by live Flamenco guitar, violin, voice and cajon.
2. The students of C.S. #1 Elementary School (with whom we share the church basement) will perform portions of their production, “Sis Panther, Sis Rabbit and the Big Wind.” Their 10-minute performance, adapted from Brer Tiger and the Big Wind is billed as “a celebration of friends through dance and Spanish Songs.” They’ll do a song of Spanish verbs, a story about the donkey doctor treating his ailments and try to balance an elephant on a spider web.
Bring foreign language materials that might be of interest to your La Causerie colleagues (dictionaries, travel books, tapes/CDs, study guides, novels and nonfiction in one of our languages). Put a sticker with your name and the price you are asking for on each book. Place the items on the designated sale tables in Fellowship Hall. If the book is sold at the sale, La Causerie receives one-half of the asking price.
Please
check back at the end of the sale and take any of your books that were
not
purchased home with you. If left
behind, books will be donated to a local library. Questions? Contact
Jan Cohen.
Congratulations to Nina Mehta-Young, who gave
birth to
Daniel Vipin on March 13. Mother and
baby are doing great. Nina assures
us that she plans to return to LCF in the fall.
Tutors
Want to maintain your
language proficiency over the summer
when La Causerie doesn’t’ meet? Here is
a list of some tutors who are available to work with you (for a fee, of
course).
Italian
Nina Mehta-Young tutors
at her house in Brookside. Contact
her at 816-822-2227.
Native speaker (and UMKC Italian
professor) Tiziano Cherubini tutors at his Plaza apartment. Contact him at 816-756-1006.
LCF member Dawn Mattera Young offers Italian tutoring at an agreeable
place
(such as a library). Reach her at
913-940-8361.
Spanish
LCF professora Martha
Penaherrera offers tutoring in Spanish
at an agreeable place. Call her at
913-642-3326.
French
LCF member Chris Kline
offers tutoring in French. Reach her at
816-822-7968.
Kate White, former LCF
professeur, offers tutoring in
French. Reach her at 913-362-4642 or kdekansasatearthlink.net.
Kate also
does court
interpreting and translation.
Member Marian Wade has a new email address: (see print version)
Member Linda Rei has moved: (see print version - phone and email same)
La
Causerie
has its own mailing address (separate from the church). Please make a
note in
your Livret. 6320
Brookside Plaza, #253, KC, MO
64113. Our box is checked weekly for
mail.
Tiziano Cherubini is
filling in for
Nina the rest of the year. Here is his
contact information:
121 Ward Parkway, #801,
Kansas City,
MO 64112-2119
816-756-1006
tizianokcatyahoo.com
NOTE:
NO
CLASSES will be held on Friday, April 14 (due to the Good Friday
holiday at the
church).
All
programs are at noon, unless otherwise noted.
A group generally goes out to lunch with the speaker after the
program
and everyone is welcome to participate.
April
7 French
Program in the
Fireside Room Madame Bernadette
Weber, retired La Causerie professeur, will speak IN FRENCH on “Le sens
du
style lancé par le Roi Soleil.” Lunch
to follow.
April
14 No
Classes. (Good Friday Holiday)
April
21 Spanish
Program Gerardo Rendon, from Mexico
City will
speak IN SPANISH (topic being determined).
April
28 Annual
Meeting at 11 a.m.
(Classes will not be held at 11 a.m. or 12 p.m.)
Spring Fête at noon.
May
5 Spanish
Program Gloria Guerra, Clinic Manager
at the Duchesne
Clinic will speak IN SPANISH about this important KCK clinic which
serves
working but uninsured adults in Wyandotte County.
Catch up on La
Causerie
News
Been traveling? Out of touch? Our website has
all of the
newsletters for the past year. Visit www.lacauserie.org
and click on “Newsletter” and you will see a link for “Newsletter
Archives.”
Other Foreign Language Activities
The
activities listed below are NOT La Causerie programs but are shared in
our
newsletter as a public service for members.
Alliance
Française Reservations are required. For reservations and information EMAIL: rsvp.afkc.org
or CALL 1-816-221-2049 (and choose option 3).
Please spell out your last name on the
answering machine. If dinner is
involved, be sure to indicate whether how many in your party will be
dining
with the group. They order from the menu (ranging from $4 for soup to
$18 for a
steak). Additional information is
available from Rosemary Hoffman (see Livret for contact information).
April 8, 11:30 a.m. – 3:30 p.m. A day of total immersion in French. “The French Origins of St. Joseph and Other Cities of this Area.” Held at several sites in St. Joseph, MO. Reservations required.
April 23, 6 – 8 p.m. Annual AFKC Spring Banquet at the Rockhill Club. Includes a preview of next year’s cultural calendar and awards presentations. Reservations required by April 14.
April 30, 5 – 8 p.m. Presentation by Professor Louisa Matmati, distinguished Fulbright Professor at KU and a teacher lecturer at the Univeristy of Annaba in Algeria. Lecture title is “La Femme algeriénne dan l’oeuvre de Assia Djebar.” Discussion continues over dinner. Reservations required by April 27.
May 7, 5 – 6:30 p.m. Roundtable discussion: “La France Actualle 2006.” Rockhill Club. Moderator Cyprienne Simchowitz-White, specialist in international law. Discussants: Professor Mark Boime; M. Bertrand and Professor Hélène Genuyt; Professor Nadine Indyk; le Commandant Philippe and MME Amélie de Montenon and Professor Sherrill Mulhern. There will be a question and answer period. Discussion continues over dinner. Reservations required by May 2.
Il Circolo Italiano For more information,
visit http://italian.meetup.com/15/
Saturday, April 22, 11:30 a.m. Tutti Nella
Cucina Cooking
Class in English. $41 per person. Kansas
City's favorite chef, Silverio Pagano, will teach how to prepare a
sumptuous
Venetian meal. Then you’ll dine on one,
sipping Venetian Bellinis & wine. 544 Wabash. Registration required
by
April 14. For more info call La Causerie member Dawn Young (913)
940-8361.
April 6, 7:00 p.m. “Plaza” Conversation. Join other Italian speakers for conversation. All levels of ability are invited and it’s free. Panera Bread Company, 4700 Pennsylvania Country Club Plaza. Group Mediator: Tiziano Cherubini.
April 10, 7:00 p.m. “South” Conversation. Join other Italian speakers for conversation. All levels of ability are invited and it’s free. Dinky & Coco's Coffee and Gelato, 14383 Metcalf. Group Mediator: Dawn “Alba” Young.
April 15, 2:30 p.m. Advanced/Intermediate Conversation. Fluent and almost-fluent Italian speakers meet for conversation and it’s free. Yes, it's the day before Easter, but we'll still meet! Bella Napoli, 6229 Brookside Blvd. Group Mediator: Dawn “Alba” Young.