December 2005 Newsletter

Have you gotten your copy of the Livret?

If you have not yet gotten your copy of our membership directory (called the Livret), pick one up in the Fireside Room on Friday morning. Please check off your name on the list provided, indicating that you have received a copy.

There has already been one addition to the Livret that you might want to pencil in to your copy: Margery Handy, (French, Associate Member)

(see print version) 

Margery is hardly a new member, having served as president of La Causerie from 1971-1973.

Class rosters now available

Class rosters will be available on Friday in the Fireside Room--pick one up for the class(es) you attend. Then you’ll have an easy way to learn classmates’ names and to find someone to call for a homework assignment. Thanks to Cerise Harris who took on the difficult task of assembling these lists.

Membership meeting enjoys record turnout

The fall membership meeting of La Causerie Française was held on Friday, November 11^th and approximately 50 members attended. Some of the meeting highlights include:

• A report on the growth in membership this year and the addition of several new classes. Three new instructors have also joined our staff.
• The financial report indicated a small operating loss last year (with another projected for this year); as a result a fee increase will be required in 2006-2007.
• As some of the operating loss comes from textbook sales and excess inventory the Board has determined that La Causerie will not purchase books in the future (unless a significant bulk discount can be secured). Members will receive advance notice of textbook selections so that they can order individually. Those needing assistance will be offered help in ordering books.
• Two By-Laws changes were approved. One provides the Board more flexibility in setting the calendar (former By-Laws language named specific start and stop dates). The change other renames the Christmas Fête as the Holiday Fête, acknowledging the increasing diversity of our membership. Anticipated scheduling changes for fall 2006 include moving the Enrollment Party up and also starting classes earlier. This will allow at least two additional class sessions to be held before the December holidays.
• Highlights of findings from the Membership Survey were shared. Copies of the full Membership Survey Report are available in the Fireside Room on Friday mornings (or on the website).

More details can be found at www.lacauserie.org where minutes from this meeting (and the Membership Survey Report) are posted.

Holiday Fête to be held on December 16

The annual Holiday Fête will be held on Friday, December 16 at noon, following morning classes. (Note: The noon Italian class will not be held that day.)

You won’t want to miss this special event. Anastasia Thompson and a team of volunteers are cooking up some fun activities and entertainment. As usual, each member is 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.

As announced at the Membership Meeting, a new format is being tried this year to encourage participation and to provide more time in classes for instruction. This means that there will not be skits produced by each department. Instead these activities (and more) will take place:

• Wine tasting hosted by Joyce Walsh of Premier Cru. Take a sip of wines from Italy, Spain and France. There will also a tasting of some non-alcoholic drinks.
• International foods and cheese tasting.
• Christmas Carols in four languages.
• Favorite travel photos slide show (see how to participate in this below).

If you have questions or ideas for the party, please contact Anastasia Thompson at 913-851-2507.

WANTED! PHOTOS! Plus your time…and maps, too.

Many of you offered on the Membership Survey to help on small projects. Here are a few opportunities to step forward now.

Travel photos needed. Send in three to five of your favorite (digital) travel photos and we’ll put them in a very special slide show for the Holiday Fête. We hope you’ll include at least one photo that includes you, but they can also be of your family or people you met along the way. They can be gorgeous scenery or fabulous food. Graceful gazelles or daffy ducks. Whatever you’d have fun sharing. (Sorry, but photos MUST be digital. If you have photos in other formats, Kinkos or a friend may be able to help you scan them into a computer).

Email them to (see print version) by Wednesday noon, December 14.

Volunteers are needed for these roles:

· A program chair is still being sought for Italian program planning this year.

· A first vice president is needed for the executive board.

· Someone to head up History and Archives (organizing digital and paper files, photos). This is a flexible position that someone can do on their schedule.

· Membership Chair who will work to streamline and manage the enrollment process for next year.

Maps. We are also looking people to donate wall-sized maps of Italy, France or Spain. If you’re an eBay expert, perhaps you might offer to find some online.

Please contact Inez Pennington if you want to know more or if you can help: (see print version) 

Resources for language students

An issue mentioned raised many times on responses to the Membership Survey was access to other foreign language resources, such as conversation groups, tapes and CDs. Here are some suggestions.

Anastasia Thompson recommends the Johnson County Library collections of foreign films, audios and CDs. Any branch can transfer materials to another. And KCMO residents can get reciprocal access; ask at the desk and have your KCMO library card available.

Some available conversation groups are listed below. Some require Internet access to find more information and we do not have alternative information for them. A librarian can help you find those groups.

• Kansas City Spanish Conversation Group: http://spanish.meetup.com/73/
• Il Circolo Italiano - all levels welcome, many activities: http://italian.meetup.com/15/ click on "events"
• Kansas City French Connection - all levels welcome, many activities: http://french.meetup.com/27/ click on "events"
• Communiversity at UMKC organizes five conversation groups in ‘our’ languages. Those without Internet access can call UMKC to have a Communiversity brochure mailed to them. Or search their online schedule at http://web1.umkc.edu/commu/ using these keywords to find an appropriate group: parlez, paris, mesa, mexico, italy.
• The Alliance Francaise de Kansas City Conversation Group meets on Wednesday evenings from 6:00--8:00 p.m. at the Rockhill Tennis Club just across the street east of the Nelson-Atkins Museum.  They welcome new members of all levels (and eventually encourage them to become members of AFKC).

If you know of other conversation groups or have particular tapes and CDs you would recommend to classmates, email (see print version) and we’ll publish the names in an upcoming newsletter. Please indicate the language level you suggest related to each item.

New equipment will enhance presentations

La Causerie recently purchased a digital projector that can be easily connected to many sources of input (such as a computer, DVD player, cable or satellite TV, digital camera) for dynamic visual presentations. Now our noon programs and other presentations can come colorfully alive and be seen by large audiences. Ask an officer (see list at bottom) if you want to use the projector in a La Causerie activity, and they will reserve it for you.

Thanks to Dalene Bradford for researching available products and to Thad Carver for negotiating a great deal in partnership with the church. Thad found a great online deal, acted quickly and saved us over $200 on our projector!

Have a suggestion related to your class?

Then tell your department chair who is responsible for taking care of issues that need attention (such as class schedules and curriculum ideas). Here’s who they are and how to contact them:

Department Chairs:

Italian – Carol Dirkes (see print version) 

French – Peggy Rooney (see print version) 

Spanish – Annette Howard (see print version) 

La Causerie Calendar: Looking Ahead

Dec 2, 2005 Classes are in session; no noon program today

by Dec. 14^th Send photos to Dalene Bradford for fête slide show

Dec 16 All classes held: Stay for Holiday Fête at 12 Noon; members bring an international covered dish to share

Dec 23 No Classes Held

Dec 30 No Classes held

Jan 6, 2006 Classes resume

Jan 13 Spanish Program

Jan 20 French Program

Jan 27 Italian Program

Feb 3 Spanish Program

Snow Policy

La Causerie Française follows the Shawnee Mission School District practice on snowy or icy days. If the Shawnee Mission District closes its schools due to bad weather, La Causerie will also be closed. In case of inclement weather, please listen to the list of school closings on television and radio.

Executive Board

To contact any member of the executive board about an issue, check your Livet for information. Please do not take La Causerie issues directly to church staff—they ask that we handle our own needs as much as possible.