MEETING OF DECEMBER 14, 2000 By Pat Millar
The order of the day was flu shots, and thanks to DR. BEN MCGANN all Rotarians who had not yet received these important immunizations were accommodated. One of the great benefits of having a family doctor in our
midst!New member LUCY RASSMUSSEN led us in the Pledge of Allegiance and DON HULL presented the Thought for the Day in the story of the butterfly, which was helped out of its cocoon by a well-meaning person. However, without the struggle to escape the bonds of the cocoon, the butterfly was unable to grow wings and fly. In addition to this metaphor of life, DON also encouraged us to bring those who are alone during the Holidays into our circle.
BRUCE CANN not only played Christmas carols before the meeting while people were receiving shots, he led us in singing "America the Beautiful." Everyone stood perhaps in recognition of this beautiful anthem and its tribute to our beloved country.
STEVE ANDERSON had the honor of introducing our new President-Elect-Elect. Thirteen past presidents of our club met to make this important decision, and the final choice is MARY PROCHNOW. Heartfelt congratulations, MARY, from each and every one of us!
FIROOZ introduced guests and visiting Rotarians including JUDY HANNEMANN, always a welcome visitor especially when she provides transportation for our guest speaker.
PRESIDENT GINNY announced that the annual Rotary bell-ringing for the Salvation Army will take place Monday, Dec. 18 through Friday, Dec. 22 from 10:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The new location is the corner of Secibd Street and Main in front of Bayview Savings. Volunteers have already signed up but if anyone can't make it, he or she is to call STEVE GRUBER, Salvation Army Coordinator. GINNY suggested that if we are planning a Salvation Army donation, next week would be a good time to fill the pot.
MARY MARLEY, our Interact liaison, announced that the LAHS Interact Club will sponsor a gift-wrapping fund-raiser on December 16th and 17th in front of Citibank from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity to pass on a time-consuming chore and at the same time contribute to Interact projects. Don't miss it!
Last Tuesday the City Council approved a much needed, new public address system for Garden House. LAREF will contribute $7,000 toward its cost, the Council $5,000, and the remaining $3,000 will be donated by GUY FARTHING and MEL KAHN. Thanks to everyone who has contributed time and money to this worthwhile project.
DUDE ANGIUS announced that 35 Rotarians have signed up for the AIDS brainstorming session. The tentative meeting date for this impressive group of people is February 1st at Hillview Community Center, Room A, at 7:00 p.m. Further details will be sent in a letter.
New member ELLEN YAMANE received a standing ovation as she received her Red Badge. DENNIS YOUNG stated that he almost had to arm wrestle SAM PESNER for the honor of being ELLEN'S sponsor.
GINNY announced that our next meeting will be a special one for JOE O'TOOLE and the Main Street Singers who will be the featured entertainment.
New member CINDY EBERHARD presented her five-minute talk. She and her husband met on Maui and decided to settle in the Bay Area. Although CINDY originally worked for Wallpaper to Go, the couple decided 15 years ago to buy a gift shop downtown and named it the Los Altos Card and Party. CINDY enjoys the community stating that she comes from the Midwest and shares many values with the people of Los Altos. She is active in both the Chamber of Commerce and the Village Association. Welcome to our club, CINDY.
PAUL NYBERG donated two 49'er tickets for Sunday's game and the last chance to see Jerry Rice play for San Francisco. Guest Rotarian LARRY DONATONI won the raffle with an impressive bid of $140. LARRY hails from Santa Cruz and said the tickets are going to make his "son very happy."
FIROOZ spoke on behalf of a special bylaw committee composed of STEVE ANDERSON, BECKY MILLER, PAT FARRELL, MEL KAHN, and ROY LAVE. The committee suggested a revision that would state, "The amount of the admission fee and the membership dues [for the Los Altos Rotary Club] shall be established by the Board of Directors annually. In rare and deserving individual cases, the admission fees and/or the membership dues may by adjusted by the Board of Directors."
Ballots were distributed and in the ensuing vote, 65 members voted for the by-law revision and five voted against. However, three of the ballots had holes punched in them rather than the customary check-mark. After due consideration it was decided to apply a uniform standard and accept these votes in the recount.
BOB ADAMS introduced our outstanding speaker-of-the-day, Susan Hammer. Susan began her public service career in 1981 when she ran for the San Jose City Council. She served two successive terms and then was elected mayor from 1990 to 1998. Her many awards include Woman of the Year from the California Senate in 1997 and the San Jose Entrepreneurial Award in 1999. Susan currently serves on the State Board of Education, as a Director for the Silicon Valley Community Foundation, and as CEO of the Synopsis Educational Foundation.
The focus of our speaker's presentation is the work currently being done by the State Board in terms of educational testing, which is based on three concepts: standards, assessment, and accountability. In terms of standards, testing will take place on each grade level in the areas of English, Social Studies, Math, and Science. The assumption is that certain uniform levels of proficiency should be reached at each level of the educational process. These tests are being developed and will be in place by the 2002-2003 school year.
The separate subject tests as well as a High School Exit Exam and an English Language Test provide the means for assessment. Students may take a practice exit exam this year, but next year all ninth and tenth grade students are required to take the exam. If they fail, they will be given the opportunity for additional tutoring before taking it again. Students graduating in 2004 must pass the exam as part of their graduation requirement.
Accountability is measured by the API or the Academic Performance Index. These scores are average student grades currently earned on Stanford Achievement Tests and represent an entire school. They range from 200 to 1000. If schools receive less than 800, they are given a growth target of 5%. Schools scoring over 800 have smaller targets. Those reaching the target numbers receive a $150 reward for each student in the system.
These ambitious state programs are the result of a real and present concern over the condition of our public education in California. Susan's dream is that all students in the state "will have the same opportunity to learn as students do in Los Altos."
President's Message Congratulations, Mary! I know what an honor it is to be asked to serve this incredible club as its President. You will have a great time in 2002-2003.
A reminder that next Thursday we will give our luncheon servers a holiday bonus. This often falls to whomever is there that day. I am putting an envelope in the mail to each of you today for a contribution. Please send it to me immediately if you will not be there on Thursday. And please be generous. These two women, and the helper in the kitchen, work very quickly and efficiently for us each week. They also create the many festive, seasonal table decorations. The $14 we pay for lunch, or $11 for salads, includes set up, the food and beverages, clean up, and their salaries. An incredibly good price. And for those few of you who don't eat, they serve you as well in these ways. We will aim to have more tables available each week. We are very grateful for our outstanding attendance.
The Rotary Foundation Drive is still in progress, and the results from our members are very, very good. We are sending reminder envelopes to those of you from whom we have not yet heard. We hope you will respond.
Thank you to Ben McGann for bringing us the opportunity this week to get a flu shot. That was a real service to our Rotary members and others who came, and beneficial to RotaCare.
Welcome to Ellen Yamane Flanagan, our tenth new member since July 1st. This is a excellent opportunity to remind all sponsors of new members that you are the key to your new member's success in gaining his or her blue badge as quickly as possible. See how you can advise them on the various requirements.
Here's one way…On Wednesday, January 3, 2001, RI President Frank Devlyn will be in San Jose at the DoubleTree Hotel for Dinner with local Rotarians. Ten people from our club are attending so far, and it would be great to have even more members and spouses or friends join us. Sponsors, this is an excellent event to attend with your new member and your spouses. It's a rare treat to have the RI President here, when you consider how big the Rotary world is. He is the heart of Rotary service. Frank Devlyn is from Mexico, with a Mexican mother and an Irish father, hence his Devlyn name. He is an excellent speaker, and a very forward thinking Rotarian. You can see Frank's photo on page 4 of our new directory. He must be 6'5". But then, many of you seem that tall to me.
The cost is $42 per person. Checks should be payable to Rotary President Dinner 2001. You may mail or give your checks to me this week, and I can forward them as a group, or you may mail them yourself to PDG Peter Faye, 5787 Eldorado Ranch, Knights Landing, CA 95645. Indicate in the memo portion of your check if you wish a vegetarian meal. Tickets will be held at the door. Please call me if you have any questions.
Join us next week for our holiday program with the Main Street Singers, and a special party for Billy Russell's "older brother." Joe O'Toole will celebrate his actual 81st birthday with us. See you Thursday, Ginny
Programs
December
Dec. 21 - LA Main Street Singers
Dec. 28 - No meetingJanuary
Jan. 4 - Chris Bischoff, Founder of Eastside Prep High School
Jan 11 - Allan Frumkin, Why Rotary?
Jan 18 - Deborah Wilder - Raising the Reader
Jan. 25 - Club AssemblyFebruary
Feb. 1 - Judge Len Edwards, Helping One child At a Time
Feb. 8 - Steve Westly, eBay, Sr. VP
Feb. 15 - Suzanne Kushner - Successful Brand Management - Moving Toward a Customer-Concentric Focus
Feb. 22 - John Giovanola, Hansen Cement Mfg.March
March 1- Suzanne Pari, Author
March 8 - Marlene Cowan, The Donner Party"Information in this newsletter is intended for the exclusive use of the members of the Rotary Club of Los Altos to facilitate the work of the club and to promote club fellowship. It is not to be used for any commercial or outside, unrelated, non-profit purposes. No publication of material in this newsletter should occur without the express permission of the club President or the Editor of the Rotator."
Copyright 2000 The Los Altos Rotary Club
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