Last Thursday, Kelly Allen, Associate Professor at Northampton Community College spoke to MSR about the NCC East 40 Community Garden.
In support of NCC’s commitment to sustainability, the community garden serves as an outdoor classroom, growing space, and resource center that:
- Provides students with experiential learning, service learning, interdisciplinary curriculum projects, and research opportunities
- Empowers the community to grow their own food (through opportunities such as individual garden plots and community garden plots
- Creates opportunities for partnerships with area schools, food banks and nonprofit organizations
- Promotes environmental and personal well-being and maintains the integrity and health of the land
Thank you Kelly for sharing with us your enthusiasm in this enlightening presentation on the great work that is happening at NCC.
Other Rotary announcements included an update on the Area 2 - 5 club Outreach food packaging event on March 11th. Rotarians can sign up online. (Upcoming Events - click on Outreach Food Project) or sign up at our next meeting. This event will provide much needed food to our local food banks. It is a great opportunity to share Rotary with your family, neighbors and people of action. As an MSR you can signup these folks to come and experience a little of what Rotary does to help others in the community. We need 24 volunteers to support two 1-1/2 hour shifts.
We were pleased to approve Janet Kolepp taking the leadership role of Vice President immediately and following President Elect Cheryl Baker in the coming year. Bravo!
This Thursday, February 23rd, we will be meeting at Traditions of Hanover. (5300 Northgate Drive, Bethlehem 18017 behind Wegman's off Route 512) We will be presenting the Strategic Plan. Thanks to everyone for the great input that was key in developing the plan.
Reminder - Thursday evening MSR will be once again preparing the dinner for the folks at the Bethlehem Emergency Shelter. Questions can be referred to Lynn Milet.
Dr. Joseph J. Roy, Superintendent of Schools at the Bethlehem Area School District (BASD), was the guest speaker for the Downtown Bethlehem Rotary meeting on February 15th. He received his undergraduate degree from Franklin and Marshall College, his master’s degree from Bucknell University and his doctoral degree from Lehigh University. A lifelong educator, Dr. Roy held positions as a social studies teacher, principal, and assistant superintendent in several Pennsylvania school districts until the start of his tenure as BASD Superintendent in 2010. The Pennsylvania Association of School Administrators honored Dr. Roy as the 2017 "Superintendent of the Year."
Quick facts about BASD:
6th largest school district in Pennsylvania
5th largest employer in Northampton County
22 schools with almost 14,000 students
Largest district to first implement full-day kindergarten in 2015-16
Non-homestead properties generated $82.1 Million (51%) of BASD tax base.
Top 20+ Bethlehem properties paid $18+million in property taxes
The highest Bethlehem property paid $24,600 in taxes; the median paid $3,200.
Dr. Roy has 10,200 Twitter followers and actively uses Twitter as a direct form of communication with students and their families.
BASD continues to implement a number of key initiatives to benefit students and our community.
Roadmap to Educational Excellence is a framework for establishing goals for school improvement based on core learning, stretch learning, student engagement, and personal skill development.
Building early literacy skills lays the foundation for future educational success, yet many students enter kindergarten already behind. The Reading by Grade 3/Literacy Initiative along with universal full day kindergarten has produced student growth in literacy. The goal is to have all students become proficient readers by grade 3. Dr. Roy used a statistic from Lincoln Elementary School where they reduced the achievement gap. At the start of the year, only 38% of beginning students reached appropriate proficiency levels. By the end of the year, 90% reached appropriate proficiency levels. Children deemed proficient by third grade have more successful future outcomes, such as fewer special education needs and higher graduation rates.
Based on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, The Leader in Me program focuses on character development and builds leadership skills to decrease discipline problems and increase engagement among teachers and parents.
United Way Community Schools help level the playing field for schools with a high poverty rate. BASD has 6 schools designated as community schools.
BASD has a number of common budget themes.
Controlled growth of local expenditures
Lack of adequate state funding
Charter school funding reform
BASD sends over $25 million per year to charter schools.
Charter school expenses continue to increase, while state funding has not.
Pennsylvania Public School Employees' Retirement System (PSERS) reform – pensions are high
Special thanks to MSR Shawn Deiter who was able to attend the meeting and provide a concise report for all.
Special thanks to Downtown Bethlehem President Gail Evans for extending an invitation to all MSR to attend.
Rotary District 7430's Gala Committee for The Rotary Foundation's 100th anniversary has been busy planning an evening of dinner and dancing on Saturday, March 11, 2017, from 6 -10 p.m. at the PineCrest Country Club, 101 Country Club Drive, Lansdale, PA
Our club has donated a Musikfest themed basket of goodies to help the Annual Fund. Thank you to the club for its generosity.
I’m hoping you will join Jean and I for a fun-filled evening of fellowship in celebration of 100 Years of our Rotary Foundation. In addition to fine dining and dancing, we will have a wonderful celebration of Rotary fellowship.
Ginny Sandoval, Membership Chair, Allentown West Rotary, is organizing an International Women’s Day at Cedar Crest College on Wednesday, March 8, 2017 in an effort to recruit more women to Rotary.
The event will start with round table discussions from 3:00-5:00 pm, followed by a celebration of women with networking, drinks, snacks, and entertainment from 5:00-7:00 pm. Our District Governor, Linda Young, has been invited to join the effort, and Ginny has extended the invitation to area Rotary Clubs. Despite it being geared toward women Rotarians, men are invited as well!
Our Morning Star Exchange student, Francisco is looking to meet and spend time with other Morning Star Rotary Families doing things in our Lehigh Valley community.
Francisco currently resides with Tom & Landa Mohr. He is home from school & swim practice not later than 6:00 PM during the week.
He has District rotary weekend plans scheduled for Feb 4 & 5 and March 10 through 20.
He looks forward to seeing and experiencing all that there is to do here in our Lehigh Valley.
Please call the Mohr's 610-393-8660 or 610-704-1426!
As with many things in Rotary, you receive more in return than you ever expected.
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