INSIDE THIS ISSUE
Becky Alen Grant Awarded | Call for Award Nominations | PCPI Annual Meeting in April
Cooperatively Speaking
The Latest News From PCPI
March 2020
Vol. 50 No.3
Greetings,

I hope that in light of the current viral worries that this message finds you well. There is much talk in schools and districts about what we need to do to ensure that our communities stay healthy. Each of our schools will need to make decisions about taking necessary precautions that best suit their members, but keep in mind that talking with other schools about what they are doing could be helpful. Our Cooperatively Speaking Facebook group might be a good place to talk through the options.

Cooperatively yours,

Dianne Rose, M.Ed.
Editor, Cooperatively Speaking

Becky Allen Grant Awarded
This year’s recipient of the $500 Becky Allen grant for parent education is The Central Whidbey Cooperative Preschool (CWCP) located on Whidbey Island, Washington.  CWCP requested funds to provide CPR training to their parents. Due to the island’s isolation there is minimal access to resources for parents and children. Considering the remote areas of their community they felt it would be beneficial for both their school and for the larger community to provide life-saving training to the cooperative parents. Congratulations CWCP!
Award Nominations Due March 18th
The PCPI Awards Committee is depending on you to nominate the people in your cooperative circle who deserve special recognition. A ward categories include:

  • District Award for demonstrated commitment and leadership at the local, council or regional level.

  • National Award for Demonstrated Leadership for an activity that has had a favorable impact on parent cooperatives at more than a local, council, or regional level.

  • Outstanding Achievement Award to recognize an exceptional contribution to, or involvement in, the parent cooperative movement (nominee does not need to be a PCPI member).

  • Honorary Life Membership for an exceptional contribution to, or unique involvement in, the parent cooperative movement (beyond years of service).

  • Robin Garthright Bunster Award for Excellence in Teaching to recognize excellence in teaching. Nominee should be active as a teacher in some capacity. (See below for details.)

  • Certificates of Appreciation to recognize important member contributions to the Parent Cooperative Preschool movement.
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Any teacher nominated for a PCPI award may also be considered for the Robin Bunster Award for Teaching Excellence. Robin was an outstanding teacher in Oregon and a board member of PCPI when she passed away from cancer. Her husband has funded this award in her memory and a $500 honorarium for the teacher's personal use is part of the award. Mr. Bunster recognized how much of their own time and resources co-op preschool teachers invest in their schools. See award application for details.

Nomination Forms
Detailed awards criteria and nomination forms can be found on the Resources page of the  PCPI website . Nominations are due  March 18 along with a $20 application fee. A $35 pin is also available to give to award recipients.

Questions should be sent to Carole Cordle at  pcpi.awards@gmail.com .
Awards Luncheon April 18th
The 2020 Awards Luncheon will be Saturday, April 18 at Hayden's Lakefront Grill in Tualatin, OR. Registration to attend the Awards lunch can be done online or a registration form can be printed and mailed in. Payment must be received by April 10th. We hope you can join us to celebrate!
Register to Attend
PCPI 60th Annual Meeting
April 16-19, 2020
Portland, Oregon
The Portland, Oregon area will be the setting for the 60 th anniversary PCPI annual meetings April 16 -19, 2020. The PCPI annual meetings are held each spring, and provide the ideal venue for delegates to share their successes and concerns, to receive support and direction, and to exercise their vote. Activities will include conducting the business of PCPI, strategic planning/goal setting, networking and sharing among delegates, preschool visits, and the traditional Awards Ceremony and Luncheon.

We look forward to seeing you in Portland! Bring a raincoat just in case, but it could be beautiful weather. 

Itinerary
You can fly into Portland International Airport (PDX) and we will provide transportation to the hotel. We will begin Thursday evening with a gathering in the Grand Suite at The Grand Hotel at Bridgeport in Tigard, Oregon (a suburb of Portland), with a visit to Woodhaven Preschool , a Waldorf-inspired preschool, f or those arriving early enough. 

Friday will consist of Governing Board meetings and a school crawl that will include lunch.  The school crawl will feature Hancock Street Preschool , Irvington Preschool , Portland Tillamook Preschool , and Rose City Neighborhood Preschool .

Saturday will see the Awards Luncheon at nearby Hayden's Lakefront Grill , follow ed by a visit to West Linn Community Preschool and, of course, more meetings. We will once again have our mini-fundraiser in the form of a bag raffle at the Awards lunch. Dona te an item to our raffle (this is, of course, optional!) and we will explain how it works. How about a small object of art, a scarf, a child’s toy, some fragrant soap, a jigsaw puzzle, or some stationery?

Sunday we will finish our business meetings and most people will head home. Those of you on the East coast may need to leave fairly early if you are working Monday! Others may wish to stay and enjoy our fair city.

Registration
Hotel accommodations will be available at The Grand Hotel at Bridgeport in Tigard, Oregon. The hotel block will be held until March 27th. To help PCPI members attend the annual meetings, every effort has been made to keep all expenses as low as possible. A registration form can be printed and mailed in, or you can register online .

Costs: 

  • Registration fee for the entire conference is $120 (US or Canadian) and includes the awards luncheon, Friday lunch, snacks, and school visits.
  • Hotel rooms (including all taxes and full breakfast): King bed ($135) OR Two Queen Beds ($146)
  • The awards luncheon ONLY costs $40.
  • Saturday ONLY registration, including the Awards luncheon, costs $75.

Registration and payment must be received by Friday, April 10th.

All Are Welcome!
We welcome new and returning members to our board meetings, and are always looking for new volunteers to help with tasks necessary to run a successful non-profit. We learn a lot, and work a lot, and have a lot of fun! Join us!

Questions? 
Feel free to contact Kathy at rkems@comcast.net or Linda at linda.j.henegar@gmail.com if you have questions.