The Fall 2020 Catalog is available online to view, print or download.

	Photo by  Joe Furgal

• If your instructor has provided materials, they will be available to you in Membership Account Manager. Simply login and check the My Activities tab under My Account. Click on the link that says "View Class Media". The Zoom instructions document with the Zoom Meeting ID and passcode will be found here.
• The same Zoom Meeting ID and passcode will be used for each class session of the course, so save that in a convenient place. Do not share this information with individuals who are not registered for the course.
• Please use your full name (first and last) when joining your class. This is for security purposes and also allows our Virtual Class Aides to easily identify you from the class roster. Those unable to be identified may be moved from the class back to the waiting room. 
• We want to remind our virtual participants that in many cases your video is off, however, if your video is on where others can see you, know they can also see those around you. Please turn off your video if you have roaming housemates or other distractions. A virtual background may be a solution for you to consider as well.
• Our registration system currently has a problem with displaying member activities multiple times, even though you are only registered once. You may click on any of the individual duplicate listings to find the class media and Zoom instructions for that particular course.

Thank you to all of our Volunteer Class Aides and Instructors who have learned to teach and host in the virtual environment. 

I had heard about Encore Learning almost since its inception as "Arlington Learning in Retirement Institute." After I retired in 2014, I was eager to investigate course options at the re-branded Encore Learning. We are so fortunate to have such a rich resource for retirees here in Arlington. I've taken courses in literature, music, art, history, theater, public affairs and enjoyed every moment in the classroom.

 

I have a long history of volunteering in Arlington -- in the '80s, '90s and '00s, most of my volunteer gigs revolved around my three children and their activities. Each time I signed up for an Encore Learning course, we are asked if we are willing to be a class aide. I always volunteered-I recognize the importance of giving back when participating in a volunteer-driven organization.

 

In 2017, a friend asked if I would serve on the Academic Programs Committee. The prospect was a bit intimidating because I'm a retired energy policy journalist, with very limited career experience in academia. I joined the committee and the then-co-chairs Dick Juhnke and Lois Chadbourne gave me very manageable assignments. As I found my groove on the committee, the call for stepping up my role followed. My frequent Encore Learning classmate Ed Rader called me a few months ago to ask if I would be willing to serve as a committee co-chair. So here I am, buoyed by the opportunity to team up with Barbara Spangler, who has been my friend since our daughters were in kindergarten in 1990.

Encore Learning allows me to broaden my horizons in the classroom and on the planning committee. Retirement is so much fun!  

 

I grew up in a small town in upstate New York, near Ithaca, home of Cornell University. I moved to the DC area in 1975 and spent most of my career as a writer and editor for the American Public Power Association, which represents municipally owned electric utilities.

 

Pre-COVID, I spent a lot of time going to theater. I have volunteered as an usher at Arena Stage, Signature Theatre, Studio Theatre and Shakespeare Theatre. My husband Gary and I love to go to New York City to binge on Broadway. We often see four or five shows in just a few days. In fact, we were in New York on March 12, the day Broadway shut down. We were planning to go see the new production of West Side Story that night. I also (pre-COVID) had been volunteering weekly at the food pantry at the Father McKenna Center in Washington. At home, I spend time making quilts, cooking and trying to improve my piano skills.

Jeanne with her husband, Gary. Photos courtesy Jeanne LaBella.

Breakfast Club August 12, 2020. Photo by Lee Cooper.

Encore Learning Presents Ocean Blues: National Security Issues and Solutions

Encore Learning Presents U.S.-Russia Relations: Back to the Future

September 21 Encore Learning Presents

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Staff Corner

Staff and Volunteers Gathered at Beth Dowd's Farewell Hour

Encore Learning lost our long-time staff member, Beth Dowd, this month. After five years of thousands of contributions, Beth is leaving to spend more time with her family. Her impact is quite profound including every e-newsletter you have read, to event you attended, to webpage you viewed, or course for which you registered. We are thankful we could have a virtual

farewell for her and share appreciation from our volunteers. Please have patience with us as we make the transition in many areas and work to hire a new Communications Specialist.

	Francesca Chilcote

We are fortunate to have a new colleague join

us as Virtual Class Host. Please welcome Francesca Chilcote when you see her online. She is primarily supporting our virtual classes. Francesca is a freelance theater teaching artist and looks forward to making classes successful and engaging.

I want to share a special thanks with Donna Banks and Patty Rowland who have stepped up to help staff host our virtual classes.

Please keep your account information up to date. We need to be able to recognize you when you login to one of your classes on Zoom. Please use both your first and last names when prompted by Zoom. If you are dialing in by phone, please use a number that is in your account record. 

Change your email address? Please send an email to let staff know. Unfortunately, if you make the change yourself in Member Account Manager, it does not make all the necessary updates.

Our staff are all working remotely during this time, with no specific open hours, but checking email regularly. The fastest and best way to reach us is via email to info@encorelearning.net. Voicemail messages are checked once daily.  

~ Lora 

Lora Pollari-Welbes, Executive Director

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We're often referred to as the "best kept secret in Arlington." New members join mostly because they hear about Encore Learning from a friend. When joining online, new members may enter a "Referred by" name. We look forward to thanking you here in the newsletter - see below.

Ask friends to join to our virtual "Encore Learning Presents" 

series (normally held at Arlington Central Library). These lectures, panels and films are open to the public and a great way for prospective members to learn more about us. Details can always be found in our list of upcoming Special Events.

Share on social media. When you simply like our Facebook page or share our Facebook posts and events to your social network, it's a huge help. Forward our emails to a friend - use the handy link at the bottom of each email message. 

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