PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEENJEA HeadquartersMarch 14, 2011MINUTESDeborah Eddy (Chair –
Middlesex) Present Colette
Bapst (Union) Present
Sally Blizzard (Cumberland) Absent Sue Brashier (Mercer)
Present
Brenda Braithwaite (Atlantic) Absent
Danita
Corsey (Camden) Present
Lynn Cianci (Gloucester)
Present
Donna
Delmoro (Passaic) Present
Susan Jaysnovitch
(Middlesex) Present Annette
Kuehn (Essex) Present
Pamela Raynor (Sussex) Present
Edwinta
Rhue (Hudson) Present
Kathy
Seetoo (Monmouth) Present
Barbara
Keshishian (NJEA President) Present
Wendell
Steinhauer (NJEA VP) Absent Marie
Blistan (NJEA Sec-Treas) Absent
Also present was Kathryn Coulibaly, NJEA Staff
Contact.
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to
order by Chairperson Eddy at 6:03 p.m. with a quorum present.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The
committee reviewed the minutes of the November 29, 2010 meeting and approved
them pending correction of two typographical errors.
PR COMMITTEE MATERIALS
The
Committee discussed the options for the denim button-down shirt they would like
to have for use by the Committee at events, meetings, and Convention. The
Committee would prefer to have the option of short-sleeves and long-sleeves so
Kathy Coulibaly will look into that possibility. The preference for color was
ink blue. Kathy will put together the information and work on the order for the
Committee. In addition, the Committee discussed the logo. They would like it to
read, “Public Relations Committee.”The Committee also examined the PRIDE
brochure that was first used at Convention. The brochure was approved with a
few changes which Kathy will make. We will also increase the number of copies
that we have available at events, particularly at Convention.
SCHOOL BUDGET ELECTION
Kathy
Coulibaly provided an update on NJEA activities around supporting school
budgets. She provided an information sheet with important dates to
remember.Deborah Eddy described the bus ads that Middlesex County is doing
through their Regional Response Team (RRT).
Annette Kuehn described the mall project and bus
ads that Essex County is doing to support local school budgets.
Donna
Delmoro shared Wayne’s school budget project. They will be bringing in parents
and children for three movie nights. While children watch kid-friendly movies
under supervision, parents will get information about the budget. Susan
Jaysnovitch described many activities that they are conducting in Sayreville to
support passage of their school budget. The primary focus is on community
events.
Colette Bapst talked about the family picnic that
they organize so that it ends at 2 p.m. when the polls open.
CONVENTION
The
Committee discussed their wish-list for the booth at the 2011 NJEA Convention:
· More stickers;
· More PRIDE brochures; and
· The Committee shirts.
They
also asked that the schedule be amended to allow Committee members to attend
workshops. This year’s booth schedule will reflect that request. The Committee
also requested that there be drawings for the Cat in the Hat cut-out that could
be held twice on Thursday and once on Friday morning to encourage visits to the
booth. In addition, they asked that there be more Cat in the Hat pencils and
materials available in the booth since these items are a big draw.
The
Committee really liked the Good News Facts piece that was available at the
booth. They asked that it be part of the booth again. The Committee also liked
the awards that were displayed. They thought that was a great addition to the booth.
Finally,
the Committee asked that we create a big “Ask Me About PRIDE” sign to mirror
the stickers/buttons that they will be wearing in the booth.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting date will be Monday, May 9 at
5:30. At this meeting, the Committee will judge NJ Hall of Fame essays.
The
final meeting of the school year will be June 16th at the Trenton
Thunder Stadium in Trenton. At this meeting the Committee will judge essays
from the Trenton Thunder essay contest.
The annual Back to School game with the Trenton
Thunder will likely be scheduled for some time in August.
PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE NJEA Headquarters, Trenton,
NJMonday, November 29, 2010November 30, 2010 MINUTES
submitted by Susan Jaysnovitch, Middlesex County Education Association PRIDE In
Public Education Chairperson and NJEA Public Relations Committee Liaison
Deborah Eddy (Chair – Middlesex) Present Colette
Bapst (Union) Present
Sally Blizzard (Cumberland) Present Sue
Brashier (Mercer)
Absent
Brenda Braithwaite (Atlantic) Absent
Danita
Corsey (Camden) Present
Lynn Cianci (Gloucester)
Present
Donna
Delmoro (Passaic) Present
Susan Jaysnovitch (Middlesex) Present Annette
Kuehn (Essex) Present Pamela Raynor (Sussex) Present
Edwinta
Rhue (Hudson) Present
Kathy Seetoo (Monmouth) Absent
Barbara
Keshishian (NJEA President) Present
Wendell Steinhauer (NJEA VP) Absent Marie
Blistan (NJEA Sec-Treas) Absent
Also present were
Stephen K. Wollmer, NJEA Communications Director; Dawn Hiltner, Associate
Director of Communications; Marybeth Beichert, NJEA Communications Apprentice; and
Kathryn Coulibaly, NJEA Staff Contact.
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was
called to order by Chairperson Eddy at 6:02 p.m. with a quorum present.
APPROVAL OF
MINUTES
The committee
reviewed the minutes of the October 27, 2010 meeting and approved them.
PRIDE SPECIAL
PROJECTS
Dawn Hiltner gave
an overview of PRIDE Special Projects, which she administers. She discussed new
opportunities that NJEA has been offered. Among them is sponsorship of the New
York Liberty, a women’s professional basketball team that is moving from
Madison Square Garden to Newark’s Prudential Center. Dawn will share promotion
information about this partnership with the Public Relations Committee.
Dawn also
discussed a continuing relationship with Sky Blue Soccer, a women’s soccer team
that plays primarily between June and August at Rutgers University. She also is
considering a partnership with the Philadelphia 76ers around Black History
Month. There may be an essay contest component to that partnership. The NJ
Jackals, a minor league baseball team, is interested in working with NJEA to
promote a “Hit the Books” program that will encourage teachers to set
benchmarks for their students and reward those students for achieving those
goals.
Dawn and
Chairperson Deborah Eddy discussed the NJEA and the Middlesex County Education
Association’s (MCEA) partnerships with the Somerset Patriots, a minor league
baseball team who has organized Teacher and ESP Appreciation nights at the
ballpark. Deborah talked about her experiences working with the team and how it
has boosted attendance – and raised the profile – of the MCEA’s efforts to
promote their student scholarship program.
Dawn will be
keeping the Committee informed about opportunities to staff tables at NJEA
partnership events.
Dawn discussed the
Mercer County Education Association (MCEA)/Clear Channel “Read and Rise”
project. Every student in the MCEA-adopted school in Trenton received a $5 gift
card for the school book fair. The response was overwhelmingly positive.
NJEA PUBLIC
RELATIONS
Steve Wollmer gave
an update on current issues facing NJEA as well as public relations initiatives
that NJEA is pursuing. He briefed the Committee on a recent PRIDE poll and
discussed NJEA’s educational agenda.
NJEA President
Barbara Keshishian provided her perspective on the association’s growing
momentum and how letters to the editor and some columnists are showing a change
in tone.
Marybeth Beichert
asked how she can talk to her members about the importance and value of
belonging to a union. The Committee provided several suggestions, including
fact-to-face communications with members, frequent contact, NJEA-produced
videos, and “Good News” fact sheets.
Barbara also
talked about the value of the “Myth vs. Reality” piece that has been made
available to local associations and on njea.org. She believes it is a powerful
tool in arming members with the information they need to combat attacks on them
and the profession.
NJEA CONVENTION
The Committee
discussed their experiences at the NJEA Convention and at the Communications
Booth. The Committee really liked the “Good News” facts handout that was
available this year. They also were pleased with the PRIDE brochure. The
Committee plans to update that document this year and work to promote it in
their counties to encourage other associations to conduct PRIDE projects.
The Committee also
liked the PRIDE stickers that they wore in the Communications Booth. They once
again asked that the Committee be provided with shirts they can wear
identifying them as members of the Committee.
Annette Kuehn
suggested that the Communications Booth schedule be amended next year so that
Committee members can still attend workshops and other sessions of interest
while still volunteering some time in the booth.
Deborah
complimented the new size of the booth, as well as its organization. She
requested that “Public Relations” be added to the NJEA Communications sign
identifying the booth.
PR COMMITTEE
Annette
complimented Deborah and the Committee on their hard work and commitment to
building a great Public Relations Committee team.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting
dated were scheduled for Thursday, January 27 and Monday, March 14 at 5:30 p.m.
at NJEA Headquarters.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no
further business, the meeting adjourned at 8:03 p.m.
Kathy
Coulibaly
____________________________________________________________________
PUBLIC RELATIONS COMMITTEE NJEA HeadquartersOctober 27, 2010MINUTES submitted by SUSAN JAYSNOVITCH, MCEA Representative for Public Relations Committee
Deborah Eddy (Chair – Middlesex) Present Colette
Bapst (Union) Present
Sally Blizzard (Cumberland) Present Sue
Brashier (Mercer)
Present
Brenda Braithwaite (Atlantic) Present
Danita
Corsey (Camden) Absent
Lynn Cianci (Gloucester)
Present
Stephen
Cullis (Morris) Absent
Susan Jaysnovitch (Middlesex) Present Annette
Kuehn (Essex) Present
Pamela Raynor (Sussex) Present
Edwinta
Rhue (Hudson) Present
Kathy Seetoo (Monmouth) Present
Barbara
Keshishian (NJEA President) Absent
Wendell Steinhauer (NJEA VP) Absent Marie
Blistan (NJEA Sec-Treas) Absent
Also present were Stephen K. Wollmer, NJEA Communications
Director and Kathryn Coulibaly, NJEA Staff Contact.
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Eddy at 6:07
p.m. with a quorum present.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The committee reviewed the minutes of the September 30, 2010
meeting and approved them.
PRIDE GREAT IDEAS BROCHURE
The Committee discussed the PRIDE Great Ideas brochure and
reviewed the projects that Kathy researched. The Committee determined which
projects should be highlighted. The brochure will be available at the NJEA
Convention and will later be redesigned so it can be posted on www.njea.org.
The Committee also discussed other ways the brochure can be
used to promote PRIDE Organizing.
NJEA PUBLIC RELATIONS
Steve Wollmer gave an update on current issues facing NJEA
as well as public relations initiatives that NJEA is pursuing. He provided an
in-depth look at the unauthorized videotaping that was conducted at the NJEA
Summer Leadership Conference.
As a result of the discussion, the Committee recommended
that NJEA Government Relations look into legislation that would protect members
and the general public from unauthorized and secret videotaping.
In addition, Brenda Braithwaite recommended to Steve Wollmer
that the PR Committee be included on the email blasts that NJEA currently sends
to local presidents, county presidents, DA and Executive Committee members.
The Committee discussed the challenges of public relations
and advocacy in the current environment and discussed how we are currently
informing members.
Sally Blizzard solicited ideas for promoting the great
activities her local association conducts that benefit the school district and
the community. The Committee provided many ideas and strategies.
NJEA CONVENTION
The Committee discussed their role in the Communications
Booth at the NJEA Convention. The members signed up to work in the booth and
hand out materials including the PRIDE Great Ideas brochure.
PR COMMITTEE
The Committee discussed the possibility of NJEA no longer
sending out postcards as well as emails for meeting notices. They requested an
opt-out system be implemented so that resources would not be wasted.
In addition, Susan
Jaysnovitch suggested that the Committee should have a denim shirt they can
wear at events such as the NJEA Convention to distinguish them as members of
the Committee.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting date was scheduled for Monday, November 29 at
5:30 p.m. at NJEA Headquarters.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 7:52
p.m.
Also present were Stephen K. Wollmer, NJEA
Communications Director; Marybeth Beichert, NJEA Communications
Apprentice; and Kathryn Coulibaly, NJEA Staff Contact.
CALL TO ORDER
The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Eddy
at 6:11 p.m. with a quorum present.
APPROVAL OF MINUTES
The committee reviewed the minutes of the May 10,
2010 meeting and approved them.
NJEA SPECIAL PROJECTS
Chairperson Eddy recapped the events the Committee
has done with the Trenton Thunder. The Committee discussed additional
opportunities for branding NJEA at these and other NJEA-sponsored
events.
Lynn Cianci made the motion that NJEA identify
additional opportunities to brand NJEA at sponsorship events. The motion
was moved by Kathy Seetoo and seconded by Susan Jaysnovitch and
approved by the Committee.
The Committee requested that Dawn Hiltner attend an
upcoming PR Committee meeting to discuss NJEA’s partnership projects
and provide the Committee with information and suggestions on how county
and local associations can imitate NJEA’s statewide program at the
local levels.
PRIDE ORGANIZING
Kathy Coulibaly will provide the members of the
Committee with the PRIDE organizing report that was made available at
the September Delegate Assembly meeting so that the members of the
Committee will be aware of which associations in their county are
requesting PRIDE funds.
The Committee also discussed their PRIDE promotion
project. The Committee decided to create a brochure that can be
distributed at Convention that showcases good PRIDE projects from every
county and which provide contact information for the PRIDE chair so that
he or she may provide information and advice on replicating the
project.
The Committee decided that the brochure should be
available as a hard copy at the Convention and online as a PDF.
Kathy Coulibaly will work with Marybeth Beichert to
create a draft of the brochure that the Committee will approve via
email in order to have it produced in time for Convention.
The Committee also discussed other ways to promote
PRIDE at Convention at the Communications Booth. They would like members
of the Committee to staff the booth and wear stickers promoting PRIDE.
In future years, they would like to see a video loop of PRIDE project
pictures play at the booth.
The Committee also requested PRIDE grant photos be
placed on large signs. This should be possible to do for this year.
There was also discussion of tying-in recognition
of PRIDE projects at the HIPP Celebration of Excellence. The other
possibility is to recognize these projects at the Summer Leadership
Conference. Kathy Coulibaly will have preliminary conversations with
Michael Saffran, Michael Cohan, and Dawn Hiltner to determine the
feasibility.
Once this is determined, Kathy Coulibaly can work
with Nancy Volpe to include a flier in the PRIDE mailing in May/June
2011.
CRISIS UPDATE
Steve Wollmer gave the Committee an update on the
crisis and the many issues that NJEA members are facing.
NEXT MEETING
The next meeting date was scheduled for Monday,
November 29 at 5:30 p.m. at NJEA Headquarters.
ADJOURNMENT
There being no further business, the meeting
adjourned at 7:56 p.m.
