FROM THE PRESIDENT

Deb Gerow | President , ARTA

I was unprepared , my classroom was not set up , too many new students would arrive on the first day to be accommodated , my lessons and materials were not organized …. The most effective way to stop the dreams was to go into the school . I suspect that many teachers also experience those dreams . They are a message that it is time to get back to work .

Summer is relatively quiet for me as president of the Alberta Retired Teachers ’ Association although I am available if anything needs my attention . In June , I attended the Canadian Association of Retired Teachers ( ACER-CART ) annual general meeting ( AGM ) held in Ottawa . It was wonderful to meet with representatives from all of the member organizations representing retired teachers across the country to discuss commonalities and concerns . In July , our charitable foundation held its very successful golf tournament . A good time was definitely had by all , and a lot of money was raised for this very worthy cause .

I haven ’ t had any scary dreams lately , but I know that with the passing of summer , it is time to get busy again with the business of ARTA . The seven standing committees — Communications , Executive , Governance , Health Benefits , Pension and Financial Wellness , Strategic Planning and Advocacy , and Wellness — have already held their meetings , which precede the September Board of Directors meeting .

Our branches are returning to action . Many of them hold a breakfast on the first day of school in their jurisdiction , celebrating our amazing careers in education and the fact that we are retired . This year I attended gatherings held by the EIRTA ( Sherwood Park ), CARTA ( Red Deer ), and WRTA ( Wainwright ) branches . It is a real pleasure to attend branch functions , to get to know some of their members better , and to have the opportunity to address any questions they may have about ARTA . The Edmonton branch ( ERTA ) doesn ’ t hold a back-to-school breakfast because their members are usually putting the final touches on the annual Second Wind Conference , which they will host on September 12 this year . All retired teachers and other seniors are welcome to attend , and I ’ m looking forward to being there too .

The next thing on our ARTA calendar is the AGM , which will be held October 1 and 2 in Edmonton . Delegates from each branch will convene to receive reports from all committees , to learn more about what ARTA has accomplished in the past year , and to hear our direction for the future . Elections are held to fill available positions on all committees , including the executive . All delegates to the AGM have a vote , and all regular ARTA members ( that is , members who are retired teachers ) are eligible to serve on committees .

Following the AGM , everything will be in full swing again , with elected members working together with ARTA staff . We know that together we can accomplish so much to make a difference for all of our members .

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