Sister Parish Committee meetings are held the first and third Wednesdays of each month at 7 pm. in the school. Newcomers are always welcome. If you have questions, please contact any of the members of the committee.

What follows are the minutes of the Wednesday, March 21, 2001 meetings.

Wednesday, March 21, 2001

Present: Mindy, Jeff, Louise, Joel, Rick, Mark, Michael Hayes, Carol F., Karen, Tim con Sienna, Susan S.

Spanish Classes
Spanish lessons, which are being held on Saturday's from 10:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. thru April 14th, are going very well. Salsa dancing was the activity on March 16th and all who participated had a great time learning the various dance moves taught by Roberto Colon and Natalie Hart.

Delegation
The next delegation was discussed. A sample itinerary of how to prepare for a trip such as this was drafted by Steve Peer and distributed. Getting a group together to go this summer was thought to be too rushed and not enough time for prep., therefore, a more realistic timeline would be to schedule a trip for Summer 2002.

The possibility of providing scholarships for the delegation was discussed to help lower the out-of-pocket cost for each delegate (the current cost runs around $1,500 per delegate). Doing some type of fundraiser(s) was also discussed to deter delegation costs. Some fundraiser ideas suggested were to:

  1. host a dinner in hospitality hall,
  2. approach the Parish Council for funds,
  3. earmark $3,500 in Sister Parish checking account to go toward the next delegation.
  4. suggest Sister Parish Inc. cover cost for translator and vehicle
It was decided that before an informational meeting could be held that a "delegation theme" be decided upon.

Sister Parish Inc.
Joel read a letter from Arlene Reed, Sister Parish, Inc. President of the Board discussing the May 5th celebration being held in South Dakota? to honor the two founders of Sister Parish, Inc. Mindy is going to be attending.

Alfombra Carpet
Tim is currently working on a design/theme for the Alfombra carpet. Students from the Spanish class will work on the alfombra on April 14th (be sure to wear your alfombra working clothes!). Alfombra will be made from colored sawdust and beans.

Anyone who has photos from past alfombra processions are to bring the photos to the next meeting. Carole will make a collage to be displayed on Easter Sunday.

Fun Fact: An ESL instructor in New York saw our website of last year's alfombra carpet. She contacted Rick/Tim requesting alfombra instructions. She was then going to create a carpet with her students.

Letter from TNII
Tim read an e-mail from Bernardo and Paul. They are working through some of their computer problems and will be purchasing some necessary items to get things up and running. They celebrated International Women's Day on March 8th. Their new e-mail address is pjqr@hotmail.com .

Next Meeting: Wednesday, April 4th 7 pm in the school classroom #104
Karen

;W