Great News! Paulette Roberts was honored with the African American Pastors Alliance’s Beloved Community Award
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Paulette Roberts received the Beloved Community Award during the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day breakfast at The Commons in downtown Columbus on Monday, Jan. 16, 2023. See the complete article form the Republic Newspaper by clicking the Memebership tab above.
Congratulations to Paulette! |
BARTA Members report Volunuteer Hours for 2022
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Bartholomew County Retired Teachers Assoc. has completed our volunteer hour count for 2022. We have 3,139 Youth Hours 17,061 Community Hours and a total of 20,105 total hours. BARTA retired educators continue to make a great difference in the community. Congratulations to all!
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Sandy Watts named 2022 barta voluinteer of the year
Every year Bartholomew County Retired Teachers Association nominates a retired educator for the prestigious IRTA Clock Award. This year we have the exceptional opportunity to nominate Sandy Watts who goes far and above what any retiree would even think about trying to do. Sandy has reported a total of 375 hours. Many times her initial effort is the springboard for other volunteers to help bring about positive change in our community.
Great work, Sandy. You are a bright shining example to us all!
Great work, Sandy. You are a bright shining example to us all!
BARTA Collects Volunteer Hours for 2022
BARTA is collecting volunteer hours from BARTA members. In spite of the pandemic, in 2021 BARTA members reported more than 18,000 hours of volunteer service. Our goal this year is 20,000 hours. We are asking all BARTA members to report their youth and community volunteer hours by sending them to bbarta52@yahoo.com. Please send in your hours today!
FALL 2022 TEACHER GRANTS HAVE BEEN AWARDED
BARTA representatives and the BCSC School Foundation recently met to review grant proposals from area educators. We are proud to announce the winners of the 2022 Educator Grants.
BCSF & BARTA GRANTS for BCSC in FALL of 2022
Donors Choose for BCSC with BCSF matching funds
BARTA Grant Process for BCSC
Non-matching
BARTA GRANTS with Donors Choose for Hope Elementary
Non-matching
BARTA Grants for Private and Parochial Schools
Non-matching
BCSF & BARTA GRANTS for BCSC in FALL of 2022
Donors Choose for BCSC with BCSF matching funds
- Mrs. Hooker ($79.53) Hands On Math Activities-Pre-K Busy Bees at Johnson Center
- Early Childhood is important to young child’s education. These toys, board games and other new items will encourage my students to play more in that area which will in return help them learn.
- Mrs. Taylor ($99.84) Our Pet Fish-Pre-K Busy Bees at Johnson Center
- Having a class pet fish, my students will be able to explore what fish need, their characteristics, and how they move. They would also be able to observe the fish and collect data just like real scientists. Having a class pet fish can incorporate many different learning areas such as literacy, math, science, and social skills.
- Mrs. Knapp ($155.84) Ready, Set, Build-Pre-K at Lillian Schmitt Elementary
- Providing students access to various materials and activities that incorporate building and STEM help them develop their fine and gross motor skills, cognitive development, and exploration.
- Mrs. Freeman ($128.67) Perfect Presentations- Northside Middle School
- My wonderful, creative middle school students have the imagination to explore the world around them. Through our International cuisine project they have the opportunity to express themselves globally.
- Ms. Baechle ($88.26) Basic and Beautiful K-6 Art at Rockcreek
- My classroom reaches Kindergarten through sixth grade. I have about 600 students each week. Whether it is drawing, cutting, gluing or coloring, it is important that the students have what they need to be creative and successful in each project.
- Ms. Psota ($232.70) PBIS Pouches Packing a Punch-Parkside Elementary
- Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports proactive way of supporting students' learning while incentivizing positive and preventing unwanted behavior in the classroom. Our students love to learn by earning positive points towards spending an entire day with their fun-filled, PBIS pouches! These pouches are loaded with fun tools and manipulatives that make classwork more engaging, while reinforcing strategies for learning. Children love using magnifying glasses and wiggly-eye rings to search for evidence in the text. They also love reading with a new, scented bookmark, writing adventure stories with a creature pencil or getting to use a calculator for a day in math. At the end of their reward day, they return their pouches and anticipate earning future positive behavior points.
- Ms. Haines ($219.10) Stemtastic Library-STEM LAB at L. Frances Smith Elementary
- The picture books will enhance student engagement and connections to the world of STEM. For example, when talking about setting limits to using technology the story Tek is a perfect match for students to engage in a discussion of how the character misses out on some very important events. Anytime we can put a picture book in front of students we create a connection to their world. You will not only help to improve students' understanding of STEM and literature, you will ultimately help to increase their academic achievement in all areas of their schooling.
- Ms. Hunter ($167) Making Nursery Rhymes and Iconic Stories Come to Life-Pre-K at Southside Elementary School
- I have a very diverse group of students from different ethnicities. Many of my students are learning English as a second language. Students can listen to a nursery rhyme or story, and then use these materials to retell or recreate the story. Thanks for helping my students develop a love for books and nursery rhymes.
- Ms. Stacy ($229.68) Writing, Sand and Light-What Can We Create?-Pre-K at L. Frances Smith Elementary
- Each friend is different. We have music lovers, keen future engineers, and imaginative artists included in our special education students. In each project I do, my special education students are my main focus. As always the focus is to give all types of learners the tools and opportunity at a young age to show just how creative our preschoolers can be. Light tables appeal to very student so let’s take this already engaging tool to help expand learning. A giant clear based tray will bring a new engaging side to learning, it has a removable mirror to add new dimension as well as pens to fill with sand.
- Ms. Sarah ($93.16) Game Time! Developing Social Skills Through Play -Pre-K Busy Bees Johnson Center
- Through fun, engaging game play, children will learn to problem solve, resolve conflict and develop perspective taking through kindness and empathy. The games and activities I have selected for my students will be out in the classroom and accessible to all. The Pop the Pig game or Lego marble run will hopefully create an engaging and enriching experience so all students may practice and develop these important and lasting social skills.
- Ms. Martin ($164.34) Hands On Word Work Activities-1st Grade at CSA Fodrea Elementary
- My students come from a variety of backgrounds, and for many of them, learning to read has been quite a challenge. However, they continue to bring their best effort every day; I love seeing the "light-bulb" moments when something clicks. These words work activities (magnetic letters, phonics flipbooks, phonemic activity center, On Earth, Blackout, etc.) and books will help them engage with the spelling patterns we are learning each week and help them enhance their decoding and phonics skills.
BARTA Grant Process for BCSC
Non-matching
- Julie Caruso ($500) Analyzing America’s Amazing Archives-Grades 6-12 at Columbus Virtual Academy
- On a fieldtrip to Indiana Historical Society, students can engage curiosity and improve critical thinking skills. Students move from concrete observances to actual facts to question and evaluate. Students will make their own inferences, own evaluations and interpretations of primary documents and relate them to issues or events of today. Students will use tools of working with historic documents.
BARTA GRANTS with Donors Choose for Hope Elementary
Non-matching
- Mrs. Mize ($96.20) Building Reading Foundations Pre K-2
- To achieve their reading goals, my students need a foundation in phonemic awareness. This is the ability to identify and manipulate individual sounds (phonemes) in spoken words.
- Mrs. Wamsley ($57.40) Refuel Our Supplies in STEM Lab
- All of these supplies will provide relevant and real-world applications for CTE career pathways such as business, technology, engineering, marketing, and many more. Students will have authentic opportunities to participate in real simulations while increasing content knowledge and developing soft skills to continuously refine their employability to be career and workforce ready in the 21st century.
- Mrs. Knight ($171.24) Supplies for Engagement and Success- 4th
- My students are energetic and excited about learning. We are about half way though the year and running low on needed supplies. Help me give my students supplies that will help them be successful and stay engaged. The white boards and markers will be used for math lessons and will really boost the student's engagement.
- Ms. Simpson ($225.06) Simpson Super Supplies Pre-K-2
- Every day we go through so many supplies. Even after only 9 weeks in school my supply stash is already slowly getting lower and lower. My students and I would love if you could donate to our classroom project so we can get some of the everyday supplies we use! The materials on our DonorsChoose wishlist contain basics such as crayons, pencils, erasers, markers, and more. Please consider donating to help us with the supplies we need in our classroom to learn and grow our tiny minds each and every day!
BARTA Grants for Private and Parochial Schools
Non-matching
- Beckie Eckleman ($500) Minds in Motion-Faith Lutheran Pre-School
- The Minds-in-motion program is using movement and brain integration, jump-starts the brain’s neural pathways to help children maximize potential by building a better foundation for learning and equips them with the tools for success in school, in sports, and in society” (Meyer). This program provides academic, physical, and social benefits for young children as they learn and grow. Through this programming, students may benefit by having less speech issues, decreasing sensitivity to loud noises, increasing ability to focus, preventing frequent meltdowns, establishing and improving hand-eye coordination, ease of adjustments during transitions, decreased hyperactivity, enhanced confidence in trying new things, and less frustrations at both school and home. This contributes to the whole-student experience, promoting positive physical activity in education and shaping our future leaders with solid foundational skills.
BCSC School Board Candidate Forum
BARTA was honored to work with the Columbus Educators Association to hold two virtual meetings that highlighted the candidates running as school board candidates. This is an important election to our students, teachers, school employees, families of BCSC and our community. All voters can select a candidate from each district 1, 2, 4 and 6. We invite everyone to watch the videos to learn more about the views of the candidates. We are pleased to have so many interested in running for local roles in government. These positions are non-partisan.
Please go to the COMMUNITY section of the website to find the link for the forums that occurred on Sept 27 and Sept 29, 2022.
Please go to the COMMUNITY section of the website to find the link for the forums that occurred on Sept 27 and Sept 29, 2022.
Get up to Date Barta news and information on facebook
Find out current information about BARTA and BARTA members by going to Facebook and typing in Bartholomew County Retired Teachers. Make sure to Friend the page!
BARTA Meeting Dates for
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BARTA general meetings will be held at Sandy Hook on these dates:
September 13, 2022
November 15, 2022
March 7, 2023
May 9, 2023 - Spring Meeting is scheduled to take place at Four Seasons
Registration 10:45 to 11:15
Luncheon 11:30
A program and business meeting follow the delicious lunch.
The cost of the luncheon is $10. Please try to bring the correct change.
Thank You! See You There!!
BARTA Spring 2022 General Meeting
Plans are in the works to have our annual spring meeting, in person, at Four Seasons Retirement Center. The date is May 10th.
11:00 Registration (wear a mask)
11:30 Welcome of membership
Program: Banister Family Bluegrass Band
12:15 General Meeting
12:30 Lunch - Cost Per member is $8.00
We have been in contact with Four Seasons, and they said we are welcome to have our meeting there as long as there are no further outbreaks of Covid or variants.
We will give you further information about the meeting as we get closer to the date. You can also check Facebook at @bartholomewretiredteachers or our website at www.barta2.org to get information about the upcoming meeting.
CHRISTMAS 2021! GIVE A GIFT OF SCHOOL SUPPLIES
TO THE AFGAN CHILDREN AT CAMP ATTERBURY.
Partnering with Beloved for School Supplies for Afghan children at Camp Atterbury 2021, BARTA is collecting school supplies for Afghan children who will starting school in the next few weeks. We are partnering with Beloved who takes supplies and makes them available to children who move into foster homes and school supplies for Afghan children. Supplies include general school material such as pencils, paper, folders, glue sticks, headphones and other school related supplies. Students will be going to local schools as well as surrounding areas.
For more information, visit:
Beloved @ www.belovedbags.org
Items may be dropped at Janice Montgomery's Home-2129 Dale Court, Columbus 47203.
You may also make a financial donation that will be used for the project.
Send donations to:
BARTA
C/O Janet Smith
3711 Premier Dr.,
Columbus IN 47203
BARTA is collecting Volunteer Hours
Each year BARTA collects volunteer hours for the calendar year. We know that Covid has reduced the opportunities to volunteer. But every hour you volunteer makes a difference. We use the information you provide to show the importance of retired teachers to the community. We share the data with state legislators and publish our totals in The Republic as well.
Please help BARTA by giving us your youth volunteer hours and community volunteer hours. Thank you very much for helping BARTA. Please email your hours to Bbarta52@yahoo.com
Tentative BARTA Meeting Dates and Information for 2021-2022
We are sad to announce the November BARTA general meeting has been cancelled because of the spike in the Corona Virus. No November meeting.
The BARTA Executive Board met on Tuesday, April 6th to discuss plans for a potential BARTA general meeting in May. It was decided to cancel the May meeting because, at this time, we could not guarantee that Four Seasons will accommodate us. Plus, most officers felt it still would be difficult to social distance members and keep everybody safe.
Election of officers is supposed to occur at the May meeting. Since we are not meeting, the Board agreed to have the officer election at the September meeting, but that meeting and November's meeting have been cancelled. A slate of officers have agreed to serve. The interim officers, refer to the BARTA page, will be presented to the membership at our next general meeting. Once approved, the officers will assume their duties immediately at that general meeting.
BARTA MEETING DATES
FOR 2021-2022
The BARTA Executive Board met on Tuesday, April 6th to discuss plans for a potential BARTA general meeting in May. It was decided to cancel the May meeting because, at this time, we could not guarantee that Four Seasons will accommodate us. Plus, most officers felt it still would be difficult to social distance members and keep everybody safe.
Election of officers is supposed to occur at the May meeting. Since we are not meeting, the Board agreed to have the officer election at the September meeting, but that meeting and November's meeting have been cancelled. A slate of officers have agreed to serve. The interim officers, refer to the BARTA page, will be presented to the membership at our next general meeting. Once approved, the officers will assume their duties immediately at that general meeting.
BARTA MEETING DATES
FOR 2021-2022
Meeting places and dates are tentative until conformed by the BARTA Exec. Board
September 14th Cancelled because of COVID
November 9th Cancelled because of COVID
March 8th Cancelled because of COVID
May 10th Four Seasons
Registration 10:45 to 11:15
Luncheon 11:30
A program and business meeting follow the delicious lunch.
Bartholomew County Teachers
Association Makes a Difference
BARTA Dictionary Project
For seventeen years BARTA has participated in the annual dictionary project that presents dictionaries to every third grader in Bartholomew Consolidated and Flat Rock School Corporations. During previous years, BARTA members have gone out to visit all third grade classrooms to distribute the dictionaries. We have also discussed with the students basic dictionary skills, and showed how they can be used as classroom resource.
This year, because of COVID, we have developed a virtual presentation on YOUTUBE featuring Janet Baldwin who reviews many of those valuable dictionary skills. The link to her presentation is https://youtu.be/TjOle1e666A
Pennies from Heaven 2020 and 2021
It certainly was a challenge for everyone this past year. Because of COVID, BARTA did not meet during the 2020-2021 meeting year. However, because of the generous contributions from BARTA membership dues, we were able to give assistance to three Bartholomew county groups. These three groups are:
2020 Pennies from Heaven Donations
During each BARTA meeting, a donation, Pennies from Heaven, is taken from our retired teachers to give to Bartholomew County organizations that serve youth. This year, 2020, BARTA contributed $200 to BCSC Food Service, Flat Rock Hawcreek Food Service and United Way of Bartholomew County. We hope our three $200 donations will help with their efforts to benefit local children and adults in their everyday lives to put food on their tables and help replenish nutritional needs. As former teachers, we appreciate all they are doing to help children survive and succeed in the world in which they live
BCSC Backpack Program
Bartholomew County Retired Teachers Executive Board answered a call to help with school supplies for this coming year. Backpacks are prepared with essential supplies to help students start the year on a positive note. The Executive Bd agreed to use $300 from our treasury to help with the student supply effort. On top of that decision, the Executive Board took the challenge to match the $300 with individual contributions from Board members. That challenge resulted in a total of $650 being sent to BCSC to help with school supplies during this difficult time.
For seventeen years BARTA has participated in the annual dictionary project that presents dictionaries to every third grader in Bartholomew Consolidated and Flat Rock School Corporations. During previous years, BARTA members have gone out to visit all third grade classrooms to distribute the dictionaries. We have also discussed with the students basic dictionary skills, and showed how they can be used as classroom resource.
This year, because of COVID, we have developed a virtual presentation on YOUTUBE featuring Janet Baldwin who reviews many of those valuable dictionary skills. The link to her presentation is https://youtu.be/TjOle1e666A
Pennies from Heaven 2020 and 2021
It certainly was a challenge for everyone this past year. Because of COVID, BARTA did not meet during the 2020-2021 meeting year. However, because of the generous contributions from BARTA membership dues, we were able to give assistance to three Bartholomew county groups. These three groups are:
- Access-Ability organization which provides durable medical equipment when it is no longer needed and provides free medical equipment to those who need it.
- Love Chapel for food assistance to Bartholomew County residents
- Simmons School to assist their efforts in developing a memory garden in honor of Glen Keller and Barb Johnson, long-time Flat Rock educators.
2020 Pennies from Heaven Donations
During each BARTA meeting, a donation, Pennies from Heaven, is taken from our retired teachers to give to Bartholomew County organizations that serve youth. This year, 2020, BARTA contributed $200 to BCSC Food Service, Flat Rock Hawcreek Food Service and United Way of Bartholomew County. We hope our three $200 donations will help with their efforts to benefit local children and adults in their everyday lives to put food on their tables and help replenish nutritional needs. As former teachers, we appreciate all they are doing to help children survive and succeed in the world in which they live
BCSC Backpack Program
Bartholomew County Retired Teachers Executive Board answered a call to help with school supplies for this coming year. Backpacks are prepared with essential supplies to help students start the year on a positive note. The Executive Bd agreed to use $300 from our treasury to help with the student supply effort. On top of that decision, the Executive Board took the challenge to match the $300 with individual contributions from Board members. That challenge resulted in a total of $650 being sent to BCSC to help with school supplies during this difficult time.
VOLUNTEERING...IT'S IN THE BLOOD OF BARTA.
Even though we as a community and us as individuals suffered through a pandemic, BARTA members worked to serve the community and youth during 2020. BARTA members are dedicated to our community and its schools, our BARTA members donated more than 14,000 hours to our community in 2020. We donated 4,271 hours serving youth and 10,426 hours serving the general public, for a total of 14,697 hours of service.
BARTA members donated over $399,000 worth of volunteer time to our community last year, according to an Independent Sector which is a coalition that publishes research for nonprofits. They set the 2020 value of each volunteer hour at $27.20.
BARTA members donated over $399,000 worth of volunteer time to our community last year, according to an Independent Sector which is a coalition that publishes research for nonprofits. They set the 2020 value of each volunteer hour at $27.20.
The following BARTA members volunteered 300 or more hours during the 2020 calendar year. Congratulations for your tireless service to children and the community!
Mailyn lBrackney Shirley Lyster Donna Browne Louise Hillery Janice Montgomery Cheryl Zuckschwerdt-Ellsbury Hedy George Georgianna Waldrop Susan Gobert Sally Scrogham Natalie Lavengood
Janice Montgomery is one of the most dedicated people we have ever known. She is energized by her total dedication to the youth and community of Columbus, Indiana and Bartholomew County. Janice might be retired as a life-long educator, but she does not fit the mold of putting up her feet and watching life pass by.
Janice Montgomery came to Columbus in 1978 with her husband, Lynn, a Columbus native. After K-12 subbing while the girls were small, Janice started working full time in BCSC at Southside. She spent most of her career there as an AC/HA teacher and assistant to the principal. Later, she moved to the Center for Teaching and Learning to develop professional development with area educators, enjoyed teaching at IUPUC and Ivy Tech, and later accepted an opening at the Bartholomew Consolidated School Foundation as the executive director. Finally, she retired to participate in many community projects and work at the Simmons Schoolhouse, while still visiting her daughters and their families out of state. Volunteer efforts are the major focus of any extra time. The most incredible experiences include the Dictionary Project (17 years), BCSF Third Grade Architectural Tours, BCSC School Referendum Spring 2020, DKG, Columbus Philharmonic Volunteer and Garden City Church of Christ committees. Each year a major project comes out of the blue. This year the BCSC Referendum-Yes! 4 BCSC began in January 2020. Janice co-chaired with Mandy Keele, Southside teacher and CEC Vice-Chair and with Chad Phillips on daily activities. This effort was a success in the June election. Over that time, thousands of contacts were made by hundreds of volunteers. The pandemic changed the strategies to phone calls and mailings. Thankfully, the community understood the critical nature of supporting all employees in the schools through the referendum. The employees will begin receiving the benefits of the referendum in January. During this time, Janice enjoyed renewing many old friendships and meeting so many energetic and dedicated BCSC employees and families. This people understood that education is the foundation to a great community and its future. Volunteering is a critical component for Janice’s life. While she still takes K-12 sub jobs as often as possible, volunteering in the community, sending cards, and asking others to donate their time too is always on the list of TO-DO’s. There is NO REASON to be bored, even during a pandemic. People need encouragement. Our educators and support personnel need encouragement. Janice would say---Find a way to make other people’s lives better. 
Shirley Lyster is our 2019 Outstanding Volunteer of the Year!
We are pleased to announce that Shirley Lyster is the 2019 Bartholomew County Retired Teacher of the Year. Shirley taught 52 years at Columbus and Columbus North High Schools. In addition, Shirley was Department Chairperson for 33 of those years. Miss Lyster retired in 2004, but she continues to use her amazing talents to teach others even today. She has led students at the post-secondary level after her retirement by teaching at Ivy Tech, IUPUI and Mill Race Center where she has offered many classes called Partners in Education. Her volunteer hours are spent preparing for the classes that she teaches. She spends hours reading, researching, studying and preparing for the classes that she teaches. She knew that if she expected her students, both high school and adult, to appreciate literature that she would need to be prepared to give them questions and discussion topics that they would have to address. Miss Lyster uses a broad teaching expertise to instruct students through a wide range of media and literary genre. She features outstanding pieces of literature to her class and even compares and contrasts a movie that is related to the literature. She has even taught a study of Spoon River Anthology which features a collection of epitaphs from characters in Spoon River Cemetery. Then she works with her students as they write their own wonderful free verse poems about their relatives and acquaintances. Since her retirement, Miss Lyster has discussed more than forty books with her students. One of the feature pieces of literature that she notes is The Odyssey of Homer which addresses the seven major themes of literature. She continues to emphasize that she enjoys the personal and professional growth through her experiences with others. We are proud to present the 2019 BARTA retired educator of the year! Protect Yourself from COVID - 19To register for your Corona Virus vaccine go to
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The BCSC Referendum passed during the general election held on June 2nd by a margin of 9,356voters approved compared to 5,900 who votes against the referendum. The referendum will provide approximately $7.8 million dollars in additional revenue for the school corporation.
lEARN MORE ABOUT BARTA.
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Updated December 2022
