IN THIS ISSUE: Executive Committee Elections, Professional Awards,

Preconference & More

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE ELECTIONSDecember 6, 2019 is the last day to vote for the 2020-2021 Executive Committee.

Please be aware that if your renewal payment hasn't been processed by our office, you will not be able to vote until we are able to do so. We ask for your patience during this time as we have been inundated with checks, all of which need to be processed.

Voting will remain open until December 6, 2019 at 5 p.m., so you will have

Submit Member Monday

plenty of opportunity to cast your ballot.

Questions? Email us at info@tspra.org.

We love celebrating our amazing TSPRA members! So we can celebrate you, please help us by telling us a little bit about yourself. Just fill out the form and email it along with three photos to Tracie at tseed@tspra.org.Member Mondays are posted, you guessed it, each Monday on our Facebook page in the order of receipt.

The deadline for submitting Professional Awards nominations is Tuesday, December 17 by 4:00 p.m.

Honor TSPRA's best and brightest by nominating someone for the 2020 TSPRA Professional Awards in these following categories:

Professional Achievement Award - The recipient shall be a person employed full time in the field of school public relations, hold professional membership in TSPRA for at least 10 years and during that time exhibited a creative, dedicated, and professional approach to school communications.

Most Valuable Member Award - Sponsored by Intrado

SchoolMessenger - The recipient shall be a member of TSPRA who has contributed significantly to the improvement of the association.

Rookie of the Year Award - Sponsored by O'Connell Robertson - The recipient shall be employed full time in the field of school publicrelations, hold professional membership in TSPRA, and exhibit a creative, dedicated, and professional approach to school communications. This person shall be a member of TSPRA and shall not have been employed in school public relations for more than 36 months at the time of the nomination deadline.

Bright Idea Award - Sponsored by Huckabee - This award shall go to a TSPRA member and/or TSPRA nominee for outstanding ideas, strategies, projects or programs designed to promote public education in Texas through effective communications. To be considered for the award, an entry must be creative, unusual, effective, and adaptable.

Media Award - Sponsored by Blackboard - To be given to a a media professional who has contributed significantly to the public understanding of public education in Texas through print or broadcast media.Consideration should be given to a nominee who successfully explains complex educational issues, presents issues in an unbiased manner, and who initiates stories that promote the mission of public education.

Partner in Public Education Award - Sponsored by HCDE - To be given to an individual or organization who has made significant contributions to the cause of public education and/or the profession with actions and/or contributions complementing the mission of TSPRA. The media and active TSPRA members are not eligible to receive this award.

TSPRA members in good standing (dues paid) are eligible to submit nominations, which will be made online through the OpenWater platform today beginning at 2:00 p.m., the same tool used for submitting Star Awards. Instructions for using OpenWater can be found on the top of the landing page.

For criteria, nominating instructions and the online nomination form, CLICK HERE.

DON'T MISS PRECONFERENCEPreconference is a great time to dive deep into a concentrated subject with your peers. Sessions run on Monday, February 24, 1-4 p.m. and are only $100. Register for them during conference registration. Questions? Email info@tspra.org.

PRECONFERENCE - Put The APR In Your Professional Portfolio Invest in yourself, invest in your career and start your path to becoming an APR during this interactive session. Don't let another year pass without adding this credential to your professional portfolio. During this session, you will meet with an APR mentor to get a jump start on your portfolio

project and learn what it takes to earn this prestigious credential. The session will provide you with a roadmap to earning your APR. Rebecca Villarreal, APR and TSPRA APRs.

PRECONFERENCE - Mastering The Visual Code: The Building Blocks Of Powerful Visual StorytellingTelling a compelling video story is dependent on knowing a hidden visual language that has been with us since early cinema days. The language is ‘hidden’ because it is a visual code embedded in every TV show, every video message and every movie you have ever watched. Although it is ever present, this visual code is easy to over look simply because it is visual. Julie Jones, director of the National Photographers Association’s (NPPA) News Video Workshop, will introduce you to this language and show you how to harness it so you can build better stories from the concept all the way through to the last edit.

PRECONFERENCE - MarketingThis three-hour workshop will flex your marketing muscles and get you in shape for any season! You’ll go through exercises and guides to maximize your website (regardless of where you’re at), plan small and large campaigns, and work with what you’ve got to market all you have. Join us at the pre-conference starting line! Lisa Losasso Jackson, Eleven Productions

PRECONFERENCE - Rookie Boot CampEvery PR professional needs some tools to help navigate school communications. TSPRA Rookie Boot Camp will provide you with some basic tools, tops and techniques to finding your way through the day-to- day adventures we all face. Get to know your fellow rookies and meet some veterans who will help maximize your TSPRA experience. Barry Perez, Northside ISD; Kim Hocott, Pearland ISD; Claudia Lemus- Campos, PSJA ISD; Ian Halperin, Wylie ISD

PRECONFERENCE - TCU What Leaders Can Learn From Hurricanes: Crisis Communication And Messages Of ResilienceHurricane Harvey not only battered the Texas coast in 2017, but it also dumped several feet of rain across the Houston area. One school district in Fort Bend County, Texas, used a discourse of resilience before, during, and after the storm to position its community for renewal. From this year- long academic case study about the discourse of renewal, built with help from the Fort Bend ISD communication team, find out how public sector leaders can model resilience discourse. This model is one way to "round up" crisis communication into more than warnings and announcements. Also, in this interactive session, attendees will work individually and in groups on developing a storytelling map, for finding the right voices in your district for every type of story. Jacqueline Lambiase, Ph.D., is department chair and professor of strategic communication at TCU in Fort Worth, TX. She directs the Certified Public Communicator Program at TCU, which partner s with TSPRA to provide graduate-level professional development for school communicators. Lambiase has published more than 40 journal articles, edited books, white papers, and book chapters on social media and public-sector communication, public relations ethics, crisis communication, and gender in advertising.

REGISTER NOW

Golf is also available as a Preconference activity!

February 24, 2020 Fee: $100.00Coore Crenshaw Cliffside Course• Tee Times Starting at 12:33 pm• $100 per player• Price per player includes 18 hole green fee, shared golf cart with GPS, range balls and tournament operations• Rental clubs are $75 per set including 6 golf balls. (Make your own arrangements for the rental.)• No cancellations for this event; if weather prohibits play, golfer should attend one of the pre-conference sessions

TSPRA CONFERENCE 2020The deadline to register for the 2020 Annual

Conference without paying a late fee is January 24, 2020. All registrations made after Jan. 24 will

include a $100 late fee.

February 24-27, 2020 Omni Barton Creek Resort

Executive Committee Meeting ♦ Monday a.m., Feb. 24 Pre-Conference Sessions ♦ Monday p.m., Feb. 24

Regular Conference Sessions ♦ Tues., Feb. 25 through noon on Thurs., Feb. 27

Star Awards Banquet ♦ Wednesday p.m., Feb. 26 8212 Barton Club Drive

Austin, TX 78735

JOIN SELECT GUEST

Become an Omini Select Guest® member by SIX WEEKS BEFORE CONFERENCE to earn free nights plus complimentary on-property benefits. It’s easy to sign up and it is FREE!

Select Guest members receive:· Free Wi-Fi· Bottled water· Customized preferences· Beverage benefit· Pressings & shoe shine· Express check-in & check-out· Earn free nights

*NOTE: CONFERENCE OVERFLOW HOTELWe are at capacity at Omni, so we suggest you secure your Sonesta reservation. If you need to cancel your reservation at the Omni, please contact us immediately before cancelling, so we can offer your room to another attendee.

SONESTA: CONFERENCE OVERFLOW HOTELGroup Name: TSPRA OVERFLOW Group Code: 0223TXSPRABlock Dates: 02/23/20 - 02/27/20 Call: 512-483-5902

GRAMMAR TIMEFEWER VS. LESS | FURTHER VS. FARTHER

Fewer vs. LessAccording to usage rules, fewer is only to be used when discussing countable things, while less is used for singular mass nouns. For example, you can have fewer ingredients, dollars, people, or puppies, but less salt, money, honesty, or love. If you can count it, go for fewer. If you can't, opt for less. (dictionary.com)

Farther vs. FurtherThe quick and dirty tip is to use “farther” for physical distance and “further” for metaphorical, or figurative, distance—no further information, to further

a conversation. It's easy to remember because “farther” has the word “far” in it, and “far” obviously relates to physical distance. (quickanddirtytips.com)

Terri Cook, La Porte ISD, on her retirement effective December 31, 2019.

Lauren Loyless accepted a position at John Paul II High School in Plano as the Director of Communications.

WELCOME NEW MEMBERS

>Robert Garza, North East ISD>Christi Ginn, Royal ISD>Lupita Sauceda, Point Isabel ISD>Candice Vaughn, Harmony Public Schools Houston S/W>Laurie Vondersaar, Lovejoy ISD

LINKS YOU CAN USE

Want to mix up your social posts this month? Check out the December lineup on the NATIONAL DAY CALENDAR foreverything from National Maple Syrup Day to National Whiner’s Day.

"The shopping and crowds. The back-to-back diet-busting parties. The interminable chats with the in- laws. We understand how easy it is to feel not so wonderful at this most wonderful time of the year.Do you get stressed-out around the holidays? These 25 EXPERT TIPS will help you relax and actually enjoy the holidays."

"If you're always taking blurry and underexposed pics with your mobile device, try using some of the tips below to turn your phone into a valuable photography asset. It doesn't matter if you have an iPhone, Android smartphone, or even a first-gen camera phone... you can still take some beautiful, winning photographs." HERE ARE SOME TIPS.

VOLUNTEER NOW

VOLY.org is the innovative, all-in- one volunteer solution for school districts. Powered by technology nonprofit VolunteerNow, VOLY.org makes it easy to recruit, manage and track the volunteers who support schools. Schedule your demo now at schools@voly.org or 214-818-9848!

H-E-B

H-E-B launched the Excellence in Education Awards program in cooperation with the Texas Association of School Administrators in 2002 as a positive way to support public education in Texas. It has become the largest monetary awards program for educators in the state. Since its inception, over $11 million has been awarded. Visit heb.com/education to nominate your favorite educator.

CONTACT INFO

406 E 11th Street, Stes 101-105Austin, TX 78757

Telephone: (512) 474-9107Fax: (512) 477-0906

info@tspra.org

Copyright © 2019 TSPRA All rights reserved.

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Texas School Public Relations Association 406 East 11th Street

Suites 101-105 Austin, United States

512-474-9107info@tspra.org