Minnesota Secondary Division
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Today's students. Tomorrow's business professionals.
Advisor
Announcements
October 30, 2008
From the national office: Preferred seating in 2009 has been cancelled due to logistical issues. The use of blazers in 2010 is still being determined. We aren’t using FTP sites for event submission to the National Center. Trent has assured me that our file acceptance sizes are appropriate for all of the pre-submit events, and other events (such as Digital Media and Video Presentation Team) will now be judged on-site rather than in advance.
This message is an update on the Interview Skills and Advanced Interview Skills events.
For students participating in these events at National level, the applications will be completed on-line. I am currently working with Joe Ellis, our Interactive Communications Specialist, to establish a web site for the completion of applications. I will provide details about that process (including the site address) as they become available.
For Regional and State levels, the applications are available for completion as Word documents on the testing materials web site. You may administer the submission of the applications in whatever way is most convenient: completion on-site at RLS and SLC or advance completion and submission by e-mail, etc.
I hope that this information is helpful. Please let me know if you should have any questions.
Jennifer Dunkle
Director of Educational Programs
Business Professionals of America
5454 Cleveland Avenue
Columbus, OH 43231
614-895-7277 x107
October 22, 2008
Here are a few things to update you with this week before I depart for the
fall conferences.
FLC AGENDA
Attached is the program book for your review and planning with the students.
Each student's name badge will be color coded to the track that you have registered
for. If you have any changes to FLC, e.g. substitutions, changes to tracks,
cancels etc., please continue to email me those as you know them up through
next Monday afternoon. Thereafter, the changes will need to be done onsite.
We can still accept additions if you have them as well!
FLC CURFEW
The curfew at FLC is 11:30 pm as it was last year.
FLC APPROPRIATE DRESS
The Board of Directors deems appropriate attire for the sessions to be held
Wednesday evening of FLC as business or business casual. These sessions include
the BPA related breakout sessions as well as the Officer Candidate Speeches.
It was decided that the attire should required should remain business professional
or business casual. Please inform your students. Thanks for doing your part
to ensuring our students are dressed appropriately.
FLC PAYMENTS
Remember, FLC registration must be paid prior to FLC. PLEASE DO NOT HAND ME
CHECKS ON SITE. It is extremely hard to keep track of them in the chaos and
they frequently get lost. Payment needs to arrive no later than Monday. If
your chapter is unpaid at the time of the conference, you will be invoiced
for the onsite rate.
THIS WEEK'S SCHEDULE
I will be in my office on thru tomorrow and relocate to the Sheraton on Friday
as the DECA Conference is Sun/Monday. Remember patience when you are waiting
for rooms on your Tuesday arrival for FLC - best bet is to remind the students
to come prepared.
October 3, 2008
LAST CALL FOR FLC REGISTRATION
I am working to finalize orders this weekend. If you have not yet registered,
but plan on doing so, please drop me an email TODAY with the numbers that
you anticipate bringing.
LAST CALL FOR T-SHIRTS
If you have not submitted your conference registration OR still want to order
conference t-shirts, this is your last chance. The order will be submitted
to the vendor on Monday. T-shirts are $12.
September 26, 2008
WHEN YOU SUBMIT YOUR HOUSING FILES
Some chapters have had their housing files for FLC to the Sheraton bounce back.
Please use this address as an alternative when you submit your word and excel
file to the Sheraton: lisa.lehar@sheraton.com
FOR YOUR CONVENIENCE
On the excel advisor registration file to submit your conference registration
to me. Keep in mind that you:
1st - select chapter on the summary tab. This will then auto fill the chapter
name on the registration tab.
2nd - the number of attendees will automatically fill in the summary tab AFTER
you have input the names of the attendees on the registration tab.
September 19, 2008
WHEN YOU SUBMIT YOUR HOUSING FILES
Some chapters have had their housing files for FLC to the Sheraton bounce back.
Please use this address as an alternative when you submit your word and excel
file to the Sheraton: lisa.lehar@sheraton.com
ADVISOR NAME BADGES
Deadline to submit order for an advisor name badge is September 25, 2008.
September 12. 2008
For additional information on the Presentation Mgmt Individual event go to our forms page and check under miscellaneous. There are two information sheets to assist your students.
September 6, 2008
IT'S TIME FOR THE WEEKEND!
I know it is an extremely busy time for all of you - but wanted to make certain
to touch base with you today!
FLC
The Fall Leadership Conference will be held October 28 & 29, 2008 at the
Sheraton South Bloomington. Registration fee is $35 per attendee. The conference
overview information is attached. Actual files to submit registration will
be distributed next week.
The actual registration process you will use to register your chapter is an
Excel file. When you send your file to me, please make sure to save it as your
chapter's name. You will also have an electronic file to submit your housing
to the hotel on. These forms will be sent to you next week.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Minnesota BPA is proud to welcome John Beede as the opening keynote speaker.
In his wickedly entertaining style, 26 year old professional speaker, author
and adventurer John Beede has been struck by lighting, attacked by a 5-foot
iguana, swam with a whale shark, nearly fell 300 feet to his death, and once
did the hokey-pokey in the eye of a hurricane. John’s adventure stories
have earned him the nickname, “The Climber Guy.” And he’s
going to help you “Climb On!” to your highest personal leadership
potential.
FORMAT FOR FLC
This year's FLC will be the returning format that was implemented 3 years ago.
The content and schedule has been refined. ALL student participants will
participate in an academy style of offerings with each students going through
the same activities but assigned to color groups. This 2-part session (3
hours each day) is being designed and offered by FOCUS Training. Chapter
Officers will be in a different track. There are also tracks specifically
for those members participated in FLC last year. More information on this
format is included in the information packet. If you have 1st year attendees
that are also chapter officers, the chapter officer track is recommended
rather than the 1st year track.
Deadline to register for FLC is October 1, 2008.
STATE OFFICER CANDIDATE INFO
You should have received an email a week or so ago with the state officer candidate
information. Deadline to apply is October 1. Encourage your BEST to seek office!
Immediately following the adjournment of FLC, newly elected officers will participate
in the initial training session from 1-4 pm on Wednesday, October 29, 2008.
Officer Training will take place December 6 & 7, 2008 at the Minneapolis
Airport Hilton and is a mandatory training.
REGION PRESIDENTS
As your regions elect presidents, please be sure to send name and contact information
to the state office. Thanks!
CHAPTER LINKS
If your chapter has a website, please forward the link so that we can post
it on our Minnesota home page.
CHANGES TO BPA ADVISORS
If you are aware of a change in BPA Advisors at any schools, please let Jackie
know. Sometimes it takes a couple of weeks for the changes to catch up with
me and it is helpful to get the new advisors in the loop as quickly as possible.
Have a nice weekend!
HOW TO SUBMIT STATE BPA MEMBERSHIP - PLEASE TAKE NOTE!
We are excited to have you join us for the 2008-2009 membership year.
To access the online membership registration system, please go to http://www.registermychapter.com/bpamem/ and enter your username and password. Attached is a user guide for your reference.
Please remember that it will be essential that you include a copy of your invoice with your payment when submitting it to National BPA.
Minnesota BPA Board of Directors has approved the continued process for submitting
state dues that was implemented last year. Minnesota state dues will be submitted
online through the national website. We are a unified dues state, that meaning
that all state members must be national members as well. This means that you
will submit ONE check to NATIONAL BPA for both state and national dues.
State dues will continue to be $5 per member up until December 1st. Thereafter
ALL additions will be at a rate of $6 for state membership.
National dues will be $12.00 this year.
It is imperative that all members understand the benefits of being unified state. Our grant that we receive from the Minnesota Foundation for Student Organizations (MFSO) is directly related to our national membership. Each CTSO receive allocations that are determined by number of chapters as well as number of student national members. This year our grant dollars will be increased because we now have more chapters paying dues on all memberhsip not just those that would be strong contenders for national competition.
Additionally, we need to support our national organization – all of our competitive events and entire WSAP is dependent upon our national affiliation and support.
Mark you calendars and get ready to "Blaze New Trails" with BPA!
We look forward to a terrific year with Minnesota BPA! Thank you for your continued
support.
August 12, 2008
Can
you believe it is almost time for school to start? And with that, here comes
another fantastic year of BPA!. The major changes are listed on the attached
sheet. Check back for more updates! Start planning now to attend the Fall Leadership
Conference and encouraging your students to run for state office. If you know
your region contest dates, please let me know. Also, I would appreciate the
name of your region president and your school BPA website addresses. Thanks
and welcome back! Nancy McAfee
May 5, 2008
NLC MINNESOTA REGISTRATION MATERIALS
Trading pins and t-shirts will be available from 5:00 - 6:30 pm on Wednesday
of NLC - you will be able to come by my room at any time to pick your items
up. If that does not work for you, please contact me either through the hotel
or call my cell phone. We will also have a state meeting on Wednesday evening
as per the conference program book.
ROOM KEYS
Chapter advisors will pick up room keys directly from the front desk. You should
have received a final room lists/confirmation numbers with to facilitate check
in - make sure to have with! You will also need to place a credit card for
incidentals.
RENO AND EARTHQUAKES
Please have dialogue with your students about the possibility of earthquakes
while we are in Reno. Although they are always a possibility, with the recent
occurence, it brings it more to mind. Be sure that they have your cell phone
numbers and visa versa. Also, for safety purposes it students should NEVER
be allowed to go outside of the hotel alone. Always stay in groups.
April 21, 2008
NLC FLASH
Good morning! Just a reminder that I am out of my office starting tomorrow
for the next week for the National DECA Conference in Atlanta. I will have
email access while I am gone.
TO RECEIVE JUDGES' COMMENTS
Remember, as per the WSAP:
Judges’ comments will be returned for those contestants providing a stamped
envelope(s) addressed to the local advisor, with the contestant ID number and
contest name written on the flap. The envelope(s) must be given to the proctor
at the time of the contest.
NLC TOUR INFO
See message below from National Center.
CARE ORGANIZATION
Attached is a PDF with information that you may find helpful for a potential
resource on personal finance, including bankruptcy and credit.
Good evening! The your chapter's Competitive Events schedule for NLC is now available on-line. Please log on to view your students' schedules. Please note: for those whose schedule reflects a conflict, the student and/or advisor must appear in Competitive Event HQ before 10pm on Wednesday to select an alternate testing time in one of the conflict rooms on Thursday. Also, when viewing advisor schedules for APG assignments, please note that grading assignments are scheduled to begin 30 minutes after the end of testing. Graders are asked to meet in the Grading Room and to stay through the completion of grading. Also, a note regarding project materials submitted for judging at NLC: please remind students that for all judged events, competitors must submit the appropriate number of projects/documents at both preliminary presentation and final presentation. Projects/ documents submitted during preliminary presentations cannot be returned until after finals, so additional copies should be prepared in advance for finals. A time and place for projects/documents submitted at NLC will be published in the conference program. Any materials not picked up will be destroyed. Any projects submitted to the National Center for technical scoring prior to NLC cannot be returned. Finally, we are still in need of many judges at NLC. Judges are offered a small gift and orientation meal. Advisors are invited to judge for an event in a different level (for example, Secondary advisors are invited to judge Middle Level and Post-secondary events). To view the list of available events and times, visit the link below: http://bpa.ed.isu.edu/bpasys/nlcjudges/welcome.php --Jennifer Dunkle
April 17. 2008
SCHEDULE NEXT WEEK
I will be departing for the DECA National Conference next Thursday, April 24
in Atlanta, GA. I will have email access.
BPA BOARD
BPA Board will be meeting this Friday, April 18, 2008 in St. Cloud for the
regular quarterly meeting.
WSAP RECOMMENDATIONS
Remember, each of you have the opportunity to submit recommendations for national
consideration during the upcoming National Summer Meetings for BPA - use the
online form that you can access through the national website, or send to Nancy
McAfee our CEAC Rep at nmcafee@wm.k12.mn.us - we need your input!
NLC DETAILS
NATIONAL OFFICER CANDIDATES
Minnesota is extremely pleased to announce that we have two members seeking
National Office - Danny Spors from Ortonville HS and Naomi Miezwa from Blaine
HS - good luck and you have our support!
VOTING DELEGATES
Thank you to the following students that will be serving on our behalf!
Stacy Xiong (head voting delegate/State President)
Pam Schmitt (State Officer)
Tiffany Wicken (State Officer)
Amy Brown – Wadena-Deer Creek HS
Elizabeth Quincer Wadena-Deer Creek HS
Katie Adelman – Ortonville HS
Lindsay Plathe - Ortonville HS
Natalie Leiferman – Blaine HS
Rachael Young – Blaine HS
Michelle Pilgram - Watertown Mayer HS Chapter President
Alternates (3)
Abby Knutson - Ortonville HS
Justin Tucker – Wadena-Deer Creek HS
Kevin Klawitter - Wadena-Deer Creek HS
MESSAGE FROM NATIONAL CENTER
Congrats - we have almost 100% sign up - you make me proud! If you have not
signed up as a APG through your chapter registration online, please let me
know - National Center is in need of everyone to sign up!
REGARDING PAYMENTS
Remember to pay the invoice from National BPA (for actual conference registration
and tours) - All payments must be received prior to NLC or you will have difficulty
onsite receiving your registration - make sure you have paid this invoice please!
Your hotel fees come directly to MN BPA based upon the types of rooms (# of
occupants in a room) that YOUR individual chapter is using. Pay this directly
to MN BPA prior to NLC. If you are not sure if your summary is correct, please
let me know. I have tried to get back to those of you with questions, but I
might have missed someone. So if you are waiting confirmation still, please
let me know. Thanks!!!
ROOM KEYS
When you arrive in Reno at the Grand Sierra, chapter advisors will pick up
room keys directly from the front desk. You will be receiving a final room
lists/confirmation numbers with to facilitate check in - you will also need
to place a credit card for incidentals.
BUSING TO GENERAL SESSIONS
Busing to the Reno Events Center is required for the Opening Session and Awards
Sessions. Busing will depart from your respective hotels (Grand Sierra and
Nugget). Busing departures will be assigned by state (assignments can be found
in the Conference Program). Busing for the Opening Session will begin at 5
pm and busing for the Awards Session will begin at 3:55 pm (S) and 8:00 pm
(PS). Busing for all tours will depart from the Grand Sierra only. Please take
your shuttle from the Nugget to the Grand Sierra if it is required. Continuous
shuttles will be provided to and from the Grand Sierra for those participants
staying at the Nugget starting and ending with the events listed on the schedule.
Please note it is approx. a 30 minute round-trip and we encourage you to take
a shuttle leaving 90 to 120 minutes prior to the start time of your event to
ensure that you do not get held up in lines. We look forward to seeing you
in Reno!
Watch for additional NLC updates via FLASH up until we depart -
April 1, 2008
Update for you today! I am getting a handle on our registration, one chapter
at a time. At this point I am spending time reviewing the state's housing report.
As well as cross referencing each and every chapter Excel file with the registration
you have submitted on the national website to make sure for consistency and
not deviation.
Please keep in mind that this takes time. I am going to send EACH chapter an
email hopefully over the next few days that will specifically address questions
as well as confirm that your $ calculated on the spreadsheet are correct.
Also, later next week probably, I will be sending a pdf of our housing. At
that point I will request that you review one more time to make sure your entire
chapter is accounted for.
March 19, 2008
NLC FLASH - review carefully
IT TECHNICAL EVENTS
If your students qualified in the IT technical events, the National technical
portion has been posted to our Minnesota Website, www.mnbpa.org. The
national IT events are now on our forms page.
NLC REGISTRATION PROCESS
REMEMBER the following:
Each chapter must submit their actual registration ($109 per person)
and tours on the national site. This amount goes directly to Nationals.
You
will receive
an auto generated invoice. Pay off this.
Each chapter must submit their actual housing list online through the
national site. Keep in mind that for you to have family join your room,
they will
need to register for the conference. For example if you put yourself
in a single
room, you will have one bed. If you are bringing 3 people that poses
a problem! This year, I will NOT be able to assist and change the room
type
to a quad.
So to get two beds, you will need to have at least 3 people scheduled
to the room.
DEPOSIT - I have not yet been able to set up a master account yet - it
hasn't bee approved. Please do your credit card for the deposit. When
you submit
the state forms, indicate on the summary that this deposit has been placed
on your
credit card and take that credit.
Be sure to submit your Minnesota forms to me so that I know what your
chapter is up to as well as taking care of hotel payment etc.
March 17, 2008
PLEASE E-MAIL THE NEXT AVAILABLE CONTESTANT ON THE LIST IF YOUR STUDENT DOES NOT PLAN TO ATTEND THE NLC. ALSO, CC JACKIE SCHILLER.
March 4, 2008
NLC documents are on the forms page and ready for download.
PROGRAM BOOK PROOF
Attached is the proof for the State Conference - it might be helpful to review
with your students before you arrive!
MAP FOR SKYWAY SYSTEM
Below is a link with great maps of the MPLS skyway system and a map of Nicollett
mall. IYou might want to print them out for my students - up to your descretion.
http://www.minneapolis.org/page/1/area-maps-minneapolis.jsp
March 1, 2008
BPA SLC FLASH
State is still more than 10 days away, but never too early to start with the
reminders and calling attention to specific details so here goes!
WATCH FOR NLC INFO ON MONDAY!
CHANGE OF EVENT TIMES FOR IT EVENTS
All technical portions will be submitted/registered at the conference registration
desk on Thursday morning. The objective portion of the event will be held as
follows:
Thursday IT events - Thursday at 4 pm in Greenway B
Including:
Friday IT Events - Friday at 10:00 am in the Ex Hall Lab area - in empty tables
that are used for makeup testing
Including:
STATE REGISTRATION PAYMENTS
Remember that payments must be made prior to state conference to receive
the lower registration fee. Please don't hand me checks at the conference
- it
is inevitable that they get lost and it is frustrating for both of us.
CONFLICTS
Remember that the Conflict Form is available on our state website for you
to complete ahead of time to save time at the conference. Remember, there
are
the following options for making up events:
THURSDAY, MARCH 13, 2008
FRIDAY, MARCH 14, 2008
REGISTRATION DESKS AT STATE
There will once again be 3 areas with individual desks set up in the Greenway
Promenade area including:
MATERIALS PICK UP
Conference registration materials, name badges, t-shirts, individual student
schedules etc. will be available beginning at 8 am on Thursday morning
in the Mirage Room. Materials are NEVER ready on Wednesday evening
so please do not
expect to pick it up early.
COMPETITOR VERIFICATION EMAIL
If you have not yet double checked the email attachment that was sent
with your students' event info, please do so and get the corrections
back -
it really helps!
HAVE YOU CHECK MEMBERSHIP with REGISTRATION ATTENDEES?
Last call - did you check memership? It's aweful when someone is missed
and you must pay the $100 exception fee to Nationals. . . .
ADVANCED INTERVIEW CLARIFICATION
Correct method is two letters and two resumes in each 9 by 12 envelope.
Both 9 by 12 envelopes are inserted into one 10 by 13 envelope.
February 24, 2008
JUDGES
We still need a few judges in the following areas - can you help??? Events
are held on Friday, March 14, 2008. If you find & secure judges, please
send me their email address and I will work to get them scheduled, sending
complete confirmations.
STATE/NATIONAL DUES
Remember, double check your rosters one last time before state - you don't
want to be hit with the $100 fee if you have a student who is not a member
come time to register for NLC!
February 22, 2008
DATES FOR 2008-2009 SCHOOL YEAR
The following dates have been set for the 2008-2009 school year.
FLC - October 28 & 29, 2008 (Tuesday/Wednesday)
SLC - March 12-14, 2009
NLC - May 6-10, 2009 (Dallas)
PROGRAM BOOK PROOF
Program book proof for the State Conference will be sent out next week - it
might be helpful to review with your students before you arrive! Remember,
actual judged events scheduled time are not available until the conference.
CONFLICTS
Remember that the Conflict Form is available on our state website - I am also
attaching here for your convenience.
NOTE FROM THE STATE OFFICERS
Just a heads up that the chapter competition benefiting MN Special Olympics is still going on strong. So far we have been informed of Marshall, Blaine, Ortonville, and Region 9 competing. You can still participate just let Tiffany Wicken MN BPA State Secretary or Jackie Schiller know. We do request you try and give us a total that your chapter has raised around March 10th that would be very helpful. Thanks again and remember it is a good cause and also a great way to get students involved in community service! Thanks,
Tiffany Wicken MN BPA State Secretary
Tiffany.wicken@mnbpa.org
REGISTRATION DESKS
There will be 3 areas with individual desks set up in the Greenway Promenade
area including:
Team Sign Up Desk (desks opens at 10:30 am) - all teams MUST sign up for a
preference of time
Conflict Desk - for Conflict resolutions
Special Recognition & Misc. Events Registration - register special recognition
projects as well as turn in written projects, IT Technical Tasks, etc.
PICTURE ID'S AT STATE
Remember, at the 2008 Spring Leadership Conference, every registrant must show
a picture ID for entrance to a competitive event. This can be a driver's liscense
or student id. Please make sure your students come prepared!
MATERIALS PICK UP
Conference registration materials, name badges, t-shirts, individual student
schedules etc. will be available beginning at 8 am on Thursday morning, March
13 in the Mirage Room. Materials are not available the night before as we are
still busy getting everything finalized!
February 15, 2008
Yes, we still need judges in almost all events - please take a moment to consider
who you may recruit. You can either have them submit this form to me as an
email attachment, or you can just have them email me with their event preferences
and I will then slot them in. After they sign up, they receive an additional
confirmation with details including the guidelines for the event that they
will be judging.
THANKS FOR HELPING MAKE SLC 2008 SUCCESSFUL!
February 1
The registration forms are not online, you must get them from the February 1 Friday flash.
DEADLINE TO REGISTER - MONDAY, FEB. 11
Some documents list the deadline as the 10th, but with the 10th falling on
Sunday, all registration will be due on the 11th. Extra day! :) Any registration
received after the 11th will be assessed the additional $50 administrative
fee.
This year, we will once again collect all registration data, e.g. attendees,
contest info, shirt sizes, etc. on an excel file similar to last year. Please
take a look at the updated file now so that if you have questions, we can address
PRIOR to when it becomes crunch time for you to submit the materials. This
file will be able to be dumped directly into our registration program. The
main change from last year deals with the team data. Here are IMPERATIVE things
to keep in mind. (These instructions are also on the Instruction Tab - please
review in its entirety!)
TEAM IDENTIFIER - for ALL team events, e.g. 2-4 members, there will be a pull
down box for you to identify teams (similar to what you do for me when you
submit your NLC registration). Each team within an event must have a unique
letter. For example, if you have 2 Software Engineering Teams, you will utilize
A & B to indicate teams. Even if you have only one team, you must give
them the code letter A from the drop down box. This is IMPERATIVE! If your
student is competing in a team event as one of their two events, please be
sure to use the first column for their team event as the team codes are not
listed/available in the 2nd event column.
STATE CONFERENCE T-SHIRT LISTING - please verify
Attached is a file with the names of the schools for the state conference t-shirt.
Please double check for accuracy in spelling your chapter! Let me know if you
find an error!
MN BPA SCHOLARSHIP
The application for students to apply for the MN BPA scholarship is including
in the Honors & Awards Packet of the state conference information. Applications
are due on Feb. 15, 2008.
Let me know how I can help! Thanks for your patience in waiting for this file!
January 25, 2008
STATE CONFERENCE - MARCH 13-15, 2008
SCHEDULE OF CONTESTS
Attached is the conference event tentative schedule for SLC '08.
HOW WILL I ACTUALLY SUBMIT MY CONFERENCE REGISTRATION?
You do not actually have the template yet to submit your registration on. We
are in the final stages of working with a programmer to develop a new registration
program that will be the tool to collect all registration data, e.g. attendees,
contest info, shirt size s, etc. Please keep in mind that you will NOT preregister
your students for general/open events. They are open and it is not necessary
to preregister. Please take a look at the various information now so that if
you have questions, we can address PRIOR to when it becomes crunch time for
you to submit the materials. WATCH FOR MORE INFO VIA FLASH FOR "HOW TO
SUBMIT" INSTRUCTIONS ETC.
STATE MEMBERSHIP PINS
All Minnesota members receive a "MN" BPA memberhsip pin. Sometimes
it gets to be a challenge keekping up with who has received them. If you are
in need, please let me know.
CONFLICTS AT SLC
There is a Conflict Form available for download on our state website. You will
need to complete this form for students with conflicts such as two events at
the same time. Please bring two copies of the completed form to the state conference
and submit them to the conflict desk on Thursday morning. This will reduce
the time on site for you to deal with conflicts. We are also asking that makeup
tests be taken the same day that the contest is scheduled to keep the grading
process on time. Remember, this can not be done for judged events. THIS OPTION
IS NOT FOR CONVENIENCE! State is a two day conference, not a one day event
- we can not begin to reschedule everyone so that people have the option of
one day only - we have just too many events.
OFFICE LAB FURNITURE
We are extremely fortunate to have the possibility of Spectrum Manufacturing
setting up the office/lab furniture in our PC lab in the Exhibit Hall during
SLC. Spectrum will once again offer a nice discount to any school wishing
to purchase any or all of the furniture upon the completion of the state
conference. The desks (large 44" style) will be offered at about a 50%
reduction. There will be approximately 90 offered. Schools would need to
make arrangements for pick up. If you are interested, please contact Brian
Myhre direct at Spectrum - 1-800-235-1262. Hopefully we can find buyers so
that Spectrum is able to support us in this manner!
January 11, 2008
AP TESTING AT NLC - information in pdf
STATE CONFERENCE - MARCH 13-15, 2008
The conference overview registration info you will need to register
for SLC '08 are available on our
state website, www.mnbpa.org Watch the Friday Flash weekly until state as
I call attention to specific details.
You now have the following forms/files:
HOW WILL I ACTUALLY SUBMIT MY CONFERENCE REGISTRATION?
We are in the final stages of working with a programmer to develop a new
registration program that will be the tool to collect all registration data,
e.g. attendees,
contest info, shirt size s, etc. Please keep in mind that you will NOT preregister
your students for general/open events. They are open and it is not necessary
to preregister. Please take a look at the various information now so that
if you have questions, we can address PRIOR to when it becomes crunch time
for
you to submit the materials. WATCH FOR MORE INFO VIA FLASH FOR "HOW TO
SUBMIT" INSTRUCTIONS ETC.
STATE HOTEL FORMS
Please follow the instructions carefully - it helps the process go much smoother!
Form was sent out last week and is also posted to website.
IT EVENT TOPICS
The state topics for the IT events will be posted to our state website - forms page.
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES AT SLC
Keep in mind that the Opening Session will be held Thursday evening of SLC.
the state officers have decided to offer/host a Dance as entertainment on
Friday evening as well as a movie night.
CONFLICTS AT SLC
There is a Conflict Form available for download on our state website. You
will need to complete this form for students with conflicts such as two events
at
the same time. Please bring two copies of the completed form to the state
conference and submit them to the conflict desk on Thursday morning. This
will reduce
the time on site for you to deal with conflicts. We are also asking that
makeup tests be taken the same day that the contest is scheduled to keep
the grading
process on time. Remember, this can not be done for judged events.
JUDGE RECRUITMENT HAS BEGUN!
Attached is the brochure for the 2008 judges recruitment efforts. Could you
please take a moment to send this on to business people and encourage their
participation - we really need everyone to help on this!
OFFICE LAB FURNITURE
We are extremely fortunate to have the possibility of Spectrum Manufacturing
setting up the office/lab furniture in our PC lab in the Exhibit Hall during
SLC. Spectrum will once again offer a nice discount to any school wishing to
purchase any or all of the furniture upon the completion of the state conference.
The desks (large 44" style) will be offered at about a 50% reduction.
There will be approximately 90 offered. Schools would need to make arrangements
for pick up. If you are interested, please contact Brian Myhre direct at Spectrum
- 1-800-235-1262. Hopefully we can find buyers so that Spectrum is able to
support us in this manner!
OFFICE SCHEDULE
I will be out of my office with very limited email access from Thursday, January
17-24. I will be in all day this coming M-T-W.
January 5, 2008
Happy New Year to each of you! Yes, it's already Friday! The State Leadership
Conference is just around the corner! A little over 2 months to go! Here are
some key things to call your attention to:
STATE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE - MARCH 13-15, 2008
DEADLINE DATE FOR STATE CONFERENCE
Deadline to register at the lower fee of $55 (remains the same from previous
years) before higher registration of $60 kicks in, is February 10, 2008. Also,
if payment from your chapter is not received prior to the start of SLC, you
will be charged the higher rate.
FORMAT FOR REGISTRATION
The registration process will have a new look from previous years - in the
past each student had a word file for their registration. We are working with
a programmer to write an actual customized program. Watch for more details
on this. But in the meanwhile there will still be some misc. word forms e.g.
cancellation/substitution form, permission slip, etc. that will be a part of
the information packet that will be distributed next week.
HOTEL RESERVATIONS - hotel form
This will once again be submitted directly to the hotel (please cc me) in a
word form. Please review this info as there have been some changes that the
hotel has requested.
GENERAL SESSION TIME CHANGES - overall conference tentative
agenda
Please note the following changes to session times - the Opening General Session
will take place at 9:00 pm instead of a morning session on Thursday, March
13, 2008. The awards session will begin at 9:30 am on Saturday, March 15, 2008.
TEAMS SIGN UP FOR TIMES
Teams will once again have an opportunity to sign up for their desired contest
times on Thursday morning, but not until 10:30 am this year (registration materials
will be available beginning at 8 am). This will give students and advisors
an opportunity to review their already generated individual schedules to make
sure that they are signing up for times that will actually work for them.
MAKE UP TIMES
There will be 3 makeup sessions for ALL conflicts -
Thursday morning: 10:00 am - 12:00 noon
Thursday evening: 8:00 pm - 10:00 pm
Friday morning: 6:00 am - 8:00 am
All Conflicts will be scheduled to be made up at this time, ideally, the same
day the contest is offered. Keep in mind that judged events are not able to
be rescheduled as we only have judges in on the one day, Friday.
CONFLICT FORMS
There is once again a form that will be available on line for you to complete
ahead of time if you are aware of a student conflict. This will help alleviate
the time on site. It is up to you to bring completed copies of this form to
be taken care of at the conflict desk on site Thursday morning of SLC.
MEMBERSHIP REMINDER
The deadline for Minnesota State & National BPA Membership is this coming
Monday, January 7th. All students must be members on or before Monday to be
eligible to compete at the region level.
SCHOLARSHIP APPS
Remember that scholarship apps are due on February 15th. See SLC
Honors & Awards
packet for additional details. Encourage your students to apply!
OUTSTANDING SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR
MN BPA will be adding the "Outstanding School Administrator" to the
professional awards that the organization awards. See the SLC
Honors & Awards packet for details.
December 17, 2007
Flash didn't go out on Friday as we had a BPA State Board meeting. Here are
a few things to highlight this week - have a great week!
BPA WEBSITE REQUEST
I would like to add a photo gallery highlighting chapter activities. If you
have a picture slide show (web ready) or just want to send a group of pictures,
I will create a new gallery section for our state website. Please include accompanying
(caption) information with the photos. I would also like to put a different
picture in the lower right corner of our home page every month. Please send
your photos to: nmcafee@wm.k12.mn.us
EVENTS TO BE PILOTED AT STATE
The following events will be piloted at the state conference: Computer Animation
and Advanced Spreadsheet Applications. These two individual events do NOT advance
to National Competition, nor will they count towards the student's events that
they can enter at state. Regions will however, only advance as per the current
guidelines. Software Engineering Individual will NOT be piloted and/or offered
by Minnesota.
OPEN EVENT
Clarification as there is some confusion - - - Computer Security Concepts IS
NOT an open/general event at state or nationals.
DUES INVOICES
Please keep in mind that you will NOT receive an additional invoice or hard
copy invoice to pay your state/national dues from - you need to submit the
email invoice that is emailed to you when you submit your dues.
OUTSTANDING SCHOOL ADMINISTRATOR
The MN BPA Board voted to approve the addition of the "Outstanding School
Administrator" to the special awards for MN BPA. The app form will be
the same that is utilized for the "Distinguished Service Citation" and
Outstanding Advisory Board Member" nominations. Forms will be available
online soon!
CHANGES TO OFFICER CANDIDATE REQUIREMENTS
The BPA Board voted to make the following changes to officer candidate requirements
- the information packet and P & P will be updated as follows:
• candidates may not serve as head voting delegate or voting delegate
• Full time PSEO students are ineligible to seek office
In this very busy time, be sure to take a few minutes to enjoy your family
and the reason for the season!
Jackie Schiller
MN BPA
December 7, 2007 - "Stay warm!"
Greetings! I am off to Indianapolis in the morning for a conference for DECA. I will be back in my office on Tuesday. Have a great weekend! - Jackie
CHAPTER PRESIDENTS
If you have not sent me the name and email address of your chapter president
please do so - thanks!
SMALL BUSINESS MANAGEMENT TEAM
Question about Small Business Management Team. In the topic it says "You
have inherited a 300 room hotel in Lake Tahoe." So with that information,
we are wondering if they are talking about Lake Tahoe in NV or CA? Answer:
No, it doesn’t say which state. We have told people that as long as they
state in their presentation what the location is, they’ll be fine. For
instance, they can even choose South or North Lake Tahoe, since it could have
a different target group when marketing.
December 1, 2007 - Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
BPA STATE AND NATIONAL DUES
Remember, to meet the early rate for BPA state dues ($5), dues for state and
nationals need to be submitted on or before December 1st. By Monday, the
state dues portion will increase to $6.00. All dues are now submitted through
the national online system. Remember to have your paying agent cut ONE check
and submit WITH copy of invoice directly to the National Center.
November 17, 2007, Happy Thanksgiving!
BUS TRIP
Thanks to all of the BPA Advisors that participated in the "Get On The
Bus" day this past week - I hope you enjoyed yourselves and will spread
the word when the event is planned again!
STATE DUES
Remember, the deadline for early submission on your state dues roster is December
1. This means that if you submit your roster on or before December 1st, the
state dues portion is $5. After December 1, 2007 the state dues will increase
to $6.00 for any new members. Great incentive to get it in!
REGION EVENTS
For those of you that will be coordinating region events, the auditing team
is working diligently to review the contests so that they are as error free
as possible. Keep in mind that those in charge will also receive on the cd
a form to complete if you wish to request certificates as well as a form if
you would like to order awards through Valley Trophy.
STATE OFFICERS
State Officers and some of the Region Presidents will participate in the joint
CTSO Officer Training Conference, December 1 & 2, 2007. As part of their
program of work, they typically hope to be able to get out and make some chapter
visits. Attached is a form for you to submit to the state office if you wish
to schedule a state officer visit or participation in an upcoming event.
November 9, 2007
DUES
Remember to submit your state and national dues. PLEASE just send one check
to National BPA that covers both State & National dues.
PILOT EVENTS
The BPA State Board will be making the final determination at the next meeting
as to which events we will be piloting as well as if these events will be part
of the number (2) of events a student can compete in at SLC. But do keep in
mind that Pilot events do NOT advance to Nationals.
NEXT BOARD MEETING
Please be sure to provide any input you may desire to your board representation.
The next scheduled meeting will be on Friday, December 14, 2007 in St. Cloud.
Be sure to provide feedback on FLC - likes as well as areas for improvement!
November 5, 2007
ADVISOR BUS TRIP
If you have not signed up for the Bus Trip on November 14, but would still
like to participate, please let me know by tomorrow afternoon. Final arrangements
need to be made. Thanks!
CONGRATS TO NEW STATE OFFICERS
Congratulations to the newly elected state officers. Training will be held
December 1 & 2 at the Sheraton South. Some of the region presidents will
also be participating.
President
Stacy Xiong - Tartan HS
stacy.xiong@mnbpa.org
Vice President
Pamela Schmitt - Brandon HS
pamela.schmitt@mnbpa.org
Secretary
Tiffany Wicken - Blaine HS
tiffany.wicken@mnbpa.org
Treasurer
Breauna Welch - Anoka HS
breauna.welch@mnbpa.org
Historian
Robert Vaupel - Stewartville HS
robert.vaupel@mnbpa.org
Parliamentarian
Jonathen Vue - Tartan HS
jonathen.vue@mnbpa.org
FLC
Thanks to all of you who attended the 2007 FLC - more than 400+! Mark your
calendars for the 2008 FLC - October 28 & 29, 2008 at the Sheraton South
Hotel.
THANK YOU
The 2006-2007 State Officer Team would like to thank everyone for
a great year with Minnesota Business Professionals of America. We enjoyed working
with
all of you and it was an experience that we will never forget. Thanks again
for this wonderful opportunity!
CHAPTERS OF THE MONTH
Congratulations once again to Blaine High School and
Ortonville High School on being selected as the first Chapters of the Month
for the 2007-2008 school
year!
NEW INFO POSTED
The complete WSAP, Style & Reference Manual & HR Manual have been posted
to our website on the "Forms & Downloads" page. Be sure that
you are working with current copies!
STATE DUES
Deadline for 1st round of state membership submission at the $5 rate is December
1st. Thereafter it is $6 per state member. Final membership & additions
are due no later than January 14th (2nd Monday of January annually). Remember
that you submit both state and national dues via the national online system.
ONE CHECK is sent to Nationals for both.
MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER
Promote BPA! Minnesota BPA will be placing a group order for 3 items - travel
mugs, jotters and calculator/business card cases. Use the excel form that was
sent out prior to FLC and submit no later than November 15th. Anticipated ship
date is January 1. You will be invoiced when items ship. Exact shipping charges
will apply - no handling charge! Great items for school administrators, judges,
employers etc! IF we don't receive adequate preorders, merchandise will not
be able to be filled as this is strictly pre-orders. I do not have the actual
merchandise.
Have a nice week!
November 4, 2007
Find the WSAP in doc format on our forms page. Please note that the piloted events DO NOT advance to the national level. The Board meets in December and will determine whether these count towards the student's limit when entering events. Do you have pictures that we could use on our home page? Any news about our BPA members that would be of interest? Please forward the information and pictures to Nancy McAfee and we'll try to include them on the home page.
October 22, 2007
MERCHANDISE AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER
Promote BPA! Minnesota BPA will be placing a group order for 3 items - travel
mugs, jotters and calculator/business card cases. Attached is a preorder
form and descriptions. If you wish to place an order, use the attached
excel form or pdf
form and submit no later than November 15th. Anticipated
ship date is January 1. You will be invoiced when items ship. Exact shipping
charges
will apply
- no handling charge!
Great items for school administrators, judges, employers etc!
FLC PANELISTS NEEDED
I am looking for a couple of advisors who have school store operations who
would be willing to just give a few minute snapshot overview on their operation
during the advisor session on Wednesday morning of FLC. Please let me know
if you can help!
FLC AGENDA
Attached is the program book for your review and planning with the students.
Each student's name badge will be color coded to the track that you have registered
for. If you have any changes to FLC, e.g. substitutions, changes to tracks,
cancels etc., please continue to email me those as you know them up through
Tuesday afternoon. Thereafter, the changes will need to be done onsite.
FLC CURFEW
The curfew at FLC is 11:30 pm as it was last year.
FLC APPROPRIATE DRESS
The Board of Directors deems appropriate attire for the sessions to be held
Wednesday evening of FLC as business or business casual. These sessions include
the BPA related breakout sessions as well as the Officer Candidate Speeches.
It was decided that the attire should required should remain business professional
or business casual. Please inform your students. Thanks for doing your part
to ensuring our students are dressed appropriately.
FLC PAYMENTS
Remember, FLC registration must be paid prior to FLC. PLEASE DO NOT HAND ME
CHECKS ON SITE. It is extremely hard to keep track of them in the chaos and
they frequently get lost. Payment needs to arrive no later than Monday. If
your chapter is unpaid at the time of the conference, you will be invoiced
for the onsite rate.
NEXT WEEK'S SCHEDULE
I will be in my office on Monday and relocate to the Sheraton on Tuesday morning.
Remember patience when you are waiting for rooms on your Wednesday arrival
for FLC - best bet is to remind the students to come prepared.
BPA ADVISOR "GET ON THE BUS"
Be sure to register by November 1 to participate in the joint activity for
BPA & DECA Advisors to be held on Wednesday, November 14, 2007.
October 12, 2007
STATE & NATIONAL DUES
Please keep in mind the following - state and national dues are submitted through
the National website process. ONE check is sent to National BPA for both
- they in turn will send Minnesota the state portion.
ADVISOR BUS TRIP
Are you ready to Get On the Bus? Attached is a flyer with more details as well
as other info that you have received. Please plan on participating - Wednesday,
November 14th - all day event just for BPA & DECA Advisors!
BPA CHAPTER PRESIDENTS
This year, the state officers will be compiling the e-mail addresses of all
Minnesota BPA chapter presidents. All presidents attending the Fall Leadership
Conference will supply their name and e-mail address on site during one of
their sessions with FOCUS Training.
Since not all of the chapter presidents will be attending the Fall Conference, we would like to have each advisor submit the name and e-mail address of their chapter’s president if they are not attending the conference. Please send all e-mails to the State President, Danny Spors, and danny.spors@mnbpa.org
FLC REGISTRATION CHANGES
If you have substitutes, adds, drops etc, please be sure to email those changes
to me. If you are adding someone new or replacing, remember to let me know
what is the proper track for them. If you have changes to tracks, please
let me know that as well, as it will make a difference on the group they
are assigned to that will correspond with their name badge color. Thanks!
STATE OFFICER ELECTIONS
Because there are fewer than 12 candidates for the BPA elections, a primary/preliminary
vote is not required. All candidates will participate in the Q & A session
on Thursday morning during FLC with voting following this portion of the session.
October 5, 2007
LAST CALL FOR FLC REGISTRATION
I am working to finalize orders yet this week. If you have not yet registered,
but plan on doing so, please drop me an email TODAY with the numbers that
you anticipate bringing.
LAST CALL FOR T-SHIRTS
If you have not submitted your conference registration OR still want to order
conference t-shirts, this is your last chance. The order will be submitted
to the vendor tomorrow morning at 10 am. T-shirts are $12.
CHAPTER LOOKING FOR ROOM MATES
Aitkin HS is looking for a spot for one male student. The Advisor would also
like to room with another female advisor. If you are interested and can help,
please contact Elaine:
Elaine Carlson
218-927-2115 ext 405
ecarlson@aitkin.k12.mn.us
September 29, 2007
Congrats to another BPA Advisor who received an outstanding educator at the MBEI fall conference--Tanya DeWing, Stillwater HS!
Good morning! Thanks to all of you who have already submitted your FLC registration
-deadline is Monday! Remember to submit your housing as well!
"
LIFE IS A PUZZLE" T-SHIRTS FLC
BPA Conference T-Shirt
Conference t-shirts are available for preorder - include on your conference
registration.
GET ON THE BUS
Plans are well underway for the "Get on the Bus" event for advisors
for BPA & DECA, scheduled for Wednesday, November 14th. Afternoon tours
will include Wells Fargo St. Paul and 3M's Center for Sales Innovation. See
the attached form to submit to register. Next week a complete flyer will be
sent out. Fee is $75 or $37.50 for first time NEW BPA Advisors.
FLC Promo Poster
Resources Available from the National Center
Publications to help promote your chapter and the National Leadership Conference. You will find printable brochures, downloadable videos, new advisor resources, etc. I found this site to be quite helpful as I prepare for my first organizational meeting of the year. http://www.bpanet.org/Publications/ --N.McAfee
September 21, 2007
Remember, support this year's FLC by attending & participating! Deadline
to register is October 1st.
CONFERENCE T-SHIRT
Conference t-shirts are available to preorder with your registration for $12.
They are black t-shirts with Find Your Fit imprint. PDF will follow next week.
GET ON THE BUS
BPA & DECA Advisors will have a chance to "Get on the Bus" on
Wednesday, November 14, 2007. The day will begin at 9 am featuring speakers
(including Robert Stephens of the Geek Squad) at the Sheraton South in the
morning, advisor sharing round tables and lunch. Then after lunch the group
will board the bus to tour 3M and Wells Fargo. Cost if $75 per person or $37.50
for 1st year BPA advisor. Registration form will go out in the next week
September 17, 2007
Please remember that all materials for back to school, including FLC, State
Membership & State Officer Candidates have been emailed out. If for some
reason you are missing something, please visit our state website, www.mnbpa.org for forms and info.
NAME BADGES
Don't forget to order your chapter advisor name badge by the 25th of September.
FLC T-SHIRTS TO ORDER
I will have an electronic file of the t-shirt that is available for preorder
with the FLC registration for you next week.
GET ON THE BUS
BPA & DECA Advisors will have a chance to "Get on the Bus" on
Wednesday, November 14, 2007. The day will begin at 9 am featuring speakers
(including Robert Stephens of the Geek Squad) at the Sheraton South in the
morning, advisor sharing round tables and lunch. Then after lunch the group
will board the bus to tour 3M and Wells Fargo. Cost if $75 per person or $37.50
for 1st year DECA advisor. Registration form will go out in the next week -
just in the process of finalizing all the details.
ARE ANY OF YOUR SCHOOL DISTRICTS DOING A BUILDING PROJECT/NEW COMPUTER LAB?
For Many years BPA has had Spectrum Manufacturing set up the office/lab furniture
in our PC lab in the Exhibit Hall during SLC. Spectrum will once again offer
a nice discount to any school wishing to purchase any or all of the furniture
upon the completion of the state conference if we can find buyers in order
to make this happen for BPA. The desks (large 44" style) will be offered
at about a 50% reduction. There will be approximately 90 offered. Schools would
need to make arrangements for pick up. If you are interested, please contact
Brian Myhre direct at Spectrum - 1-800-235-1262. Or you can email Brian at
myhre@wwt.net Hopefully we can find buyers so that Spectrum is able to support
the BPA conference in this manner once again!
September 7, 2007
FLC
The Fall Leadership Conference will be held October 24 & 25, 2007 at the
Sheraton South Bloomington. Registration fee is $30 per attendee. The information & registration
files are attached. Couple things to draw your attention to - this year the
housing lists will be sent to the Sheraton via email attachment - same as last
year. Also, the hotel has requested that you use the attached credit card authorization
form if you will be using a credit card.
The actual registration process you will use to register your chapter is an
Excel file. When you send your file to me, please make sure to save it as your
chapter's name.
This year's FLC will be the returning format that was implemented 2 years ago.
The content and schedule has been refined. ALL student participants will participate
in an academy style of offerings with each students going through the same
activities but assigned to color groups. This 2-part session (3 hours each
day) is being designed and offered by FOCUS Training. Chapter Officers will
be in a different track. There are also tracks specifically for those members
participated in FLC last year. More information on this format is included
in the information packet. If you have 1st year attendees that are also chapter
officers, the chapter officer track is recommended rather than the 1st year
track.
Deadline to register for FLC is October 1, 2007.
STATE OFFICER CANDIDATE INFO
You should have received an email a week or so ago with the state officer candidate
information. Deadline to apply is October 1. Encourage your BEST to seek office!
Immediately following the adjournment of FLC, newly elected officers will participate
in the initial training session from 1-4 pm on Thursday, October 25, 2007.
Officer Training will take place December 1 & 2, 2007 at Sheraton South
and is a mandatory training.
TO HELP YOU PROMOTE
The State Officers have developed a couple of promotional pieces for you to
help promote FLC and the Special Recognition Projects - be sure to check them
out - available on our website at the following link: http://www.mnbpa.org/FLC.htm
REGION PRESIDENTS
As your regions elect presidents, please be sure to send name and contact information
to the state office. Thanks!
CHAPTER LINKS
If your chapter has a website, please forward the link so that we can post
it on our Minnesota home page.
CHANGES TO BPA ADVISORS
If you are aware of a change in BPA Advisors at any schools, please let Jackie
know. Sometimes it takes a couple of weeks for the changes to catch up with
me and it is helpful to get the new advisors in the loop as quickly as possible.
August 27, 2007
WELCOME BACK!
HOPE YOU HAD A TERRIFIC SUMMER!
To get things rolling today, I have a few pieces of information for you -
First of all - within the next 10 days you will receive several FLASH emails
that will have attachments on them for FLC, State Officer Candidates, membership
information and much more! You will also find this same information posted
to our state website as it becomes available: www.mnbpa.org
IF YOU KNOW OF SOMEONE NEW TO BPA
If you know of any new chapter advisors, please let me know and I will get
them added/updated in our email group - thank you for your assistance!
BPA NAME BADGE
Attached is an order form for BPA name badges - order deadline is September
25, 2007.
CHAPTER LINKS
If your chapter has a website, please forward the link so that we can post
it on our Minnesota home page.
I look forward to working with each of you this year - it will be a fabulous
year for BPA!
Jackie Schiller
MN BPA
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