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Contents
Message from National President, Cathy Etzler
Thank you chapter treasurers!
Convention 2015 News
National Council Service Project at Riley
Riley Needs List
32nd Annual Van Riper Lecture Series
Spirited Sisters
Publicity
Historical Tidbits, National Vice President, Susie Lewis
Chapter News
Dates and Deadlines
Message from the Editor
Presidents Directory
Newsletter Archive
Convention Invitation
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A Message From your National President.
As you receive this newsletter, I would venture to say that each and every one of you is in the midst of the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. You are debating picking out the exact gift for all the precious people in your life. Let me ask you this; is your chapter on your list?
Yes, that's right, I said chapter, now this doesn't mean that I will go out and purchase gifts for all my members, but it made me start contemplating that question.
What Will Be The Gift That I Give To My Chapter and National Organization?
Like all children, I have created a long list for Santa, knowing that I won't receive the entire list, but hoping very strongly that maybe he can manage a couple of items! What will be the item or items on the list that you can accomplish?
- Take an officer position that I've never held.
- Chairing a committee.
- Signing up to be a hostess.
- Working hard to add a member to our chapter this year.
- Communicating to people in my community about my charitable work.
- Checking the national website and making sure my chapters' members are registered.
- Reading the National Newsletter and implementing a new idea each month.
- Serving on a National Committee.
- Taking A District or State Office
- Making sure that EVERY member is welcome and accepted.
- Making sure that my chapter attends National Convention- it in itself is a GIFT. (Convention is a renewal for our year ahead. It is an investment.)
- Taking time to appreciate my chapter and thank them for all they do.
- Stay Positive and think of the future of your chapter and our National organization. ( PIX)
I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. ~Charles Dickens
As a retired Language Arts teacher, I was fortunate to be able to teach the Charles Dickens classic, A Christmas Carol in the curriculum of my 7th grade classroom. His quote above from the book says directly to me what we as PIX members do all year round. That is how I think of my PIX work, I am honoring Christmas all year round, doing for others in some format.
Dickens deals with looking at his PAST, PRESENT, and FUTURE. We as PIX members do this every day, we look at our history, we deal with the issues that face us today, and we work to run the organization so it will have a future for the next generations. All of these time periods are a necessity to the life of a vital organization.
So this holiday season in the midst of the hustle and bustle, stop and be thankful for the gift of you, your families, your friends, and your PIX experience!
God's Richest Blessings This Holiday Season,
Cathy Etzler
Read More
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We would like to send a special thank you to all Chapter Treasurers for getting fees to the National Treasurer in a timely fashion. It is very much appreciated, and helps to make our organization run efficiently and smoothly.
National Council
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Bridging the Past to the Future, THETA ZETA preparing for Convention 2015
Historical Display- Convention 2015 Our goal for Convention 2015 is to have a historical display of pictures and items at least part of the weekend. We will be limited as to the number of extra tables that we will have available. The difficult part of this plan is the collection of items. If your chapter or you personally have an item that holds historical significance, please contact me directly. Cathy Etzler- 419.375.4606 or etzlerca@bright.net We can discuss the item, its significance, and the transport of the item. Depending on your location, it can be given to me ahead of Convention, or brought to Convention by a member. Cathy Etzler |
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Possible Service Project: Another Way to Publicize PIX
Does your community have a Festival of Trees? Is your PIX  chapter represented in that event? My chapter is displaying a tree this year with ornaments that will be created of selfie pictures of our members. The theme of our tree is- "Don't Be Selfish, Give Your Time To Others."
The tree in the picture on the left is a Pinterest idea that a former student of mine ( a library employee) and myself are creating for the Festival. Because one of our areas that PIX supports is literature, I thought I would share this idea with all of you. It is tricky, but after books are stacked, you bind the tree with lights. Our library has a supply of books that people donate for the Used Book Sale, and those are the books we are using.
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Your National Council was in Indianapolis in November for our Winter Council Meeting, and while we were there we spent a morning at Riley Children's Hospital doing some Volunteer Service work. Riley has a needs list (attached or find on website) that can be used by chapters to collect items. This makes an easy service project for any chapter. Check it out!   
Together we created "distraction bags" for the children visiting the infusion center.
Please direct donations and questions to:
Riley Hospital for Children at IU Health
Child Life, Creative Arts Therapies and Education
705 Barnhill Drive, Room 4540
Indianapolis, IN 46202
317.944.8723 or hgarmon@iuhealth.org
Riley Hospital for Children Child Life Program at IU Health Donation Wish List
High Need Items
* Character coloring books
* Lego sets, including Bionicles
* All-inclusive craft kits
* Nintendo Wii games (rated E for Everyone)
* DVDs(G, PG & PG-13 rated, new releases preferred)
* Car models (especially level 1, snap together)
Gift Cards
* iTunes, Hobby Lobby, Michael's, Wal-Mart, Target, Amazon.com, Best Buy, Barnes and Noble, Borders, and Meijer
Toys/Games/Electronics
* Children's toys (all plastic - Little Tykes, Playskool, Fisher Price, V-tech, Disney)
* Musical toys
* Infant toys that vibrate * Wooden toddler puzzles
* Chuck and Friends trucks and cars
* Tech Deck kits
* Bathtub toys
* Little People sets
* Nintendo DS and Playstation 2 game systems and games rated "E for everyone"
* iPads
* iPods
* Electronic hand-held games - 20 questions, Battleship, UNO, Connect 4, and Yahtzee
* Ear buds (for iPod, discman, etc.) Headphones that go over the ears (so they can be cleaned)
* Blank CD-R or CD-RW
* Graphing calculators
* Flash drives
Books/Magazines
* Board books
* Interactive books (i.e., I Spy, Where's Waldo?, Magic Eye, Sound Books, etc.)
* Magazine subscriptions - no religious, guns/violence or anything with sexual content (address to: Edward A. Block Family Library, 705 Barnhill Drive, Room 1719 Indianapolis, IN 46202)
* Books - New popular children's and teen books, multicultural
Art/Craft Supplies
* Crayola Crayons (also in washable)
* Crayola washable markers and paints
* Crayola Model Magic
* Fiskars scissors
* Small pencil sharpeners
* Posterboard
* Stickers
* Fuzzy posters with markers or other "Fuzzy" products
* Paint by number for young kids and teens
* Model glue/Model paint
* Latch hook tool kits
* Crayola Color Wonder and Explosion
* Air dry clay
* Crayola Slick Stix
* Painting Canvases - various sizes
* Prismacolor colored pencils and markers
* Artist trading cards - watercolor
* Knitting rings
* Paint brushes
* Embroidery thread
General Needs
* Box Tops for Education
* Batteries (AA, AAA, C, D & 9-volt)
* Nail polish
* Juvenile and teen wrapping paper
* Uninflated Mylar birthday balloons
* Disposable cameras
* Designer/character Band-Aids: Disney, Sesame Street, neon, etc.
* Pocket folders
* Copy paper
* Puffs/Kleenex tissues
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32nd Annual Van Riper Lecture Series: 
Bilingualism and Second Language Acquisition
National President Cathy Etzler with Abbey Kaiser of Zeta Theta, Niles, MI at the 32nd Annual Van Riper Lecture Series.
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National Council has used this idea for welcoming new members to National Council and for all to GET TO KNOW each other better. It would be a great social activity.
Paper Bag Activity
Directions:
- Designate if this will be done with all your membership or just a few ladies at a time. This depends on the time you have available and the size of your chapter.
- Each lady brings 2-3 items in a closed paper bag.
- The items need to represent something about you or your life.
- Preferably items that represent something everyone maybe doesn't know about you.
- Put all bags on a table.
- Then have an MC pick a bag, open it, show the items and from there, the guessing begins. It is great fun, and you will laugh and at the same time GET TO KNOW each other better.
My Example:
Yarn-Small Trophy-Small Toy Tractor
Cathy Etzler- I knit and I crochet. I worked for my father's Trophy and Awards business as an engraver in my teenage years, and was raised on a farm, where I plowed and cultivated. Along with that, I got in trouble once because I got on the wrong rows of beans as I was cultivating and tore out some beans halfway across the field. ( My DAD was mad!)
As you can see, this creates discussion, fun, and really Getting to Know those SISTERS!
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I recently found the below checklist in an informational article about publicity. I thought I would share it this month, so all chapters could benefit in the publicity of their projects, whether it be a service or fundraising event. It has been especially helpful to me in writing articles for the media. Not every question will apply, but it is an efficient checklist.
Headline: Who does what for whom?
Who -- The name of the organization doing the fund raising
Why - what will the money be used for?
How much money is needed - per person/per activity/goals/objectives
How many people are involved?
What civic and community leaders or organizations are participating?
What will the fundraisers be doing?
Why is it important?
What's special about your organization?
Why is it especially important NOW! What is the crisis? Spell it out.
Who benefits and how?
What can people do to help?
When is the event?
Where is the event?
How long does it go?
What will happen when the goal is attained?
How much is a donation? What incentives are available?
Name and phone and email of the local contacts for more information
Website URL for more information
Cathy Etzler, National President
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We have always heard that chapters were "inspected" by members of National Council during visits many years ago. White gloves were even worn, I believe. Here are notes from 1924 regarding Inspections at that time.
Plan of Chapter Inspection for 1924-1925
Written Examination
1. Give chapter roll of Psi Iota Xi
2. Where and when was Psi Iota Xi founded?
3. A. What is the object of our sorority?
B. What is the work of our sorority?
4. What constitutes eligibility to Psi Iota Xi?
5. How are new members elected to the chapter?
6. A. What is the order of procedure to obtain new chapters?
B. What is the procedure for chapter meeting?
C. What are the duties of each officer?
7. Give the four Grand Fees, time of payment and to whom payable
How would these be "worded" today, and how many could you answer?
Susie Lewis
National Vice President
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Chapter News
Beta Psi Chapter, Delphi IN is celebrating our 75th Anniversary this year.
An Open House and Tea was held at Delphi United Methodist Church on Sunday September 28th, 2014. Fifty-six Active and Auxiliary members and guest were in attendance. Special guest included Beth Keeney, National Treasurer, Brenda Bonner, National Secretary, Teri Risler, Indiana State President and Andrea English, North West District Officer.
Many pictures, memorabilia and memories were shared by members in attendance. Letters and notes from several former retired members who were unable to attend were also shared.
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Psi Iota Xi Upcoming Events
December 25th- Merry Christmas to ALL.
I hope you all take many moments this holiday season to stop and count the blessings. I count the blessing of each and every one of you and the time and energies you have chosen to share with Psi Iota Xi. You have touched so many.
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From the Editor's Desk
Thank you for all of the wonderful articles and photo that were submitted for the 2014 Helicon. I wish that I could fit them all in! Your chapter President should have received your copies of the Helicon in the mail this week. Please let me know if I missed anyone!
Reminders:
- Memorial Information Send memorial information and a picture, if possible, to your editor so we can honor them in the next newsletter.
- Pictures, Pictures, Pictures! We all love to see pictures! They are a fantastic way to share your chapter ideas, fundraisers and community events that shout out, "We love Psi Iota Xi!" They are also great to use on the website so interested visitors can see the fun we have and join us! Forward your images via email. And don't forget to post them on our Facebook Main Page and Group Page.
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Chapter Presidents Directory
Please Keep us updated
We know changes are always happening. People move, get new phones, change email, etc. Please forward any changes to the Presidents Directory to the National Editor so the directory is always current. Log in and visit the "Member's Only" section on the website for the most current version of our Presidents' Directory.
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Newsletter Archive/Social Media
Have you missed previous issues of our electronic newsletter? If so, click below and find a complete listing of our archived issues. Be sure to share this link with your other sisters who may not be opening their newsletters.
Archived Newsletters Are you on Facebook? If so, stop by and say "Hello."
We have two pages with two different purposes. Main Page (accessible by this icon), is public and has posts from Psi Iota Xi that you may comment on. The Group Page is where you can opt in and post questions or ideas and get input from your sisters. It's currently public but, if you prefer, it can be made a private/closed group for members only. On this page, you can also announce events and activities with all of us there as well as recap the fun with photos! Don't forget that you can also add images to your comments!
Let us know what's going on in your chapter. Post images from chapter meetings and events. Let us know about significant happenings in your life - new baby/grandchild, new job, promotion, retirement, marriage, engagement, or whatever you'd like to share with your Psi Iota Xi sisters. We'd love to celebrate with you!
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