Thursday, February 25, 2016

Friday flash

Friday Flash
 
Be a Part of History, National Membership Deadline Approaching — March 1
Ensure you are a part of SkillsUSA history as the organization quickly approaches an all time membership high. The national membership deadline is only days away so make sure you have submitted your membership by March 1. Students must meet both state and national deadlines to be eligible for national competition, serve as voting delegates or run for national office. If you have questions or need assistance with online membership registration, hotline operators are prepared to help. Call toll free at 844-875-4557: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. EST Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and 11 a.m.–7 p.m. EST Tuesday and Thursday, or email operators@skillsusa.org for assistance.
 
Safety Video Contest Submissions Deadline - March 1    
CareerSafe is again sponsoring the National Youth Safety Video Contest. Students across the nation are challenged to create a two-minute video demonstrating safety in the workplace. All submissions should be sent to CareerSafe by March 1. The winning students will receive a SkillsUSA prize pack as well as a scholarship of up to $2,500, and the winning school will receive a prize of up to $5,000. For more information on the contest, go to: www.careersafeonline.com/index.php/national-youth-safety-video-contest.
 
$2,000 Grant, Sponsored By Lowe’s, Recognizes Chapter Excellence
 
There’s an exciting opportunity for schools in your state to be recognized for exemplary chapter performance and to receive $2,000. The Chapter Excellence Program (CEP) establishes a quality baseline that all chapters are encouraged to attain, with extra incentive for exemplary chapter performance. The program consists of four award levels, with the first three levels recognized by the state and the final level eligible for national recognition. The 24 chapters recognized as models of excellence will receive a $2,000 section or chapter grant. The national application deadline is April 1, but state deadline dates vary and may be quickly approaching. Ensure your chapter receives the recognition it deserves by completing the Chapter of Excellence application. 
 
Complete your CEP application online at: www.skillsusa-register.org/Login.aspx. If you have questions, contact Gayle Silvey (gsilvey@skillsusa.org/404-216-6040) or Debbie Peabody (dpeabody@skillsusa.org/844-875-4557). Download CEP resources at: www.skillsusa.org/programs/chapter-excellence-program/.
 
Are Your Students Looking for Scholarships? We’ve Got You Covered!
SkillsUSA membership has its advantages, and there are numerous opportunities for members to apply for scholarships:
 
Mentoring: Student2Student
Advisors: Help your students expand their world by expanding someone else’s. Help your students become mentors.
 
SkillsUSA sponsors a national recognition program based on the Student2Student mentoring program. Any chapter involved in mentoring can submit its project plan, description and outcomes. The winning chapter will be given a cash prize, recognized at the SkillsUSA National Leadership and Skills Conference and in the SkillsUSA Awards and Recognition book. In addition, the overall winning chapter will be invited to present its winning mentoring program as a part of SkillsUSA University. For more information, go to: www.skillsusa.org/programs/mentoring-student2student/mentoring-recognition-program.
 
All entries must be submitted online to the national headquarters by April 1. Winners will be announced in May. You can also use this link to download the Mentoring Guide: www.skillsusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Mentoring-Guide-rev.2015.pdf. If you have any questions, please email them to Byekwaso Gilbert (bgilbert@skillsusa.org) or call 816-726-4255.
 
Alumni Membership Incentive
SkillsUSA’s Alumni Executive Board is offering an incentive for local advisors who sign up alumni from their chapters. For every five members an advisor registers with the SkillsUSA Alumni and Friends Association, he or she will be entered into a drawing for a $100 Lowe’s gift card.
 
To be officially entered into the drawing, the advisor must have students register online at: www.skillsusa.org/membership-resources/alumni/. (Paper forms will not be accepted.) The advisor must then send an email to Byekwaso Gilbert at bgilbert@skillsusa.org. The email must contain all of the following:
 
  • the advisor’s name, school, address, phone number and email (make sure what you provide will be accessible to you after June 1)
  • a list (for verification) of the students (first and last names) who registered as alumni
    •
 
Remember that graduating seniors qualify to register during their senior year. Former SkillsUSA students are also eligible, provided they are not members already. These students must register through their former advisor to be counted as part of that advisor’s entry. Students may only register once. Deadline for entry into the drawing is June 1.
 
Tech Tip
How to Make Social Media Management Less Time Consuming
If you don’t have time to stop every three hours and think of a clever tweet or post content to Facebook, here’s a tip: sign up for www.Buffer.com. Buffer allows you to schedule tweets and Facebook posts hours, days or even months in advance. Just type in your text, attach a photo and select a time or let buffer choose for you based on your account’s optimal posting time. Spend 30 minutes once a week thinking of content to share with your network, and schedule your posts throughout the week.
 
Tip: It’s okay to reuse tweets on Twitter. In fact, you should repost your tweets. Think of a tweet as a billboard on a busy highway. A driver may pass by three or four billboards for the same company before they acknowledge that business and think, “Yeah, I actually am craving McDonald’s fries.” The driver is your audience or your “followers”, your tweets are the billboards, and the Big Mac that person is now craving is your message. Make sure not to use the same tweet twice in a row. Leave one or two tweets in between repeats, and do your best not to reuse Facebook posts. If you need to reuse a Facebook post, just switch up the words a bit and maybe attach a new photo. The message is the same but the content will feel new.
 
 
 
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