Second Wind Conference
The 2024 Second Wind Conference was a great success! Registrants chatted with colleagues and friends at the morning Hava Java, enjoyed the keynote address, attended a variety of interesting speaker sessions, visited informative displays, purchased local crafts, and savored a delicious luncheon. To complete a great day, they relaxed at the end-of-conference ‘wine down’ featuring numerous door prizes.
Planning for the conference in 2025 is underway. Mark Thursday, September 11, on your calendar and plan to enjoy a relaxing, informative day to restore your body, mind and spirit!
Watch your branch newsletters, ARTAfacts, and news&views for additional information in the new year.
Request from the Second Wind « Conference committee
At the 2024 conference, attendees were asked if they wanted to continue receiving the ‘gift bags’ that are given to all attendees. The response was overwhelmingly “Yes!” People love getting them but collecting items for the bags is a daunting undertaking for the person assigned to that task. Most companies are willing to give something but asking for 200 items is usually more than they can agree to. If you, or anyone you know, has a lead as to groups or businesses that would be able to contribute to the gift bags, or, if you are willing to approach these groups, please let Dolaine Koch, chair of the Second Wind Committee, know by emailing her at dolainekoch@shaw.ca. Ideas as to groups that would be able to offer a door prize would also be great. All donors are acknowledged in a variety of ways at the conference.
Who can join ERTA?
Membership in ERTA is open not only to several categories of retired teachers, but to many retired instructors of Alberta educational institutions and retired employees (support staff) of school boards, universities, colleges and technical institutions who have contributed to an Alberta government pension plan. Spouses of deceased members are eligible to join as non-voting members. 
Go online to the ERTA website at myerta.org to read about joining.
Keeping Current
Most ERTA members receive notices regarding newsletter availability and branch information bulletins via email. Receipt of ERTA announcements is dependent on your personal contact information being up to date.
If any of your contact information such as email address, postal address, or the phone number at which you prefer to be contacted (only one landline or one mobile number is kept on our membership registry) changes, advise Cam Coville by emailing him at membershiperta@gmail.com or calling him at 780-929-5125. If the membership registry has your up-to-date contact information, you will receive all current ERTA news.
Every day that we wake up is a good day.
Every breath that we take is filled
with hope for a better day.
Every word that we speak is a chance to change
what is bad into something good.
~Walter Mosley
Mayfield Dinner Theatre
The next Mayfield Dinner Theatre event is scheduled for Wednesday, March 26, 2025. Tickets for the brunch presentation of the musical comedy The Full Monty are $87.26 for booth seating in Section C and $96.18 for Section B seats.
The stage version of The Full Monty is based on the film of the same name. After spying on their wives at a ‘girls’ night out,’ a group of jealous unemployed steelworkers from Buffalo contrive a plan to make some fast money. Their antics, which involve some instances of implied nudity, are hilarious and guaranteed to have the audience laughing right up to the end.
For reservations, phone Vi Oko at 780-459-8013 prior to sending her a cheque, made payable to the Edmonton Retired Teachers’ Association, to 20 Glenhaven Crescent, St. Albert, Alberta T8N 1A5. Seating will be assigned on a first-come, first-served basis.
Christmas Humour
- ⊗ People act like the North Pole and the South Pole are exactly the same, but really, there’s a whole world of difference between them.
- ⊗ Two girls were getting ready for bed on Christmas Eve, Molly had a loose tooth that she wanted to pull. Addison said, “Don’t you dare pull that tooth out tonight because the Tooth Fairy wants to be with her family.” Molly waited until Christmas to pull her tooth.
- ⊗ Santa knows karate? He has a black belt.
- ⊗ Christmas is the time of year when everyone gets Santamental.
- ⊗ You know you’re getting old when Santa starts looking younger.
- ⊗ One thing I learned from drinking is that if you ever go Christmas caroling, you should go with a group of people and it should be in mid-December.
⊗ Christmas stress slogan: Don’t get your tinsel in a tangle.
⊗ I’m dreaming of a white Christmas but if the white runs out, I’ll drink the red.
