Announcements

ANNOUNCEMENTS
November 4, 2005

MARSHALL ABE

1. November 11th, Friday - Veterans Day - The Courthouse will be closed, so the ABE office will also be closed. Remember, there is no mail service on Friday, so anything that needs to reach us should be mailed at appropriate times.

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2. Time Sheets - Next time sheets will be due in the office by noon on Monday, November 14th.

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3. The November Class Schedule has been posted on the website. Check it out here.

http://www.marshalladulteducation.org/marshall.htm

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MARSHALL CONSORTIUM

4. We were informed this week that the grant by The California Institute on Humans Services at Sonoma State University was accepted to establish a National Head Start Family Literacy Center. It is a grant for 5 years with funding of 3 million dollars @ year. We will be part of this grant through our curriculum Reading Skills for Today's Adults. This connection to participate in this grant was made by Sally Belgum-Blad. Congrats! Click on the link below to read the abstract for the grant. Pat Thomas

http://www.marshalladulteducation.org/fam_lit_grant.htm

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5. Someone has offered a "Hooked on Phonics" set to anyone that would like it. Any takers? First one to call Barb gets it!

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6. NOTICE: Effective December 1st, the Marshall ABE will no longer be leasing the apartment at Sunrise. We are currently in the process of removing all the items. If you would like to take a look at what is there and whether or not you could use any of the items in your classroom, please contact Barb. We would like this done by November 11th. After that, the items will be either removed, thrown, or given away.

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7. As you have a student completing their GED I have encouraged you to have that person contact our MN West staff. Connecting with a MN West person can sometimes be difficult so I would encourage you to also consider connecting the student with Tim Jones out of our Workforce Center. He can be an excellent resource plus sometimes he has money available to help clients with schooling! His phone: 537-623; His e-mail: tjones@ngwmail.des.state.mn.us
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SOUTHWEST ABE

8. 2005 Volunteer Management Conference - The deadline for the 2005 Volunteer Management Conference is here! Actually, they have extended it until TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 8. We hope you are planning to attend the two-day conference, November 17 and 18, at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Brooklyn Center. This exciting event, co-sponsored by MLC and ProLiteracy America, is a great opportunity for volunteer coordinators and other involved with literacy programs to get together, share, network, and learn more about volunteer management. Click on the link below for more information and a registration form.

http://www.marshalladulteducation.org/vol_man_conf.htm

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GENERAL ANNOUNCEMENTS

9. The Donation Center is now open In the DAC Building, south entrance only (just south of the intersection of Hwy 19 and Hwy 23 near the new Marshall High School.)

The hours are Mon 4:00-6:00; Wed 11:00-1:00; Fri 4:00-6:00; Sat 10:00-12:00

Or by appointment, call:507-337-0504

Furnishings of good condition are being collected to donate to families affected by the hurricanes. All household items are needed, from brooms and dustpans, to couches and chairs. Cleaning and paper supplies are also needed. Food donations should go to the local food shelf. Used mattresses and box springs cannot be donated. No broken or soiled items please, as we are not able to clean upholstery or repair furniture at the center.

Lyon County’s Adopt-A-Family Hurricane Relief Project

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10. THE OVAE REVIEW - “The Review” is an update from the Office of the Assistant Secretary at the Office of Vocational and Adult Education, U.S. Department of Education. Read the Review at the link below.

http://www.ed.gov/news/newsletters/ovaereview/orev103105.html

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11. The non-confidential job postings that Job Service shares with us are posted on the ABE Website each week. Check them out here.
http://www.marshalladulteducation.org/job_listings.htm
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12. From the Trivia Department: Add some emoticons to your emails. What's an emoticon? This is an emoticon : )
Tilt your head slightly to the left and look at it. What do you see? A smiley face! This is called an ASCII emoticon because it is made by typing letters or symbols on the keyboard. (ASCII means text). Check out more emoticons here.

http://www.entity.cc/ICONS/free-emoticons.htm

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13. Thought for the week: The only real mistake is the one from which we learn nothing." - John Powell

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14. TECH TIP: Shortcuts

What are shortcuts? Shortcuts are “pointers” to programs or folders or files. They are not the actual (original) program or folder or file. When you click on a short cut to a program (or folder or file), it’s like clicking on the original program. A shortcut is distinguishable from the original by the little arrow in the lower left hand corner of the icon. Check out your desktop – do you have any shortcuts on it?

So you can make a shortcut to a program (or folder or file) that you use a lot and place iton your desktop so that you have easy access to it.

When you click on the Start Menu and then click on All Programs (or Programs), you actually see many shortcuts to original programs (or folders or files). It’s good to have those shortcuts in the Start Menu but it is still rather cumbersome to use those shortcuts. If you use a shortcut in the Start Menu a lot – like several time s everyday, why not make a copy of that shortcut on your desktop.

Here’s how:

First, be sure there are no open windows – then click on the Start Menu
Point to All Programs (or Programs)
Find the program for which you want make a shortcut on the desktop.
Right-click on the program and drag it to the desktop.
Release the right mouse button. You will get a pop-up menu with 3 choices. Click on Copy Here.

That’s it – you just copied a shortcut on your desktop. That was easy enough.

Well, there is another way to do the same thing which may be easier.

Do This:

Click on the Start Menu and point to All Programs (or Programs)
Find the program for which you want make a shortcut on the desktop.
Right-click on the program (don’t hold down the button)
Point to Send To, and click on Desktop (Create Shortcut)

Wow – that was really easy!

Note that if you use this method, you must right-click on a program and not a folder (yes – there are folders in the Start Menu).

Well, you can use either way to create your shortcuts. If you later decide you don’t want or need that shortcut, you can drag it to the Recycle Bin. Remember, you are deleting the shortcut to a program, not the original.

Try making some shortcuts of your favorite programs so you don’t have to go to the Start Menu so often.

Next week – some more cool shortcut tips.

That's it - have a great week

Charles

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Marshall ABE Links

Southwest ABE - home page for Granite Falls, Jackson, Marshall, and Worthington consortiums.

http://southwestabe.org/

Marshall ABE Bookmarks - tons of cool bookmarks - educational and non-educational
http://ikeepbookmarks.com/marshallabe

Tech Tips - Read new and old Tech Tips here.

http://www.marshalladulteducation.org/techtips.htm

Reading Skills for Today's Adults - new stories posted regularly

http://www.marshalladulteducation.org/reading_skills.htm

Announcements - Weekly announcements are posted here each week on Friday.

http://www.marshalladulteducation.org/announcements.htm