March 2014 Newsletter

From the Chair:

It is a delight to welcome the many new members we have had the pleasure of enrolling this month, we hope you’ll enjoy the many opportunities for getting to grips with your computing needs over the coming year.

Moreover our current crop of courses, workshops and Q&A sessions have clearly been to our Members’ liking, with the result that the

Enrolments for this term

have exceeded our capacity to provide immediate enrolment for everyone who applied. We work on first in – first on, and Teresa has had her work cut out to try to squeeze as many as possible into the classes, but the waiting list has grown so we now have a waiting list for every single class. That is great of course, and everyone will be suited, but meanwhile a little patience may be needed.

Our Open Days in February saw 35 new members join us bringing our current membership to 368 supporters.

If you are planning on doing a course next term then now is a good time to contact Teresa on 04 298 3132 and get on to the list.

How do I… workshops

These are becoming so popular that we have decided to run 4 each coming term. If
everyone arrives on the dot at opening time there may be a wait till one of our tutors is available to discuss your particular request for help. For that reason it is helpful if some of our participants were to arrive, say, about 1 hour later than the start. That should help even out the demand and reduce waiting time for a tutor.

We are looking for people with IT expertise who would be prepared to give an hour or two of their time to assist on these days.

Tutors

With the courses filled up we also need more tutors. We don’t ask for fully fledged experts though that would be nice, but just someone willing to give a hand and be prepared to assist whilst learning the ropes themselves. Remember this is a good way to keep up with all the advances being made in the computer industry. Have a chat with Lois Brinck 298 7797 or send her an email at: jandl.brinck@paradise.net.nz.

Q&A

Each month, on the third Thursday, we run the popular Questions and Answers sessions at the Learning Centre. As well as giving you the opportunity to bring along your ‘burning question’ about your computer, we have a guest speaker. Last month we were entertained by Mik Preyer from Kapiti Bird Tours who gave us a fascinating insight into bird life at the Waikanae estuary. This month’s session is on Thursday 20 March.

AGM

Never a dull moment, the Annual General Meeting is set for 16^th July. Here is your chance to join a great bunch of people interested in technology and in helping our seniors to make more out of life by becoming computer literate. Joining the Executive Committee in one capacity or another will give you a new interest and keep you busy. We are all volunteers so why not get a nomination form from Secretary Jim Heron at sparkyj@paradise.net.nz today.