PLATO Weekly Update

January 18, 2022

CURRICULUM

SPRING COURSES
NEW – Spring Registration is now open! Choose from 40 courses this Spring – 17 in person, 22 virtual and one via email. Four of these courses are hybrid, meaning there is the option to attend in person or virtually. Find everything you want and need to know here on the new COURSES webpage. 

And please, let’s make PLATO courses pleasant for everyone – this article offers some ideas for how to contribute to creating a congenial atmosphere. 

REMINDER

These COVID-19 Protocols are required for in-person courses:

· Wear masks inside of Host Location buildings.

· Follow social distancing guidelines.

· Follow any additional guidelines required at Host Locations - visit the Courses Page or check with your course coordinator.

SPECIAL EVENTS

THEATER TRIPS 
Live theater trips are back! Hop our chartered bus to a matinee at the Milwaukee Rep on Wednesday, March 16, 2022, for a Beatles-inspired version of As You Like It. Interwoven into Shakespeare’s classic romantic comedy, the production features more than 20 Beatles songs performed live, including "She Loves You" and "I Want to Hold Your Hand". Registration and other COVID-19 protocols are required. Register and learn more here

BREAKFAST GATHERINGS
Our first Breakfast Gathering of the year was a great success. Join us next month on Friday, February 11th at 9:30am at The Marquette Hotel Café, located at 414 South Baldwin Street in the heart of the Willy Street neighborhood. RSVP and other COVID-19 Protocols are required. RSVP and learn more here.

REMINDER 
These COVID-19 Protocols are required for in-person special events:

· Masks are required at all times, except while eating.

· You will need to show: 

o   A picture ID.

o   Proof of COVID-19 vaccination or proof of negative results of a COVID-19 test 72 hours prior to the event. The test must be issued by a medical provider or pharmacy. At home tests will not be accepted. 

· You will not be allowed to join the event without providing acceptable documentation.

· Please stay home if you are not feeling well and contact the trip organizer to inform them of your decision.

LECTURES
Peruse our archive of PLATO Lectures on a variety of topics.

CALL FOR BOARD NOMINATIONS

PLATO depends on volunteers to make its programs successful. Each year we need members who wish to be considered for service on the board of directors. This is your opportunity to suggest names to the Nominating Committee of members who you think might help lead the organization. The Nominating Committee is seeking names for one at-large board position (3-year term) and for vice-president. Please send your suggestions to info@platomadison.org with the subject line BoardNominations by January 31.

FEATURED AGORA WORKS

Visit The Agora Features webpage for highlights from this past season, created and curated by fellow PLATO members for your enjoyment. 

Our Biweekly Featured Offering for January 11th - 24th is Brother Older Than Myself, a poem by Barbara Carson, which celebrates the special relationship that siblings can share.

SOCIAL JUSTICE EVENTS & READINGS

Select from a range of topics and formats 

for your Winter reading, viewing, or listening, 

curated by PLATO's Diversity Awareness Committee.

NEW BOOK LISTING – HELL OF A BOOK" by Jason Mott is one of The Washington Post's 50 Notable Works of Fiction and The Philadelphia Inquirer’s Best Books of 2021. For more on this acclaimed novel, click the Social Justice Webpage button below.

DID YOU KNOW? for January 18 – 31, 2022

Did You Know…Zaila Avant-Garde,14 years old, spelled “m-u-r-r-a-y-a”, a genus of tropical Asiatic and Australian trees, to clinch a victory at last year’s (2021) Scripps National Spelling Bee. Avant-Garde is the first Black American champion in the competition’s 96 year history. Spelling is not Avant-Garde’s only talent….

Visit the Social Justice Webpage for more about
Zaila Avant-Garde & past DID YOU KNOW? features.

DID YOU KNOW? – spotlighting notable contributions made by non-mainstream individuals you might not have learned or read about. Suggestions for inclusions are welcome (send to Kathy at: ksmichaelis@gmail.com).