Benvenuti!
Updated May 16, 2012 ShareSee What's on the WisItalia Facebook Page
Italian Teacher Needed for Fall 2012
Looking for an Italian teaching job in Wisconsin?
Burlington Catholic Central High School (exit WisItalia) is looking for an experienced Italian teacher for a brand new Italian program that will begin the Fall 2012. This is a paid position.
View Italian Teacher Job Openings in Wisconsin for Details and Contact Information >>
Winners Announced - WisItalia Awards Banquet held May 12, 2012
WisItalia is pleased to announce the winners for its 9th Annual Fundraiser and WisItalia Awards banquet. At this awards ceremony, WisItalia will be honoring recipients of the 2012 Teacher of the Year, as well as the Outstanding Service Award and the President's Award to people who have demonstrated their service in promoting the teaching of the Italian language and culture in Wisconsin.
2012 Teacher of the Year:
- Robin Pickering-Iazzi
UW-Milwaukee (Professor of Italian)
See www4.uwm.edu/letsci/ficl/faculty/pickering.cfm (exit WisItalia)
Elizabeth Zizzo
Victory Elementary School - Partial Immersion Italian Program (Italian Teacher)
Victory Elementary School's Italian Language Teaching Staff, Under the Direction of Principal Wanda Varela-Katz
Entertainment by Tradizione Vivente - The Italian Dance Group of Milwaukee, Inc. (exit WisItalia) prior to the dinner.
Plenty of Seats Available! Make your reservations now! Show your support for the Italian language. Come to the WisItalia Awards Banquet. Entertainment and a fabulous dinner. Complete the reservation form (pdf) and submit to Al Rolandi ASAP.
Support WisItalia! Buy "The Double Hour" DVD
If you missed seeing this award-winning film, now's your chance to buy the DVD, and support WisItalia and the Italian language programs at the same time. This Italian film won Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Italian Film at the Venice International Film Festival. Directed by Giuseppe Capotondi, The Double Hour, is a stark romance, a touching, psychological thriller and a story about possibilities. La doppia ora: A second chance, a magical moment when a person makes a wish, hoping against hope for a better life, for love, for redemption.
To buy the DVD, use the following link http://affiliates.docurama.com/jrox.php?id=10281_126 and WisItalia will receive 10% of the sale price, which will go to the Italian language programs in Wisconsin. Grazie mille for your support!
Dante Award for Excellence for AP Students
Students of AP Italian who are members of the Italian Language Foundation and enrolled in an American or Canadian high school will be eligible to receive the Dante Award for Excellence, which will be awarded to students who score a four or a five on the May 17, 2012 AP Italian exam. The amounts of the award are $200.00 for students who score a five and $100.00 for those who score a four. To become a member, see the Italian Language Foundation website (exit WisItalia). Read more about this unrestricted incentive award (pdf).
Sign Up for Non-Credit Italian Language Classes
for Summer 2012
Sign up for an Italian language class. Summer 2012 registration is already available for a few of the non-credit Italian language programs. There's even online courses available through the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee School of Continuing Education, and Ed2Go, who contracts with a number of accredidated colleges and universities.
View the Summer 2012 Camp page >>
View the list of the Summer 2012 Italian Language Classes >>
Next WisItalia's General Meeting - June 2nd
The next general meeting will be on June 2, 2012, from 10:00 am to 12:00 noon, at the Festa Italia, McKee Farms Park, 2900 Chapel Valley Rd, Fitchburg, WI 53711.
See the Meeting Dates page for details.
Please RSVP to wisitalia.info@gmail.com so we can get a head count of how many will be attending the meeting.
Read the summary minutes from the last meeting held on March 17, 2012.
WisItalia meetings are open to the public.
It's Italian Festival Season!
Looking for some fun Italian festivals to go to this summer and fall? Here's a sneak peak at some of the festivals to enjoy great food, music, raffles, bocce and lots more. Check out the Festival 2012 page for Italian festivals in or near Wisconsin.
- Festa Italia in Fitchburg, WI: June 1-3
- Festa Italiana in Milwaukee, WI: July 19-22
- Roma Lodge Italian Festival in Racine, WI:
July 27-29
- Iron Mountain Italian Fest in MI: August 18
Funds from the Italian Government Support Italian Education in Wisconsin
The Italian Government, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Directorate General for Italians Abroad and Migration Policies-Office II, in conjunction with the Consulate General of Italy of Chicago, has given WisItalia their annual grant of $9,258 for scholastic support for the Italian language programs in Wisconsin.
These grant funds go directly to certain Wisconsin schools/programs that teach the Italian language, to support their language programs. These funds are used to purchase teaching materials, to augment teacher or teaching assistant pay, or for any legitimate and academically sound activity that furthers the study of Italian language and culture.
In addition, these funds help offset the cost of educational expenses, such as coursework for teachers to obtain their license to teach Italian in the Wisconsin public school system, as well as conference and workshop fees for the teachers' continuing education.
WisItalia greatly appreciates this support from the Italian government, and the support from Roberto Pennazzato,
Dirigente/Director,
Education Office, Consulate General of Italy of Chicago.
Consider Making a Tax-Deductible Donation to WisItalia
If you think teaching Italian to Wisconsin students is a worthwhile endeavor, then consider making a tax-deductible donation to WisItalia. We depend on funds from the Italian government and private donations to support the Italian language programs and teachers in Wisconsin. Your support is needed during these tough economic times, as many school budgets have been cut and providing Italian teaching materials can be expensive.
There are two easy ways to make your donation:
1. Use the "Donate" button to show your support.
It's an easy and secure way to make your donations, and you DO NOT need a PayPal account yourself, as the system takes credit or debit cards.
2. Or, you can send a check or money order.Grazie mille!
View the Support Italian Language Programs in Wisconsin! page for more information.
Italian Notebook
Learn a little bit about the history or contemporary events/issues in Italy (exit WisItalia).
WisItalia Website to be Converted to WordPress
Still in need a of new webmaster for the WisItalia website. Here are some of the details:
- This is an unpaid volunteer position.
- The website is currently being converted from Dreamweaver to WordPress, an easy content management system. Some web experience is preferred to administer and manage the WordPress site.
- You do not need to be Italian, but you do need to like Italian-related activities.
- You need to live in Wisconsin.
- You should try to attend 3-4 WisItalia meetings per year.
QR Code for WisItalia
- By Rita Prigioni
Ever wonder what those funny looking square boxes are that you may be seeing in advertisements or websites? These boxes are known as "Quick Response" codes. These codes turn URLs, vCards, or any kind of text into modules arranged in a square pattern that you can scan onto your smartphone or cell phone instantaneously, with no typing required. Lately, QR codes have appeared on flyers, postcards, business cards, t-shirts, stickers, etc. It's a great way to link your brochures or flyers back to your websites.
So how do you read or activate these codes? First, you will need to download a QR Reader app to your smartphone or cell phone. Most of these apps are free. Search the web for "QR Reader" and the model of your phone to find a scanner app; they're available for the iPhone, Windows Mobile, Nokia, BlackBerry, and other app-based phones with a built-in camera. Then when you take a picture of a QR code, that opens up the code and you will be taken to a particular website, see text or video, contact information, or whatever what intended to be seen when the QR code was created.
I thought it would be fun to create a QR code for the WisItalia website, so I created the unique code you see on this page. When you scan it into your phone, it will take you to the WisItalia home page. This code could come in handy on our Facebook page, as well as on our brochures. Also, if any of the Wisconson Italian-American Clubs have promotional materials about WisItalia at their upcoming Italian festivals, you could print out the code and have it at your display table so that it will link people to the WisItalia website. If you would like a large-sized code, contact me at wisitalia.info@gmail.com and I will email you the larger-sized QR code. So, what are you waiting for, give it a try!
Learn more about QR Codes (exit WisItalia).
WisItalia Brochure
The WisItalia brochure, revised in December 2011, now has the QR code. The content was written by Rita Prigioni, and the layout and graphic design was provided by Nathan Godding. View the WisItalia Brochure (pdf) to learn about the services and activities supported or provided by WisItalia. Use it at Italian-American Club, Festival or School events. The brochure contains a summary of the information contained on the WisItalia website and is summarized on an About WisItalia page. The link for About WisItalia is located on the left-hand side bar, as well as on the Mission page.
View About WisItalia >>
Sign Up for WisItalia Web Updates >>
Searching for Family Immigration Stories
Great Chicago Italian Recipes.com is currently searching for family immigration stories or just Italian family stories that can be included in their "Italian American Heritage Preservation" section of their website. The section has been up since June of 2007 and they are looking for more stories. If you or members of your organization would like to contribute, all that needs to be done is to submit stories to be published on that site. It’s easy to do and it’s completely free. View the online Italian American Heritage Preservation form for details (exit WisItalia). This link has been added to the WisItalia Links page for future reference, under Miscellaneous Links.
PDF Files
Some documents on this site have been converted into a .pdf format. You will need the free Acrobat Reader® (exit WisItalia) software to view and print portable document format (PDF) files.
