ACV NEWSLETTER 10

Austin Chapter Volleyball Newsletter 2016

Issue 10

8/7/2016

TASO Rules Test and Online Clinic

Per the letter from TASO regarding the TASO Rules Test and Online Clinic, the requirements for completion of the test and/or District Clinic prior to working any matches is currently suspended and on hold until the issues with the test and clinic are resolved. Please stay tuned for further details.

TASO Test Score Visibility

Here are directions for checking your test score - While signed in on the TASO site, at the top of the page is desktop, send message, edit account, sports data tabs. Click on sports data and you can see all of your 2016 information including exam score. I have had reports of the scores not showing, so I will also be sending periodic emails with your test score in case you can’t view it. If possible, when you complete your test and see your score, you should get a screen shot in case there is an issue with your score being recorded. There is no need to send that to Kevin unless requested.

New Logo Required

Remember that when you start working regular matches on Monday, only the new Logo (Red, White and Blue) shirts are authorized. You are considered out of uniform is you are in the old black logo.

2016 Pay Sheets

2016 Pay Sheets with the updated mileage rate are available under forms and documents on the chapter website and in the forms section on Arbiter. These are “fillable” for everything except the specific match amounts and mileage.

School Mileage Key

The School Mileage Key has been posted under forms and documents. You can go here to determine if you need a UIL or TAPPs Pay Sheet. This form also shows each school listed under its appropriate school district – in case you need to contact the District about a pay issue.

Website is Mobile Friendly

Thanks to Ian Evins for all of his work on updating our new website and making it user friendly. Take a minute and check it out from your tablet or smartphone and see how well the mobile version works. If you are missing something from the old site, fill out the form on the Contact Us page and he will take a look at it.

ACV NEWSLETTER 9

Austin Chapter Volleyball Newsletter 2016

Issue 9

8/4/2016

TASO Rules Test

You should have received an email earlier today with regard to testing issues and issues with the online district clinic. Stay tuned for details as they become available.

TASO Test Score Visibility

As you can now see your own test score, I will not be emailing that info this weekend. Here are the directions - While signed in on the TASO site, at the top of the page is desktop, send message, edit account, sports data tabs. Click on sports data and you can see all of your 2016 information including exam score.

New Logo Required

Remember that when you start working regular matches on Monday, only the new Logo (Red, White and Blue) shirts are authorized. You are considered out of uniform is you are in the old black logo.

2016 Pay Sheets

2016 Pay Sheets with the updated mileage rate are available under forms and documents on the chapter website and in the forms section on Arbiter. These are “fillable” for everything except the specific match amounts and mileage.

School Mileage Key

The School Mileage Key has been posted under forms and documents. You can go here to determine if you need a UIL or TAPPs Pay Sheet. This form also shows each school listed under its appropriate school district – in case you need to contact the District about a pay issue.

Collegiate Line Judge Clinic

This Sunday, August 7th , there will be a line judge clinic conducted for those who are interested in calling lines for local colleges. Contact Harvey Madrigal at harvey.ref@sbcglobal.net if you are interested.

Website is Mobile Friendly

Thanks to Ian Evins for all of his work on updating our new website and making it user friendly. Take a minute and check it out from your tablet or smartphone and see how well the mobile version works. If you are missing something from the old site, fill out the form on the Contact Us page and he will take a look at it.

ACV NEWSLETTER 8

Austin Chapter Volleyball Newsletter 2016

Issue 8

7/30/2016

Mandatory Chapter Meeting

All members are expected at the first Mandatory Meeting of the 2016 Season. It will be held at the Austin Police Association Union Hall on August 3 rd from 6:30PM until 8:30PM. The Hall is located at 5817 Wilcab Rd #1, Austin, TX 78721.                                                                                         Sign-In Sheets                                                                                                                              When you arrive at the meeting on Wednesday, please note that you will sign in with your At-Large Rep. If you are not able to attend, please email your At-Large Rep prior to the meeting with why you are unable to attend.

TASO Rules Test - - - Not the Austin Off-Season Test

The TASO rules test that all members are required to complete prior to working a match is now available. Note that this is not the Austin Chapter Get Ready Test. You should have received an email notification from TASO Thursday evening or Friday morning. In case you missed it, here are instructions on how to access the test. Log in at taso.org (not via Arbiter). Near the center at the bottom of the page, you will see “2016 Volleyball Test” and a “Start Test” button. Click on the Start Test button and complete the test. If you don’t remember your password, use the Forgot Password button on the site. The Chapter does not have access to it. Remember, a minimum score of 90 is required to officiate Varsity Matches and Playoffs. By current TASO Policy, a passing score of 70 is required prior to officiating a match – Please take the test as soon as possible.

New Website

Please update your favorites to reflect our new website address – www.austinvolleyballofficials.com What’s missing from the site that you would like to see added? Send your requests to Kevin or click on the Web Manager link at the bottom of the home page of the site.

First Two Weekends of Tournaments

Some members have inquired as to why they were not assigned tournaments the first two weekends of the season. There are not as many tournaments and officials needed as in year’s past for the weekends of August 11-13 and August 18-20. 

Scrimmages – August 5 th and 6 th

Please remember that all members are expected to be available for a minimum of 3 hours of scrimmages. In addition to the obvious training and refreshing opportunities scrimmages offer us, they are also a significant source of chapter funds. If you have not yet self-assigned or been assigned to scrimmages, please self-assign yourself or contact Marilyn.

Availability

Your availability should already have been entered in Arbiter. Marilyn will also need a hard copy for her records. The form is available in Arbiter – Lists – Forms.

At-Large Reps

We have realigned the At-Large Reps for a more equal distribution of the membership. Remember that they are your first point of contact with any questions or concerns you may have.

A thru G – Rhiannon Stracener (r.stracener@utexas.edu)

H thru N – Katherine Bratton (kmb0424@yahoo.com)

O thru Z – Gilbert Mokry (yadyaf@yahoo.com)

ACV NEWSLETTER 7

Austin Chapter Volleyball Newsletter 2016

Issue 7

7/14/2016

Mandatory Chapter Meeting

All members are expected at the first Mandatory Meeting of the 2016 Season. It will be held at the Austin Police Associate Union Hall on August 3 rd from 6:30PM until 8:30PM. The Hall is located at 5817 Wilcab Rd #1, Austin, TX 78721.

Availability

Your availability should already have been entered in Arbiter. You will be able to make changes to your availability as needed, until assignments are published late in July. Marilyn will also need a hard copy for her records. The form is available in Arbiter – Lists – Forms.

Scrimmages – August 5 th and 6 th

Please remember that all members are expected to be available for a minimum of 3 hours of scrimmages. In addition to the obvious training and refreshing opportunities scrimmages offer us, they are also a significant source of chapter funds. If you are not going to be able to attend, you need to contact Harvey Madrigal, one of our trainers, now to make alternative arrangements to fulfill your annual training requirements. Contact Harvey at harvey.ref@sbcglobal.net. Self-Assign is available for many of the scrimmages. Remember that you must have entered your availability and checked the “Ready to be assigned” box before you will be eligible to self-assign any scrimmages or matches.

Evaluations

For those members who are interested in being evaluated and receiving feedback from our trainers, summer leagues are now under way. If you want feedback on how to improve, work higher level matches, or just want to get out and blow your whistle, contact Harvey at harvey.ref@sbcglobal.net or Christle at txvolleygal1@yahoo.com for available times and locations. The final opportunity will be July 28 th .

New Website

Please update your favorites to reflect our new website address -www.austinvolleyballofficials.com

At-Large Reps

We have realigned the At-Large Reps for a more equal distribution of the membership. Remember that they are your first point of contact with any questions or concerns you may have.

A thru G – Rhiannon Stracener (r.stracener@utexas.edu)

H thru N – Katherine Bratton (kmb0424@yahoo.com)

O thru Z – Gilbert Mokry (yadyaf@yahoo.com)

District Clinics and Officiate Texas Day

Remember that all members are required to attend a District Clinic. If you did not attend ours this past Saturday morning, you should review the available locations at taso.org. On Saturday, July 30th, Officiate Texas Day will be held in San Antonio in conjunction with the NASO Summit. Attendance at Officiate Texas Day will fulfill your annual requirement for attendance at a District Clinic. The cost is only $35 and will include National speakers and more. Registration is open on the TASO website.

Leander ISD Offers Direct Deposit!

What follows is information Marilyn received from the Leander ISD. Leander ISD is offering Direct Deposit for all Athletic Officials for anyone that is interested. It is OPTIONAL

Attached is a form that would need to be filled out and dropped/mailed to the Athletic office. Leander ISD Athletics, 202 W. South Street, Leander, TX 78641 Attn: Beverly Hans, Athletic Bookkeeper or Leander ISD Accounts Payable, 204 W. South Street, Leander, TX 78641 Attn: Darla Faulks. 

You would only need to fill out the Direct Deposit Authorization form once (unless changing bank accounts). 

Please do NOT leave Direct Deposit Authorization form with the gate-keeper at the game. 

We still need a current W-9 on file and your pay sheets would still go through the gate keeper at the game and to my office for processing. You just would not get a check mailed out.

Payment would be similar to what they do now on the paystub of the check. When a payment isgenerated, the invoice number information where Accounts Payable currently lists the game would appear and the PO number indicates the date. It would be itemized by game. Instead of it printing on a check stub, the email would look something like this:

JOHN DOE

On 07-14- 2016 an electronic payment will be deposited in

A PLUS FEDERAL CREDIT UNION in account *********1111.

This payment is for check number A12345 and covers the following:

PO/PA NBR INVOICE NBR AMOUNT

AO0209 CPHS/LHS 160.00

AO0312 VHS/VRHS 40.00

TOTAL 200.00

 

This payment was issued by LEANDER ISD. Please contact the Business Services Dept. at (512) 570-0050 should questions arise concerning this payment.

ACV Newsletter 6

Austin Chapter Volleyball Newsletter 2016

Issue 6

6/5/2016

UPDATE - Off-Season Test – For all members who officiated in 2015

TASO has still not processed all of our member’s background checks. You should receive an email from them when they have reactivated your membership and access to the TASO.org site. We still believe the pre-season test is a good learning tool. Please take it if you can log in. If you can’t log in and want to review it, a pdf version is available in Arbiter. Log in to Arbiter. It is located in the Forms under the Lists tab.

Availability

While it may seem early, you can enter your availability now for the upcoming season. You will be able to make changes to your availability as needed, until assignments are published late in July. Marilyn will also need a hard copy for her records. The form is available in Arbiter – Lists – Forms.

State Meeting

Registration is now available for the State Meeting in Garland on July 16th. Register at http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ecj4w0fd162606b7&llr=rhmg7gjab

Scrimmages – August 5th and 6th

Please remember that all members are expected to be available for a minimum of 3 hours of scrimmages. In addition to the obvious training and refreshing opportunities scrimmages offer us, they are also a significant source of chapter funds. If you are not going to be able to attend, you need to contact Harvey Madrigal, one of our trainers, now to make alternative arrangements to fulfill your annual training requirements. Contact Harvey at harvey.ref@sbcglobal.net.

Summer League Training/Evaluations

For those members who are interested in being evaluated and receiving feedback from our trainers, summer leagues are now under way. If you want feedback on how to improve, work higher level matches, or just want to get out and blow your whistle, contact Harvey at harvey.ref@sbcglobal.net or Christle at txvolleygal1@yahoo.com for available times and locations.

Returning Member Training – Action Needed

All members who officiated in 2015 must attend either the training on June 18th or the training that follows the District Clinic on July 9th. Notifications were sent via Arbiter. If you have not already done so, please access your schedule in Arbiter and accept one of these training sessions. Note that you may have to change the drop down boxes for “Date”, “Group” and “Include” to “All” in order to see these events. You are welcome to attend both, but if you only plan to attend one, please accept the one you will attend and decline the other. Note: If you plan to attend the Returning Member training on July 9th, but are not attending the District Clinic – the 12:30 start time is tentative based on the actual end time of the District Clinic. It will start approximately 1 hour after the conclusion of the District Clinic to allow for lunch.

New Website

Please update your favorites to reflect our new website address – www.austinvolleyballofficials.com

At-Large Reps

We have realigned the At-Large Reps for a more equal distribution of the membership. Remember that they are your first point of contact with any questions or concerns you may have.

A thru G – Rhiannon Stracener (r.stracener@utexas.edu)

H thru N – Katherine Bratton (kmb0424@yahoo.com)

O thru Z – Gilbert Mokry (yadyaf@yahoo.com)

Officiate Texas Day

On Saturday, July 30th, Officiate Texas Day will be held in San Antonio in conjunction with the NASO Summit. Attendance at Officiate Texas Day will fulfill your annual requirement for attendance at the State Meeting or a District Clinic. The cost is only $35 and will include National speakers and more. Registration is now open on the TASO website. If you plan to attend Officiate Texas and our District Clinic, you should register and pay for Officiate Texas Day.

ACV Newsletter 5

Austin Chapter Volleyball Newsletter 2016

Issue 5

5/14/2016

Scrimmages – August 5 th and 6 th

Please remember that all members are expected to be available for a minimum of 3 hours of scrimmages. In addition to the obvious training and refreshing opportunities scrimmages offer us, they are also a significant source of chapter funds. If you are not going to be able to attend, you need to contact Harvey Madrigal, one of our trainers, now to make alternative arrangements to fulfill your annual training requirements. Contact Harvey at harvey.ref@sbcglobal.net .

Summer League Training/Evaluations

For those members who are interested in being evaluated and receiving feedback from our trainers, summer leagues are now under way. If you want feedback on how to improve, work higher level matches, or just want to get out and blow your whistle, contact Harvey at harvey.ref@sbcglobal.net or Christle at txvolleygal1@yahoo.com for available times and locations.

Returning Member Training – Action Needed

All members who officiated in 2015 must attend either the training on June 18 th or the training that follows the District Clinic on July 9 th . Notifications were sent via Arbiter. If you have not already done so, please access your schedule in Arbiter and accept one of these training sessions. Note that you may have to change the drop down boxes for “Date”, “Group” and “Include” to “All” in order to see these events. You are welcome to attend both, but if you only plan to attend one, please accept the one you will attend and decline the other. Note: If you plan to attend the Returning Member training on July 9th, but are not attending the District Clinic – the 12:30 start time is tentative based on the actual end time of the District Clinic. It will start approximately 1 hour after the conclusion of the District Clinic to allow for lunch.

Off-Season Test – For all members who officiated in 2015

The Austin Chapter Off-season test is now available. The deadline for completion has been extended to June 5 th . The test is located on the TASO site at taso.org. After you log in, you will see the tests under My TASO Links. Note that you have 3 chances to complete the test. The goal is to score a 100. It is open book based on last season’s rule book and case book. While the goal is a score of 100, due to the limited time left to complete the test, a score of 90 or above is acceptable. A score of 100 does not exempt you from any training this season.

New Website

Please update your favorites to reflect our new website address –www.austinvolleyballofficials.com Our new website administrator, Ian Evins, has been hard at work making the transition…with more changes and updates to come. If there is something you are missing from the old site, contact Kevin.

At-Large Reps

We have realigned the At-Large Reps for a more equal distribution of the membership. Remember that they are your first point of contact with any questions or concerns you may have.

A thru G – Rhiannon Stracener (r.stracener@utexas.edu)

H thru N – Katherine Bratton (kmb0424@yahoo.com)

O thru Z – Gilbert Mokry (yadyaf@yahoo.com)

Officiate Texas Day

On Saturday, July 30 th , Officiate Texas Day will be held in San Antonio in conjunction with the NASO Summit. Attendance at Officiate Texas Day will fulfill your annual requirement for attendance at the State Meeting or a District Clinic. The cost is only $35 and will include National speakers and more. Registration is now open on the TASO website. If you plan to attend Officiate Texas and our District Clinic, you should register and pay for Officiate Texas Day.

Availability

While it may seem early, you can enter your availability now for the upcoming season. You will be able to make changes to your availability as needed, until assignments are published late in July.

FYE 2016 Budget

A copy of the 2016 Chapter Budget is available in the Forms section of Arbiter for all active members to access. Please contact your at-large rep with any questions or concerns.

ACV Newsletter 4

Austin Chapter Volleyball Newsletter 2016
Issue 4
4/28/2016

 

Reward for 2015 Members

Due to a surplus in funds the Chapter has accumulated, your Board has decided to return some of these funds back to you. As 2016 marks the year that all members must have a shirt with the updated red, white and blue logo, we have arranged a deal with OfficialSports.net so that anyone who needs a new shirt this season will be able to get one for free. Also, knowing that some of you may prefer a different shirt or already purchased shirts last year, there are other items available for you.

In order to claim your free shirt, or other items you must submit a 2015 Renewal Members Award Order Form.

Log in to Arbiter. Click on Lists. Click on Forms.
Download one of the versions and complete the form.
It is preferred that you email it back to me at
kscarlyle@gmail.com.
If necessary, it can be snail mailed to me at the address on the form.
A reminder that you must be current on both your Austin Chapter 2016 Renewal and 2016 TASO Renewal no later than May 2nd in order to claim your $30 package.

Deadline to have your completed order form (and payment if you are ordering an Under Armour shirt) in my hands is May 6th. There are no exceptions to this date as the vendor must have our order in time to ensure in-stock on all of the items.

 

Returning Member Training

All members who officiated in 2015 must attend either the training on June 18th or the training that follows the District Clinic on July 9th. Soon, you will receive notifications via Arbiter. After you receive these, you will need to access your schedule in Arbiter and accept one of these training sessions. Note that you may have to change the drop down boxes for “Date”, “Group” and “Include” to “All” in order to see these events. You are welcome to attend both, but if you only plan to attend one, please accept the one you will attend and decline the other. Note: If you plan to attend the Returning Member training on July 9th, but are not attending the District Clinic – the 12:30 start time is tentative based on the actual end time of the District Clinic. It will start 1 hour after the conclusion of the District Clinic to allow for lunch.

 

Off-Season Test – For all members who officiated in 2015

The Austin Chapter Off-season test is now available – sort of. The test is live and available.

However, TASO has had some difficulty with a vendor in processing this year’s background checks. They have switched to a different one. As the checks are processed and members are cleared, access to the TASO site is restored. Your access has nothing to do with whether or not you will clear a background check, but is simply a function of when yours is processed.

The test is located on the TASO site at taso.org. If you are able to log in, you will see the test under My TASO Links. Note that you have 3 chances to complete the test. Due to parameters currently set by the system, you may only access and complete the test once each week. The goal is to score a 100. It is open book based on last season’s rule book and case book.

If you do not currently have access, please do not email me or TASO, just keep checking back periodically until you are able to log in.

 

At-Large Reps

We have realigned the At-Large Reps for a more equal distribution of the membership. Remember that they are your first point of contact with any questions or concerns you may have.

A thru G – Rhiannon Stracener (r.stracener@utexas.edu)

H thru N – Katherine Bratton (kmb0424@yahoo.com)

O thru Z – Gilbert Mokry (yadyaf@yahoo.com)

 

Officiate Texas Day

On Saturday, July 30th, Officiate Texas Day will be held in San Antonio in conjunction with the NASO Summit. Attendance at Officiate Texas Day will fulfill your annual requirement for attendance at the State Meeting or a District Clinic. The cost is only be $35 and will include National speakers and more. Registration is now open on the TASO website. More info as it becomes available.

ACV Newsletter 2

Austin Chapter Volleyball Newsletter 2016
Issue 2
02/20/2016
 
Calendar Updated
IMPORTANT NOTE: The Returning Member Training and District Clinic originally planned for July 30th has been changed to July 9th
The Calendar has been updated on the Chapter website.
Please review it carefully and make plans to attend the required meetings as listed.
Note: There are 5 available meetings noted in RED – all members who officiated in 2015 must attend 4 of the 5.
All members who officiated in 2015 must complete the Austin Chapter Volleyball Off-Season Test prior to May 28th. In order to access the test when it is made available, you will need to have renewed your TASO membership for 2016.
All members who officiated in 2015 must also attend one of the returning member training sessions on June 18thor July 9th
 
TASO Dues
Online TASO renewal is now available at TASO.org. There is no need to log in to the site. Click on Renewal at the top of the page. Be aware that even though your payment will be processed when you renew, your access to log in on the TASO site will not be available until your background check clears. This can take anywhere from a couple of days to a couple of weeks.
It is important to note that you must have completed your TASO renewal before you will be able to access the Austin Chapter Off-Season Test.
 
Off-Season Test – For all members who officiated in 2015
The Austin Chapter Off-season test will be available around the beginning of March and has to be completed online no later than May 28th. It will be based on the 2015-16 Rules and Case Books. No time like to present to review the rules to prepare for the test. This test is designed to be a learning tool for all members. It will only be 50 questions and as always – is open book.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The TASO Rules test that becomes available around the middle of July is separate from this test and must be completed as well.
 
Budget
At the chapter board meeting on Tuesday, the board decided to make the proposed budget for 2016 available for review and comment. It is planned to be finalized and approved by the board at our March 29th meeting. Active members are welcome at the meeting. Please contact your at-large rep if you want to attend or to share your concerns or suggestions if you are unable to attend.
A thru G – Rhiannon Stracener (r.stracener@utexas.edu)
H thru N – Katherine Bratton (kmb0424@yahoo.com)
O thru Z – Gilbert Mokry (yadyaf@yahoo.com)
The proposed budget will be sent via a separate email when it is available.
It will also be posted to the website.   
 
Recruiting
We need more referees! A reminder that now is the time to send Kevin names of those who might be interested in refereeing next year so they can participate in off-season training. Remember, you can earn a $25 referral bonus if you refer a member who works a minimum number of matches next season.
 
Officiate Texas Day
On Saturday, July 30th, Officiate Texas Day will be held in San Antonio in conjunction with the NASO Summit. Attendance at Officiate Texas Day will fulfill your annual requirement for attendance at the State Meeting or a District Clinic. The cost is planned to only be $35 and will include National speakers and more. More info as it becomes available.
 
 
Phishing Email
If you receive an email from a school district that references a “file too big” and “to click on the link”, you should not click on the link. Several members have reported these from various districts and they appear to be a phishing attempt. The chapter is not aware of any school districts that would be contacting you at this time of the year.

ACV Newsletter 1

Austin Chapter Volleyball Newsletter 2016
Issue 1
01/30/2016

 
Arbiter
Please note that the 2015 schedule information will be deleted from Arbiter on February 1st in order for Marilyn to start working on the 2016 season. If you need a copy of your schedule for your records, you should save one now. Instructions for saving your schedule are available on austinvbrefs.com under Match Scheduling. You can save your schedule as a pdf rather than printing if you prefer. 
Note that access to Arbiter will be removed from those who are not current on Chapter dues as of February 1st.
 
Calendar
The 2016 Chapter Calendar has been posted to the Chapter website.
Please review it carefully and make plans to attend the required meetings as listed on the calendar.
Note: There are 5 available meetings noted in RED – all members who officiated in 2015 must attend 4 of the 5.
Also, all members who officiated in 2015 must complete the Austin Chapter Volleyball Off-Season Test between March 1st and May 28th, in addition to attending a returning member training session on 6/18 or 7/30.
 
Chapter Application and Dues
If you have not done so already, please complete a chapter application and submit your dues ($30) to Teresa. The application is available on the Chapter website. Remember that a late fee of $25 will be required for those who have not paid and submitted their application by February 1st. 
 
TASO Dues
Online TASO registration should be available soon. All members will receive a notification from TASO when the process is available. Remember that you must complete this, in addition to your Austin Chapter Application and dues.
 
Recruiting
We need more referees! A reminder that now is the time to send Kevin names of those who might be interested in refereeing next year so they can participate in off-season training. Remember, you can earn a $25 referral bonus if you refer a member who works a minimum number of matches next season.
 
Off-Season Test – For all members who officiated in 2015
The Austin Chapter Off-season test will be available around the beginning of March and has to be completed online no later than May 28th. It will be based on the 2015-16 Rules and Case Books. No time like to present to review the rules to prepare for the test. This test is designed to be a learning tool for all members. It is planned to be limited to 50 questions.
IMPORTANT NOTE: The TASO Rules test that becomes available around the middle of July is separate from this test and must be completed as well.