Parent Newsletter

Dear Parents/Guardians -

I'm thrilled that your student has decided to attend the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Mini Competition on Saturday, November 10. This event is put on by the UW-W Marketing Education students, and serves as a DECA "scrimmage", allowing DECA members, particularly those who haven't competed before, to experience a DECA competition in a practice environment before our District event in January. It also gives experienced DECA members a chance to mentor a new competitor. Each student will participate in two 'real life' role play scenarios, one individually and one with a partner, and take a exam covering 21st century skills (communication, leadership, etc.) and business/marketing concepts.

LOGISTICS

We will plan to depart at 6:30 AM on Saturday, November 10.
Please help ensure that your student is at DHS before that time.
Lunch is provided in your student's competition registration fee.
We should be back by 5:30 PM at the latest.
Students should bring homework or other 'quiet' materials (cards etc.) to work on during downtime.
I have no doubts that our students will represent Dodgeville with poise and professionalism. Should there be any major behavior issues on the trip, one of the chaperones or I will make contact with you and ask you to come pick up your student from the UW-Whitewater campus.

DRESS CODE

Dress code for the Mini Competition is the same as for Districts. This is also the dress code for testing and Academies at the State and International levels. I've included some photo examples below.

Dress slacks, dress skirt, or business dress (dress/skirt must at or below the knees)
Collared dress shirt, dress blouse, or dress sweater
Dress shoes
Necktie for men
While Blazers / sports coats / suit jackets are not required, they are highly recommended. I have a limited number of official DECA Blazers for those who are interested

If meeting the dress code is a financial burden for your family, students should see me by Tuesday.

PREPARATION

While this truly is a practice competition, students are more confident and prepared if they spend some time getting ready for Saturday. Just like sports, music, theater, or any other competitive or performance activity, the better students prepare, the better they will do and the more fun they will have.

PREP PACKETS

Attendees have all been provided with "prep packets" of study materials for the specific Performance Indicators for their events.
Performance Indicators are the business/marketing concepts they'll discuss during their role play scenarios.
Students should set aside some time to read this info thoroughly before we leave.

ONLINE PRACTICE TESTS

Starting Monday, students will have access to an online bank of DECA tests.
I recommend competitors take at least one practice test before Saturday, just so they get a sense of what is involved.

PRACTICE

We held three practices over the past two weeks and I am thrilled so many Mini competitors have attended.
This week we will hold an hour long practice session on Thursday after school from 3:30 - 4:30 and also meet on Friday during Advisory. I highly recommend all Minis competitors attend the full Thursday practice if possible and attend on Friday if they want to spend a few more minutes getting ready.

Please let me know if you have any questions! I look forward to seeing your student compete on Saturday!

Allison Carroll

DHS Marketing/Business Teacher

DECA Advisor

WHAT NEXT AFTER MINIS?

Our first official Wisconsin DECA competition is the District 3 event on Saturday, January 5 at Sun Prairie High School. All DHS DECA members are highly encouraged to attend this event. Students select an event from nearly 30 options, engage in two role play scenarios and take a DECA test.

Freshmen and sophomores who weren't in DECA last year should select a Principle event. These are introductory events specifically designed for first year competitors.
All juniors and seniors and returning sophomores should select either Series or Team events.
Prep packets will be available by November 12 (or within 48 hours of students registering after that date). After school and Advisory practice sessions will be held most Thursdays and Fridays. Students should continue taking online tests to prepare.
The top two winners in each DECA event at Districts automatically qualify for the State conference and competition in Lake Geneva in March. DHS DECA is also allocated an additional 6-10 spots to SCDC. These spots will be awarded to the DECA members who have put time and effort into written projects, community service, conference attendance, membership recruitment, and more.
All sophomores, junior and seniors who attend State have the option of advancing to the International Career Development Conference in Orlando, FL in April either as qualifying competitors or as participants in one of the Emerging Leaders Series Academies. Any freshman who qualifies for State may attend ICDC as either a qualifying competitor or as a participant in the Ignite Academy.

DECA is a marketing organization that prepares emerging student leaders.

Competing in DECA events:

Assists student in making the connection between academics and the practical skills of career preparation

Helps students define their college and career goals

Enables eligibility for more than $400,000 in direct scholarships and $9 million in college-specific scholarships

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