September 13, 2020
Dear CATE Community,
On behalf of the CATE Board, I would like to thank you for your past participation in the annual CATE convention, a much anticipated event for professional English educators in California.
Due to COVID-19, we currently find ourselves in the position of many organizations as we consider the wisdom of holding a convention that by its very nature brings so many people together. With schools not being in session, travel being discouraged, and not really knowing when we can safely gather again, we have reached the difficult decision to cancel the 2021 CATE Convention in Burlingame, that was scheduled for February 18-21, 2021.
While we have decided to cancel the convention, we are planning some exciting virtual events for 2021 that we will be making available to CATE members. We are looking forward to providing a variety of high quality opportunities for English educators and will post information on CATE Web, Facebook, Twitter, and in California English as we create a calendar of events.
The CATE Board, acknowledging the challenges of this difficult year for our members, is extending all current memberships that are due to expire in the 2020-21 academic year to August 31, 2021. This action will allow you to continue to receive California English beyond the end of this school year, and to participate in any virtual events that we plan without extra expense to you.
In addition, we are offering a one-year half-price membership of $25 to anyone who is new to CATE. This would be a great opportunity for you to gift a friend or colleague so that they too will become a member of our English language arts professional community in a time when it is so important that we join together in support of one another.
We hope to see you at the CATE 2022 Convention in Long Beach.
Sincerely,
Robert Polski
CATE President