Time Cards
Just a quick reminder that Monday is yet again another “Time Card” day. It would be very helpful and much appreciated if everyone could turn in their time cards to me this Friday. I am leaving Tuesday for St. Louis so I just want to make sure everything is all set for Monday and getting payroll done.

Health Issue
Please be mindful of germs as Michael’s immune system is compromised from the treatment he is receiving. If you are ill or feel you are coming down with something, please try to avoid close contact with Dan and wash your hands often. We’re a sharing, caring group but we don’t want to share our germs.

Meeting Friday

Please remember the Information Sharing Meeting Friday at 11:00


Benefit Fish Fry

For Michael Connors

and his Family

Friday, March 27th

5:00 to 8:00

St. Mary Star of the Sea

Assumption Hall

10 Huntington Street, New London

$20 for Adults $10 for Children (10 and under)

Free for children 4yrs old and under

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the school, the rectory or by calling Barbara 447-1420 or the school 443-7758. The profits from this benefit fish fry will be given to Michael Connors and his parents, Debbie and Dan, to be used to help cover his medical expenses as he battles leukemia. Michael is an alumnus of St. Mary Star of the Sea and St. Bernard’s and currently attends St. Michael’s College in Vermont. Donations will be accepted. Please call 443-7758 for more information.

Who’s In, Who’s Out

Rosanne Vacation March 25-31

Visitors
Annie Galvin Teich March 31-April 3

Birthdays
Kerry April 2
Rosanne April 2
Julie April 21
Kathy April 24

Note from Gwen
As most of you have heard, I learned last week that I have breast cancer again, this time in the other breast. As far as they can tell at this point, the tumor is much smaller than last time and so in an earlier stage. Since I am at high risk (with two episodes), my choices are a lumpectomy with radiation and continued oversight or a mastectomy, probably double, to assure that I won't have breast cancer again. Please keep me in your prayers and thanks so much for your notes of encouragement. My surgery will be on April 16th. (I was feeling really close to Dan, Debbie, and Michael for all they are enduring, but I didn't quite mean to be THIS sympatico! I'm praying for Michael, and Deb and Dan are praying for me. I'm very hopeful that all of us will come through this lenten cross to experience Easter joy!) (FYI, Gwen hasn't decided which treatment she will choose.)

Meeting
Bret would like to have an Information Sharing Meeting on Friday, March 27 at 11:00 a.m. in the cafe downstairs. If you have anything you would like discussed, please put it in the suggestion box by the candy bin.

Good morning, my friends,
Michael came home yesterday. He tolerated his first chemo doses very well and has had no bad reactions thus far. He goes back for blood work tomorrow afternoon and a blood transfusion sometime this week.
Thank you all so much for your continuing prayers and concern as we begin the marathon portion of this process.
God bless you all!
Dan

Birthdays
Belated Birthday wishes to Bethany and Valerie. Hope your birthday yesterday was terrific!

Easter Holiday
Just a reminder that Friday, April 10 and Monday April 13 are paid holidays. Start planning your four days off now!

Who’s In, Who’s Out
Rosanne Vac March 25-31

Visitors
Annie Galvin Teich March 31-April 3

My dear colleagues and friends,

The pathologists at Yale have confirmed that Michael has Diffuse Large B Cell Lymphoma, Stage 4. The cancer has spread to his bones and organs, but the oncologist remains confident of a cure, with a four to six month regimen of chemo. Stage 4 increases the difficulty of the battle, and the chances that the cancer will return, but we prefer not to dwell on that right now.

Michael's port was installed yesterday, and he's being admitted to Yale tomorrow to stay through the weekend for his first circuit of chemo. Then he'll be going back every two to three weeks for the rest of the treatments. Dr. Marks is planning on working it out so that perhaps after the second circuit Michael can do the rest of his chemo at L&M. And at least as far as we know, this first circuit is the only one where he'll have to be hospitalized.

We want to thank you all for the love, warmth, and generosity you have shown us, and for the prayers you've offered for us. We feel very supported and strengthened by your kindness.

With deepest thanks and love,
Dan, Deb, and Michael

Going Green for St. Patrick’s Day!
A blue recycling receptacle has been placed near the water cooler. Shannon has volunteered to collect all plastic beverage bottles for recycling. Any money received from returned deposits will be set aside in a special fund to be designated later. Suggestions are welcome on how to use the money such as for a charity, lunch celebration, etc. Please feel free to use the recycle bin for individual soda, juice, and water bottles, even if they don’t have a return deposit on them. Thanks Shannon for helping us Go Green!

Prayer Time
A few people started meeting briefly for prayer time each morning in the large conference room after the 9:00 magazine meeting. Anyone interested is invited to come. We are mindful to keep it brief and you are welcome to participate every day or when your work schedule permits.

Birthdays
Charlene March 5
Dinora March 18
Bethany March 22
Valerie March 22

Luncheon
Please remember that tomorrow we are having a St. Patrick’s Day luncheon. Please remember to bring what you signed up for and wear GREEN!

Oh, Baby!
Congratulations to Karen Reed on the birth of her new grandson, Ryan Austin, 7 lb 4 oz. He was born a month early and is adorable! If you want to see his picture, she might still have her camera tomorrow.

Pot Luck
Please remember to bring something in for the St. Patrick's Day Pot Luck on Tuesday. The sign up sheet is near the mailboxes.

Vision Insurance
I have placed an enrollment form in everyone’s mailbox for the vision insurance through VSP. Please take a moment to fill out the form and return to me. If you are not interested in this benefit, please check the waive coverage option. I need these forms back by next Wednesday, March 20th so that coverage can begin April 1, 2009. For our employees that live out of state, look for the form in your email. You can fill it out electronically and email it back to me. Again, if anyone has any questions regarding the coverage, please do not hesitate to contact me at extension 135 or by email at lwilliams@bayard-us.com.

Prayer Board
A Prayer Board has been hung on the wall to the right of the company coat rack. Please use the index cards provided on the table nearby to post any prayer requests or petitions you would like to share.

Benefit Fish Fry
For Michael Connors
and his Family
Friday, March 27th
5:00 to 8:00
St. Mary Star of the Sea
Assumption Hall
10 Huntington Street, New London
$20 for Adults $10 for Children (10 and under)
Free for children 4yrs old and under

Tickets can be purchased in advance at the school, the rectory or by calling Barbara 447-1420 or the school 443-7758.

The profits from this benefit fish fry will be given to Michael Connors and his parents, Debbie and Dan, to be used to help cover his medical expenses as he battles leukemia. Michael is an alumnus of St. Mary Star of the Sea and St. Bernard’s and currently attends St. Michael’s College in Vermont.

Donations will be accepted. Please call 443-7758 for more information.

Visitors
Annie Galvin Teich March 31-April 3

Birthdays
Charlene March 5
Dinora March 18
Bethany March 22
Valerie March 22

Update from Dan
Dan & Debbie are waiting for a call from pathology to go and pick up Michael's tests and pathology slides. And then they’ll be (hopefully) heading toward New London.

To: Bayard Employees
From: Human Resources Department
Ref: Get Credit for Retirement Savings Contributions
Date: March 12th, 2009

We receive notifications via email from the IRS on a regular basis and the one that came through this week has some relevance to our employees so we thought we would share the email that explains how to claim the “Savers Credit”.

Check with your tax advisor to see if you are eligible and if you already filed for 2008 but feel this credit was missed you can file an amended return.

Get Credit for Retirement Savings Contributions
If you make eligible contributions to an employer-sponsored retirement plan or to an individual retirement arrangement, you may be able to take a tax credit.
The Savers Credit, formally known as the Retirement Savings Contributions Credit, applies to individuals with a filing status and income of:

Single with income up to $26,500
Head of Household with income up to $39,750
Married Filing Jointly, with incomes up to $53,000

To be eligible for the credit you must be at least age 18, not a full-time student, and cannot be claimed as a dependent on another person’s return.

If you make eligible contributions to a qualified IRA, 401(k) and certain other retirement plans, you may be able to take a credit of up to $1,000 or up to $2,000 if filing jointly. The credit is a percentage of the qualifying contribution amount, with the highest rate for taxpayers with the least income.

When figuring this credit, you generally must subtract the amount of distributions you have received from your retirement plans from the contributions you have made. This rule applies for distributions starting two years before the year the credit is claimed and ending with the filing deadline for that tax return.
The Retirement Savings Contributions Credit is in addition to other tax benefits which may result from the retirement contributions. For example, most workers at these income levels may deduct all or part of their contributions to a traditional IRA. Contributions to a regular 401(k) plan are not subject to income tax until withdrawn from the plan.

For more information, review IRS Publication 590, Individual Retirement Arrangements, Publication 4703, Retirement Savings Contributions Credit and Form 8880, Credit for Qualified Retirement Savings Contributions. The publications and form can be downloaded at IRS.gov or ordered by calling 800-TAX-FORM (800-829-3676). Links:

Form 8880, Credit for Qualified Retirement Savings Contributions (PDF 46K)
Form 1040, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return (PDF 176K)
Form 1040A, U.S. Individual Income Tax Return (PDF 136K)
Publication 590, Individual Retirement Arrangements (IRAs) (PDF 449K)
Tax Topic 610

Hi everyone,

I want to thank you all for all you've done and are doing on Michael's behalf. I am very aware and grateful that I work with the best folks in the world.

There is good news: the pathologist has backed off his leukemia diagnosis. The problem is, the bone marrow biopsy, which he did first, had all the signs of Leukemia, but the lymph node biopsy, which is a stronger determinant, is leading him back to a firm diagnosis of lymphoma--specifically diffuse large cell B lymphoma.

Survival rates are not as good as with Hodgkin's, but definitely better than with the lymphoblastic leukemia they thought it was yesterday.
The final details won't be in until later this afternoon. Our oncologist, who was going with what information pathology was giving her, feels awful and embarrassed over the news she gave us yesterday.

We talked with the oncologist this morning, and she assures us that it is not a problem if chemo doesn't start for a couple of days, so it seems easier to relocate at this time. At this point we think we'll be returning to to Connecticut tomorrow and Michael will see an oncologist at Yale Friday morning. We'll be carrying all the biopsy slides and records.

Our understanding is that Michael will be in Yale for about a week for the first round of chemo. Some of the later treatments may be able to be given at L&M. The first series of chemo will last about 6 months, and then we'll see where we are.
This is, of course, assuming that the blood work they're doing right now comes back showing him OK to wait a few days for the chemo to start, and that the pathologists at Yale agree with the diagnosis of the pathologists at the University of Vermont school of medicine.

Right now, nothing is certain. Thanks for hanging in there with us.
Dan

Update on Michael
St. Mary Star of the Sea Parish in New London is making arrangements for a Fish Fry fundraiser for Michael later this month. Debbie also tentatively indicated to her pastor that Michael will most likely be admitted to the University of Vermont Hospital to be scheduled for six months of treatment. More information to follow on the fundraiser and Michael's treatment.

St. Patrick’s Day Celebration
We’ll be having a potluck luncheon in the café on Tuesday, March 17th to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. There is a sign-up sheet at the mailboxes. Please try to keep with the green theme when you plan what you’d like to bring in. We also take monetary donations if you are unable to cook or bake. (See Amy) Then we can purchase fruit platters or other more costly items. There will also be prizes awarded…more info to follow.

Message from Lise
I will be going to Pasta Vita this weekend to pick up some meals to give to Dan, Deborah and Michael. These meals will be frozen and we can give them to Dan on Monday so that they don’t need to worry about preparing meals for the next few weeks. Anyone wishing to contribute to this is more than welcome to. As they are likely to be traveling back and forth to Yale for an extended period I think we can provide help in a variety of fashions from offering rides to and from so that they do not feel alone in this journey, to preparing home cooked meals, and meals from Pasta Vita that can simply be heated up, providing gas cards for their additional travel expenses, to having a weekly prayer meeting as we have these past two weeks. When Dan returns on Monday we can offer all our help, concern and prayers for their entire family and ask if there are specific items or services that would be beneficial to them.
We will also look into registering with the bone marrow matching program, in case this is an option down the road.

Visitors
Annie Galvin Teich March 31-April 3

Birthdays
Charlene March 5
Dinora March 18
Bethany March 22
Valerie March 22

Company Lunch
No need for you to bring a lunch tomorrow. Tuesday we will have a company-wide luncheon downstairs and lunch will be delivered from Neon Chicken. We ordered roast chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans, corn bread, and cookies for dessert. Rick, Hubert, and Annie will join us. Please gather downstairs at noon.

Dan Connors included Julie Rattey on an email correspondence this morning, offering this update:

The oncologist is guessing Hodgkin's, but we won't know until all the tests are back, Monday or Tuesday. She's also guessing we may be at stage 4, with it beginning to infiltrate the bones.

There is a slim outside chance that it is some sort of weird unidentified infection but the chances of that are not high.

We're waiting now for the surgery.

Michael is very scared and we're all trying to process the whole thing.

Let’s us be vigilant in our prayers for Dan, Deb, and Michael.

Thank You
…..to Shannon and Andrea for cleaning all three microwave ovens. Please remember to check for spatters when done using the ovens so no major cleaning is required.

Visitors
Annie, Hubert, and Rick will be here Monday-Wednesday for various meetings. Before going home today please take a few minutes to tidy up your work space and common areas near you. We’d like the office to look extra nice and presentable for our guests. Also, while our guests are here our dress code will be Business Casual. Please make a special effort to avoid wearing denim, tee shirts, sweatshirts, or gym shoes/sneakers.

Mail Boxes
If your first name begins with A through M, your mail slot has been moved down one space to make room for Amy Wiseman who starts work on Monday.

Ick Factor
There is a canister of Clorox wipes in the empty customer service cubicle. Feel free to help yourself if you’d like to wipe down your keyboard, phone, etc. Kate also brought homemade muffins. No ick here, just Yummm!

Tick Tock
Please remember to turn your clocks ahead one hour before retiring Saturday night.

Update
You may recall several weeks ago a notice announcing Kathy Gaito’s departure from the company. The reason for her decision was an interest in working fewer hours. In an effort to retain Kathy’s strong skills and valued spirit we’ve negotiated an arrangement that would allow Kathy to maintain a balance between work and home. Beginning Monday, March 16, Kathy will begin to work a 25-30 hour work week. We think this arrangement is really good for Kathy and really good for us. Join me in re-welcoming Kathy!

Visitors
Annie Galvin Teich March 8-10
Hubert Chicou & Rick Johnson March 9-10

Spring Forward!
Daylight Savings Time begins Sunday, March 8. Please remember to turn your clocks ahead one hour before retiring Saturday night.

Birthdays
Charlene March 5
Dinora March 18
Bethany March 22
Valerie March 22