PLATO Weekly Update

December 30, 2025

CURRICULUM

To renew or to become a member, visit the Join PLATO webpage. And be sure to tell your family and friends that Half-Year Memberships ($30) are available for January 1 – July 31, 2026!

WINTER COURSES
Registration for Winter Courses is underway – there are now 12 courses with in-person and virtual options to choose from! Find the Winter Course Schedule on the Courses webpage and contact the course coordinator to register.

Most Winter Courses run 2-7 weeks and will begin the week of January 5. 
PLEASE NOTE: Fictional Detectives has been cancelled for this term.

REGISTRATION TIPS
Some courses fill up quickly so if you see a course that interests you, try to sign up right away. If you find out that a course is full, ask if there's a waiting list you could join. Also, there are three courses that offer unlimited participation, so perhaps expand your horizons by signing up for one of these in the meantime:

· Drawing as a Sacred Activity – Monday at 11am

· Women Artists from Baroque to Modern Period – Monday at 1pm

· Gentle Chair Yoga for Stress Reduction – Friday at 2pm

SPECIAL EVENTS

BREAKFAST, LUNCH & COFFEE GATHERINGS
These social events offer members and their guests opportunities to share conversation over coffee or breakfast and lunch options.

THIS WEEK! First Friday Breakfast Gathering at Panera Bread located at 601 Junction Road on January 2, from 9:30-11:30am. To RSVP, send an email to Judy Groth, the event coordinator, by the Thursday before the event.  Learn more and find Judy's email address here.

NEXT WEEK! Second Friday Breakfast Gathering at the Lakeside Street Coffee House on January 9 from 9:30-11:30am. To RSVP, send an email to Sharon Scrattish, the event coordinator, by the Thursday before the event. Learn more and find Sharon's email address here.

THEATER TRIPS

Join us for BEEHIVE on Thursday, January 15, 2026, at The Fireside Dinner Theater in Fort Atkinson to celebrate the powerful female voices of the 1960's. Note that PLATO is partnering with the Verona Senior Center and UW Retirement Association on this travel opportunity so pick-up locations are different from PLATO's usual trips. The registration deadline is Thursday, January 8. Learn more and register here.

LECTURES

SAVE THE DATES – Download the PLATO Lecture Schedule through April 2026!

NEXT MONTH! Memories of My Childhood on Badger Creek on Thursday, January 15 from 1:30-3:00pm at Oakwood Village University Woods Arts and Education Center. In her lecture, Peggy Prilaman Marxen will discuss her book, The Farm on Badger Creek: Memories of a Midwest Girlhood, which shares her memories of a rustic childhood in rural northern Wisconsin. Registration for this lecture is not required, guests are welcome, and parking is free. Learn more here.

NEXT MONTH! Protecting Due Process & Immigrants in Our Community on Thursday, January 22 from 1:30-3:00pm at Oakwood Village University Woods Arts and Education Center. In his lecture, Grant Sovern, a founding attorney and board president of Madison's Community Immigration Law Center, will focus on the challenges of protecting due process rights and the immigrants living in our community. Registration for this lecture is not required, guests are welcome, and parking is free. Learn more here.

PAST RECORDINGS
Learn something new with recorded PLATO Lectures offered by PLATO members and local, national, and international special guest presenters.

PLATO POP-UP EVENTS
Providing members with new opportunities to connect, learn, and grow!

Click here to learn more or to offer a Pop-Up Event.

NEXT MONTH! There will be three more opportunities to gather to cheer our UW Badgers on to victory! The next Basketball Watch Party is on Saturday, January 17 at 1pm. Registration is not required and guests are welcome – learn more here!