The Quill
Serving
Gloucester,
President’s Message
January - February 2010
Dear
Colleagues,
We have a lot of exciting upcoming
events for you to participate in! On
Monday, February 22, we will be having our Winter Conference with many
great
presenters and vendors showing their products.
Also February begins the Young Writers Contest for students in
all the
school districts to write an original piece independently and submit.
The
Virginia State Reading Association Conference is in
So mark your calendars now and plan on
taking part in these excellent opportunities!
Sherry
Edbauer
NNRC
President
2009-2010 NNRC Board
Sherry Edbauer – President
Beth Guthrie - Vice President
Kelly Cartwright – Secretary
Cathy Huemer – Treasurer
Pam Gaspard
- York County Membership Chair
Carmen Ellis - Newport News Membership Chair
Beverly Becker –
Historian
Marilyn Schempf - Legislative
Liaison
Legislative
News
Marilyn Schempf
Many bills have also been filed about the start date for school in the fall, especially when Labor Day is so late. The Tourism industry may be opposed to this and with the Governor supporting tourism; a bill that passes, could be vetoed.
One bill , HB 111 suggests delaying implementation of certain requirements that relate to the accreditation of schools. This bill passed with no opposition in the sub-committee and full committee and goes to the full House. The bill will provide relief for school divisions as they have to make significant budget cuts.
A bill that addresses “reading” is HB 558. This bill would put reading into the Standards of Quality. Local school boards are directed to implement early identification, diagnosis and assistance for students with reading and math problems and provide instructional strategies. If passed, school divisions may use the state “Early Intervention Reading Initiative “(EIRI) funding and the required local match to employ reading specialists (who are licensed by the Board of Education) to provide the required intervention services.
To learn more…visit Troilen Seward, VSRA’s Legislative Activist during the VSRA Conference. She will be available in the Exhibit Hall Thursday, March 11th and Friday, March 12th to discuss how these bills are proceeding and answer questions you may have about issues (such as retirement funding) of interest to you.
International Project
This non-profit organization was begun by Greg Mortenson, author of Three Cups of Tea, to promote education and literacy, especially for girls in Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Each $1 provides a month for one child’s education or a day of a teacher’s salary. A penny will provide a pencil for a child.
Participating in an international project is one of the International Reading Association’s requirements to receive Honor Council status. Last year our council made a donation to the Central Asia Institute from the general fund. This year the Board thought some of our members would like to participate by personally contributing to the project. Therefore, at each of the meetings, we’ll provide a jar for your donations. Bring your pennies, dimes and dollars to help build peace through education.
Annual Writing Contest
Grades K-8
Theme: The 2010 Winter Olympics
Fiction: Invent a new Olympic sport and tell about it.
Nonfiction: Describe an Olympic sport.
The Newport News Reading Council is offering the opportunity for all
students in the Newport News, York, Poquoson, Gloucester, and Mathews
schools to enter an original piece of writing for this contest.
This piece cannot be a writing assignment from school or be corrected
by an adult. Entries may range from 25-750 words and can be
fictional or informational. Winning entries will be published in
an anthology as well as posted on the NNRC web site
(http://nnreadingcouncil.org). Awards for first, second, and
third place will be given for the following: Grades K-1, 2-3,
4-5, and 6-8 in both the fiction and nonfiction category.
Submit entries to any of the following NNRC members:
Please direct questions about the writing process to NNRC Building
Representatives.
The submission deadline is February 26, 2010. An informal
reception for the winners, their families, and teachers will be held
March 23, 2010 at the Tabb Library in York County.
Olness has written a practical text with a variety of ideas and strategies for developing and integrating the six traits into student writing. The six traits-ideas, organization, voice, word choice, sentence fluency, conventions-are discussed in six of the ten chapters. Each chapter offers sample lesson plans, assessment, and annotated bibliographies of children’s literature that can be used to highlight the trait being discussed.
The other four chapters add further merit to the book as Olness provides information on other features that influence the writing program. The reading-writing connection is described as well as shared, guided, and independent writing. Finding a topic and encouraging students to write from personal experience and research is included. Finding the time to read aloud each day and providing blocks of time for writing assures that writers will be immersed in opportunities to become proficient writers.
Do you need a gift idea for a fellow teacher? Why not consider a gift of a membership to
the Council? It is a gift that will last
for the school year and include other great benefits as well. Council
events
are free to attend; there are numerous free publications that are sent
to
members, scholarship opportunities, and more. Membership in the council
automatically enrolls you into the VSRA and with the upcoming VSRA
Conference in
