Thank You to Our Attendees!

We were thrilled to see so many of you attending sessions, participating in keynotes, and engaging with our vendors. Your willingness to invest time and energy into learning and growing together was truly inspiring, and we are grateful for your commitment to our mission.

We know that attending a conference requires effort and time away from your other responsibilities, and we are humbled by the trust you placed in us to provide valuable and meaningful experiences. We hope that you left the conference feeling energized and equipped with new insights and ideas to take back to your own work and communities.

Once again, thank you for being a part of our conference. Your presence and participation were integral to its success, and we look forward to staying connected and continuing to learn from each other.

Thank You to Our Speakers!

We wouldn't have a successful conference if we didn't have amazing speakers! CCIRA is incredibly thankful for the knowledge, insights, and encouragement speakers shared with our attendees and their willingness to sign books and have conversations. We were honored to have them all there and hope they enjoyed their time at the conference as well.

Linda Sue Park

Jamilah Thompkins-Bigelow

Clare Landrigan

Aeriale Johnson

Cornelius Minor

John Schu

Kristin Ziemke

Charles R. Smith

Thank You to Our Vendors!

We at CCIRA want to express our sincere gratitude to our vendors for their participation at this year's conference. Their presence and contributions are always so important in making the conference a success. Not to mention what they donate to our prize table!! We truly appreciate the time and effort they put in and hope we will see them all again for the 2024 conference. Please click on their logos below if you would like to find out even more about them.

Love My Shawl

Vicki's Boutique

A Fond Farewell

We at CCIRA also wanted to thank Sue Queen and Michelle Stacey for their tireless efforts coordinating and organizing the vendors you see each year at the conferences. Their attention to detail and commitment to excellence has not gone unnoticed. We are truly grateful for their friendship and dedication to CCIRA over the last several years. Since they are "retiring" from this role, we wanted to wish them all the best on their next adventures. We will miss you Sue and Michelle!!

Thank You to Our Conference Co-Chairs!

Our last note of appreciation goes out to Lori Conrad and Patrick Allen, this year's conference co-chairs. Lori and Patrick's exceptional leadership and hard work were instrumental in putting on a successful conference. Their tireless efforts in identifying and securing keynote speakers, organizing sessions, and handling last-minute changes made a significant impact on the success of the conference. Lori and Patrick's ability to manage complex logistics and their unwavering commitment to the goals of the conference were critical in making it a memorable and valuable experience for all attendees. Their expertise, professionalism, and dedication were truly remarkable, and we are so very grateful to have had them as our co-chairs. Thank you Lori and Patrick!!

CCIRA Literacy Conversations

In the most recent episode, listen to 2023 CCIRA Conference chairs, Lori Conrad and Patrick Allen, interview Brooklyn-based equitable literacy leader, Cornelius Minor.  Several other editions are available too including Charles R. Smith, Whitney La Rocca, Krista Griffin, Melanie Conklin, Pernille Ripp, Gordan Korman, and more! Click the button below and listen in!

Remember to check out the CCIRA Blog!

The CCIRA blog features a wide variety of nationally renowned literacy experts, as well as talented practitioners from across Colorado. Check out the posts on https://ccira.blog/  

Our most recent blog post is Re-Imagining RtI / MTSS: Putting Students Back at the Center of Instructional Designs by Julie Wright and Mark Bazata.

We also have blog posts from 2023 conference speakers Nawal Qarooni (Breathing Life Into the Syllabus: How Teaching Preservice Educators Hones My Practice), JamilahThompkins-Bigelow (Growth and Loss: Black Children's Literature Post-George Floyd), and CCIRA Past President Vicki Collet (Mentoring and Coaching to Support Colleagues).

If you might be interested in submitting a guest post to CCIRA.blog, please contact Hollyanna Bates (hollyannabates@gmail.com).

Teacher as Literacy Learner Grant - Apply Now!

Are you interested in promoting literacy by encouraging the teachers in your district to become active readers and/or writers? Apply for CCIRA’s Teacher as Literacy Learner Grant to earn up to $500 to cover materials to make this professional growth opportunity a reality in your school. Proposals should focus on the use of literature to build teachers’ professional knowledge, the power of participating in a book club as a means of building one’s love for reading, or the development of teachers’ writing skills as they take risks to find their own writing voice. (See TALL Application Guidelines for more information). The deadline for the Teacher as Literacy Learner Grant is March 30, 2023.

CCIRA is a non-profit organization that works to empower literacy educators. As a non-profit organization, we appreciate support in a variety of ways:

• Donate
• Support a Conference Scholarship Opportunity
• Leverage fundraising programs to earn CCIRA money
• Volunteer with CCIRA

This Month's Featured Fundraiser

CCIRA Partners in Empowering Literacy Educators

TOP REASONS TO PARTNER WITH CCIRA

• Over 2000 conference attendees will learn about your partnership with CCIRA.
• Our 1300+ members will see your support on our webpage.
• Visitors to the CCIRA website will learn about your organization and its events.
• Our combined support of literacy will impact students across our state and neighboring states.

Meet Members of the

CCIRA Executive Committee!

Molly Rauh

Molly Rauh, Member-At-Large and upcoming CCIRA Treasurer, is a secondary social studies and science teacher who has been coming to CCIRA since her very first year as a teacher. Thirteen years in and she still thinks this organization is one of the best investments she has made in her career. She's taught a variety of contents in 6th through 12th grade and played several roles within CCIRA, most notably hosting the podcast for a few years.

Outside of her classroom, Molly is an avid reader, and a dog sport enthusiast. She has three dogs and a cat, as well as a great husband who tolerates her collection of pets and makes sure she is fed before she runs off to agility or flyball practice.

CCIRA collaboratively encourages, supports, and advances literacy through research-based instructional practices to increase literacy access to all.

All people will be empowered to critically engage in our changing world by developing and utilizing literacy skills throughout life.