Thank You to Our Attendees!

To all who joined us at the 2024 CCIRA Conference "Branching Out, Staying Rooted," thank you for joining us! Your active involvement enriched our event immensely. We're grateful for your dedication to attending sessions, engaging in keynotes, and connecting with our vendors. We recognize the effort it takes to attend a conference and appreciate the trust you placed in us. Our hope is that you left rejuvenated with new perspectives and ideas. Thank you for contributing to the success of our conference. We look forward to staying connected on our learning journey.

Thank You to Our Speakers!

Our conference owes much of its success to our exceptional 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.

We Appreciate Our

Sponsors & Donors!

CCIRA would like to extend our heartfelt appreciation to all of our sponsors and donors for their invaluable support. Running an organization like CCIRA requires substantial funding, and without their generous contributions, our operations would simply not be possible. Their commitment to our mission enables us to continue our important work of fostering literacy and educational excellence. We are grateful for their partnership and dedication to our cause.

Keith Adams

Mary Fanyo

Marcie Haloin

Scott Johnson

Cathy Lynskey

Amy Nichol

Colleen Rickert

Carol Wilcox

Anne Cook

Anne Folsom

Ellin Keene

Jan Killick

Sarah Maharry

Stevi Quate

Michele Warner

Mary Jo Ziegman

Thank You to Our Vendors!

CCIRA extends its sincere appreciation to our vendors for their participation at this year's conference. Their presence and contributions play a pivotal role in ensuring the success of the event, not to mention their participation in our Goosechase missions! We deeply value the time and effort they invest and eagerly anticipate their presence at the 2024 conference.

Jessica Rickert & Amy Nichol

CCIRA wants to congratulate Jessica Rickert and Amy Nichol on being awarded the prestigious Fannie Stabenow Award for their outstanding contributions to CCIRA.

Jessica has had numerous roles in CCIRA including Council President, Director of Membership Development, State Coordinator, Legislative Committee, Chair of the 2019 Conference, President of the organization from 2019-2022, and CCIRA Conference Facilitator.

Amy's dedication to CCIRA, and education, includes being President of the Windsor Council, Chairman of the 2016 CCIRA Conference, and President during an important time of transition. She serves teachers, students, and the community in various roles. Her career has included being a teacher, lead teacher, curriculum specialist at the Poudre Learning Center, as well as being an instructor at UNC.

Thank you, Jessica and Amy! We are incredibly fortunate to have you as part of our CCIRA family.

Teacher as Literacy Learner Grant - Due March 30

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). 

Local Activity Grant - Due April 1

Does your council have a great idea for an activity involving reading/writing instruction or promoting literacy in schools? If so, you can fill out the application for the Local Activity Grant (formerly the Council Development Grant). Click the button below to go to the grants page of the CCIRA website. This grant is awarded three times a year. Due dates for applications are August 1, February 1, and April 1. Contact Jessica Endres with any questions you may have.

CCIRA Literacy Conversations

Learn from some of our 2023 conference speakers and more in our library of podcasts! There are episodes from Cornelius Minor, Charles R. Smith, 

Whitney La Rocca, Krista Griffin, Melanie Conklin, Pernille Ripp,

Gordan Korman, and more! Click the button below and listen in!

CCIRA Professional Development Blog

All Things Literacy

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/  

📢New Blog Alert!!📢

Take a look at The Top 5 Posts of 2023 and the newest post, Scrape the Mud Off and Hike On! by 2024 presenters Katie and Maria Walther. Other blog posts you will find are Inviting Growth: The Teacher’s Role in Affirming, Acknowledging, Shifting, & ExpandingStudents’ Literate Identities by Dr. Jennifer Scoggin and Hannah Schneewind along with Scott McLeod's Student (dis)engagement. You can also read Holding on to the Axe by Kylene Beers, Word Histories in Your Word Study-Stories and Processes by Shane Templeton, Making the Case for Slow Reading by Maria Nichols, and Reflection is Where the Learning Sticks: A Conversation and Resources for Sustainable Movement-Making in Schools by Kass Minor. Carl Anderson's Teach Writing With Mentor Texts! and Look After Your Twisted Ankles: Professional Development in Troubled Times by Kate and Maggie Roberts are also there for your reading enjoyment. Most of these authors are 2024 CCIRA Conference presenters!!

📃If you are interested in submitting a guest post to the CCIRA blog, please contact Hollyanna Bates.📃 hollyannabates@gmail.com

CCIRA's next Board of Directors Meeting will be held at the Lone Tree Hub on April 20th from 9:00-1:00. Please plan on being there if you serve on your local council so we can have important conversations and make decisions. An RSVP form will be sent out soon. Reach out to Michele Warner at warnermichele4@gmail.com with any questions.

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

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 educator community 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.

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.

CCIRA.inc. | ccirainfo@gmail.com | ccira.org