A Message from CCIRA President,
Jessica Rickert
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Breathe
One of my coworkers has the saying ‘just breathe’ on her desk. Every time I looked at that saying it reminded me to take a deep breath and I instantly felt calmer. There is a lot of uncertainty with educators right now about returning back to school. What will things look like? How will I manage kids wearing masks and staying 6 feet apart? Will we have to go back to distance learning? How do I start distance learning with a new class I haven’t met?
I am sure educators are also struggling with many decisions being made without them and not having control over the situation. What we can control though is our reaction and our attitudes. Balancing our fear with our aspiration to support students who are excited to return to school, will be a challenge all year round. So whenever you are feeling overwhelmed this year remember ‘just breathe’. We are wishing you a great start to the school year, however it looks, and for everyone to stay healthy.
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A Message From Pam Minard,
#CCIRA21 Conference Chairperson
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I am so excited to have Ellin Oliver Keene and the Heinemann Fellows present at the 2021 Literacy Conference. Ellin is “all in” when it comes to using Action Research and Observation to inform teaching. She’s so “in” that she leads a group of educators who carry-out, share, and blog about action research and observation to inform each other and those who follow Heinemann and Ellin. I was thinking about this on my “massive effort” (Strava’s words---an athletic recording app) mountain bike ride recently. On many mountain bike rides I have taken part in action research and observation to increase my level of skill. In the past, I was more likely to walk my bike up the steep parts. As I was walking though, I was watching those that were still on their bikes and observing what they were doing with their body, and the trail, to be successful. On subsequent rides, I often caught myself thinking about that research and observation to make the time more successful for me. Over many years of trial and error I have become more successful at riding some of those steep parts because I’ve used that action research and observation to inform my riding! I am interested to hear the ways that the Heinemann Fellows are using action research and observation to better their teaching.
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Panel Discussion with Ellin Oliver Keene and the Heinemann Fellows
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We hope that you join us to hear educators from across the United States who have been selected to form the Heinemann Fellows. They represented a cross section of content areas and bring diverse experiences and perspectives to their work. And, through focused action research projects, observations, and continued sharing via articles and blogs, they have become part of the fabric of Heinemann. These exceptional educators will participate in a panel discussion led by Ellin Oliver Keene giving their insights into how action research projects and observation have impacted their professional teaching lives.
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Invited Speaker: Tanny McGregor
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Hear what Tanny has to say about our organization and coming to the conference!
"CCIRA has been a wonderful part of my professional journey. At this year's conference, I look forward to reuniting with old friends and making new ones. A thread will run through my sessions that naturally ties in with the conference theme: the connection between deceleration and deeper thinking. I look forward to exploring ways to enjoy the journey with you in February!"
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Featured Author: Laura Resau
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I had the pleasure of meeting and listening to Laura present at WCCIRA’s (Weld Council of CCIRA
https://sites.google.com/a/weldre4.k12.co.us/wcira/
) Recharge! 2019 Summer conference. I was in awe of the experiences she has had as an ELL teacher and cultural anthropologist that guide her story writing. I hope that you get a chance to experience her unique perspective of living and working side by side with the characters that inspire her writing.
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Are you interested in being a vendor at the conference?
If so, please contact Sue Queen
at
gsraqueen@gmail.com
Vendors are now being accepted!
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Meet the Executive Committee!
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Every month we will introduce you to one of the leaders on the Executive Committee to help you get to know this part of the CCIRA leadership better.
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Lisa joined CCIRA in December 2015 and is our only paid staff member. She works closely with the president and conference chair serving as a liaison with the hotel to negotiate contracts and specific needs on our behalf, works with our registration software to keep registration organized, musters up ad sales, and supports
all
areas of CCIRA to keep the organization running smoothly.
Lisa’s experience working for the Diabetes Association, and knowledge around nonprofits, has helped us tremendously as she brings a different perspective to CCIRA that helps continually move us forward as an independent organization. We are very lucky to have Lisa!
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Remember to check out the CCIRA Blog!
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/
Reading CCIRA.blog every week
—
perhaps over lunch or a cup of coffee
—
builds a quick dose of professional learning into your routine. Who knows what ideas or inspiration this might spark!
If you might be interested in submitting a guest post to CCIRA.blog, please contact Hollyanna Bates (hollyannabates@gmail.com).
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Do some shopping online for a gift card.... and benefit CCIRA at the same time! *
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Do you buy gift cards for your friends and family? Give a card to Starbucks or Amazon as a thank you to your favorite aunt? What if at the same time you could support CCIRA without spending an extra cent? That’s what you can do now by participating with
Shop with Scrip
, an online fundraising site. Since 1994, ShopWithScrip has been supporting schools and other non-profits in this unique way to fundraise. Just buy a gift card at one of the
750 retailers
and know that a percentage is sent to CCIRA. It’s an easy way to support our work with literacy while you shop. For more information, visit
https://www.shopwithscrip.com/
and then sign up to become a supporter of our organization.
When you are ready to make your purchase please use this enrollment number:
A34A3B6D69223
*
We endorse this fundraising activity.
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We had a wonderful response to the survey that went out asking you to let us know what our local councils, and CCIRA, can do to better inform you and plan events and professional development to meet your needs. We gathered some tremendous information that we are carefully looking over do determine what we are doing well, what questions you have, your needs, what the statewide involvement is in the local councils, and our next steps. We definitely heard that educators want the support and opportunities to collaborate, seek out professional development opportunities both in person and online, and interact with colleagues.
Our State Coordinator, Executive Committee, and local council leadership will be working hard in the next few months to connect with educators throughout Colorado to provide information, opportunities, leadership information for those who are considering a role as a local council leader, and to reach out to those who are not sure about where their local council is located. Quite possibly we can add to our list of local councils in Colorado as we reach out to those who are seeking their own local council and possible leadership roles. We'd love to hear from you if you would like to help build the support needed and work with other amazing colleagues in their area!
Congratulations to Jeremiah our gift card drawing recipient!
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CCIRA Executive Committee
Jessica Rickert, President
:
jessrccira@gmail.com
Pam Minard,
President-Elect:
pam.minard@gmail.com
Christi Walker,
Vice President: christimwalker@gmail.com
Anne Cook
, Immediate Past President: annecook59@gmail.com
Michele Warner
, State Coordinator:
warnermichele4@gmail.com
Corina Kaskey
, Secretary:
Corina.Kaskey@summitk12.org
Jessie Meeks
, State Membership Coordinator: jessie.meeks@jeffco.k12.co.us
Emily Bradley, Marketing Coordinator:
emily.bradley@weldre4.org
Stevi Quate, Partnership Chair
: steviq@gmail.com
Cathy Lynskey
, Treasurer:
clynskey2000@gmail.com
Lisa Kahn,
Administrative Assistant:
lisakahnccira@gmail.com
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Is your local council, state committee, school, or community doing something extraordinary for literacy in Colorado? Do you have a great idea to share with other educators on how to enhance literacy in the classroom? Do you know of a conference or event that CCIRA members might be interested in attending? If so, please contact Anne Cook (annecook59@gmail.com) to submit information for publication.
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