CCIRA June Newsletter 2020
A Message from CCIRA President,
Jessica Rickert
Celebration
June is a time for celebration. We celebrate the end of a school year (even though it didn’t end how we envisioned), the end of distance learning, the end of everyone staying at home, and the start of summer. 

CCIRA is also celebrating the end of its year. During this time, we celebrate two leaders who have given their time and talent to our organization. 

Amy Ellerman has been a local council leader, Director of Membership Development, as well as serving in the Presidential line for CCIRA. Amy took us through a literacy renaissance during her conference in 2018 and has educated teachers in her presentations and blog posts about best practices. She is an eloquent writer and is amazing at bringing words to life. CCIRA is lucky to have had such a thoughtful and gracious leader like Amy. We wish her the best of luck in her new endeavors!

Sue Goodenow has been a leader in CCIRA for many years. She has served as a local council leader, Associate State Coordinator, and State Membership Coordinator. In these roles, she has assisted many people in regards to their membership, compiling information for local councils, and keeping the organization updated on the status of members. Sue has been through many changes with CCIRA and has provided a thoughtful perspective based on her history with the organization. Her dedication to CCIRA through the years has been demonstrated by her 4+ hour drive from Craig to Denver for meetings—at times through snow! Not many of us can say that we would do that. Enjoy your retirement, Sue! 

Finally, we want to celebrate all of the CCIRA leaders who work tirelessly throughout the year to support members: local council leaders, state committee chairs, conference committee members, and executive committee members. Thank you for supporting CCIRA. We couldn’t do this work without all of your support and insight!

Have a relaxing and enjoyable summer! I look forward to another year of being your CCIRA President.
An Update for Members From the CCIRA Nominating Committee
This spring CCIRA had an unexpected change in leadership with the resignation of President-Elect Sharon Miller. We thank Sharon for her service to CCIRA over many years, including chairing an incredible annual conference this past February. We wish her the best of luck in future, and we appreciate her many contributions to CCIRA.

As you might imagine, this decision has implications for our organization. The president-elect traditionally goes on to serve a year in the role of president, followed by a year as immediate past president. Each of these positions has a different set of charges and responsibilities, necessary for the successful functioning of CCIRA. 

Per our bylaws, the Board of Directors needed to vote on the filling of the president role for the year beginning June 1 (2020-21). The Nominating Committee, Executive Committee, and the CCIRA Advisory Committee brainstormed possible solutions and then put forward a proposal to the Board of Directors and Leadership. Now that the Board of Directors has voted, we can share next steps with all members.

Jessica Rickert has volunteered to stay on in the role of President for a second year. Anne Cook, a Past President of CCIRA, has agreed to step back on to the Executive Committee to serve as Immediate Past President. We are confident that this solution will provide the most consistency possible for CCIRA, and we are grateful to both Jessica and Anne for their continued leadership and service.
Please welcome a new addition to the CCIRA Executive Committee, as well as a familiar face who will be serving another term in her current role:
Jessie Meeks, a third grade teacher in Golden, will be stepping into the role of State Membership Chair. Jessie is bringing strong leadership experience, organizational skills, and a passion for professional learning to the team. Welcome, Jessie!
Cathy Lynsky, CCIRA's current Treasurer, has volunteered to serve another term in this role. We're thrilled to keep her on the Executive Committee! Her financial expertise is a tremendous asset to the organization (and she's super fun to have around)!
A Message From Pam Minard,
#CCIRA21 Conference Chairperson
Hello, from your 2021 Conference Chairperson! Happy summer to many of you who are already enjoying time away from your virtual learning environments. To others who are still teaching, happy winding down of the school year. 

We are continuing to plan our conference as usual but are watching as other conferences adjust their PD delivery to virtual environments. Unfortunately, we are hearing that, as school districts face budget cuts due to the lack of funding as a result of the novel coronavirus, many Professional Development opportunities may be cut from school budgets. We understand and are putting back up plans in place. We are brainstorming creative ways to bring professional development to our members and community that will allow for flexibility and budget constraints. 

Please know that we are considering the health and safety of our conference attendees along with budget constraints and will communicate these plans to you as soon as we have them in place. For now, please enjoy your summer!! 
Keynote Speaker: Georgia Heard
Georgia will be our Keynote speaker for the second morning of the conference, Friday. We are so excited to welcome her back! 

She will share with us the need for more writing opportunities for our students in joyful learning environments. I am confident that as you listen to her passion for writing you will be making adjustments to your schedule to include some of her creative ideas!
Featured Author: Marc Tyler Nobleman
Marc is excited to share with you his passion for comic books and graphic novels.

During his research behind the story of how Batman began, he uncovered some exciting truths about the creators that took him on a multi-year mission of recognition for Batman’s creator. 

He will enthusiastically share with attendees his passion for justice and his work developing his other books.
‌

Do you have ideas you are willing to share with other educators?

If so, please consider presenting at CCIRA 2021.  Proposals   are being accepted through June 15, 2020. 
‌
What's New on the CCIRA Blog?

CCIRA.blog features a wide variety of nationally renowned literacy experts, as well as talented practitioners from across Colorado. Check out our most recent posts:

  • Sidelined but Ready to get Back Into the Game: Cris Tovani, veteran teacher, staff developer, and nationally known consultant on issues of reading, content comprehension and assessment in secondary classrooms. She is the author of I Read It But I Don’t Get It, Do I Really Have to Teach Reading? and So, What do They Really Know?
  • An April (Mostly) Inside: Tanny McGregor, #CCIRA21 featured presenter and author of Comprehension Connections: Bridges to Strategic Reading (Heinemann, 2007), Comprehension Going Forward: Where We Are & What’s Next (Heinemann, 2011), Genre Connections: Lessons to Launch Literary & Nonfiction Texts (Heinemann, 2013), and her most recent publication, Ink & Ideas: Sketchnotes for Engagement, Comprehension, and Thinking (Heinemann, 2019). 
  • Ask First, Teach Later: Julie Wright, teacher, instructional coach, educational consultant, and co-author of What Are You Grouping For? How to Guide Small Groups Based on Readers–Not the Book (Wright & Hoonan, 2019). 
  • All for the Love of Books: Jennifer Allen, literacy specialist and author of Becoming a Literacy Leader and A Sense of Belonging, both published by Stenhouse.

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).
‌
A Quick and Heartfelt Thank You. . .

It's very strange to be stepping down from the CCIRA Executive Committee after so many years. Leadership in CCIRA has opened many doors, and I can honestly say the experience has transformed me as a professional. I will forever be grateful for the opportunity, and I will continue to be an active member and leader (though in much smaller ways).

If you've ever thought about getting more involved—at the local council level or at the state level—I would encourage you to go for it. Growing new leaders and welcoming new voices and perspectives is essential for organizations to stay relevant. As educators, we strengthen our profession when we are intentional about stretching and expanding our leadership skills.

CCIRA is a wonderful community of dedicated educators, and I appreciate everyone I've had the privilege to work with and everything I've had the opportunity to learn.

Thank you!
Amy Ellerman
Outgoing Immediate Past President
‌

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
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.