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Shenandoah Valley Reading Council

About Us!
Getting Connected
From Our CoPresident
Young Authors Info
Legislative Day
Intl Literacy Project
Teacher of the Year Winner
SVRC Literacy Project
Call for Pics
VA Readerss Choice
VSRA Conference Flyer

Who Can Join?

*Classroom Teachers
*Reading Teachers
*Professors
*Librarians
*Parents
*Administrators
*College Students
*Community Members
*Resource Teachers
*Retired Teachers

*YOU!!!!!!!

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Promoting Literacy in the Shenandoah Valley

Our vision for SVRC is to promote new trends in literature, promote
and sponsor opportunities to learn new, effective strategies, and to
promote and participate in community service activities that advocate
literacy.
We encourage you to join our reading council. Members of SVRC
receive many benefits:
Membership in the Virginia State Reading Association
Reduced registration fees for the VSRA conference
VSRA publication Reading in Virginia
Opportunity to attend local meetings and conferences
sponsored by SVRC
SVRC Activities
Provide professional development workshops and
conferences
Monitor education issues
Publicize best practices
Sponsor literacy projects
Highlight the literacy talents of students
Sponsor the Young Author Celebration
Sponsor International Literacy Projects
Join our council and help promote literacy in the Shenandoah Valley!
http://svreading.weebly.com

Like us on FACEBOOK at Shenandoah Valley Reading Council

Also like the following on FACEBOOK: Read,Write,Think IRA VSRA Edutopia Symbaloo
We are on Twitter! Follow us @Shenvalleyrdg

As the year 2014 draws to a close and 2015 begins, we take time to reflect
on the literacy opportunities that Shenandoah Valley Reading Council has
initiated and supported with the coordinating and planning by Dana Shields and
Sherry Ryman. In September, there was a Pinterest Party which promoted
creativity and conversations by having people create multiple activities that
support literacy learning in the classroom. In November, our fall miniconference had several professionals present workshops with literacy rich ideas,
challenges, and opportunities. To start off the holiday season, December 1st
found us at the Green Valley Bookfair for our first Mocha and Mingle event and
second exclusive visit to the Bookfair. There was an evening of browsing,
purchasing, and sharing favorite book titles. Even though there was rain, it was
warm and cozy.
New promises of learning and growth are ahead in the 2015 year.
Shenandoah Valley Reading Council continues to look at its strengths and
opportunities as an organization that support literacy in its local communities
spread throughout eight counties and six city school divisions. Our goals as an
organization are as follows:
1.

2.

SVRC 2014-2015 Objectives:

Membership: Encourage and increase membership with pre-service, first year, and
new teachers with attention to building relationships, encouraging involvement, and
making connections to school divisions through personal contacts, in order to build a
professional learning community around literacy development.
Technology: Building on skills of the 21 st Century our goal is to reach members
through our webpage, email, facebook, pinterest, and other digital resources that
support literate communities and literacy learning as well as focus on how technology
can support reading in the classroom.

The Virginia State Reading Association will be in Richmond, March 12We hope to see you there for continued professional development among
friends and colleagues.
Wishing you a wonderful holiday season with a good book
Michele Mumaw and Faith Ballew
Co-Presidents
14th.

Young Authors Celebration

With Rozalyn Schanzer
October 7 and 8, 2014
This year our 25th Annual Young Authors Celebration was hosted during the fall
season. Approximately, 1,000 students got a chance to hear Rozalyn Schanzer share Tall
Tale Stories of Davy Crockett as well as true tales from the Adventures of Lewis and
Clark. In the group session in Rockingham County, she shared what authors need to do
to develop stories. They are:
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Meat - Put in all the really important things. Salt Details

Dont Tell a Lie- Go to the experts for information
Write like you talk
Have a Hook- Makes you want to read more
Make it a Page Turner
Draw Pictures
Be a Spy/Detective Read and keep diaries and journals
Be a Famous Reporter on the News

January 26, 2015 is Legislative

Day!
For more information or to see about carpooling,
call Mary Southerly at 540-249-5012.

International Literacy Project

Article by Ann Peltier
A rousing THANK YOU to all members who purchased books for the Lubuto
Library Partners. We are donating 23 terrific books that will be part of a
4000 book collection for the next Lubuto Library in Zambia. LLP just
opened its third library in Zambia in early November. This is the first library
in a rural area. The other two are in the capital city of Lusaka. A fourth
library is planned. Founder and President Jane Kinney Meyers is sharing
pictures of the opening with us.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/lubutolibraryproject/sets/72157647257343
934/show/
I am grateful that the Council chooses to support this literacy effort. The
communities and children that benefit from your generosity are truly
enriched by the literature. SVRC has offered support in the form of books
since 2008. For more information about the Lubuto Library Partners and its
innovative programming, go to www.lubuto.org.
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Shenandoah Valley Reading Council

Teacher of the Year
Article by Noelle Howard
Special congratulations to Shelly Carter, the Shenandoah Valley
Reading Councils Teacher of the Year for the 2014 2015 term.
Shelly currently teaches kindergarten at Craigsville Elementary
School and is dedicated to giving all her students a solid
foundation in reading. Shelly is always seeking out new and
noteworthy books for interactive read-alouds and she reads
hundreds of books to her students each year. Additionally, she
seeks out the best practices for teaching emergent readers through
attending conferences, workshops, and through reading
professional books and articles about literacy instruction. Shellys
students not only learn their alphabet names and sounds, they also
develop a strong concept of word under her guided reading
instruction. Shelly is a strong and conscientious teacher who
continues to learn and grow as a teacher. As testament to her
belief in continued growth, Shelly has been a member of SVRC
and VSRA for the last three years and is also an active member of
her schools literacy committee. Congratulations Shelly on
receiving this award!

Article by Lisa Roeschley

The Shenandoah Valley Reading Council

has enjoyed partnering with local
Habitat organizations over the past few years.
At the time of house dedication,
SVRC provides a bookshelf and age appropriate books for the
children moving into their new home.
If your school or church would be interested in a Habitat project of
books and bookshelves please contact
Lisa Roeschley at
lroeschley@rockingham.k12.va.us
Another wonderful Habitat Dedication held today for the Salih family.
They have moved into their new home on Virginia Avenue in
Harrisonburg.
Our Council has been blessed by Harrisonburg Mennonite Church.
Their Summer Bible School program made the 3 bookshelves
and donated books for us to give to the family!

Please send write ups and pictures of all Reading and Literacy Events that
happen throughout the Shenandoah Valley to Tonya Jones at
tonya.tk226teach@gmail.com.
They will be used for our Hall of Councils Display at the
VSRA Conference March 12-14

VRC 2014 2015 Primary Titles:

Again by Emily Gravett
Crankee Doodle by Tom Angleberger
Brief Thief by Michael Escoffier
Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
Good News, Bad News by Jeff Mack
Lucky Ducklings by Eva Moore
My First Day by Steve Jenkins
Oh, No! by Candace Fleming
That is Not a Good Idea! by Mo Willems
This Moose Belongs to Me by Oliver Jeffers
VRC 2014 2015 Elementary Titles:
Balloons Over Broadway by Melissa Sweet
Capture the Flag by Kate Messner
Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tim Litchenheld
My Life as a Book by Janet Tashjian
The Sasquatch Escape by Suzanne Selfours
Secret Chicken Society by Judy Cox
The Templeton Twins Have an Idea by Ellis Weiner
Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George
When Life Gives You OJ by Erica Perl
Whatever After: Fairest of All by Sarah Mlynowski
The Virginia Readers Choice Award is brought to you by the
Virginia State Reading Association

VRC 2014 2015 Middle School Titles:

Endangered by Eliot Schrefer
One for the Murphys by Lynda Mullaly Hunt
Bomb- The Race to Build and Steal the World's Most
Dangerous Weapon by Steve Sheinkin
Cinder by Marissa Meyer
How They Croaked by Georgia Bragg
Inside Out and Back Again by Thanhha Lai
Spy School by Stuart Gibbs
Ungifted by Gordon Korman
On the Day I Died by Candace Fleming
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
VRC 2014 2015 High School Titles:
Archived by Victoria Schwab
Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by
Benjamin Alire Saenz
Boy 21 by Matthew Quick
Discovering Wes Moore by Wes Moore
Every Day by David Levithan
Midwinterblood by Marcus Sedgwick
Never Fall Down by Patricia McCormick
My Friend Dahmer by Derf Beckderf
The Paladin Prophecy by Mark Frost
Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina
Whatever After: Fairest of All by Sarah Mlynowski
The Virginia Readers Choice Award is brought to you by the
Virginia State Reading Association

Save the Date

VSRA Conference
2015

March 12-14, 2015 at the Greater

Richmond Convention Center and
Marriott Hotel
Contact Tiffany Brocious:
tiffanyvsra@gmail.com
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