Membership drives with attendant activities abound this month. Many interesting topics and events have been planned. Best wishes to all for a successful drive. (Please remember any member of a local council may attend any function of any other local council at membership cost).

Early this September we held our annual membership event featuring Debbie Miller, author of Reading with Meaning. Debbie spoke to the power of comprehension instruction for all students, including those who struggle with reading. We had over 200 educators attend the event and welcomed many new members to our council. Our next professional development opportunity will be this March as we feature Kathy Volk from MSDE.

Our Books on Broadway Club is gearing up for its third year. This year we will be reading Amanda Brown's book, Legally Blonde. Members will meet in March to discuss the book over dinner, and our trip to see the show in New York is scheduled for Saturday, May 17, 2008.

Once again we are excited to sponsor our community project Reading P.A.W.S. (Pets Are Wonderful Support). We are partnering with Baltimore County's Pets on Wheels to pair a young reader with a certified therapy dog once a week this spring. Students who participate will receive a brand new book each week and have the opportunity to listen to a variety of "celebrity guest readers". Students will then practice their own reading skills when they read their new book aloud to their buddy dog.

The Board wishes to extend thanks to new members and our renewing members for their membership and participation in the Council's events. We would not be able to accomplish our goals without their support. Best wishes for a successful school year!

This is the fourth year of the SoMIRAC High School Young Authors Contest for students in Grades Nine through Twelve. Our purpose is to encourage written expression in Maryland's high schools by providing students with an engaging purpose for writing and a forum for publication and celebration of their efforts. Over the past three years, participation of local councils and young authors in this event has been very positive, and we hope to make this year's contest even better with 100% participation by all 16 councils!

Packets of information and forms were distributed to council presidents at the September 15th Executive Board Meeting in Hunt Valley, and an electronic copy was emailed to them shortly thereafter. The packet includes contest guidelines, forms, timelines, suggested scoring rubric, sample press release, and announcement flyers. This year's packet also included a brochure from Barnes and Noble about their successful Book Fair program. The electronic packet will be emailed to all HSYAP council chairs for their use in implementing the program. Again this year, contest entries must be submitted in a word processing file. This will allow council chairs to email entries for judging within their council, as well as to us, to facilitate this part of the program at the state level.

Here are some suggestions to help your program get under way and be successful:

• Designate a chairperson (or co-chairs) and a state judge for this important program by October 6th and to send/email the Chairperson Information Form to the state co-chairs.
• Contact your school system's (or systems') secondary English supervisors and/or high school department chairs to obtain their support and assistance.
• Tell everybody about it! Modify and use the packet electronic files to publicize the contest and to provide information to all high schools, local papers, school newsletters, school system website, etc.
• Organize mini Young Authors Contests in each high school. Only the winners from each school are sent to the local council chair for judging. This cuts down on the number of entries that are sent to your council's panel of judges to determine your council's winning authors.
• Hold collaborative scoring sessions for judging the council entries in the evening or on a Saturday and provide food and drinks for the judges in your council -- a great opportunity for collegiality and professional development - and enjoyable, too!
• Submit the Young Authors Program Local Reception Grant to Dan Clifford by April 1st to recognize and reward all of your local council's winning authors.

Please help us to recognize student writing and promote the writing process in Maryland's high schools by implementing this program! Write on!!!

Questions or comments? Email spburcham1@aol.com or Lawsonm@calvertnet.k12.md.us.

September 8 was International Literacy Day. The goal of the day was to focus attention on the need to promote worldwide literacy. This year, the International Reading Association will celebrate International Literacy Day in Washington, DC, on Tuesday, September 11, this year. The theme for the DC event was "Literacy, a Human Right."

John Bul Dau, one of the Sudanese Lost Boys who were the focus of National Geographic's documentary, "God Grew Tired of Us." as the featured speaker for the event. He shared his experiences of the journey that eventually brought him to the United States.

John Dau escaped civil war in Sudan at age 12 in 1987. He witnessed years of genocide and atrocities before finding his way to a UN refugee camp where, at age 17, he learned to read and write for the first time.

This gift of literacy enabled him to come to the US in 2001 where he is completing a degree in public policy from Syracuse University. He serves as executive director of The John Dau Sudan Foundation (www.johndaufoundation.org), which recently built a 13-room medical clinic in Duk County, Southern Sudan. The clinic is the only building in the county.

Today, John Dau's goal is to build schools and to promote literacy and the learning of English in Duk County. Peace has returned to Southern Sudan, as have the people. Like John Dau, they have a love of learning and are eager to rebuild the peaceful life they once knew.

CODE/Project Love, a Canadian based organization, is working in conjunction with The International Book Bank in Baltimore, Maryland, to send school supplies to Duk County in Sudan. This is a perfect opportunity for local councils to fulfill their honor council requirement.

For more information on CODE/Project Love, visit www.codecan.org/projectlove.

On October 6th, FCRC members will sponsor a reading booth at the "In-the-Street" celebration held every year in downtown Frederick. Future plans include a book study, a movie or play night, a writing workshop, and an author dinner in the spring.

WHO: Educators Working with PreK-Grade 12 Students in English-Reading/Language Arts

**All members of the Action Research Team who plan to present at the SoMIRAC conference must be members in good standing of SoMIRAC through a local council.

WHAT: An opportunity for a local school cluster of educators to pursue some answers to a question about English-Reading/Language Arts instruction through action research.

WHEN: Submit your proposal so that it is received by November 8, 2007, and a peer review will select the best idea(s). A monetary award will be made for materials needed to conduct the research. Conduct your study during the school year 2007/2008 and present findings at the Spring 2008 SoMIRAC conference.

HOW:

• READ about action research and set up calendar dates to meet and plan and conduct research.
• DESIGN the study and define each person's role in the completion of the study.
• DESCRIBE the activities to be used.
• PREPARE a budget to submit for the use of the funds.
• COLLECT data from several sources, qualitative and/or quantitative.
• DEFINE the methods for data collecting.
• ANALYZE findings, draw conclusions and share with school staff.
• PREPARE a summary to present in an open forum at the SoMIRAC conference to celebrate the action research process. Chairperson submits preliminary report to Studies and Research chairperson, Mary Jo Domen, by February 1, 2008.

Action Research Proposal SoMIRAC 2008

Research Question:

Names of Research Team [All members of the Research Team who plan to present at SoMIRAC must be members in good standing of SoMIRAC through a local reading council]:

Name	School	Position	Local reading council

*All presenters must register for SoMIRAC and pay appropriate fees.

Chairperson for the Group:

Mailing Address:

Telephone Numbers:   Home                                         Work

Email Address:

Explain your process for conducting research.

Do you have permission of your school administrator to conduct this action research?  __________Yes/No

Administrator Signature:

Student/teacher/parent names will NOT be used in the shared version of this study.

Does the group understand that a representative(s) will present how the group operated as an Action Research Group and relate the findings at the SoMIRAC conference Spring 2008? ___________Yes/No

Application must be received by November 8, 2007. Incomplete and/or late applications will not be considered. Send to Mary Jo Domen, 13310 Yorktown Drive, Bowie, MD 20715.

The committee will be meeting in the Fall. Please contact Sharon Stein if you would like to join the committee.

Contact:
301-490-2406
nsstein@comcast.net

We met in August to discuss committees and upcoming events. We are also in the process of reviewing our by-laws.

Our membership drive is in full swing. Information was given to new teachers about our local council at their orientations. Our fall membership dinner is set for October 29 at Salisbury University. Our featured speaker will be Barry Louis Polisar.

Many exciting literacy events are scheduled for the year. Our first mini-conference will be on Tuesday, September 25 at Galaxy 66 in Ocean City. Dr. Patricia Dean from Salisbury University will present "Reading Enrichment". Our second mini-conference will be held on Wednesday, November 7 at the Children's Book Garden in Berlin. We are also looking ahead to November 29 to our Adult Spelling Bee. SoMIRAC members are invited to attend at member fees. For more information, please contact me at swebb@wcboe.org

Susan Webb

We are hoping to begin a partnership with a non-profit literacy group called "Landon's Library" started by Brian and Crystal Boal who lost their son Landon, through unknown causes .Dana McCauley, a past president and long time supporter of Garrett Reading Council is helping to coordinate this partnership. We are excited and ready to assist in any way we can.

As the new president I am privileged to take on the presidency of our local council. The council's goal is to assist you as you face the many challenges of educating our young in today's world. I am fortunate to have aboard that is committed to attaining that goal.

We have several enjoyable events planned for this year. The Teachers as Readers Book Club, Young Authors Contest, Maryland Reading month activities, Community Outreach activities(domestic and abroad), as well as numerous speakers. Some of these events will be for members only such as the Teachers as Readers Book Club and SOMIRAC Conference.

On October 26, 2007, Pearson author, Susan Watts-Taffe will share her expertise in a stimulating presentation. If you are interested in any of these activities, please let any board member know. If you have a particular interest or idea to present to our council, we want to hear from you too!

In closing, I would like to share a quotation from Helen Caldicott "Teachers, I believe are the most responsible and important members of society because their professional efforts affect the fate of the earth."

I look forward to a great year and seeing all of you at our October 26, 2007 presentation with Susan Watts-Taffe.

Helene L. Cropper
President of MCCIRA

Upcoming Events:

• Membership Dinner
  
  Speaker/ Wednesday, October 17, 2007
  Dinner 5:00-7:00 p.m.
  (Howard County Community College, Columbia, MD.)
  Elizabeth Bassford, National Director of Literacy for Pearson.
  Word Poverty: What Children Do Not Know Will Hurt Them.
  This talk will explore recent findings by top experts in reading research that identify vocabulary as the leading culprit in the ever-broadening achievement gap. Teachers will have an opportunity to apply best practices in vocabulary development to their existing curricula. Sponsored by Pearson Curriculum Group.
• Young Authors Contest begins
  
  Decenber 1st — Young Authors ends
  January — Reading month
  Books for Babies
• February 4th — Dr. Peggy Sharp, Internationally Recognized Instructor
  
  This presentation. Will include a unique opportunity to preview and learn about the latest in children's books with highly practical ready-to-use tomorrow ideas to implement in all areas of your program.
• March 2008
  
  Habitat for Humanity
• April
  
  13 — Reading Day at Barnes and Noble
  16-18 — SOMIRAC Confernce
  
• May
  
  4- 8 — IRA Confernce Atlanta, GA
  Closing dinner/awards and installation of new officers

We worked diligently during new teacher orientation in St. Mary's, Charles, and Calvert counties to recruit new members. We got 23 new members so far and counting!

We look forward to planning and sponsoring community outreach and professional development opportunities for our members this year.

I hope that this will further the range of outreach between schools and parents and provide an opportunity for increases growth in reading for the students in the State of Maryland.

Please feel free to contact me by e-mail at Jsparzak618@comcast.net or 410-776-3710.