Richmond Area Chapter

We are so excited to honor our Reading Teacher of the Year nominees at a virtual reception on Wednesday, June 1st at 5:30 PM.  Please see the invitation below for more information and the link. 

https://tinyurl.com/2022RTOY

We look forward to seeing you there!

The Richmond Area virtual spring conference will take place on Wednesday, April 27th, from 5:00-6:30 PM. Our featured speaker is Rebekah O’Dell, and we’ll also have a celebration of writing! See the flyer below for more details. Registration is FREE for all VSLA members. If you haven’t registered yet, remember that your membership is good for one calendar year. That means if you join now, you’ll be able to get the discounted rate for the spring VSLA conference next year! We look forward to seeing you on April 27th!

Register at tinyurl.com/Spring22RAC.

The Richmond Area Chapter of the Virginia State Literacy Association is pleased to share its Spring 2022 Newsletter.

You can view the newsletter below or access it on the website under Newsletters at  https://richmondreads.com/about/newsletters/.

OFIE T. RUBIN READING TEACHER OF THE YEAR

The Richmond Area Chapter is pleased to announce that we are collecting nominations for our local chapter’s Reading Teacher of the Year.  In addition to the honor of representing the RAC in the state’s Reading Teacher of the Year process, the RAC recipient will also receive $500 to use in the classroom to promote literacy.  The RAC Reading Teacher of the Year Committee will review all information received, and the selected RAC Reading Teacher of the Year will be submitted to be considered for the VSLA Ofie T. Rubin Reading Teacher of the Year.

The Ofie T. Rubin Reading Teacher of the Year is selected by the VSLA and honors exemplary literacy instruction in the classroom.  Each year, every local council nominates one outstanding teacher of reading to compete for the VSLA Ofie T. Rubin Reading Teacher of the Year.  The candidate selected as the VSLA Ofie T. Rubin Reading Teacher of the Year will receive a $1000 Professional Development Award at the VSLA conference banquet.

To nominate an outstanding colleague visit: https://tinyurl.com/RAC2022

Nominations are due: March 22, 2022

Parents as Readers Grant

Applications for the Richmond Area Chapter Parents as Readers Grant are now being accepted. Two grants will be awarded this year! The Parents as Readers Grant will be awarded to one elementary school and one secondary school (MS or HS).

Do you have a creative idea to involve parents in learning more about literacy? Have you ever wanted to host a book club with students and parents? These are just a couple of examples of how the Parents as Reader Grant could benefit the parents and students at your school. Creative proposals are now being accepted!  

Please contact Doris Favale at dorisfavale@gmail.com should you have any questions.

Apply here: Application Link

Deadline to apply: April 1st, 2022

WANTED: Applications for Richmond Area Chapter’s Teachers as Readers Grant

Are there children’s books or a professional book that you want to read, but don’t want to have to buy?  RAC has the solution for you – apply for our Teachers as Readers grant! 

A few years ago, one of the awards went to a teacher who applied to read and discuss award winning children’s books with a group of teachers at her school. Other teachers have proposed reading outstanding professional texts and have received a grant. 

The Richmond Area Chapter is pleased to offer two grants for groups of teachers to purchase, read, and discuss children’s literature or professional books that further literacy instruction. One $250 grant will be awarded to a group from an elementary school, and one $250 grant will be awarded to a middle or high school group. Applications must be submitted digitally.

 GUIDELINES:

• Applicant must be a member of RAC.
• Groups must consist of 5 or more participants.
• Discussion group must meet 4 times (or more) from May through August 2022. Meetings can be virtual or in person.
• Copies of receipts for books purchased or a purchase order from the publisher must be submitted to the Grant Chairperson by July 1, 2022.
• Group leader must submit dates met, a list of participants, and a brief summary of the discussions to the Grant Chairperson by September 1, 2022.
• Grants will be announced by April 15, 2022.

Apply here: Applications for the 2021-2022 school year are now closed.

Deadline to apply:

The Richmond Area Chapter of the Virginia State Literacy Association is pleased to share its April 2021 Newsletter. Download it using the link below.

You can access it on the website under Newsletters at  https://richmondreads.com/about/newsletters/ or download it using the link below.

Also, please note the calendar of events on the right side and register for our virtual spring event on Tuesday, April 20th from 5:00-6:30 PM featuring guest speaker Bavu Blakes! We hope you can join us for this exciting event!

Each year, RAC works with one school to facilitate a Parents and Readers Workshop which includes complimentary books! Parents and children attend the workshop together and will leave with books to take home. This workshop is designed to help schools support families in creating a culture of literacy at home. The application requirements, deadline, and link (to the application) are as follows: 

Requirements:

• At least one staff member at the school must be a CURRENT RAC member
• Schools must have 50% or more students eligible for free and reduced lunch
• Parents must attend the hour long RAC workshop at school (or virtually) with their children/students
• School groups, such as Title 1, CIS, PTA, etc., will be invited to support the workshop
• A school representative will work with the RAC Parents and Readers Coordinator to determine the timeframe for the Parents and Readers Workshop (Spring 2021, Summer 2021, or Fall 2021)

APPLICATION DEADLINE – April 26, 2021

RAC Parents and Readers Coordinator – Doris Favale, dfavale@hcps.us 

To apply for the grant, please click on this link. 

Registration is now open for the VSLA – Richmond Area Chapter 2021 Spring Conference! 

Keynote speaker: Bavu Blakes

Bavu Blakes will present Lessons from the Mirror: Literacy and Identity.

Tuesday, April 20, 2021

5:00-6:30 PM on Zoom

FREE for Richmond Area members

Click here to join

Click this link to register: http://tinyurl.com/racconf

Teachers as Readers Grant

Is there a professional book or children’s literature that you want to read, but don’t want to have to buy? The Richmond Area Chapter has the solution for you – apply for our Teachers as Readers grant! The Richmond Area Chapter is pleased to offer two grants for groups of teachers to purchase, read, and discuss children’s literature or professional books that further literacy instruction. One $250 grant will be awarded to a group from an elementary school, and one $250 grant will be awarded to a middle or high school group. Applications must be submitted digitally.

 GUIDELINES:

• Applicant must be a member of the VSLA Richmond Area Chapter. https://www.vsra.org/whyjoin 
• Groups must consist of 5 or more participants.
• Discussion group must meet at least 4 times from May through August 2021.
• Copies of receipts for books purchased must be submitted to the Grant Chairperson by July 1, 2021.
• Group leader must submit dates met, a list of participants, and a brief summary of the discussions to the Grant Chairperson by September 1, 2021.
• Grants will be announced by April 16, 2021

Questions? Please contact Caroline Head at carolinehead@verizon.net.

Apply here: https://forms.gle/ReyHbYr5h48tSKDdA 

Deadline to apply: March 31, 2021