Upcoming Events

We will be Scrapbooking at Immaculate Conception Church Hall from 10am-5pm. Attendees will be given lunch, goody bags, and have the chance to win door prizes too! The fee to attend is $25.00. We will have lots of different vendors available as well as desserts!!! We hope you can attend. This event is open for everyone. All proceeds will go towards the purchase of a case of books to donate to the new babies born at St. Mary's Hospital.

Bring your copy of Three Cups of Tea, slip into a chair with a delicious drink, and share your responses to this amazing story.

Uno's Chicago Pizzeria at Deep Creek Lake. We'll begin with updates and new business, order dinner for those who are staying, enjoy Erica's presentation, have fun with door prizes, and then savor dinner together. You may be leaving later than 6:30 p.m. if you stay for dinner. Please let Liz know by Wednesday, February 17th, if you are planning to come to the meeting and if you are planning to stay for dinner. You can call Liz weekdays at 301-334-2059 or at night at 301-334-3552, or email anytime: garrettreadingpresident@gmail.com Thank you! Please plan to be there. If we get a bad storm and have to cancel, Liz will contact the people who have indicated they'll be there. Please download the flyer noted below this schedule on this page and post it at your school. Thank you.

SMRC will be working with the Education Association of St. Mary's County on Saturday, Feb. 27, 2010 to celebrate Dr. Seuss's Birthday! This is a family fun event open to kids of all ages. There will be lots of activities for the children to participate in throughout the morning. Some of the activities include face painting, decorating cookies, graphing goldfish, coloring, fishing, games and much more. We will have guest readers that will read some of Dr. Seuss's stories and a visit from The Cat in The Hat. Door prizes will be given out and lots of information about reading with and to your children. We hope that everyone can come and join in on the fun!!!!

March 2010
Explore the Collection at The Children's Literature Centre on FSU campus
Find out more about this marvelous local resource at its website:
http://www.frostburg.edu/projects/clc/aboutclc.htm

April 2010
SoMIRAC April 14-16, 2010
IRA Conference April 25-28, 2010 in Chicago, IL

April 23 and 24
Spring Festival of Children's Literature
At Mountain Ridge High School in Frostburg, MD, sponsored by The Children's Literature Centre of FSU - For schedule and registration, visit their website at http://www.frostburg.edu/projects/clc/litfest.htm Please support our fellow members, be inspired by invited authors and illustrators, and learn about books and strategies we can use for more effective reading and writing instruction.

April/May 2010
Illustrator School Visit and Young Authors Contest Recognition

These shirts have an awesome logo that plays off a popular technology trend and adds a literacy twist. Check out the small book with the word "iRead" below it! We are selling short-sleeved polos, long-sleeved polos, and long-sleeved button-down twill shirts in both women's cut and unisex sizes. See the attachment for ordering details. Deadline for orders is March 22, 2010. Make checks payable to Howard County Reading Council. Send your order form and check to Lisa Faust. Mail to: Ellicott Mills Middle School Attention: Lisa Faust 4445 Montgomery Road Ellicott City, MD 21043. Questions?…Contact Lisa Faust at Lisa_Faust@hcpss.org or (410) 313-2839. We will arrange delivery to all Maryland counties through your Reading Council president.

Order Form can be found on Howard County page of Council Directory.

Emily Kissner, author of Heinemann texts, Summarizing, Paraphrasing, and Retelling and The Forest AND the Trees, will be coming to Westminster Elementary on Mar. 2, 2010. After light fare from Salsaritas, she will share her expertise on Summarizing and Paraphrasing Non-fiction. Join us! See attached invitation to RSVP! Arrival and Salsarita's Taco Bar: 5:00-6:00 PM Speaker Presentation: 6:00-7:15 PM Book Purchase: 7:15-7:30 PM

Ready to learn about the 3 "R's?" Relaxation, Refreshment,and Renewal! Harford County and Cecil County councils will co-host a Winter Workshop on Saturday, March 6th, 2010 (Snow date March 13th) with a theme of "A Literacy Potpourri: Relaxation for the Body and Mind!" We will have a continental breakfast,a keynote speaker, breakout sessions, vendors and more! Look for a flyer with more information SOON! Mark the date and plan to join us for our version of a mini SoMIRAC conference! You'll be glad you did!

Go back in time to the dawn of the Civil Rights Era as we read Kathryn Stockett's best-seller The Help. We will meet at Bill Bateman's Bistro in Severna Park at 4:30. Appetizers are on the council, but drinks are on your own. See attached for more information.

SoMIRAC's 3-day annual reading conference "Literacy: The Gift We Share" will be held at the Hunt Valley Marriott on April 14-16. 2010. Nationally recognized speakers and children's authors as well as presentations by classroom teachers and school administrators make up the engaging sessions for all 3 days. Click on the "Conference" button at the top of this website's homepage to register and see the list of speakers. Speakers: Jeffrey Wilhelm, Reggie Routman, Tim Rasinski, Debbie Miller, Debbie Clement, Barb Langridge, Irene Fountas, Nell Duke, Peter Afflerbach, John Guthrie, Linda Gambrell, Taffy Raphael, Nancy Grasmick. Authors: Nancy Carlson, T.A.Barron, Ted and Betsy Lewin, Pam Munoz Ryan, Priscilla Cummings, Arnold Adoff, Jaime Adoff, Kacy Cook, Avi, L.M. Elliott, Gail Carson Levine, Richard Peck, Sarah Weeks, Jackie Urbanovic, Mary Downing Hahn, Charles R. Smith Jr., Fred Bowen, Dan Gutman.

Janet Allen speaks about the importance of good vocabulary instruction for all ages. Presented by Howard County Reading Council, Prince George's Reading Council, and Montgomery County Reading Councils. More information to come soon! Mark your calendars now!