Top 10 Hightlights List for 2015-2016

Our Top 10 List highlights the Southwest Virginia Reading Council's most notable accomplishments, contributions, and celebrations for the 2015-2016 year. Click to read.

2016 ILA Award

Virginia State Reading Association (VSRA) was chosen as the recipient of the 2016 International Literacy Association's Most Distinguished Council Award! 

Published on May 14, 2016, this video documents our professional development, community engagement, and public awareness

2016 Storytelling Event

STORYTELLER LIVE !

EXPLORING OUR ROOTS—APPALACHIAN BALLADS AND STORIES

Come join your fellow educators and friends and earn in-service credit while you relax and listen to wonderful stories told by “Granny Sue” Holstein! The SWVRC invites you to come to the Executive Auditorium at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, VA, on March 22, 2016, for a most enjoyable evening. A light dinner will be served, and all you need to do is pre-register! You will receive 1/2 day of in-service credit for attending this event.

COST:
 $25 SWVRC member
 $30 non-member
 $5 discount if registered by 3/15/16 


EVENT SCHEDULE:
4:00-5:00 p.m.—Register
5:00-6:00 p.m.—Susanna,
Session I
6:00-7:00 p.m.—Dinner
Served/Break
7:00-8:30 p.m.—Susanna,
Session II, Door prize drawings

Registration Form

Susanna Holstein lives in Jackson County, WVA. As storyteller “Granny Sue” she performs across West Virginia and out of state, telling stories and singing Appalachian and British
ballads. She is the West Virginia Liaison to the National Storytelling Network, past secretary and founding board member of the West Virginia Storytelling Guild, 2nd Vice President of West Virginia Writers, Inc. and a member of the Appalachian Wordsmiths writing group and several regional storytelling organizations. A published writer, Holstein is a frequent presenter of programs and workshops at conferences, festivals, schools and libraries.
Holstein obtained her BS (Education summa cum laude) in 1991 from WV State College and Master of Library and Information Science from the University of South Carolina in 1995. Holstein writes an online journal, Granny Sue’s News and Reviews, the poetry blog Mountain Poet and a monthly column for the central West Virginia publication Two Lane Livin’. Her work has appeared in two anthologies of stories about Appalachian women as well as in other print and online journals. Her poem Sago was published in 2012 in Fed from the Blade, an anthology of work by West Virginia writers. Her writing interests were sparked when she started a writing group for children in 2000. Her poetry, nonfiction and fiction works have won numerous awards at the WV Writers Annual Conference.


Bring a new or lightly used children's book and receive an extra chance for the door prizes! Books will be donated to "Books for Bearcats", a local summer reading program for elementary students. Suggestions: Junie B. Jones, Wimmy Kid, Magic Tree House, etx.

Please share the event flyer with your colleagues!

Fall Conference 2015

The Southwest Virginia Reading Council will hold its 2015 Fall Conference on Saturday, October 24th at the Southwest VA Higher Education Center. Registration starts at 8:15 a.m. with the conference beginning at 9:00 a.m.and concluding by 1:00 p.m.

Online registration is now open at www.vsra.org The cost of registration is $30 and will provide you with membership in the state association as well as discounts on your registration at the state conference and our Spring Book and Author Dinner.


The schedule for the day is:

Exhibits and Registration:  8:15 - 9:00

Main Session:  9:00 - 10:15

Break and Vendor Visitation:  10:15 - 10:45

Break-Out Session A:  10:45 - 11:40

Break-Out Session B:  11:50 - 12:45

Closing Session, Remarks, & Door Prizes:  12:45 - 1:00

We look forward to seeing you there!

Attention Vendors

We will be having vendors at the Fall Conference.  If you wish to have a table, please fill out the form and send to Debbie Musser.  Her contact information is on the form.

Vendors Registration Form

Fall Conference News

The 40th Annual Southwest Virginia Fall Conference will be held on Saturday, October 4, 2014 at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education Center in Abingdon, Virginia.  The Higher Ed Center is located at Exit 14 off Interstate 81.  Registration will begin at 8:30 AM.

Conference Schedule

8:30-9:00- Coffee & Registration

9:00-10:15- General Session

10:15-10:45-Coffee & Pastries,

Vendor Shopping

10:45-12:40-Sessions I & II

12:40 Receive Certificate of Attendance and Drawings for Door Prizes

$30.00 Registration online. (www.vsra.org) You will attend the conference, become a member of the Virginia State Reading Association and the Southwest Virginia Reading Association, receive a discount on your registration at the state conference and receive a generous discount on the Spring 2015 Book and Author dinner. Additionally you will receive mailings and updates from the state and local councils.   JOIN TODAY!  If your district is paying for your conference registration, direct questions to SWVRC Membership Chairperson, Debbie Musser, dmusser@bvps.org, Treasurer, Beth Marshall, bmarshall@russell.k12.va.us  or SWVRC President, Janie Hull.  jhull@bvps.org 

Fall Reading Conference 2014

Dr. Danny Brassell: Nationally Recognized Speaker, Top-Selling Author, Trainer and Coach will be the featured speaker at the Annual Southwest Virginia Reading Council's Fall Conference.

Dr. Brassell is a professor at California State University.  He has written over fifty journal and newspaper articles and eleven books.  He has worked side by side with Tim Rasinski, Valerie Ellery, Jim Trelease, Stephen Krashen, Lori Oczkus, Nancy Frey, Doug Fisher, and many other contemporary educational experts.  This is a high energy and extremely motivational event for us in Southwest Virginia and we are proud to bring this wonderful speaker to you.  He is consistently the most popular speaker at both national and international conferences.  He believes if you are not laughing, you are not learning!!

 

Conference Schedule

8:30-9:00- Coffee & Registration

9:00-10:15- General Session

10:15-10:45-Coffee & Pastries,

Vendor Shopping

10:45-12:40-Sessions I & II

12:40 Receive Certificate of Attendance and Drawings for Door Prizes

 

REGISTER FOR CONFERENCE-www.vsra.org

Become a member of VSRA & Southwest before September 30 and you are automatically registered for free admission to conference. $30.00

 

JOIN TODAY!  If your district is paying for your conference registration, direct questions to SWVRC Membership Chairperson, Debbie Musser, dmusser@bvps.org, Treasurer, Beth Marshall, bmarshall@russell.k12.va.us  or SWVRC President, Janie Hull.  jhull@bvps.org