NEreads.org

Message from the President

Welcome to the Nebraska State Reading Association (NSRA) website. The mission of the NSRA is to lead in the promotion of literacy in the state of Nebraska through collaboration, advocacy and professional development. We work to achieve this mission by sharing current research and practices through communication, conferences, and publications, and actively encourage self-motivated, lifelong readers. We are a non-profit organization with a membership of over 800 classroom and pre-service teachers, reading coaches and specialists, librarians, administrators, and university instructors. Our membership is open to any individual interested in improving the literacy of the Nebraska population.

NSRA is a Council of the International Reading Association. Within the state of Nebraska, there are eleven local councils working at supporting our mission and goals. When joining one of the local councils, you automatically become a member of NSRA. Membership includes a tri-annual newsletter, The Reader; reduced rates to attend our annual conference; and staff development opportunities to enhance literacy leadership.

Our annual state conference provides the highest quality professional development opportunity for educators in the state of Nebraska. Members can apply for scholarships, and local councils are eligible to apply for grants. We take pride in recognizing the accomplishments of individuals, councils, and outstanding reading programs throughout the state via awards and monetary compensations. Additional awards, grants, and recognitions are given to special interest groups, businesses, and agencies who also promote reading literacy.

You are invited to utilize our website to gain a better understanding of NSRA and all we have to offer. Membership, state conference, awards, scholarships, contact information, networking opportunities, and much more are available for your convenience. We appreciate your interest and look forward to welcoming you as a member of our organization.

Respectfully,

Dennis D. Dubry
NSRA President
President@nereads.org

Mission Statement

The mission of the Nebraska State Reading Association is to lead in the promotion of literacy in the state of Nebraska through collaboration, advocacy and professional development.

2011-2012 Goals

1. Continue collaboration with a wide range of different audiences and professional groups to enhance the visibility, influence, and viability of NSRA.

2. Foster local councils to become more vibrant and to insure accountability to the Nebraska State Reading Association and International Reading Association.

3. Connect to and through NSRA with other curriculum areas (technology, arts, social studies, science, and math).

Strategies

1. Maintain and expand our contact with other educational organizations to build partnerships with the Nebraska State Reading Association via the NSRA website, through publications, and by attending local events, conferences, and literacy activities across the state.

2. Share the impacts of current and potential legislation and regulations on literacy education in Nebraska and nationally with key decision makers.

3. Provide local councils with tools and resources to do a self assessment to identify their strengths and needs.

4. Assist local councils in maintaining and increasing active members, to be vibrant within their organizations, to be mindful of responsibilities when due, and in attending scheduled meetings.

5. Emphasize the importance of cross-curricular connections to expand literacy for all students with the use of technology and other resources.

Tasks/Action Steps
1. Continue and expand our collaboration with other educational audiences and professional organizations.

NSRA’s website will continue to expand as a means of communication, and will provide information about partner organization events, conferences, etc.
NSRA will continue to identify and work with organizations sharing similar interests (Early Childhood, Kindergarten Conference, NCTE, NAASP, Nebraska School Board Association, NE Dyslexia Association, etc.)

2. Communicate with Nebraska State Board of Education members, Nebraska Department of Education personnel, legislators and other key decision makers regarding current and potential issues that affect literacy education in Nebraska.

NSRA will continue sending the Nebraska Reader to state legislators, Nebraska State Board of Education members, and other key decision makers.
NSRA will continue communicating with IRA Council Development Manager, Rayann Mitchell, and Nebraska State Department of Education Reading and Writing Director, Trisha Parker.
Nebraska State Reading Councils are encouraged to contact key decision makers (local board of education members, parent group leaders, special interest groups, media, etc.) and invite them to literacy events and share information with them regarding literacy issues.

3. Provide tools for local councils to do a self assessment to identify their strengths and needs.

Each council will identify their strengths and areas of need at Summer Leadership.
Each council will develop future programming aligned with the NSRA mission statement.

4. Help local councils become more vibrant and insure accountability to the NSRA and IRA.

NSRA will continue to remind local council officers of their duties and responsibilities.
Strategies will be developed to maintain and increase council memberships with a mixed population (students, new teachers, experienced professionals from all levels, and retirees).
The Nebraska Reader will provide information to all members on current trends, legislative information, council activities, and opportunities for professional development.
NSRA will encourage and promote attendance at scheduled meetings.

5. Connect to and through NSRA in other curriculum areas with the use of technology and other resources.

Continue our annual conference, which provides attendees with opportunities to expand their professional skills, network with other professionals, and examine curriculum materials.
Connect with other areas by inviting speakers in the areas of the arts, technology, math, social studies, and science.
Help all students become self-motivated, lifelong readers by helping them find resources that interest them.

NSRA Board Members

Board Meetings: July 20, 2011 October 22, 2011 February 23, 2012 April 21, 2012
2011-2012 NSRA State Officers
	President	Dennis Dubry	President@nereads.org
	President-Elect	Cindy Johnson	PresidentElect@nereads.org
	Vice President	Colette Sorensen	VicePresident@nereads.org
	Secretary	Linda Dubry	Secretary@nereads.org
	Treasurer	Kristin Ganoung	Treasurer@nereads.org
	Membership Director	Melody Trent	Membership@nereads.org
	Past President	Linda Placzek	PastPresident@nereads.org
	Co-IRA Coordinator	Shirley Snyder	Coordinator1@nereads.org
	Co-IRA Coordinator	Laurie Schmidt	Coordinator2@nereads.org
	IRA Professional Development Associate	Rayann Mitchell	rmitchell@reading.org

State Districts and Directors
District	Council	Contact	E-mail
Central	Central Mid-Nebraska	Linda Dahlstrom	DirectorC@nereads.org

Northeast	East Central Niobrara Northeast	Mary Lou Benesch	DirectorNE@nereads.org

Southeast	Apple Valley Eastern Metropolitian	Judy Crawford	DirectorSE@nereads.org

Southwest	Sandhills Southwest	Claudette Wielechowski	DirectorSW@nereads.org

West	Ne-Kota Way West	Laurie Schmidt	DirectorW@nereads.org

Committee Structure

Membership – Development
Co Chairs-
Melody Trent
Tiffany Tarvestad

Responsibilities:
Coordinate activities involving membership and development of state organization and local councils
Membership- Melody Trent
Nominating- Colette Sorensen
Student Membership- Julie Agard & Melody Trent

Professional Studies
Co-Chairs-
Sally Hutt
Janet Larson

Responsibilities:
Coordinate research, current trends and legislative activities for the state organization
Research- Janet Larson
Legislative/Gov’t Relations- Sally Hutt
Intellectual Freedom- Nancy Comer
Newspapers in Education- Barb Kudera

Publicity – Communication
Co-Chairs-
Gail Hayes
Julie Kozisek

Responsibilities:
Coordinate all publicity and communication activities for the state organization
Publicity- Gail Hayes
Publications- Christina Simants
Historian- Peggy Marshall
Webmaster- Tiffany Tarvestad
Liaison to NE State Dept. of ED – Tricia Parker

Conference – Program Co-Chairs- Cindy Johnson Colette Sorensen	Responsibilities: Coordinate all activities revolving around the state conference Registrar- Tiffany Tarvestad, Program Chair- Julie Agard Program Schedule- Julie Kozisek Exhibits- Tommy Hansen
Finance Chair Kristin Ganoung	Responsibilities: Coordinate all financial matters for the state organization Budgeting- Kristin Ganoung, Tiffany Tarvestad Bonding- Tiffany Tarvestad
Projects Chair Shirley Snyder Linda Placzek Karen Heafer	Responsibilities: Coordinate all special projects and awards, and grants for the state organization Scholarships- Deanna Pokorny International Projects- Shirley Snyder Sponsorships- Kathy Spotanski Honor Council- Shirley Snyder, Laurie Schmidt Awards-Marla Jones, Betsy Gomez, Julie Agard Parents and Reading- Lynn Olson Reading Classic- Sylvia Yoder Community Literacy Grant- Pat Baker Professional Development Grant- Hannah Walters Membership Grant – Terry Osborn

Bylaws

Download or print a copy of the BYLAWS

Minutes

Download or print a copy of the February 2012 Minutes

Download or print a copy of the October 2011 Minutes

Download or print a copy of the July 2011 Minutes

Budget and Voucher


Current budget linesavailable for download
	Budget lines

Expense voucher available for download Use this form to request reimbursement
	Expense voucher

Reader Guidelines
Contact Christina Simants, Publications@nereads.org

Reader Guidelines

IRA Resources

IRA Management Resources for state and local Council Leaders
http://reading.org/accessFor/CouncilLeaders/CouncilManagement.aspx