NTCTELA Fall 2023 Newsletter
Quarter 3
Welcome Back NTCTELA Members!
Board Member Spotlights
Molly Adams - President
Gretchen Bernabei - Teacher of Excellence Awards Chair
Vice President of Membership Vote
After our conference, a vacancy has prompted us to open up another position for election -- Vice President of Membership. In order to preserve continuity on our board, current board members have agreed to serve one additional term or two, which we voted on at the conference in June 2023. By next summer 2024, we will be able to open back up more positions for members to serve. To fill this vacancy we opened up the applications for this position. We would like to propose this candidate to you as members to vote. Please vote to approve (or not) our Vice President of Membership candidate, Heather Fletes. She is running for this position unopposed for the 2023-2024 year. To learn more about Heather, you can find her bio here and here. Heather also serves as the current Elementary Section Chair for TCTELA.
ALL VOTES MUST BE SUBMITTED BY OCTOBER 6, 2023.
NTCTELA Mid-Year STAAR ECR Professional Development Opportunity
We have a solution! NTCTELA is happy to announce our first ever mid-year professional learning opportunity! As a follow up to our conference learning this summer, our friend and new board member Gretchen Bernabei is going to help us launch into a “stellar” testing season with: “How to Write a Stellar STAAR Essay Using the Voices You Already Have in Your Head.” This unique 3-hour workshop will be virtual and will help us “listen in” to the amazing and creative voices “we already have in our heads” (what?!!) to develop an insightful, well-developed STAAR essay…that hopefully gets students 10’s! We know that test scores, ECRs, and the changes to STAAR are frustrating, ever-changing, and full of moving targets. Gretchen has some great ideas to share that help us ignite and unlock the skills our students already have in new ways, and she’s definitely into helping us put all of those “voices” to good use!
Join us October 28, 2023, from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm for some incredible learning with Gretchen as our keynote, some legislative updates, and some unique breakout session options that target both literacy leadership (coordinators/directors/coaches/administrators) and literacy educators (all grade level instructors, teachers, etc.). The cost of this 3-hour, virtual workshop is $50 for all participants. However, NTCTELA current members (received membership by attending the conference in June 2023) are invited to a special Q&A session, one-on-one with Gretchen, after the main workshop, from 12-1 for a “Lunch and Learn” – which is sure to be full of collaboration and laughter.
Can’t join us Oct. 28 because of soccer games or other life events??? No problem! All sessions will be recorded and made available on our website after the event concludes, where you can receive a unique code to access it once your registration is complete. Check out our flyer below! Please register asap to secure your spot and/or access to the recording after by visiting the link here!
Advocacy Updates
NTCTELA Conference 2024
Extra Early Bird Registration - $100 from now thru 10/6/2023
Early Bird Registration - $125 from 10/7 - 11/30/2023
Regular Registration - $150 from 12/1/2023 - 4/30/2024
Late Registration Pricing - $175 from 5/1 - 5/24/2023 (after 5/24/2023, we will not be able to provide you with a meal at the conference but you can register at the door)
NEW THIS YEAR: Student/Pre-Service Teacher Registration (must register with student university email OR verification of your alternative/other certification program enrollment) - $50 from now until 6/7/2024 (conference day)
For all who register for the conference, at any rate, your membership in NTCTELA is updated/renewed for the 2024-2025 year. Other registration links will open after 9/30/2023, so check back to our website for more details. All payment can be completed via Square online or mailing a paper check (details will be sent to you on an invoice provided after you register).
Professional Reads
From the Reading Library of an NTCTELA Board Member
Stand Your Ground by Victoria Christopher Murray
The First Ladies by Victoria Christopher Murray
The Air Raid Book Club by Annie Lyons
“ It’s so much more than a book shop, Miss Bingham”, said Miss Smith reproachfully. “It is a precious treasure trove of knowledge and imagination. “Books have the power to change the very course of history, and they will help us win this war, you mark my words.” (Christie Lambert - NTCTELA: Past President)
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
I always enjoy a story that helps me to empathize with a life that is different from my own. The characters in this book delivered a new perspective and I became engrossed with people as they go through serious struggles and fight off demons. There is a reason that this book has gotten so much publicity and every page is worth it! (Christie Lambert - NTCTELA: Past President)
Local Event: Dallas Spotlight
If you’d like to spotlight author events or the arts in your communities, send us a blurb and links to post in next month’s newsletter at ntctela.tx@gmail.com
NTCTELA Mini-Blogs
Would you like to see certain topics appear in the mini-blogs? Send us your ideas via social media or email us at ntctela.tx@gmail.com.
Instagram: @NTCTELA
X (formerly Twitter): @NTCTELA
Website: www.ntctela.org
Email: ntctela.tx@gmail.com