Take advantage of this networking opportunity and attend your local council activities! Share your expertise with other members in your area.

 January

January 5, 2020:  Two Rivers Reading Council will host The Wild Card Book Club.  This will be an online format book club.  Cost is the purchase price of the book.

January 12, 2020:  Southern Illinois Reading Council will host a Twitter Chat on Reading Resolutions from 8:00 - 8:30 pm online.

January 13, 2020: South Suburban Reading Council will host GiGi's Playhouse at 4:00 pm in Tinley Park, Illinois. This is an open seminar to share books and programs for children with special needs.

January 14, 2020:  Central Illinois Reading Council will host To Student Engagement and Beyond from 6:00 to 8:00 pm at Bella Milano, 4525 Wabash Avenue, Springfield, Illinois.

January 15, 2020:  National Road Reading Council will host Membership Perks-Grants and Awards at 4:00 pm on a Facebook Live Event. 

January 21, 2020:  MID-State Reading Council will host a Book Study on Gamechanger by Colby Sharp and Donalynn Miller at 4:30 pm at Gill Street Sports Bar, 3002B Gill Street, Bloomington, Illinois.  The fee is simply the cost of the book. A board meeting will be held following the book study at 5:30 pm. For more information, please see the detailed plans for the Book Study.

January 22, 2020:  IRC will sponsor the Wired Wednesday Webinar with Cornelius Minor on How to Listen to What Students Are Really Communicating.  IRC will be offering the 2019-2020 Webinars Series for members only.  Each webinar begins at 7:00 p.m. Members who watch the live or recorded webinar can earn one PD clock hour.  Current members will receive the webinar registration link by email each month.  If you are not a current member, join online and email the IRC Office for webinar link.

January 24-25, 2020:  Central Illinois Reading Council will host the 1/2 Price Book Sale at the Capital Area Career Center, 2201 Toronto Road, Springfield, Illinois.  The sale will run from 4:00 - 7:00 pm on Friday and from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm on Saturday.

January 25, 2020: Suburban Council of IRA (SCIRA) will host a Winter Conference with Maria Nichols from 8:30 am to 12:30 pm at Chippewa Middle School, 123 N 8^th Ave, Des Plaines, Illinois.

January 28, 2020: Prairie Area Reading Council will host a Book Gossip with Kathleen March from 5:45 – 8:00 pm at Anderson’s Bookshop, 5112 Main St, Downers Grove, Illinois. Cost is free for members and $45 for nonmembers, which includes membership.

January 29, 2020: Starved Rock Reading Council will host Implementing March Book Madness from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at JJ's Pub, 104 W Main Street, Ottawa, Illinois for a night of books and basketball.  You will learn how to implement the Tournament of Books in your classroom!  Watch Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter for more information.  Follow @Starvedrockrc  More details will follow.

February

February 1, 2020: IRC Committee Chairs - Submit chair reports to the IRC Office.

February 1, 2020: Lake Area Reading Council will host Speed-Dating Book Talks with the Illinois Reads Books from 9:00 - 11:00 am at Lake Zurich District Administration Center, 832 S. Rand Road, Lake Zurich, Illinois.

February 1, 2020:  National Road Reading Council will host National Read Aloud Day at 10:00 am at Effingham Public Library, 200 N. 3rd Street, Effingham, Illinois.

February 1, 2020:  MID-State Reading Council is accepting applications for the Carol Berry Memorial Literacy Grant.

February 1, 2020:  West Suburban Reading Council will host Strategies for ELs featuring Linda Farruggia and Kari Harris from 8:00 am to 12:00 pm at Concordia University Chicago, Koehneke Community Center, Oak Part Room 2nd Floor, 7400 Augusta Street, River Forest, Illinois.

February 1, 2020:  Will County Reading Council will host Bowling for Books from 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm at Strike N Spare II, 811 Northern Drive, Lockport, Illinois.  This event will promote reading in high needs area from donations of gently used and new books for children.  Children under 12 will bowl free with a donation of a new book.  See the event flyer for more registration information.

February 5, 2020:  IRC will sponsor the Wired Wednesday Webinar with Becky Anderson on Discovering the 2020 Illinois Reads Books.  IRC will be offering the 2019-2020 Webinars Series for members only.  Each webinar begins at 7:00 p.m. Members who watch the live or recorded webinar can earn one PD clock hour.  Current members will receive the webinar registration link by email each month.  If you are not a current member, join online and email the IRC Office for webinar link.

February 6, 2020:  MID-State Reading Council will host Teacher Trivia at 4:00 pm, Gill Street Sports Bar, 3002B Gill Street, Bloomington, Illinois.  Cost is $5.00 per person.

February 7, 2020: IRC Executive Committee Meeting at the IRC Office.

February 8, 2020: IRC Board of Directors Meeting, Radisson Hotel & Conference Center, 8 Traders Circle, Normal, Illinois.  For more information, please contact the IRC Office by email or by phone at 1-888-454-1341.

February 11, 2020:  MID-State Reading Council will host a Book Study on Gamechanger by Colby Sharp and Donalynn Miller at 4:30 pm at Gill Street Sports Bar, 3002B Gill Street, Bloomington, Illinois.  The fee is simply the cost of the book. A board meeting will be held following the book study at 5:30 pm.

February 11, 2020:  Southern Illinois Reading Council will host Picture Book Palooza from 5:30 - 7:30 pm at Mackie's Pizza, 2704 Walton Way, Marion, Illinois. A board meeting will be held following the event at 7:30 pm. For more information, please see the detailed plans for the Book Study.

February 13, 2020: Illini Reading Council and Vermilion Valley Reading Council will co-host Maslow Meet Bloom: Bridging SEL Needs and Literacy Standards from 5:00 – 7:00 pm at Edison Middle School, 306 W Green St, Champaign, Illinois. Cost is $10 for members and $15 for nonmembers.

February 15, 2020:  Western Illinois Reading Council will host Developing A Love of Literacy from 10:00 am to 12:30 pm at Western Illinois University, Horrabin Hall, 1 University Circle, Macomb, Illinois.

February 22, 2020: Chicago Area Reading Association (CARA) will host ABCs of Social Emotional Learning with Linda Pincham from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm at the Chicago Literacy Alliance, 641 W Lake St #200, Chicago, Illinois.

February 26, 2020:  Macon County Reading Council will host Guided Drama by Drama Donna from from 4:00 - 6:00 pm at Decatur Public Library, 130 N. Franklin Street, Decatur, Illinois.

February 27, 2020: Secondary Reading League (SRL)will host the Roundtable Booktalk at the Lake Villa Library, 140 N. Munn Rd, Lindenhurst, Illinois.

February 28, 2020: Fox Valley Reading Council will host Beat the Winter Blues with Our Literature & Art Paint Night with Pat Braun & Marianne Stremsterfer from 4:00 – 8:00 pm at Old Towne Pub, 201 W. State Street, Geneva, Illinois.

February 29, 2020:  East Central-EIU Reading Council and National Road Reading Councill will host the Leap into Literacy and Learning Conference featuring Barb Rosenstock from 8:15 am to 12:20 pm at Eastern Illinois University, Buzzard Auditorium, 1920 9th Street, Charleston, Illinois.

March

March 1, 2020: IRC Program Proposals for IRC Conference due to IRC Office.

March 1, 2020: IRC Nomination for IRC Vice President & Tresurer due to Priscilla Dwyer, Nominating Chair.

March 1, 2020: IRC deadline for submitting information for the Summer IRC Communicator. Please send your information to the IRC Office.

March 1, 2020: IRC nominations for Hall of Fame Award and IRC Service Award are due.

March 1, 2020: IRC applications for Barack Obama Library Award are due.

March 1, 2020: IRC deadline for Family Literacy Award and R.E.A.D. Grant applications. 

March 1, 2020: IRC deadline for Jerry Johns Reading Educator of the Year Award application. 

March 1, 2020: IRC deadline for Pamela J. Farris Rural Library Award application.

March 1, 2020: IRC deadline for Taglieri Boys Classroom Library Award application.

March 1, 2020:  Illinois Council for Affective Reading Education (ICARE) and IRC are accepting submissions for the Static Stick Decal Design Contest.  Students in grade 4, 5, and 6 are encouraged to create an original design promoting reading.  The winning design is printed on static stick decals.

March 1, 2020:  Illinois Council for Affective Reading Education (ICARE) is accepting nominations for the Gene Cramer ICARE for Reading Award to honor an outstanding educator who shows concern for the affective domain of reading and who strives to promote lifelong reading habits among students.  The award will be given at the annual IRC conference.

March 1, 2020: ILA Celebrate Literacy Award verifications are due.

March 4, 2020:  IRC will sponsor the Wired Wednesday Webinar with Maria Walther on A Workshop Where Innovation & Imagination Intersect.  IRC will be offering the 2019-2020 Webinars Series for members only.  Each webinar begins at 7:00 p.m. Members who watch the live or recorded webinar can earn one PD clock hour.  Current members will receive the webinar registration link by email each month.  If you are not a current member, join online and email the IRC Office for webinar link.