Staff Update: Literary Events and Professional Development

There are many literary things going on lately! Below are a few for you to explore and/or share with students:

• GUHSD’s 2021 Summer Reading Program Interest and Pet Photo Crowdsourcing Form (bit.ly/unleashyourpix)

• April 2021 Calendar: Novels in Verse for National Poetry Month (bit.ly/apr21cal) 

• YALLWEST Young Adult & Middle Grade FREE Virtual Book Festival - Saturday, April 24, 2021 (yallwest.com)

• Audiobook SYNC 2021 Free Audiobooks for Teens Summer Program - Starting April 29th (bit.ly/syncbooks)

And, here are a few more aimed specifically at teachers:

• Why Not YA?: 5 Starting Points for Exploring Young Adult (YA) Literature (bit.ly/rst-ya)

• Kylene Beers & Bob Probst on Forged by Reading: the Power of a Literate Life (Free SDCOE virtual event) - Thursday, April 29th, 3-5 pm

• Indigenous Voices: Authentic Children’s Literature in the Classroom and Library (Free SDCOE virtual conference) - Tuesday, May 25th & Wednesday, May 26th, 12 - 3:30 pm

• Robert Bitner on LGBTQ Literature for Youth (Free SDCOE virtual event) - Monday, May 10th, 3:30-4:30 pm

Staff Update: March Calendar and Inkwell Submissions

March 2021 Calendar: New Beginnings (bit.ly/mar21cal)

With Level 3 starting and Quarter 3 ending, March will be a time of change and new beginnings. This month’s calendar has reminders and links to resources to help students (and teachers) keep track of all that is happening.

Student Submissions Due 3/12/21 for Inkwell, WHHS’s Literary-Art Magazine (bit.ly/submitinkwell2021)

Please help us encourage your students to submit their original writing and/or artwork to be considered for publication in this year’s Inkwell. It could be something that they created in your class or for fun. If they have any questions, they may email ssannwald@gmail.com.

Staff Update: January & February Calendars and Historically Responsive Literacy

February 2021 Calendar: #ReadingBlackout (bit.ly/feb21cal)

To help celebrate African American / Black History Month, this month’s library calendar features books written by Black authors. Each title is hyperlinked to our online library catalog, which students and staff are always welcome to browse and use to request items for checkout.

January 2021 Calendar: GUHSD Resources (bit.ly/jan21cal)

Even though January's ending, I don't think I shared it via Wolf Pack Weekly and so the content itself may be of interest to you if you never saw it. Each day highlights a different GUHSD-specific resource that is available for students. I'm happy to help students with any of these!

Approaching Black History Month (and Beyond) with Historically Responsive Literacy (bit.ly/rst-cultivate)

Inspired by the recent SDCOE Equity Conference 2021 and guest speaker Dr. Gholdy Muhammad, check out a quick introduction to the pedagogical approach of historically responsive literacy and how this is an interesting way we may consider the curriculum and instruction choices we make.