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Fall 2014
Editor: Regina Mardex
THE BARC NEWSLETTER
Binghamton Area Reading Council
Of The International Reading Association
Member of the New York State Reading Association
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Fall Dinner Presenter
Author M. D. Payne Talks About
Dear BARC Members and Friends,
SCARE TACTICS:
Using Horror, Gross-out and Humor
to Get Kids Reading
The Binghamton Area Reading Council is
growing and remains one of the
strongest local reading councils in New York
State! This year our co vice-presidents,
Talitha Johnston and Jennifer Bittler, have
worked hard to put together some
wonderful events for us.
A young M. D. Payne began reading kiddy
horror favorites such as Bunnicula and Scary
Stories to Tell in the Dark, but quickly moved on
to Gothic classics like Dracula and
Frankenstein before devouring the Stephen
King canon by the end of middle school. In his
keynote, Payne will talk about his unusual
reading history and how it informed the
wacky but accessible writing style found in his
Monster Juice series. Payne will also discuss the
influence early writing experiences,
favorite teachers, his work on “Behind the
Screams” features for R.L. Stine’s Goosebumps
series, pop culture (most notably Ren and
Stimpy) and his role as Director of
Communications at the progressive City and
Country Schools have all had on
creating books that draw in kids
who did not even think they
liked reading.
We will start the year off by laughing with
author Matthew Payne and his “gross” but
interesting stories. We will then work with
Sandra Athans, a NY Council of Social
Studies Teacher of the Year who is also a
children’s author, at our annual Souper
Supper. To finish the year off, BARC
presents a man famous enough to use only
one name… AVI!
I hope you will be able to join us to learn
more about these presenters and their work
as well as enjoy the company your
colleagues. The Binghamton Area
Reading Council continues to be
committed to bringing you high quality
professional development that celebrates
the joys of literacy! Please visit us on
Facebook and at our BARC Website
http://barcny.weebly.com/index.html
to find out more about our
events and service projects.
Talitha Johnson
INSIDE THIS ISSUE
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Sincerely,
Pat Follette BARC President
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Little Free Libraries
Books for Babies and Books for Kids
Professional Development Funding
Calendar of Events
Professional Development & Scholarship
Application
Whitney Point Teacher, Linda Dewey, Brings
LITTLE FREE LIBRARIES to Her Community
With a Lot of Help From Her Friends
and a BARC Grant
“It’s always a gift;
never for sale.” This
quote is the central
idea behind the Little
Free Library
movement where
children and adults
are able to obtain
high quality books.
This type of library
Lisle Pool
is about building and
Lisle, New York
promoting the “Take
a book; leave a book” method and is a
structure that fits in a very small area such
as a yard or by the side of the road.
Exchange.” The idea has spread
worldwide.
To instill the love of reading and
provide access to good books on a 24/7
basis, Advanced Technology and other
volunteer middle school students at the
TRA in Whitney Point designed, built,
painted, and decorated five little
libraries through funding obtained from
BARC. To date, three have been installed
and stocked with books.
The overall mission behind the Little Free
Libraries, www.littlefreelibrary.org, is “to
promote literacy and the love of
reading by building free book
exchanges worldwide” and “to build a
sense of community as we share skills,
creativity, and wisdom across
generations.”
Todd Bol of Hudson, Wisconsin
devised the idea “to remember his mother,
a teacher who had loved books and
encouraged people to read.” He
constructed a waterproof box that looked
like a miniature one room school house
and filled it with books. He placed it on a
post outside of his home with a sign
underneath it that stated, “Free Book
WP Technology teacher, Rich Kratz, puts
finishing touches on Little Library outside
TRA Middle School, Whitney Point, NY
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The first is located near the pool in Lisle
that is in memory of Doris Lamb, former
local librarian; a second has been placed
in front of St. Patrick’s Church in memory
of Stanley Pogorzelski who constructed
many buildings in the Whitney Point area,
and the most recent is in front of the TRA.
Each was designed with a theme.
additional libraries that are near
completion. One will be located at the
legion hall in memory of David Driscoll,
another in front of the Broome County
Fairgrounds in memory of Chuck Franklin,
and the third at the Caryl E. Adams
Elementary School. Prior to the end of the
year, two additional libraries were also
built. They already have stewards waiting
for their completion and still need to be
painted and themed before they will be
ready for placement.
The Little Library in Lisle was the
first to be installed and according to
a student who visited recently, the
mechanical counter showed substantial
action. Each has a steward who is
responsible for the care of the library and
checking to make sure that it is stocked
with quality books.
Since the libraries are monitored not only
by stewards, but also students and
community members, it has been observed
that the little libraries are becoming a
gathering place for the love of literature.
With an additional five hundred
dollar donation from the TRA Student
Council last year, the purchase of a vast
number of books was made at the
Penguin Publishing Company sale in
November. As a result, when the first
little library had its grand opening, it was
stocked with brand new books.
“Books are the quietest and most constant
friends. They are the most accessible and
wisest of counselors, and the most patient
of teachers.”Charles William Eliot
Linda Dewey
As the news has been spreading,
community members have donated a
huge number of books. In fact, the
steward for the Lisle Little Free
Library found a bag of books waiting
for her when she went to work at a
local store, one day.
After school, students volunteer to stamp
and label the books with the official Little
Free Library logo, and create free
bookmarks. They have even begun to
read and write critiques of some of the
books which they glue to the inside cover.
Three more Little Libraries are
under construction at TRA.
This is only the beginning. There are three
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Books for Babies and Books for Kids are the
service projects sponsored by BARC.
The Books for Babies Project is connected with the DePaul Clinic at
Lourdes. BARC purchases books and then we, in turn, pass those books on to
families with new babies so that the gift of reading can begin at a very early
age! We place the books in gift bags and provide a bookmark and a pamphlet
that emphasize the importance of early literacy. Last year, we gave over 120
books to families in the community.
Books for Kids was started four years ago in an effort to provide books to
older children in our community. We chose to support Mom’s House and
Danielle House. Attendees at our BARC special events can purchase a small book
for $3.00 and a larger book for $5.00. BARC then donates the book to either
Mom's House or Danielle House. Book plates are available so the
organizations know who the books are from. Over 40 books were given to these
two agencies, last year.
Please stop at our booth at the Fall Dinner and support Books for Babies and
Books for Kids through our raffle and book purchases. We look forward to seeing
you!
Pam Brodsky
Books for Babies
Books for Kids
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BARC HAS MONEY FOR
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT!
BARC members can receive professional
development scholarships of up to $500.00 to:

cover a portion of the cost of the annual NYSRA conference.

sponsor a speaker or group of speakers such as a Teacher Center
workshop (ex: on an in-service day) in which many teachers will benefit.

cover a portion of the cost of an approved literacy conference.

cover the cost of an undergraduate or graduate level literacy course to be
taken within 12 months after being awarded a scholarship.

purchase professional development periodicals, text or website
subscriptions.
Applications must be postmarked Friday, April 4, 2015 . Money will be
awarded after completion of the conference, workshop, course or speaker.
See page 7 of this newsletter for an application. For more information,
contact Regina Mardex: [email protected]
SAVE THESES DATES IN YOUR DATE BOOK:



BARC Fall Dinner Thursday, October 30, 2014 with
Children’s Book Author Matthew Payne
Twitter at: @TheRealMDPayne
BARC Annual Souper Supper Thursday, March 12, 2015 with
Teacher, Literacy Consultant & Children’s Book Author Sandra Athans
www.sandraathans.com
BARC Spring Dinner Wednesday May 13, 2015 with Award Winning
Children’s Book Author Avi
www.avi.writer.com
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BARC
Executive
Council
2013—2014
ADD THE BARC WEBSITE
TO YOUR FAVORITES, AND
YOU WON’T MISS AN
EVENT EVER AGAIN!
www.barcny.weebly.com.
It’s the easiest way to find
Membership and
Professional Development
Applications,
Important Dates,
Photo Gallery,
And More!
President…………......Patricia Follette
Co-Vice Presidents......Jennifer Bittler
Talitha Johnston
Treasurer…………...Nadine Ferguson
Corresponding Secretary &
Media/Historian………….Kristie Miner
Recording Secretary…….Linda Pinter
Professional Development &
Newsletter:……………Regina Mardex
Books for Babies
Books for Kids……... Pamela Brodsky
Donna Murray
Membership……...Laura Beth Farwell
Members at Large………...Mary Allen
Molly Babcock
Theresa Cialone
The BARC Executive Council would
like to send out a “Thank you,” to all
district and building representatives for distributing membership,
event information and collecting
monies.
Questions or
concerns
regarding
BARC or the
newsletter,
please
e-mail Regina Mardex at:
[email protected].
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BINGHAMTON AREA READING COUNCIL
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT & SCHOLARSHIP GRANT APPLICATION
Name of Applicant________________________________________________
Home Address___________________________________________________
Home Telephone____________________ Home E-Mail___________________
Work Address___________________________________________________
Work Telephone____________________ Work E-Mail___________________
What is the best time to reach you?__________________________________
____ Check here if you have received preliminary approval from your building
administrator. Your building administrator’s signature may be required prior to final
approval or disbursement of funds.
Please check your purpose for applying for this scholarship money (up to $500):
To cover a portion of the cost of the annual NYSRA conference.
To sponsor a speaker or group of speakers such as a Teacher Center workshop
(ex: on an in-service day) in which many teachers will benefit.
To cover a portion of the cost of an approved literacy conference.
To cover the cost of an undergraduate or graduate level literacy course to be
taken within 12 months after being awarded a scholarship.
Other____________________________________________
On a separate sheet of paper, give as many details as possible explaining your need for
this money. Please type.
The following are requirements for your application to be considered:



Current BARC membership
Completed scholarship application form
Copies of brochures, pamphlets, course listings, speaker biography, or any
related material describing the conference, workshop, course or speaker.
Application must be postmarked Friday, April 4, 2015. Money will be awarded
after completion of the conference, workshop, course or speaker.
**PLEASE NOTE: Special circumstances regarding the disbursement of funds need to
be communicated to the Executive Council of the Binghamton Area Reading Council.
RETURN COMPLETED FORM TO: Regina Mardex, Caryl E. Adams Primary School, 24
Kiebel Road, Whitney Point, NY 13862. Any further questions, email us at:
[email protected].
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