Shelly, the office manager at Choice Literacy, is an American Idol fanatic. You can imagine her delight this week when she won an all-expenses paid trip to a concert 200 miles away in a local radio contest.

Actually, you don't have to imagine it if you live in this area of Maine. The station has been replaying her "happiness meltdown" on a continuous loop the past couple days, and Shelly's been teased by all kinds of friends and neighbors as she's run errands this week at the post office, grocery store, and her kids' school.

It's easy to forget what a large reach local media has in any community. Lots of people still watch the local news, and the most popular sources for local news are still the radio broadcasts listened to during morning and evening commutes. Many of the stories for these reports are pulled directly from hometown newspapers, sometimes read word for word on air.

News releases follow a basic, simple formula - once you master it, you can easily crank out a notice on an upcoming event. We know many of you are in the midst of end-of-year celebrations. If your school year is finished, you may be reflecting on what events might be repeated next year. As you plan to welcome families and community members to your school, don't forget to alert the media. The goodwill from positive notices on local broadcasts and in the newspaper can do a world of good when programs are being cut during lean budget times.

This week, we've got an encore presentation of a feature on publicizing literacy events, plus more as always. And if you're headed to the American Idol concert in Manchester, New Hampshire this summer, please say hi to Shelly. You'll be able to spot her in the crowd - she'll be the most enthusiastic fan.

Brenda Power

Editor, Choice Literacy

www.choiceliteracy.com

Free for All

From the Choice Literacy Archives, "Alert the Media" provides tools and web resources for creating press releases and building media interest in school events. You may want to prepare the "guts" of a few press releases over the summer, so they are ready to roll out throughout the year as your school hosts community celebrations:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/239.cfm

Literacy Coach Jumpstart is our popular one-day summer workshop for literacy coaches. The fast-paced session with Jennifer Allen includes tips on mentoring new teachers, designing study groups, focusing classroom observations, and leading whole staff literacy initiatives. All participants receive a copy of the Layered Coaching DVD for review and use in workshops back home:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/public/383.cfm

For Members Only

Looking for some fun summer reading that you can use next fall in your teaching? Franki Sibberson provides a booklist of "novels in verse" - a newer genre intermediate readers enjoy, especially those who struggle with longer texts:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/609.cfm

Literacy Chats are monthly informal discussions, and a comfortable format for professional learning communities. Pam Hahlen uses focus questions from Debbie Miller to support talk about changes in the reading workshop among K-2 teachers at one of these monthly chat sessions. The feature includes video of a literacy chat:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/610.cfm

Finally, from the Choice Literacy Archives, "What Are the 7 Reading Strategies?" is a helpful article to share with parents and education aides if you are looking for a concise summary of the most commonly taught strategies:

http://www.choiceliteracy.com/members/144.cfm

That's all for this week!