Zaharis Literacy Conference

TOMORROW!! We can't wait to see you at the Zaharis Literacy Conference tomorrow from 9am to 3pm!

We can't wait to see you this Saturday, February 23 at 9:00am for the Zaharis Literacy Conference!

We can't wait to see you this Saturday for the Zaharis Literacy Conference!

Find out more about our final Keynote speaker!
Don’t miss out on these amazing sessions on February 25th!

Veronica Miller Jamison is a surface pattern designer and illustrator based outside Philadelphia. She spent nearly a decade in broadcast news before switching gears to embark on a career in illustration and fashion. She currently works full-time as a print designer for Lilly Pulitzer.

As a kid, Veronica was obsessed with fashion, dance, crafting and drawing, and grew up immersed in the stories of her family’s history in the south and Caribbean. Those childhood passions now influence Veronica’s work as a professional artist - her favorite subjects center on creativity, family, community and history (which also gives her a chance to nerd out over historical dress!). Fashion influences her use of color and pattern, and she is particularly inspired by Black American history and creative innovation.

Veronica’s debut picture book, A Computer Called Katherine: How Katherine Johnson Helped Put America On The Moon, (written by Suzanne Slade) received a Kirkus Starred review and several other honors since its release. Her second picture book is This Is A School (written by John Schu).

Veronica is an alumna of Howard University (BA, Journalism) and Drexel University (MS, Fashion Design). Her clients include Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, Candlewick Press, Hallmark, Essence magazine, Taproot Magazine and Bloomingdale’s. She has taught fashion and illustration at Drexel and Made Institute, and has worked with community organizations like Mighty Writers and the Philadelphia Arts in Education Partnership. She is currently co-Vice President for ICON - The Illustration Conference, a bi-annual non-profit conference for illustrators, designers and educators from across the world.

Veronica lives outside Philadelphia with her husband, David, and a dapper grey cat named Winston. When not painting, she can be found binging podcasts about scandals or doing cartwheels in a gymnastics class.

Another wonderful keynote speaker! Who is Dusti Bowling?

Dusti Bowling grew up in Scottsdale, Arizona, where, as her family will tell you, she always had her nose in a book. She released her first middle grade novel in 2017 and hasn't stopped writing since.

Dusti's books have won the Reading the West Award, the Sakura Medal, a Golden Kite Honor, the William Allen White Children's Book Award, and have been nominated for over thirty state awards. Her books are Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selections and have been named best books of the year by the Chicago Public Library, Kirkus, Bank Street College of Education, A Mighty Girl, Shelf Awareness, and many more.

Dusti currently lives in Eagar, Arizona with her husband, three daughters, and a bunch of farm animals.

The conference is nearly here! Get to know our Keynote Speakers with us this week.

John Schu is the author of This Is a School, illustrated by Veronica Miller Jamison, This Is a Story, illustrated by Caldecott Honor artist Lauren Castillo, and The Gift of Story: Exploring the Affective Side of the Reading Life. He's the children’s librarian at Bookelicious and a part-time lecturer at Rutgers University. He has worked as a classroom teacher and school llibrarian. He travels all over the world visiting schools and meeting with students, teachers, and administrators as he advocates for the people and things he cares about most: kids, books, schools, and the libraries—and librarians—that connect them. John Schu lives in Naperville, Illinois.

Visit our webpage at https://zaharis.mpsaz.org/o/zaharis/page/literacy-conference to register and learn more about the Zaharis Literacy Conference on February 25th.

The Conference will be here before we know it! Click through our registration links to learn more.

Cost:
•$90 professional
•$55 full time student
•Additional $10 for Sunrise with Schu session

Registration includes:
•Exciting keynotes and 3 breakout sessions
•Catered Lunch
•Six professional development hours

Caroline Gaynor is a veteran teacher with experience teaching primary, intermediate, and college level students. During her career she has presented on all aspects of the curriculum at regional and national conferences. She is currently the instructional coach at Zaharis Elementary School. Chloe Foster has been a 3rd grade teacher for 3 years at Zaharis. In their ZLC session, Navigating Help: The Teacher, Student Teacher, and Instructional Coach, you will learn how the bravest word one can utter is, "Help." Participants will learn how vulnerability shaped a community of readers so learning could occur.

Julie Cooper has been in education for 27 years. She began her career as a classroom teacher, teaching grades kindergarten to sixth. She taught 9 years as a special education teacher in junior high school before coming to Zaharis, where she’s been supporting special education students for 7 years.
McCall Bailey has been a special education resource teacher at Zaharis for 2 years, where she works closely with classroom teachers to provide support to the students they share.
Julie and McCall know how differentiation can be difficult to provide to all learners. In their ZLC session, Workshop is for ALL Learners, they will discuss the importance of collaboration between the resource and classroom teachers, to help teachers differentiate the content, process, product, and learning environment to meet the individual needs of students in a workshop classroom.

Visit our webpage at https://zaharis.mpsaz.org/o/zaharis/page/literacy-conference to register and learn more about the Zaharis Literacy Conference on February 25th.

Julie Waugh is a former committee member of the Orbis Pictus Award for Best Childrens' Nonfiction and a member of Biography Clearinghouse. She currently serves two capacities for Mesa Public Schools: inquiry coach and 8th grade teacher at Smith Junior High. In her ZLC Session, The Significant Events in the Life of Others: The Power of Picture Book Biographies, Julie will share how one picture book propelled authentic inquiry and high quality writing into her classroom!

Visit our webpage at https://zaharis.mpsaz.org/o/zaharis/page/literacy-conference to register and learn more about the Zaharis Literacy Conference on February 25th.

Cristina Stowers began at Zaharis as a 3rd grade teacher, taught 5th grade for a few years, and then followed her heart back to 3rd grade. An integral part of her classroom is books, and matching books to kids is one of her strengths.
Susan Crandall was one of the teachers who opened Zaharis Elementary School 21 years ago. She taught 4th and 5th grade students, but has been teaching 6th graders for the past 15 years. She believes that getting to know the strengths and needs of each of her students is critical to helping them grow as readers.
In their ZLC session, The Significance of Conferring with Your Learners, Cristina and Susan will expand on the significance of conferring with students and how to build your own confidence when meeting with your learners to turn your conference into significant, meaningful conversations.

Visit our webpage at https://zaharis.mpsaz.org/o/zaharis/page/literacy-conference to register and learn more about the Zaharis Literacy Conference on February 25th.