Exciting Announcement from NJLA!

By Dr. Rachel Donnelly Lella, NJLA President

I am thrilled and deeply honored to continue serving in the role of president for the New Jersey Literacy Association, which I assumed this past year. As a board member for quite a few years, I’ve seen some amazing growth in our organization and in you - the literacy educators who serve in the most important role for our students. We have been meeting to discuss how we can both better support you and learn from you, and I am thrilled to share that we will be hosting our first annual in-person conference on Saturday, March 1, 2025!

Please save the date for a day full of learning, collaborating, and networking at Brookdale Community College in Lincroft, NJ (Monmouth County). We are working on a very exciting program, including an opening keynote by the inspirational Cornelius Minor, numerous literacy-focused sessions, and a motivational closing keynote by the two most recent past presidents of the International Literacy Association: Kia Brown-Dudley and Kenneth Kunz! Please keep an eye out for a call for our upcoming call for proposals and registration information!

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We as a board are here for you, your students, and your families. If there is professional development you need, please reach out. If there are important topics we are not discussing, please reach out. If you are enthusiastic about your craft and want to share your gift with other educators, please, by all means, reach out.

Most importantly, I ask you to walk into this school year knowing you are among thousands of educators across New Jersey also taking some of the most important small steps anyone can take - Small steps that have the potential to completely change children’s lives for the better as they experience the joy and magic of feeling successful through learning. THANK YOU for what you do. You are important, you are appreciated, you are heard, and your legacy will continue through the students who will soon become so much more than names on a roster. Have a wonderful opening!

Yours in literacy,

Dr. Rachel Donnelly Lella, NJLA President