To all of our SURN Assistant Principals, thank you for all that you do!
Review of Dear Teen Me
Book review by Julie K. Marsh, Graduate Assistant
Dear Teen Me (DTM) caught me off guard in such a happy way. I enjoy reading about writers and artists and the paths they took to where they are now. DTM took this a step further by including advice from a group of young adult authors to their teenage selves. The stories they share, some in narrative text and others in more visual ways, are about insecurities, first crushes, friendship, love, bullying, and everything in-between.
The letters range from heartbreaking to hilarious and truly give a glimpse into the authors’ young lives full of curiosity, passion, and teenage angst. These glimpses offer the reader a way to hear the authors’ internal voices and the ways most of them were able to incorporate their early life trials into their creative work.
I wholeheartedly recommend this book to both young and old. I think young adults will welcome the experience of sharing their current thoughts and feelings with an adult who became a successful, creative person even though they experienced the trials and tribulations of being a teenager. Adults will also enjoy the book and have the opportunity to reconnect with their younger selves in order to reflect on where they were and how far they have come in their own lives. DTM truly was a wonderful reading experience, one I think we can all enjoy!
And the winner is…
It is official! To Kill a Mockingbird is our winner! Mindset came in second place and Chicka-chicka-boom-boom came in third place.
Thank you to everyone who voted! We look forward to another March Reading Madness next year.
The Official Bracket Based On Your Input:
Click to Zoom
More Information on the Books:
March Reading Madness Finals
Time for the finals of March Reading Madness!
It is officially time to choose your favorite book! SURN’s version of March Reading Madness has been so much fun, and we appreciate everyone who voted. We need your votes one last time to choose first, second, and third place! Please take a minute to vote, and be sure to share this with your friends, colleagues, and students.
Will your book win? Check back next week for the results!
March Reading Madness Schedule:
March 24th – Semi-finals
March 31st – Final Championship
The Official Bracket Based On Your Input:
Click to Zoom
How to Vote:
Please visit our Google form to vote. It should only take about one minute—it is super quick!
More Information on the Books:
MRM Quarter Finals
March Reading Madness is Heading into the Quarter Finals!
Your votes have been counted, and it is time for the quarter finals of March Reading Madness! Thanks to everyone who has voted so far. Let’s keep up with the reading madness by voting. We are down to four fantastic books. Check out the titles and make sure to vote!
Please also share this post with your friends, colleagues, and students.
March Reading Madness Schedule:
March 17th – Quarter Finals
March 24th – Semi-finals
March 31st – Final Championship
The Official Bracket Based On Your Input:
Click to Zoom
How to Vote:
Please visit our Google form to vote. It should only take about one minute—it is super quick!
More Information on the Books:
Jan Rozzelle (SURN Executive Director) and Jenny Hindman (SURN Assistant Director) has an amazing trip through the United Kingdom to visit potential schools for the 2016 SURN Study Tour. They built relationships with school leaders and learned about how these schools are using research and practices.
Check out some photo highlights from the trip!





MRM Round 3
The Winners Are In! Time for Round 3!
Your votes have been counted, and it is time for round 3 of March Reading Madness! It only takes a minute to vote for your favorite books. The books with the top votes will move to the quarterfinals next week! Please also share this post with your friends, colleagues, and students.
March Reading Madness Schedule:
March 10th – Round Three
March 17th – Quarter Finals
March 24th – Semi-finals
March 31st – Final Championship
The Official Bracket Based On Your Input:
Click to Zoom
How to Vote:
Please visit our Google form to vote. It should only take about one minute—it is super quick!
More Information on the Books:
March Reading Madness Round 2
The Winners Are In! Time for Round 2!
Your votes have been counted, and we are moving to round 2 of SURN’s March Reading Madness! Please take a minute and vote for your favorite books. Only the books with the top votes will advance to round 3! Please also share with your colleagues and students for more fun!
March Reading Madness Schedule:
March 3 – Round Two
March 10 – Round Three
March 17 – Quarter Finals
March 24 – Semi-finals
March 31 – Final Championship
The Official Bracket Based On Your Input:

Please visit our Google form to vote. It should only take about two minutes—it is super quick!
More Information on the Books:
Another stop in the UK for Jan and Jenny involved traveling to London’s East End to visit a school that is using P4C. In this session, a video was used as a stimulus to get students to generate questions for discussion. One student recorded the following question for her group- see images.
The school has approximately 600 students ages 3-11. The outdoor space is designed to be used in all kinds of weather including rain- see image of all the boots. It was raining the day Jenny and Jan visited the school and some younger children were experiencing cause and effect by jumping in puddles in school- provided rain gear. Like other schools we have visited to discern possibilities for the 2016 SURN study tour, music is an integral part of the school with students starting at age 3 with rhythm lessons and acquiring skills and a keen ear so that when they get a school-provided stringed instrument at age 7 they are well prepared.