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New Tutor Training:
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All of our new volunteer tutors are required to complete a free, three-part training.
Orientation:
Monday, Nov. 6
10:00am-12:00pm
Session 1:
Wednesday, Nov. 8
9:00am-12:00pm
Session 2:
Friday, Nov. 10
9:00am-12:00pm
Training is located on the 8th Floor of the Self Help Building.
For more information or to register, please
email us or call (336) 230-2223.
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Upcoming Events:
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Tutor Fest!
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Saturday,
November 4
9:30am-1:30pm
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| Book Drive |
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With the week slowly coming to a close, we wanted to once again mention the book and warm clothes drive being put on by our AmeriCorps members. Thank you so much to those who were able to donate items. We greatly appreciate everything that you do for Reading Connections as well as what you do for our students.
We are going to keep collecting items for the books and warm clothes drive through Wednesday, November 1st of next week, for those who have items but have been unable to bring them to either our Greensboro or High point office. Thank you for your time and enjoy the rest of your week!
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We hope t
hat this finds you well and that you're enjoying the start of fall. The summer flew by and w
e're excited to share all of our news and events with you.
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Program Spotlight: Sew
ing Success!
L
ast fall, in partnership with several other Greensboro community based organizations, Reading Connections began a new grant-funded initiative to train and secure employment for locally-resettled refugees and immigrants in the regional sewing industry. This two-part program provides ESOL literacy instruction alongside sewing machine operator training in short but intensive 6 week instructional cycles. Participants are referred from partnership agencies like Montagnard Dega
Association, Church World Service, African Services Coalition, New Arrivals Institute, and The Center for New North Carolinians. The students start their day at 8 am at Industries of the Blind where they receive sewing machine instruction from Liana Adrong, an Administrative Coordinator and Vocational Instructor at Montagnard Dega Association.
At 11 am they break for lunch...click here to read more
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Take Your Best Shot for Literacy!
One in five adults in Guilford County functions at the lowest level of literacy, experiencing serious difficulty with reading, writing, and everyday skills. Children of adults with low levels of education are more likely to experience academic and behavioral problems and are more likely to drop out of school. Last year, Reading Connections impacted these community literacy needs by serving nearly 1,000 adults and more than 100 children.
This year, Reading Connections is proud to announce a unique, exciting community sporting event. As central North Carolina's largest adult and family literacy program, we will join together with communities across Guilford County for the
H.O.R.S.E. for Change
Basketball Tournament. H.O.R.S.E. (Helping Our Readers Succeed Everyday)
for Change
is a playful basketball competition, bringing new attention to adult and family literacy. Supporters, friends, families, and others will take their best shots and best basketball trick shots to
make a difference in our community.
The
H.O.R.S.E. for Change
Basketball Tournament will be held Saturday, March 10,
2018. A lot of event excitement will be happening between now and then. Please stay tuned for more information. For sponsorship opportunities about this community sporting event or to make a donation, please
email [email protected] or call our office at 336-230-2223.
Thank you for taking your best shot for literacy!
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High Point's New ESOL Coordinator: Arlene Lent
Arlene was born and raised in upstate New York and has been an educator since 1989. She attended college in New York and received her Master's in Educational Administration from High Point University. She taught school in NY for 12 years in various subjects including computer science and business. Then, she moved to NC where she taught ESOL. Now she is ESOL coordinator for the High Point office!
Fun Fact:
Arlene used to drive her motorcycle to work every day until her children were born!
What Does Literacy Mean to You?
"Literacy opens up a very special world for people who can read. Sometimes, we take this for granted. I always say 'walk two miles in someone's shoes that can't read'".
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New Faces:
2017-2018 AmeriCorps' Members
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Rebekah King
Greensboro office
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Alex Bernosky
High Point office
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New Faces
Abby Corcoran
Program Assistant at the Greensboro Office
Sun H
Administrative and
Program Assistant at the Greensboro Office
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ESOL Art Class
Ms. Carolyn Flyn is an ESOL tutor for the advanced class held at St. Mary's Church in High Point. Through tutoring sessions, she learned that one of her students, Robin, has a passion for art. They spoke about it and decided to "team tutor" their class about colors and art jargon. Robin prepared color wheel templates for the class. Ms. Flyn found paint palettes at the local Dollar Tree store for the students to try and practice mixing and painting! We are so grateful for Ms. Flyn's effort to include hands on learning!
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Learning Lab
The Greensboro ABE program has recently implemented three new Learning Lab classes! These classes are supplemental for new students and they receive instruction in reading, writing, technology and even solve a few math problems. Instruction has been provided by Rebekah, Greensboro AmeriCorps member, and Timaiya, Graduate Intern studying Adult Education at NC A&T. One of the Learning Lab classes is focusing on project based learning. Students are given a prompt about opening a technology business and they are responsible for analyzing a budget, creating potential interview questions, emailing their funders, deciding if they will implement a dress code, as well as interacting with other topics related to entrepreneurship.
Learning Labs significantly reduce the waiting and placement time for our new students, and it can also be a great fit for volunteers. Labs follow ready-made material that focuses on one overall theme, and classes meet for two hours weekly for 10 weeks. Our goal is to have multiple Learning Labs occurring at different days and times in order to give students the option of attending unique, supplemental classes multiple times a week. If you are interested in providing instruction in our Learning Lab, please email Kiara at
[email protected]
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ESOL & Health
Through the ESOL Program, Reading Connections serves students from all over the world right in Guilford County. The goal of the program is to provide students with the tools to navigate their new lives in the U.S. Acculturating to the American lifestyle can be difficult especially understanding aspects like the complex healthcare industry. However, in September, Rachele Bezik, a certified medical assistant with Cornerstone Health Care, visited Carolyn Flynn's ESOL class in High Point.
She shared important information concerning healthcare visits like preparing for an appointment and healthcare rights. Students learned to bring a medication list that included things like prescriptions, over the counter medications, herbal "medicines" and vitamins that they were taking. In addition, the medical checklist included allergies, insurance card and picture ID. Also, she stresses that everyone has the right to ask for an interpreter free of cost. Interpreter support and larger print should be available at the pharmacies too. Rachele was able to clarify some terms and acronyms and students were able to ask questions. We appreciate Rachele's time and support of our students and class!
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Our mission is to
transform our community by improving literacy and promoting educational equity for people of all ages, empowering them to navigate changes in an increasingly complex world.
We always welcome your questions and feedback. Please don't hesitate to contact us to hear more about how our programs are making a difference in our community.
Sincerely,
Jennifer Gore, Executive Director
Reading Connections, Inc.
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