IU13 Community Education students have always been recognized for their perseverance in learning while juggling work and home responsibilities. Today we thank them for their dedicated service during the Covid-19 pandemic--employment that is essential, whether in health care, manufacturing, or grocery stores, and volunteer efforts. These students work full time or part time, homeschool their children, and take care of family members while still joining Zoom classes and participating in teacher-directed online learning.
The work our learners are doing puts them at risk, yet their overwhelming response to their source of motivation is “I love to help people.” Ashley is a Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) at a local nursing home. She says, “Seeing my residents smile and how happy they are to see me makes my day. Especially now...
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The Community Education Newsletter
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June 1, 2020
Student Spotlight: Mirta Sanchez
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Mirta Sanchez joined
IU13
High School Equivalency (HSE) classes at Lancaster
PA CareerLink
in January. Despite health issues contributing to chronic pain, Mirta was a dedicated student and generous classmate, regularly bringing treats for all and giving words of encouragement.
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Tim Talk!
Check out
Tim Talk
at the bottom of the newsletter for important updates.
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Check out our blog!
Read all of the latest and greatest news about Community Education!
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Don't miss celebrating with us as we recognize graduates from our various classes.
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Bright Side Opportunity Center
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New! English Conversation Club
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ESL students and teachers from different classes come together virtually once a week to practice conversation, relax, and just have fun! Level 1 teacher Silvia tells us more about the club: “Conversation Club is a time for us to connect, see each other, and practice English while schools are closed."
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Notes From Our Students:
Geramane and Immacula
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Words from Geramane and Immacula Durozia, students in the ESL program at Bright Side:
Immacula (level 3 student) writes, “I am really happy because this school has helped me a lot, especially at this time. If I have any questions or problems, I call and they help me. They help my husband too. They helped my husband get a laptop (Computers for Immigrants and Refugees), they help me with interviews, and they made my family masks. They really help me.
God bless this school and these people because I feel like I have a big family now -- because of whatever problem I have, they help us. I’m really happy, and I appreciate it because when I don’t know what to do, they help.”
Geramane (level 1 student) writes, “Thank you so much. I’m happy, I am very very happy. Thank you, teacher Shelby, teacher Silvia, and Miss Patricia. Thank you for your help with the interview. I am happy happy happy!! Thank you so much.”
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Refugee Center and Community School
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At Reynolds Middle School we work with a dynamic and diverse group of students. Our school has a 90% poverty rate and 100% of our students receive free and reduced lunches. Our students come to school every day and receive more than an education. They receive shelter for the day, food, clothes, social and emotional support, and basic necessities. In an attempt to further navigate the COVID-19 crisis and help our resilient families in a time of great need, we are raising relief funds that will be used to help families pay for food, clothes, and basic needs. All donated funds will directly support this cause.
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Free Bilingual Cultural Navigation Service
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IU13 Community Education is here to support schools and companies as they communicate with students, families, and employees from multiple cultural groups about issues related to COVID-19, IU13 Community Education is offering free bilingual cultural navigation services for a limited number of hours during June for agencies that have not previously used the services. The cultural navigators, who represent the language groups of Swahili, Arabic, Spanish and Nepali.
To request additional information, please contact IU13 Community Education
here
,
or call
Beth Boll
at
717-947-1652.
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Staff Spotlight:
Ken Travis
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Since 1998, Ken Travis, has held positions as a high school technology teacher, high and elementary school counselor, principal, and adult educator.
Today IU13 celebrates with Ken his most recent accomplishment--earning a doctoral degree from Widener University in March.
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Student Spotlight:
Duane Good
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Duane Good is no stranger to a busy lifestyle. He is a father who works during the day and attends IU13 classes in the evening. On top of that, he holds two volunteer first responder positions! Duane is a volunteer firefighter with Mt. Zion Fire Department, Lebanon County, and a volunteer EMT with Bethel Community Ambulance, Berks County.
Duane is currently a student in Ken Travis’s evening HSE class.
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The HSE teachers in Lebanon, Deb Smith and Deb Davis (The Debs,) have teamed up to provide online instruction to their classes using Zoom. The focus is preparing for the Science or Social Studies HiSet test with language arts and math concepts. By using Zoom’s screen share and annotation tools, the students can complete activities they were accustomed to doing in class, such as “
Everyday Edits
.
” They can collaboratively make corrections to spelling or grammar right from their devices. Lastly, students can develop independent study skills through a variety of online resources. One resource is New Readers Press, a site that allows teachers to tailor a lesson and monitor progress. Even though students may currently be dealing with many challenges in their daily lives, Zoom classes and online resources provide them with the tools to continue on the path towards their goals!
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Lebanon Youth Program is still up and running from our homes! The Lebanon Youth Facilitator, Keri Martinez, and Job Trainer, Tammy Bates, have been making weekly contact with participants via phone calls, texts, and emails. Although the training programs (CNA,VF, and Forklift) have been temporarily canceled, participants are still being provided with employment and job search resources, assistance with resume writing, employment referrals for those who are currently seeking jobs, and assistance with unemployment compensation claims if needed. In addition, current CNA students and those who graduated and have not yet taken the PA CNA license exam have been utilizing the CNA HACC Weebly site (created by IU13 Community Education Instructor Marilyn Lydic) to study and maintain their knowledge of vocabulary, curriculum, and skills.
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Free Classes Starting in July
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Summer classes will be held! IU13 Community Education continues to plan for the future with virtual classes scheduled to begin July 13 (daytime) and July 14 (evening). Stay tuned for details in our next newsletter and on social media.
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Words by student Luiz Luchesi.
My name is Luiz, and I am currently a student in Integrated English Literacy and Civics Engagement (IELCE) program. In the past couple of months, I have been working as a volunteer in a program called
Computers for Refugees
at the Alpha and Omega Community Center. This program works with partners such as Church World Service, Migrant Education, IU13, and International Healthcare Professionals Program. Basically, the program refurbishes, donates, and distributes computers to immigrants and refugees who can’t afford a computer or laptop. I’m helping with computer delivery. Especially now, it is really important to give them an opportunity to be connected. Most of them need a computer in order to find a job, take online classes, and learn English.
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Through the Eyes of Our CNA Students
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IU13 Community Education offers a specialized class for students preparing for the Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) entrance exam. Many of those students are employed as Certified Nursing Assistants (CNA), and since the onset of Covid-19, they have seen their work intensify. This article offers a keen insight into the CNAs’ fears, exhaustion, and perseverance.
“I truly wish I could verbalize all that I have experienced from patients to friends and family with Covid-19, but it’s numbing. I can’t put it into words; it’s dreadful and truly saddening. It’s definitely a learning experience, but not one I look forward to reliving.”
So what keeps the CNAs going?
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Tim Talk
IU13 Community Education Program Director
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On March 10, 2020, the
PA Dept of Drug and Alcohol Programs
awarded IU13 Community Education a $200,000 grant to deliver employment support services to individuals in recovery from opioid use disorder (OUD). This is an exciting opportunity for IU13, in partnership with GateHouse, a Central PA leader in accredited addiction recovery care, to help change the employment landscape for individuals in OUD recovery by: 1) successfully demonstrating an employment support services program that can be duplicated and adapted by other providers across the Commonwealth, eventually leading to better employment outcomes and reduced relapse rates for former OUD clients; and 2) growing the number of employers in South Central PA who are willing and able to hire individuals in OUD recovery, which over time will lessen the stigma surrounding addiction recovery and help employers see that people with drug records can be successful new hires, especially in industries with ongoing worker shortages.
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Contact Information:
For more information about Community Education visit
our website
or call
Lancaster 717-606-1708
Lebanon 717-450-1525
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