Volunteer Appreciation Events

Save the Dates 🎉 🎈 🎊 🥳 🍾 🎂 🎶 🍻 🎁 🥂

Mon, June 10 (all Boston volunteers at Florian Hall)

Thu, June 13 (all Framingham volunteers at Jack's Abby Beer Hall)

Let's raise a toast to a successful year of empowering minds! Join us for an end-of-year celebration honoring our outstanding literacy coaches with a festive buffet and some lively reflections. It's great to bring back this tradition after a break, something many of our volunteers will surely appreciate. As we come together once more, let's celebrate the achievements that have made a real impact on literacy.

Watch for more details and e-vites coming soon!

Virtual Coffee Hour: Brain Olympics (OPTIONAL)

Rev up your mind with brain teasers, riddles, word puzzles, trivia, and more! No need to prepare...just bring an open mind and a sense of humor.

• Fri, Apr 12, 2024 10:00 AM
• REGISTER

AARP MA Walk with a Doc Boston (OPTIONAL)

You’ll take a few minutes to learn about a current health topic from a healthcare professional, then spend the rest of the hour enjoying a healthy walk and fun conversation.

• Sat, Apr 12 11:00 AM
• REGISTER

Virtual Coffee Hour: Guided Meditation (OPTIONAL)

We will begin with breathing exercises and centering. Then we will reflect on relationships formed during our work with Literations – perhaps, a special relationship with a child you are tutoring now or in the past.

• Thu, Apr 25, 2024 01:00 PM
• REGISTER

Literations' Lighting the Spark

Our annual fundraising event is a night for members of the community to come together, celebrate student success, and hear inspiring stories.

• Wed, May 15, 2024, 5:30 - 7:30 pm
• Half-price tickets for volunteers available HERE.

April Vacation

Apr 15 - 19. Literations will not run coaching sessions at our schools or Boys & Girls Clubs during the April break.

Last Week of Program

June 3-6

District Calendars

• BOSTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS
• FRAMINGHAM PUBLIC SCHOOLS

*Attending live events should be tracked in the HUB under Training. Watching a recording should be logged under Direct/Other.

Parking: Street cleaning has resumed in Boston. Boston coaches be sure to read street signs when parking for your sessions!

The Volunteer Satisfaction Survey, sent by our partners at AARP Experience Corps, is now live! Check your inbox for the email sent April 2nd. Your unique survey link awaits! The deadline to submit your survey is Friday, June 7th. Thank you for your valuable feedback!

We get that MCAS schedule disruptions are frustrating. Our Program Coordinators and Site Team leaders are on it, working to keep you informed. Thanks for your patience!

Celebrate Arab American Heritage Month! Discover a wealth of resources highlighting the diverse and vibrant culture of Arab Americans. Join us in exploring captivating reads, enlightening documentaries, and engaging community events throughout the month.

Reading & Watching Suggestions

• Arab American Heritage Month History
• Boston Public Library Reading List
• Children's Books in Celebration of Arab American Heritage Month
• PBS Documentaries - Celebrate Arab American Heritage Month 

Organizations & Museums

• Smithsonian Arab American Heritage Month
• Arab America Foundation
• Arab American Institute
• Center for Arabic Culture 
• Arab American Museum 
• Arab American Historical Foundation 

Community Events

• BPL Special Collections Open House: Arab American Heritage Month

Recommended Children's Books

• The Proudest Blue
• The Cat Man of Aleppo
• Meet Yasmin!
• The Arabic Quilt: An Immigrant Story
• Other Words for Home 

New Staff

We're excited to welcome Carrie Sweeney, Framingham Program Coordinator to the team!

Coaching Quick Tips

My student has gone through almost all of the ERP books in the library and still has more sight words to learn. Now what?

• Unlike the Fluency program where the book is the main tool for coaching, in the ERP program the flashcards are the main tool. 
• The ERP book is one of a number of game options to play with students in an effort to develop sight word proficiency, and ERP books do not need to be used in every session. ERP books are great for word hunts and identifying a sight word in context. 
• A book that contains multiple sight words can be used with the same student multiple times, depending upon which sight words a student is working on at any given time. So coaches can go back and use the same book different times for different words. 
• If you've used all the ERP books already with a student, you can recycle through 3 or 4 books that your student may have already seen but contains the new sight words the student is currently working on, allowing the student to choose the book they prefer for your next session.

Increase in Student Absenteeism

We've been hearing from coaches about a concerning trend: an uptick in student absenteeism. Since the pandemic began, chronic absenteeism has surged both nationally and within our state. Explore insights on this issue from the state website and a recent New York Times article. Much of this is outside of our control as a literacy program, but let's do what we can by being there for our students, keeping things positive, and supporting their academic journey

If you get a chance, you may want to spread the word that on the first and second Sunday of each month through August 2024, the amazing cultural institutions listed below will be free of charge for BPS students and up to three family members!

• The Boston Children's Museum
• The Institute of Contemporary Art
• The Museum of Fine Arts
• Museum of Science
• The New England Aquarium
• The Franklin Park Zoo