Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Orange Co Library - Celebrating Success and Literacy at the READ/OC: Annual Family Picnic

Celebrating Success and Literacy at the READ/OC: Annual Family Picnic and Appreciation Celebration
READ WRITES: July 2011

The true measure of this program’s success is our learners’ progress toward their individual goals. Working tirelessly in their local libraries, community locations, and on their own time, our tutors and learners take innumerable small steps toward those goals. Together, those small individual steps add up to a huge impact in our community. We would like to share some numbers with you to show how much you are achieving collectively.

This year, READ/OC worked with 436 tutors to help 640 individual learners improve their basic reading, writing, and English skills. This year alone, we trained 108 new tutors and assessed 299 new learners. Our tutors and learners recorded 29,885 hours of tutoring tailored to each learner’s individual goals and needs. There are more small groups than ever working together this year to address specific areas of concern, including job skills, financial literacy, computer skills, parent-to-school relationships, citizenship, and English language. Eighty learners worked with 13 tutors in small group settings this past year.

In family literacy efforts, we reached 1,528 families through 93 Family Reading Times, 25 Parent Workshops, and 10 Special Family Literacy Events, to help encourage adults and children to read together and become partners in lifelong learning. We have given away over 1,425 books to children and adults to help our learners build their personal libraries.

Our READ Jr. program continues to grow, with 16 tutors and 18 learner families helping to foster a new generation of academic success and volunteer spirit.
Many people contributed to these accomplishments, including members of Friends of READ/Orange County (FROC), volunteer tutors, our adult learners and their families, OC Public Libraries and OC Community Resources staff, and community partners. We thank the many dedicated individuals who supported these efforts. Congratulations to all of you for those thousands of small steps toward a more literate Orange County! Together, we have made significant accomplishments this past year.

Outstanding Tutor Award: Richard Scott; Bil and Anne Aulenbach
Outstanding Learner Award: Ivan Velev; Hun Lien Lau Ambassadors of Family Literacy Award: Sang Do Xuan; Ellen Ly
Spirit of Volunteerism Award: Tutor Richard Scott

READ MORE !

Friday, August 12, 2011

Literacy Library Jobs - California - Oxnard


California Literacy Jobs

Oxnard Public Library
Adult Literacy Coordinator

Responsible for continuing the successful Oxnard Public Library Literacy Outreach Program. Under direction, performs routine and complex technical and professional work in coordinating the literacy program for the library. This is a key position in the library, and the person selected will assume a leadership role in developing an adult literacy program.
Close Date: Sep 8


Jewish Coalition for Literacy – SF
Bay Area Director The Jewish Coalition for Literacy recruits, trains, places, and supports volunteer reading tutors in the most under-served, under-resourced public elementary schools throughout the Bay Area. JCL seeks an accomplished, strategic, goal-oriented individual to advance the JCL through fundraising, communications, program management, and evaluation.


Mission YMCA – SF
Program Director – Literacy
Mission YMCA collaborates with San Francisco public schools to provide After School Enrichment programs supported by the San Francisco Unified School District’s School Health Programs Department. The purpose of the program is to provide a safe after-school environment where students who struggle during the school day feel at ease, are accepted and belong. The programs include three primary components: Academics, Academic Enrichment and Recreation. The goals of the program are to improve literacy skill levels and academic performance, and to strengthen social skills in youth. The programs are open Monday - Friday from the time school ends to 6:00 pm.

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Beaumont Library: Happy 100th Birthday

BEAUMONT: Library district to celebrate 100th anniversary
Press Enterprise: 8.6.2011 by Erin Waldner

The Beaumont Library District will celebrate its 100th anniversary Aug. 13 with a slew of public festivities.

The district was formed by popular vote Aug. 12, 1911.

"I always tell people, 'The library will be one hundred (years) and one day (old) when we have the celebration,'" said employee Lucy Sims, who is organizing the affair.

For the celebration, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the library, 125 E. Eighth St., the district is presenting a memory festival.

"It is a gathering of people in a community to share memories of themselves and organizations," Sims said.

People will be invited to make squares for a quilt that will be hung in the library's community room. In addition, adults can make memory cards, a type of greeting card that will read "remember when" on the cover. People are asked to sign up for the memory card program in advance.

The Beaumont Library District will commemorate its 100th anniversary on Saturday with a memory festival theme. The community event will be held at the library, 125 E. Eighth St., from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. The day will be filled with journaling, quilting, games, crafts, music, food and taped oral histories. READ MORE !

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Los Angeles Public Library - Tutor Stories 2011

Tutor Stories
LAPL Newsletter: Summer 2011
Zachary Walter

I recently completed my service with the U.S. Marine Corps and have been preparing for graduate school. During this transition period, I wanted to serve the local community. I love any kind of instruction, whether it is teaching or coaching, so I was excited when I discovered the Adult Literacy Services.

Working with Manoon brings me joy and fulfillment, and I look forward to our meetings every week. He approaches his learning with eagerness, diligence, and humility, and has progressed very well.

Our sessions go beyond me teaching him, and are an exchange of lessons. I admire his devotion to his family and the sacrifice he makes to ensure the success of his children. His values are clear because he lives them. I feel blessed to work with such a humble, genuine, and caring person. He has taught me as much as I have taught him, and I am grateful to have touched Manoon’s life, even if just a little.

John Goldfarb
After retiring last year from my job with the Department of Corrections, I was looking for something fulfilling to do with part of my week when I discovered a link to the Adult Literacy web site.

This soon led me to Coordinator Kathy Hall, then a day of training, and finally to my learner, Maria. Since our first meeting last January, Maria has provided me with a consistent example of cheerful industry in her approach to learning and living. Over the years that she has lived in this country, she has periodically sought out opportunities to improve her English, most recently through Adult Literacy Services.

She spends a significant amount of time preparing for each of our meetings and accepts my feedback on her homework graciously. In working with her, I get the chance to explore fundamental aspects of English that I might have forgotten or taken for granted, and am constantly reminded of the beautiful complexity of the language.

When Maria tells me that her co-workers have commented lately on the greater fluency of her speech, I feel gratified to be a participant in her learning process and a tutor on Kathy Hall’s team. READ MORE !

Friday, July 29, 2011

CA & National Literacy Calendar: August 2011

California Literacy Calendar: August 2011
Summer Reading Program: “One World, Many Stories”

SCLLN
Literacy & Library Events & Conferences
- local, California and National -
Southern California Library Literacy Network
for more information

Info about local Tutor Training Workshops is always Scrolling in the Right Frame.

Local and California Literacy Events: August 2011
Aug 4+: Steinbeck Festival – Salinas
Aug 6: Sensory Friendly Film SMURFS @ 10am AMCs Woodland Hills to SD
Aug 20: Black Book Expo – LA Convention Center
Aug 27: Sensory Friendly Film SPY KIDS 4 @ 10am AMCs Woodland Hills to SD

National & International Literacy Events: August 2011
Aug 3+: Conference on Distance Teaching & Learning – WI
Aug 8+: Texas Literacy Conference - Austin
Aug 6: Sensory Friendly Film SMURFS @ 10am AMC Theaters nationwide
Aug 22+: Family Literacy Training Institute 2011 – Calgary CA
Aug 27: Sensory Friendly Film SPY KIDS 4 @ 10am AMC Theaters nationwide

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

86,800 Most Common Words

Anonymous reports that Wordcount is no longer available.

Unable to find out why.
Created by Jonathan Harris, 2004.
Conversation with Jonathan Harris on Wordmaster: Sep 2, 2004

Here are 2 other sites:
Word Frequency Lists and Dictionary: Corpus of Contemporary American English

WordCount


an interactive presentation of the
86,800 most frequently used English words

Monday, July 25, 2011

SCLLN Literacy Links Page

SCLLN has a new Literacy LINKS Page

Visit literacy programs and organizations in Southern California and California. There are also LINKS to national and international literacy associations; for family, early and youth literacy.

Adult Learners can find United Literacy, VALUE; websites by and for learners; activities and exercises, including grammar, spelling and pronunciation; and citizenship and voting.

Adult Learner LINKS
Southern California and California
National - International - Statistics

- Coming Soon -
Early Literacy - Family Literacy - Youth Literacy
Learning Disabilities