Newport Beach Library – Tutor & Adult Learner Orientations

Project Adult Literacy – Tutors & Learners

Adult Literacy Learner Orientation

April 12 @ 10 am

Project Adult Literacy offers one-on-one tutoring and small group classes free of charge.

Contact the Literacy Office at (949) 717-3874; email us at literacy@newportbeachca.gov or stop by for an application.

Every potential adult learner must attend a new learner orientation. Space is limited so a reservation is a must!!!

Once you have attended the orientation, you will be asked to take a skills evaluation. The evaluation will help us determine the best tutor to match you with.

Tutor Training

April 28 and May 5

9:15 am – 12:30 pm

Project Adult Literacy Tutors are required to complete online Orientation and attend Tutor Training sessions*.

Online Orientation and application must be completed before attending the training sessions and registration is required.

Online Orientation can be found at: http://bit.ly/NMPLVolunteerOrientation

Application can be found at the end of the online orientation.

Completion of two (2) three-hour Tutor Training sessions are required for certification.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 10

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 14-15 yrs. old

(Ninth to Tenth graders)

 

Newport Beach Library ▬ A Tutor and Learner Interview

A Tutor and Learner Interview
Meet Tutor Carloyn and Learner Il Jeon

Newport/Mesa
ProLiteracy

Literally Speaking: May 2021

Carolyn Cosgrove spent 40+ years in advertising when she and her business partner decided to sell their agency and retire. She wanted to volunteer with an organization that was close to her heart with reading and writing. After 10+ years of tutoring, NMPL still holds that place. When a friend recommended the program to Il Jeong Choi, she registered for New Learner Orientation and got an assessment. From there she participated in several classes before being matched with Carolyn for one on one tutoring.

Il Jeong, did you feel nervous about the program when you started?

IJ: Yes, I was very nervous because my English was not perfect then, and my writing and speaking were horrible. Thus, I didn’t know how to communicate and explain my goals. The one thing only I had then was passionate and brave about learning English.

Carolyn, how do you get ideas for what to work on during sessions?

C: Various. Great support from the Literacy Office and their many resources, current events/articles I think my Learner would enjoy discussing and writing about, etc. Each session is different.  READ MORE ➤➤

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 8

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 12-14 yrs. old

(Seventh and Eighth graders)

Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy

949.717.3874

 

New Learner Orientation – Online

June 23 – 10 am – 11 am

 

Tutor Orientation and Training

Tutors are required to complete online orientation and attend tutor training. Orientation must be completed before attending the training sessions.

Online orientations can be taken at any time.

Please be aware that when you take the Online Tutor Orientation (approximately 20 minutes), you must complete and submit the online application at the end of the orientation in order to be scheduled for one of our Tutor Training sessions.

July 7 & 14

10:00am - 12:30pm

October 6 & 13

10:00am - 12:30pm

Newport Beach Library ▬ Tutor’s Corner: A Focus On Poetry

Tutor’s Corner: A Focus On Poetry

Newport/Mesa 
ProLiteracy

Literally Speaking: March 2021

With the renewed interest in poetry thanks to Amanda Gorman, now is a great time to examine how you can use poetry in your literacy lessons. Some students – and teachers - tend to shy away from poetry, but poetry is a great medium to teach adult learners at varying reading levels.

Without getting lost in a poet’s intended purpose for writing the poem, Nancy Padak’s “Poetry in the Adult Literacy Classroom” outlines how you can use poetry to aid in reading and writing instruction.

Focus on these four areas:

➧ Comprehension

➧ Fluency

➧ Phonics

➧ Writing

READ MORE ➤➤

 

Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy

VIRTUAL Adult Literacy Learner Orientation 

March 24 @ 10 am

VIRTUAL Adult Literacy Tutor Training 

April 7 and 14

10:00 am - 12:30 pm

Prospective tutors must attend both sessions to complete training. 

Reservations for this training are required.

Online Orientation must be completed before attending Training. 

       For more information, please contact literacy@newportbeachca.gov

Telephone: 949 . 717 . 3800 

Newport Beach Library ▬ Literacy HAPPY HOUR With Bestselling Author LILY KING

 

Join Us For

HAPPY HOUR

With Bestselling Author LILY KING !

February 20, 2021 @ 5 pm

 

 Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy is pleased to present
award-winning and New York Times bestselling author
Lily King at a virtual happy hour -- an author talk followed by a Q&A

Click Here For Details

March 24 @ 10 am

VIRTUAL Adult Literacy Learner Orientation 

April 7 and 14

VIRTUAL Adult Literacy Tutor Training 

10:00 am - 12:30 pm

Prospective tutors must attend both sessions to complete training. 
Reservations for this training are required.

Online Orientation must be completed before attending Training. 
For more information, please contact literacy@newportbeachca.gov

Telephone: 949 . 717 . 3800

Newport Beach Library ▬ GreatNonprofits: Newport Mesa ProLiteracy Reviews & Ratings

GreatNonprofits: Newport Mesa ProLiteracy Reviews & Ratings

Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy

Newport Literacy: 12.17.2020

What a wonderful way to look back at the year!
Thanks to our fans, we have won a 2020 Top-Rated Award from Great Nonprofits!
Read some of the cool stories that folks shared on the site!

Afsi: 10/01/2020

I enrolled for this program about two and a half years ago as a learner. At first, I felt lonely and separated from the community and people around me but step by step I found myself more involved, more active, and more confident. It happened with the help of selfless people who worked tirelessly, with dedication and obligation to prepare an encouraging ambiance for learners like me. They are wonderful volunteer tutors, instructors, and professional staff.

Pedrojlinaresb: 09/29/2020

I’m writing to share a bit of my personal story and experience at the Literacy Program of the Newport Beach Central Library.

In 2017, I arrived to the US from Venezuela to reunite with my family. Even though I was 62 years old, this was a new beginning for me. My first limitation was that I spoke little English, so I enrolled in some of the Literacy Program classes: News You Can Use, Idioms, Grammar and others of the Newport Beach Central Library.

At the same time i was continuing my studies, so recently i receive my GED Certificate

PMcLaughlin: 09/28/2020

I love being a tutor for the Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy program. I have had the privilege of working with several learners over the last seven years. The students are hard-working, enthusiastic, and dedicated to advancing. Each week the time spent with the learner flies by. We have such a good time. Even doing the lesson by FaceTime has not lessened the joy it brings.  READ MORE ➤➤

Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy

The Mission of Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy is to develop the literacy skills of adults to empower them to achieve greater success in their lives - at home, at work and in the community.

Since its inception in 1986, Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy has offered free, one-on-one tutoring and small group classes in basic literacy, to adults who live or work in the Newport Beach area.  The program is open to adults, over 18 years-of-age, who are either native English speakers with low literacy skills or those who learned English as a second language.

New Learner Orientation - Online

January 13

10:00 am - 11:00 am

For those interested in joining the Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy program as a learner, the first step is to attend one of our quarterly orientations. Pre-registration is required and no one will be admitted without a reservation.

Tutor Orientation and Training

Tutors are required to complete online orientation and attend tutor training. Orientation must be completed before attending the training sessions. Online orientations can be taken at any time.

Please be aware that when you take the Online Tutor Orientation (approximately 20 minutes), you must complete and submit the online application at the end of the orientation in order to be scheduled for one of our Tutor Training sessions.

Online Tutor Training Dates

Wednesday, January 20 & 27

10:00am - 12:30pm

949 . 717 . 3874

 

Automatic Readability Checker

Readability Consensus

Based on 7 readability formulas:

Grade Level: 8

Reading Level: standard / average.

Reader's Age: 12-14 yrs. old

(Seventh and Eighth graders)

Newport Beach Library ◯ Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy Announces Online Services

Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy Announces Online Services

Stu News Newport: 6.16. 2020

Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy (NMPL), a program of the Newport Beach Public Library (NBPL), provides free literacy instruction to adults who live or work in the Newport Beach area.

Like many other organizations, Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy shut down on March 18 in response to public health concerns and guidance about COVID-19, temporarily stopping its services to almost 150 people in the community. 

However, in just a couple of weeks, much of the program was able to be moved online. Tutors and learners were taught how to use platforms like Zoom, WhatsApp and Skype for one-on-one sessions and eight of the 10 regularly scheduled classes were quickly moved to a distance-learning model.

NMPL has continued engaging people through online channels to further its mission of literacy education. So far, about 40 online pairs are meeting with more taking steps to start in the near future. Starting this week, the program will be offering online orientations to new learners and online training to those who wish to be tutors.

In this uncertain time, the need for improved language skills is great. Many people will be in search of employment, dealing with health issues, or in need of emergency services. NMPL provides help to those with poor English literacy skills who want to be self-sufficient.  READ MORE ➤➤

Automatic Readability Checker

Readability Consensus

Based on (7) readability formulas:

Grade Level: 11

Reading Level: fairly difficult to read.

Reader's Age: 15-17 yrs. old

(Tenth to Eleventh graders)

June ◯ July Calendar

Learner Orientation ONLINE

June 23  6 pm – 7 pm

Tutor Training - Online

July 8 and July 15: 10am - 12:30 pm 

Prospective tutors must attend both sessions to complete training. 

Reservations for this training are required.

Online Orientation must be completed before attending Training. 

For more information

949 . 717 . 3874

Newport Beach Library ◯ S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Newport/Mesa 

ProLiteracy

S.M.A.R.T. Goals

Literally Speaking: March-April 2020

Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy

SMART goals can apply to any goals in life. They can be long or short term.

For Example: Saving Money

Let’s say that your goal is to start saving more money. This alone isn’t a SMART goal, but it can easily be modified so that it is one.

Let's make this goal SMART!

For example: You could say that you want to save $10,000 a year for the next ten years. Now, the goal is specific and measurable because you have an amount that you are shooting for and the ability to measure the amount you end up actually saving. This goal is time-bound as well, since your goal is to save a specific amount each year over a given period.

Whether the goal is achievable depends on your own financial situation. Assuming it is, the goal fits that criteria as well.

Lastly, you have to analyze whether saving money is a relevant and important goal for you personally. If that is true, then the goal in this example fits all the criteria of being a SMART goal.  READ MORE ➤➤

Newport Beach Library ◯ Catching Words: An Original Play About Adult Literacy

Catching Words

An Original Play About Adult Literacy In Orange County

Illuminations UCI

A Citizen Artist Project:  Part of the MFA Directing degree program at UCI A theatrical collaboration with the Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy program at the Newport Public Library

"Catching Words" is a short play about the topic of adult literacy in Orange County.

What is literacy? Who is considered literate or illiterate? What does it feel to be unable to communicate and how do we relate to a public space when we are unable to communicate?

After the performance, there will be a short talkback with the creative team and experts in the field of literacy. The Newport Beach Public Library Holiday Celebration

Newport Beach Library :: Happy Hour with Steven Rowley

Happy Hour with Steven Rowley

Literally Speaking: Nov/Dec 2019

Bestselling author Steven Rowley joined Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy on October 26th for NMPL's 4th Annual Happy Hour. Over 120 guests mingled in the Bamboo Courtyard under the beautiful evening sky.

Mr. Rowley spent time chatting with fans of his work. He signed copies of his best-seller, Lily & the Octopus and new book, The Editor.

Guests also joined in lively conversations over wine and cheese before making their way to the Friends Room for the Author Talk and question/answer time. Steven spoke about his journey to become an author that started in his childhood and later life experiences.  READ MORE >>

Next Tutor Training

January 8 & 15

5:30 pm - 8:30 pm

Prospective tutors must attend both sessions to complete training. 

Reservations for this training are required.

Online Orientation must be completed before attending Training.

New Learner Orientation

January 7

6:00 pm - 7:30 pm

Newport Beach Library :: A Full House for International Literacy Day

A Full House for International Literacy Day

Literally Speaking: Sept / Oct 2019

Advisory Board President, Eve-Marie Kuntzman, warmly welcomed the room to International Literacy Day. She then introduced Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy Coordinator Cherall Weiss, who emphasized and spoke of the importance of literacy skills in our society.

Newport Beach City Councilman Will O’Neill took to the podium to introduce the learners who have recently become United States citizens. Congratulations to Siamak  Lotfisafiabady and Flora Maleki!

To illustrate the significance of the program, and to showcase the progress of

Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy’s adult learners, every guest received a copy of “In Our Own Words”, a collection of stories, essays and recipes written by the learners of the program.

Attendees enjoyed a delicious meat and cheese arrangement generously donated by Pavilions and an international potluck provided by adult learners.

A highlight of the celebration was honoring the graduates of Career Online High School. In 2017, Newport Beach Public Library and Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy joined together to help adults in the area achieve their goal to obtain a High School Diploma. Three students have completed the full curriculum which includes Language Arts, Math Social Studies and Science. Mayor Diane Dixon presented diplomas to the hard working graduates: Azucena Ponce, Isabel Sevilla and Valedictorian, Beverly Haddock. Beverly gave an inspiring and uplifting speech.  READ MORE >>

Newport Beach Library :: 2019 Gift of Literacy Luncheon

2019 Gift of Literacy Luncheon

Literally Speaking: May/June 2019

@NMProLiteracy

Over 200 people attended the 12th annual Gift of Literacy Luncheon held at the Pacific Club in Newport Beach on April 5, 2019. This year’s keynote speaker, Lisa See, spoke about her newly-released (and bestselling) novel, The Island of Sea Women. Each guest received a copy that Ms. See was happy to personalize. Attendees perused the many silent auction and raffle items before being seated and welcomed by professional emcee, Michael Villani. Mr. Villani introduced Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy (NMPL) Event Committee Chair, Helene Chaban who "got things rolling.”

Helene introduced some special guests and spoke movingly about how much the program means to her. She then introduced literacy coordinator, Cherall Weiss, who talked about how having literacy issues makes life a struggle, citing the real life example of a diabetic male who couldn’t read his insulin dosage and how the program has grown with the help of so many generous donors. Then, Ms. Weiss introduced the Learner Speaker, Candace Kirby.

Candace came to NMPL because, even though she was born and raised right here in California, she could not read well enough to help her own two children. She spoke of how she struggled through school and then struggled with the realization that her boys struggled because she could not help them. That is going to change! The Gift of Literacy luncheon is the largest fundraiser of the year for NMPL. This year, the event raised funds to support the ongoing needs of the program.  READ MORE >>

Happy Hour with Author Steven Rowley

October 26 :: 6 pm

Newport Beach Public Library

Newport Beach Library :: Meet Cherall Weiss, Literacy Coordinator

@NMProLiteracy

Meet Cherall Weiss, Literacy Coordinator

Stu News Newport: 9.13.2019 by Amy Senk

Each year, Newport Beach celebrates Literacy Day with a party that honors its learners and celebrates their native cultures with a potluck feast, speeches, awards and more at an event held at the Central Library. (This year’s event will take place September 12.) But literacy in Newport Beach is a year-round concern, and since 1986, Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy has offered free tutoring to adults who live or work in the Newport Beach area. I caught up with Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy’s Literacy Coordinator Cherall Weiss to find out more.

Q: Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy began in 1986 and offers free tutoring, one-on-one and in small classes. Can you share more information about the history and organization of the program?

A: The program started in the home of Carol Hazelwood, a local woman with a good heart and passion for literacy. Carol struggled to keep the program alive, but in 1988 she heard about a literacy grant from the state and applied for it with the support of the Newport Beach library director. After winning the grant, the program was relaunched and gradually gained traction. From this shaky beginning, we have continued to grow and currently work with around 200 learners each year.

Q: How many learners have come through the program over the years, and can you tell me about a specific learner’s story that was inspirational to you?

A: We don’t have early records, so the total numbers of people that have come through the program are hard to calculate. As mentioned before, for the past five years or so, we have been seeing approximately 200 people per year.  READ MORE >>

Next Tutor Training

Oct 17 & 24

9:15 am – 12:30 pm

Online Orientation

must be completed before attending Training

Reservations for this training are required

For more information, please contact

Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy

or call 949-717-3874

Newport Beach Library :: Check Out This Review @GreatNonProfits

Check Out This Review Of Newport Mesa Proliteracy

Great NonProfits: 8.21.2019

Newport Mesa Proliteracy touches people's lives in the Newport Beach and Costa Mesa communities every day, offering adult literacy services and on-line GED tutoring. In the 15 years I have been involved as a volunteer with the program, I have seen our learners proud smiles as they reach personal milestones -- GED or higher degrees, new jobs, drivers' licenses, or earning US citizenship. My personal skills and appreciation of the diversity of our community have also grown with my involvement.  READ MORE >>

Next Tutor Workshop

Oct 17 & 24

5:30pm – 8:30pm

Reservations for this training are required

Online Orientation 

must be completed before attending Training

For More Information 
please contact literacy@newportbeachca.gov 
or call 949-717-3874

Newport Beach Library :: Literacy Bingo

Literacy Bingo Is Coming . . .

Newport/Mesa ProLiteracy

Literally Speaking: Mar/Apr 2019

BINGO is a classic game that most people are familiar with.

Did you know that BINGO actually dates back to Italy in the 1500’s? And it is still as popular as ever in schools, churches, community centers and now.... LITERACY.

From March 1st to March 31st all learners are encouraged to participate in a game of literacy BINGO.

Read, Connect, Discover challenges the learner community to read various genres, connect with other community members, and discover new experiences.

Orange squares = READ

example – read a memoir or biography

Blue squares = CONNECT

example – swap recipes with a friend

Green squares = DISCOVER

example – visit a local, state or national park

The Literacy BINGO challenge runs from March 1 – March 31, 2019.

How to Play

Pick up your NMPL Bingo Card from the Literacy office and make sure you are registered.

Complete 5 squares in a row (vertical, horizontal, or diagonal) to make a Bingo.

Write what you read or did in each square.

Raffle tickets awarded for each Bingo.

Drawings to be held each Monday from 3/11/19

Grand prize raffle ticket awarded for completing all 25 squares.

Bingo card entries accepted through

Have Fun

Enjoy reading books in your favorite format: books, eBooks, audio books.

Check out resources in the Literacy Office and library to complete a square.

Need help with any square? Ask a librarian.

Prizes

Raffle tickets earned for each Bingo achieved may be entered for gifts.

Grand Prize Raffle will be held the first week of April.

Tutor Workshop :: July 17 & 24

5:30 pm – 8:30 pm

Tutors are required to complete online orientation (approximately 20 minutes)and attend tutor training. Orientation must be completed before attending the training sessions. Online orientations can be taken at any time.

You must complete and submit the online application at the end of the orientation in order to be scheduled for one of our Tutor Training sessions.