Project READ's Accomplishments
January 2012 Accomplishments
KIP Starts up Again in 2012!
Over 50 pairs continue to participate in the KIP program! These are elementary, middle school and teenaged youth who dedicate their time to helping themselves and others achieve academic success. One teen tutor expressed her excitement over her buddy's progress:
“My learner and I went over some of her previous homework assignments just to see what things she needs help on. She has improved in her English skills a lot more since the beginning of KIP this year which is astounding!”
Teen and Preteen Workshops and On-Going Trainings
In January, teen and preteen tutors continued to participate in on-going trainings and workshops. These workshops were designed based on tutor feedback to refine tutoring skills and also help tutors reach their own academic and life goals. This month’s topics included:
· Setting Goals for the New Year
· Financial Aid and Scholarships workshop
· Goal setting workshop
· Math literacy – place value and number sense concentration
Story Hour
Also this month, the KIP story hour at the Fair Oaks Community Library drew over 55 KIP learners, tutors and families. Everyone came to kick off the new year and enjoy the lively and educational entertainment of the Lori and RJ from the Cotton Candy Express! Adults and children alike joined in the fun by singing, dancing and playing instruments. Each family received a children's favorite, My Many Colored Days to take with them to add to their home library collection. Participants also created 2012 calendars to mark celebrations throughout the year.
Destination...the BIG Library!
As our preteen tutors enjoyed a week of adventure at Outdoor Education, our youngest students took a field trip to the big library! They completed art, cooking and computer activities in Project READ's Family Literacy Instructional Center. However, the highlight of the visit was when they ventured downstairs to the children's room and explored all of the books.
Project READ Families For Literacy Story Hour:
150 families and friends came to join us in singing, dancing, art and more. Cotton Candy Express, the award-winning children’s band, started the night off for us with music and dancing. Children were able to perform for their families up on “stage.” After the entertainment, 15 volunteers including Hands On Bay Area (HOBA) members, Starbucks volunteers and Junior League of Palo Alto volunteers, helped the children and their families making crafts. To complete an amazing evening our friends at Starbucks brought peppermint hot chocolate to served to all the families!!
Project READ Family Literacy Learning Center (FLIC) - New Connections and Preteen Tutors:
This month we were fortunate to graduate 30 new teen and preteen FLIC tutors! We also fostered a new community partnership with the Young Dreamers Network, a Bay Area-based youth development program that empowers youth to bring positive change to their community. Many of our new teen tutors are also part if this youth program. The teens and preteens came form various schools within Redwood City, and offered unique perspective and skills to the training. The teens began last week mentoring and tutoring our youngest students. The teens crated a positive and supportive learning environment for our young learners. Welcome Young Dreamers Network!!!!
Project READ teams up with Summit School Teen Volunteers:
A group of nine teenagers from Summit And Everest joined us this month to help us prepare art projects and supplemental learning projects for our elementary students. During their intersession, the students chose to intern with Project READ every day for the month of January. The teens were able to help us brainstorm about projects for the younger learners, work on art projects and share in the experience of volunteering in their own community. One of the teens is a graduate of our Kids In Partnership program who attended Fair Oaks School. It was exciting for her to be able to give back to that program, and it thrilled us to see how much she has excelled.
Project READ Adult, Families For Literacy and Adult Inmate programs:
Inmate and their families working hard to succeed! We welcomed and matched 2 new families to our Families for Literacy program and celebrated 6 learners who graduated the Project READ poetry class offered at the Women’s County Correctional Facility. The women also were able to successfully compile an anthology of their work to share with families and other learners. In the men’s facility 6 men passed GED tests and 2 men completed all testing and received their GEDs. Our Mothers and Families literacy program graduates of the Women’s County Transitional Facility recorded 15 Children’s books and their recordings were sent home for their children to enjoy a story read by mom at bedtime.
December 2011 Accomplishments
Family Literacy Instructional Center:
The holidays were in full swing at FLIC this December. Families and learning pairs worked tirelessly to complete end of the year projects, papers and of course get ready for the holiday season. It was a busy and exciting time for our learners and tutors. This month students from PreK-4th grade participated in our new monthly Reading Group facilitated by the Junior League community tutors and several FLIC teen tutors. Students and tutors were all given the same book to read aloud or listen to as they followed along. Students and tutors then worked on a pre-literacy craft to give as gifts for friends or families for the holiday season. It was a fun and engaging activity for everyone. Learners were able to bring home their new book.
Families For Literacy Story Hour:
The December Story Hour was a holiday event to remember. Close to 150 families and friends came to join us in singing, dancing, art and more. Cotton Candy Express, the award-winning children’s band, started the night off for us with music and dancing. Children were able to perform for their families up on “stage.” After the entertainment, 15 volunteers including HOBA members, Starbucks volunteers and Junior League members, helped the students take part in our gift-making workshop, where students made presents for their friends and families. While the children were making crafts, parents were “shopping” for books and gifts for their children in our “secret shopping” area that was filled with donated gifts to ensure that all our children had something to open for the holidays. To make sure this event was even more festive, our generous Junior League volunteers gave gift bags filled with scarves, hats and games to our families, and Starbucks brought peppermint hot chocolate to served to all the families. It was truly the gift of giving.
A Special Holiday Gift...
One of our longtime families is especially thankful this holiday season for the generosity of Project READ supporters. Thanks to their heartfelt donations, a Project READ fifth grader was able to receive an eye exam as well as the necessary lenses and frames vital to her continued academic success. She is so thankful for the glasses and for the help they have given her with reading!
Celebrating the Gift of Time...
Our teen and preteen tutors completed over 930 hours of community service tutoring in the KIP program during the Fall 2011 semester! Their time has been well spent tutoring the little elementary students.
"I've learned to do my letters and read more words." (Dayrin, grade 2)
"I've gotten better at reading, math, science and taking tests." (Jade, grade 2)
"I'm better at reading and I'm getting smart." (Rosa, grade 1)
"I learned to write my last name...I know how to borrow...I'm getting better at reading...I'm getting better at
"writing because I didn't know about the spaces before but now I do know...I can also count to 100 now!"(Perla, grade 2)
Over 100 KIP learners, tutors and families came together to celebrate this successful semester of tutoring, learning and community service at our annual Gift-Making Workshop & Story Hour Celebration. Lori and RJ of Cotton Candy Express kicked the evening off with festive songs, musical instruments and unparalleled audience participation. Two of our youngest students, who are typically very shy, actually volunteered to come up and sing along with Lori and RJ right into the microphone!
As Lori and RJ kept the crowd occupied, staff secretly ferried moms, dads, aunties and uncles over to the school's community room where a group of volunteers had displayed a beautiful arrangement of brand new books, games, and puzzles. These amazing donated gifts ranged from infant board books, puzzles, art books and chapter books, truly ensuring that there be a meaningful and relevant item for each individual. As the kids enjoyed the music, adults "shopped" for gifts for the whole family, thus ensuring that every Project READ family enjoy the gifts of reading and learning this holiday season!
This much appreciated shopping experience was made possible by local businesses and kind-hearted donors, and was especially enhanced this year by the generous donations from Ormondale Elementary School of Portola Valley. As part of Ormondale's 2011 Book Fair, students and parents made contributions to a fund that went toward books and materials for the families of Project READ. Back in October, Project READ staff had the opportunity to shop for over $1,500.00 worth of books and gifts to be given out to Project READ families! The KIP parents were exuberant in their expressions of gratitude and we thank all who made this holiday brighter for these families! Meanwhile, back in the cafeteria, the students caught the spirit of giving as they participated in five crafts specifically designed to be gifts and keepsakes.
On the Ice in Downtown Redwood City!
Our preteen tutors and AmeriCorps members were thrilled with Redwood City's new Courthouse Square Ice Skating Rink! In order to reward the preteens for doing double-duty as both learners and tutors this year, Project READ staff and tutors enjoyed an afternoon on the ice.
Adult, Families For Literacy and Adult Inmate FFL:
We has 2 new FFL matches. As well as 6 women graduating the poetry class and compiled an anthology. In the men’s facility 6 men passed GED tests and 2 men completed all testing and received their GEDs. 15 books/recordings were sent home to children of mother’s housed at Women’s Transitional Facility.