August Volunteer Hours: 322 |
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Volunteer Hours 2021/22 School Year: 931
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Fall term starts at the end of this month and with the changing circumstances due to the Delta variant, we have decided to delay in-person classes and the center reopening until winter quarter. The updated schedule can be found here on the Literacy Source Google Drive. Although we are disappointed we will not be seeing you all back in person, we know it is important for the safety of our students, volunteers, and staff. We are looking forward to continuing to develop effective strategies for online learning this quarter.
Fall term starts with week zero on September 20th with instructors organizing their classes and making sure all students are prepared to use Zoom. Classes will then start on September 27th. This month’s theme uniting the classes is understanding history through important dates and timelines. In ESOL 1, students will focus on learning how to talk about schedules and time. In ESOL 2 & 3 students will be reading What’s Next, a book about a father and daughter from Somalia that move to Washington state and want to get settled so they can bring the rest of their family. This story this book tells will help guide the class theme of history and biography. In ESOL 4 & 5 the students will be looking at grassroots press bios for Malala Yousafzai and Cezar Chavez. In Ready to Work, they will be working on career exploration and job applications. In Citizenship, they will be working on civics and creating timelines as a final project. In the GED class, they will be studying The Great Awakening in the U.S. They will discuss both the moral implications and the social movements that took place during this time.
Although we will not be back in the building this term, we are excited about different projects going on in the Lake City community. Mark Mendez is working hard to create many murals in Lake City to draw attention to the fact that the neighborhood deserves more resources and support from the city and highlight its diverse community. Literacy Source hopes to receive a mural from Mark in the future! To learn more about Mark’s projects, you can read this King 5 News story.
All the best for the beginning of the new term!
In community,
Sophia Harris
VISTA Outreach and Systems Coordinator
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Courageous Conversations: Supporting Afghan Refugees in Seattle |
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As there has been a lot of interest expressed by volunteers and staff about how we can help Afghan refugees, we have been looking into ways we can support those coming into the area. They have access to ORIA's Limited English Pathway (LEP) and WorkFirst programs, which Literacy Source offers as a DSHS contractor.
In addition, some suggested ways to help by the American Muslim Empowerment Network specifically for the Seattle area are as follows:
Here you can read the DSHS update on refugees arriving in Washington State. The above video from King Country news is about Kabul restaurant in Wallingford, which will be donating to refugees coming to Seattle.
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Teaching Tip: Strengthening Community in Online Classes |
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Megan Dalton, Ready to Work Lead Instructor
With the announcement that Literacy Source will remain online through Fall Quarter, remote learning has continued for longer than many of us expected. How can we continue to create and strengthen community in our online classes? Many times, I’ve wondered if my efforts to build community on Zoom have any effect on my students’ well-being and enjoyment of their learning.
Fortunately, throughout the last week of Summer Quarter, I received feedback from many students about how strongly tied to their online class community they feel. Two students, from two different classes, told me that their classmates and teachers are their family. Other students have shared that they look forward to class every day, and it makes them happy and confident. Still more have expressed reluctance to leave a class level even if their skills are ready for something more advanced, because it means leaving their good friends and teachers behind.
Clearly, it is just as important to prioritize a caring, culturally responsive online community as it is to provide a quality education. Here are some tips that other teachers and I have used to build community on Zoom.
- Create norms and routines around checking in with students about their lives. For example, my students like doing “Highs and Lows” once a week to connect with each other and support each other through good times and bad.
- Provide opportunities for informal small talk. Some teachers purposely leave their cameras off at the beginning of class so that students can talk to each other in a relaxed setting as they come in. I do the same thing during break time: I stop sharing my screen, and I “leave” so that students can chat with each other about whatever they want, in any language. I’ve received very positive feedback about this practice!
- Make a point of talking about and remembering important things in students’ lives. Maybe a student shared that they celebrated a holiday recently, got a new job, or welcomed a family member. I sometimes ask my students if they have any announcements they want to share with the class!
Be aware of how much screen sharing you do. Overuse can discourage student-to-student conversation, especially since most of our students use only one monitor. If they see your slides, it means they probably can’t see their classmates easily. Lately, I’ve realized that if I organize parts of the class so that students are seeing and talking to each other, with no screen sharing, it greatly improves the conversational environment and the engagement of students.
I’d love to hear what your practices are in building a strong online learning community!
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Fall Term: Tutor/Volunteers Hour Log |
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Tutors! We would like to emphasize how important it is that you log your tutor hours every week.
Why do you need to do this? These hours go towards your student's instructional hours which in turn benefits their learning goals while at Literacy Source. Some students need to fulfill a certain number of hours in order to receive benefits, so it is really important to log all students' hours every week. Note that it is now called the Tutor/Volunteer Hours Log as you can also log the following:
- Match Meetings
- Mock Interviews
- Class Observations
- Cohort Meetings
- Match/Trio Meetings
- Office/Library Hours
- Online Volunteer Trainings
We recommend you bookmark the current log in your browser for easier access. You can access the log from the:
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Congratulations to Yvonne Gibb for her year of service at Literacy Source. |
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Congratulations to the new U.S. Citizens from the Literacy Source community!
This month, there were students from Ethiopia and the Democratic Republic of Congo, who gained U.S. citizenship.
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Remote Tutor Training: Register Now |
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Remote Tutor Training takes place this Saturday, September 9/18 10:00am – 12:30pm. We are offering TWO different training sessions. One session for new tutors and one for matched and experienced tutors. New tutors will be introduced to lesson planning and activities for working with students online. Matched/Experienced tutors will dive a little deeper into teaching/tutoring, building on current skills to help enhance student's individual learning.
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Literacy Source Trivia Night |
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Save the date for trivia night with Literacy Source! It will be online, Tuesday, November 30th 2021. More updates to come! |
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Literacy Source Volunteer Needs |
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Voxy Engen Volunteers
- Voxy is a mobile-friendly, online platform that supports English language learners. Students who use it start by taking a level assessment and answering some questions about where they use English and what they are interested in. Voxy then chooses 3 units that match the students’ level and stated interests.
- A key role volunteers will play in these Labs is helping students to log in to the Voxy website. Once students are in the Voxy web app, they may have questions about navigation, the volume controls, or minimizing and maximizing windows. Volunteer’s ability to break down these web login and navigation procedures will be the key to student success throughout the quarter.
- We are looking for volunteers to help in either lab: Weds. 9-10:30am or Thurs. 4-5:30pm
Contact Caroline if you are interested in this volunteer opportunity. |
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New Volunteer Orientation |
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Please help us spread the word!
Our next New Volunteer Orientation (via Zoom) will be on October 6th at either 1pm or 7pm. Potential volunteers are invited to register online here.
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Sea Mar Fiestas Patrias Virtual
Saturday, September 18, 2021, 12:00pm (Seattle Center, Online, free)
Sea Mar Fiestas Patrias commemorates the independence of Latin American countries, many of which celebrate their national independence day in the month of September. It is a festival to celebrate history while taking pride in the new generations of Latinos who now call the United States home. Throughout the two-day event at Seattle Center, attendees can enjoy delicious traditional Latin American food and cooking demonstrations, live music, traditional folk dance performances, art exhibitions representing Latino culture, free health screenings, children’s activities and more.
Fremont Oktoberfest
Seattle’s Largest Beer Festival is BACK with a brand new edition. Fremont Oktoberfest, a benefit for the Fremont Chamber of Commerce, returns September 17-19, 2021 with 100+ Beers & Ciders in tow. Let’s party in the street!
Health and Happiness Workshop
Monday, September 20, 10:00 - 11:30 am (Online, free)
The pandemic environment, personal problems, and work pressure take a toll on our bodies and mind. The Art of Living brings you this free holistic and integrated workshop called the Health and Happiness which provides unique tools and techniques which help combat stress accumulated in our daily, modern life. Through breathing techniques and meditation taught in this workshop one feels light, energetic, and enthusiastic to take on life!
Russian Language Improv Comedy Night
Improv comedy is popular not only in the US but almost everywhere around the globe. Please join us at Unexpected Productions' Market Theater, at the Gum Wall, in Pike Place Market on Sept. 30th as we host a special Russian-language improv comedy battle. Based on your suggestion, two teams of improvisers rumble in Russian, compete using hilarious and creative improv games. Seating is limited and socially distanced. This is an 18+ event.
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Important Dates and Center Closures |
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Fall term classes: Monday, September 27th - Thursday, December 16th.
Due to the Delta variant, Literacy Source will be open for the 2021 Fall Term by appointment only. All classes and tutoring will be online. Check our website for updates, call 206-782-2050, or email us with specific questions.
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Miss any of our past volunteer newsletters? You can access archived newsletters at the bottom of the Volunteer Resources of our webpage.
Literacy Source recognizes the inherent dignity, equality, and value of every person and strives to create and maintain a learning community that is respectful and welcoming. To foster and maintain a safe and inclusive community of respect, openness, understanding, and civility, it is crucial that students, volunteers, and staff are aware of their rights and options when confronting a discriminatory or bias-related incident. To read more, click here.
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Literacy Source is on the traditional lands of the Duwamish people, and we pay our respect to elders both past and present. To support the revival of Duwamish culture and the vitality of the Duwamish Tribe, please consider signing this petition to federally recognize them, or consider making a donation to Real Rent Duwamish.
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Literacy Source | 206-782-2050 | 3200 NE 125th St. Seattle, WA 98125 | www.literacysource.org |
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