The Doorway - Collierville Literacy Council

The Doorway
Vol. 9, No. 1
Collierville, TN
September 2013
From The Director’s Desk: Karen Ray
To all of our CLC friends,
It’s hard to believe another school year has started! We have been so busy during the
last 12 months with the GED program and the increased number of students trying to get
their GED diploma. Last year, we served 487 GED students, compared to 343 the year before! It has been hectic, but very rewarding, with 181 GED graduates.
As we go forward into 2013-14, the Collierville Literacy Council needs both financial
and volunteer support. Watch for information about our SCRABBLE FUNdraising Tournament in November – if you haven’t played yet, you should. It’s a lot of fun on a Sunday afternoon!
Also mark your calendars to go to Carriage Crossing and shop at Chico’s on Sept. 28 from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m..
They’ll donate 10% of the sales of everyone who says, “I’m shopping for the Collierville Literacy Council.” Who
doesn’t want to check out the sales rack at Chico’s?
The number of students asking for our help increases every year – we don’t want to have to cut any services because of a lack of tutors or funding. Helping our adult students learn English, learn to read, and get a high
school equivalency diploma are goals that improve the student’s life; but their personal gains also help our entire
community. With a diploma, English language skills, or basic reading skills, there is less need for social service
support, crime decreases, parents encourage their children to stay in school, and more workers can train in skills
that area employers need in their workforce. It’s really a win/win situation for everyone!
Collierville Literacy Council board
members held a meeting on Jan. 27,
2013 at the Collierville Chamber of
Commerce.
The members planned for the coming year and finalized the strategic
plan. Pictured are (front row, from
left) Matt White and Annette Key,
(middle row) Wanda Chism, (back
row) Sissy Lofton, Nan Gallina,
Bettina Roberts, Henry Stokes,
Carlton Anderson, Mike Tebbe,
Angie Vandenbergh, Joel Tracy and
Lynn Wheeler.
Dates to Remember
Sept. 2
CLC Closed for Labor
Day
Oct. 18 & 19
CLC Tutor Training
Nov. 10
Scrabble FUNdraising
Tournament
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
Sunday, November 10, 2013
The 9th annual Scrabble FUNdraiser Tournament will be held Sunday, Nov. 10 from 1 to
4:30 p.m. at St. George’s Independent School,
located at 1880 Wolf River Blvd in Collierville.
The cost is $30 for individuals, $75 for
teams of three and $250 to be a sponsor.
For more information, visit colliervilleliteracy.org or contact us at 854.0288.
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Tutor’s Corner
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New Tutors
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Student News
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Staff Tidbits
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Contributors
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Tutors:
Save the
Dates
REMINDER
We need your monthly
tutor report forms.
Your volunteer hours
are periodically reported
to United Way, which
provides funding to the
CLC.
Volunteer
Appreciation Dinner
Incarnation Catholic
Church
Sept. 23 at 6:30 p.m.
* In March, Meera Desai Shah took a
couple of
her ELL students, Kana and Kikumi, to Kroger
where they independently spoke to customer services officials about
how to get coupons. “They asked for directions about whom to talk
to, with a bit of prompting from me. As they have discovered, most
Americans are very helpful and kind.”
* Jane Dalton’s ELL students gave observations about Life in America:
“When I visited my son’s school for the first time, I was surprised that the school
had several janitors. Back in Korea every student had to clean his or her classroom
every day. We think that is a part of education.” -H.L.
“In Japan, we don’t usually wear clothes with sports team logos, except when
we’re going to see the game. But here, we can see team logos everywhere. I thought it
would be fun to show off my love for the team, so as a start, I got a cap with the
Steelers logo.” -K.M.
“Sometimes the prices of gasoline are different between two gas stations which
are across the street. In such case, in Japan, there would be many more cars in front
of the cheaper station. But, American people seem not to mind the difference in the
price.” - S.
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Pictured are Nancy Beeson
(front, from left), Emily Williams, Sandy Williams, Mary
Kay Roy, Laura Kuhn, (back)
Cyndee Ross, Jeff Ross, Margaret Woodward and Don
Smith. Not pictured: Florence
Gosnell.
Attending Tutor Training
in February, these tutors are
now trained and certified
through ProLiteracy to meet
with CLC students.
Interested in becoming a CLC Tutor?
The Collierville Literacy Council will hold Adult Tutor Training on Friday Oct. 18 from 6
to 9 p.m. and Saturday, Oct. 19 from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Tutors train to assist CLC students in GED, English as a Learned Language
(ELL), and Basic Literacy Skills. After an informative session Friday night,
participants learn more about a specific program on Saturday.
Active tutors can always join in Saturday to freshen up their skills or train in
another program. Following training, tutors become officially certified
through ProLiteracy after completing individual online studies, and following up with CLC staff. Tutors are then matched with a student, who they
typically see on a weekly basis.
For more information or to RSVP for October, call 854.0288.
Opportunities
Can’t commit to being a tutor right now? No problem! We have many other ways your can help out the
CLC.
Be a SCRABBLE FUNdraiser Sponsor ($100-$5,000) for 2013 or a SCRABBLE player ($75 for a
team of 3 players)
Dedicate Memorial and/or Honorarium donations for friends and family members
Donate “In Kind” gifts such as: grocery store gift cards for Tutor Training/Tutor Support Gathering refreshments
Printing and/or postage for our annual report or brochures. Your business organization will be
named “The Sponsor.”
Office Supply Store gift cards for office supplies
Books of Postage Stamps
Kroger Cards: Log on to Kroger.com to select the CLC as your community rewards choice. Kroger
will make a donation to us each time you shop.
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CLC Students
Remember to sign your name on a slip of paper and put it in the FISH BOWL
each time you come to the CLC to work with your tutor. You could win $10 from
the monthly drawing!
Recent winners include:
2012:
October: Brenda’s student, Tuoi
November: Rod’s student, Amir
December: Becky’s student, Qiu
2013:
January: Tom’s student, Courtney April: Jean’s student, Nidya
February: Donna’s student, Eun
May: Ginny’s student, Kayla
March: Tasha’s student, Heather
June: Betty’s student, Sujatha
Thanks to the Collierville Presbyterian Church for making this attendance incentive possible.
2013 CLC GED DATES:
Congratulations to all
the 181 GED Graduates!
Our congratulations to
each of you and to the
tutors who helped you
reach your goal.
Good luck as you move
forward!
Thursday, October 3
Registration deadline
Tuesday, Sept. 24
Thursday, Nov. 7
Registration deadline
Tuesday, Oct. 29
The Official Practice Test,
known as the OPT, MUST
be completed BEFORE
registering for the actual
GED test.
Tutors AND students please let the CLC know if you have
stopped meeting, or if your contact information changes.
We don’t want to lose track of you! Call us at 854.0288 or
email us at [email protected].
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Literacy News with Kelly:
Hello literacy tutors! This summer, I attended a literacy instruction workshop in Huntsville,
Alabama. The workshop, along with instructional materials, was funded through grants from
Collierville’s 20th Century and Civitan clubs. The workshop focused on a comprehensive instructional program to improve students’ reading and writing. Although it would be difficult to
implement the entire program, we certainly can incorporate many of its elements. Give me a
call if your student continues to struggle with blending sounds (sounding out words) and/or segmenting words (spelling). I would love to meet with you and share some of these new instructional strategies.
Also, let me know if you are interested in serving as an assistant tutor, which works with a literacy student two times a week for an hour each time. As an assistant tutor you would provide additional instruction and practice on sight words, blending, and writing. Thanks again for all your hard work!
ELL News with Pam:
Right now, we are not registering new ELL students. We hope to begin accepting new students
at the end of September, once Tutor Training is complete and we, hopefully, receive some new
ELL tutors.
ELL Student News:
Whether you are waiting to be matched with a tutor or already have a tutor, you can improve
your conversation skills by attending our Talk Time conversation classes. We’d love to have
you join us!
We will now be meeting for Talk Time at the Holy Apostles Episcopal Church at 1880 Wolf
River Blvd in Collierville from 10 a.m. – 11:30 each Wednesday & Thursday.
ELL Tutor News:
Thank you for your continued hard work and dedication to your students. If you are no longer meeting with your student,
please let me know so I can update our files. Also, if you are available for another student, you can email me at
[email protected] with your availability.
GED News with Carol:
As many of you know, the GED testing Service will launch their new, updated and computerized “GED 2014” test on Jan. 1.
Fees for the 2014 test are expected to increase from $65 to $120 and the content of the test will
be more difficult, particularly in the Math section. Testers who have not completed the 2002
series GED test will not be able to carry-over partial scores once the new test is introduced.
This has created a huge demand for GED Official Practice tests, tutoring and testing, and the
CLC is working hard to provide these services for as many students as possible before the cutoff date. We’ve expanded our office hours, staying open until 7 p.m. Wednesday nights, as well
as doubled our test dates in 2013. Our phone has been ringing constantly and our facility is bustling as students from all over Shelby County and beyond seek information, guidance and tutoring, and hope for a seat at one of our tests. We’ve seen our GED student numbers skyrocket by 43% during our 2012-2013
fiscal year, and expect the numbers to grow even more as December 2013 approaches.
A GED Diploma can be a life-changer! We applaud our GED tutors for the hours of instruction they provide week after week
to help CLC students achieve their dreams for a better future!
CLC’s Newest Employee: Christina Morgan
Christina began at the CLC in March, stepping into a staff support role, which was created with
the departure of former Volunteer Coordinator Julie Parks.
Working part-time at the CLC, Christina is also a freelance journalist. You may have seen her
byline in The Collierville Herald.
Christina and her husband Cory reside in Olive Branch, Miss., with their Akita pup named
Koda Bear.
Since starting at the CLC, Christina has primarily assisted Carol Faller with GED responsibilities, though she will also be handling the CLC newsletter and other publicity.
If you haven’t already met her, stop in and say hello.
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To Our Faithful Contributors ~
THANK YOU!
Mission Statement:
The Collierville Literacy Council, a community
non-profit agency, develops programs, trains
volunteer tutors, and utilizes technological resources to teach adults comprehensive literacy
skills rooted in reading, writing, and critical
thinking.
(November 2012 - July 2013)
Donations in memory of
Agatha “Nan” Gallina from Nan Gallina
Gary Bentley from Lynn Wheeler, Nan Gallina
Kim Keough from Glen Burford, Leonard Hughes, M/M
Jay Myers, Terry Courtenay, John & Sandy Barrios,
Harry Kearney, M/M Roger Albee, Janie Day, M/M
George Lofton, Darla Rennegarbe, Samuel Scull IV, Pat
Shappley, Rosen Family, S.T. Kramer, Nan Gallina
2013 Governing Board
Annette Key, President
Henry Stokes, Immediate Past President
Wanda Chism, Secretary
Carlton Anderson
Nan Gallina
Bettina Roberts
Joel Tracy
Matt White
Donations in honor of
Dave & Julie Parks by Roger Albee, Roger and Pat Albee
by George & Marty Sullivan, Henrietta Alvarez by Chris
Shields, Julie Parks by Henrietta Alvarez
Individual Supporters:
John Barrios
Elizabeth Lofton
Mike Tebbe
Lynn Wheeler
Angie Vandenbergh
Staff
Karen Ray, Director
Carol Faller, GED Coordinator
Kelly Thieme, Literacy Coordinator
Pam Rubinstein, ELL Coordinator
Christina Morgan, Staff support
Elizabeth Wayne, Bookkeeper
Betty Owen, Becky Gafford, Anne Smith, Chris Shields,
Ginny Mullaney, Janette Vaught, Tommy & Diane Dunagan, John & Clare Griggs, Donna McDermott, Rita &
David Compton, Edith Caywood, Barbara Bailey, Alexis
McCutchen, Marilyn Meeks, Jack & Betty Only, Maria
Bendayan, Dave Schmidt, Nancy Harness, Don Price,
Mary Booker, Matt White, Pat Albee, Sarah Walne,
Henry Stokes, Sissy Lofton, Lillian McDonald, Judy Hoffman, Allan Hayden, Chris Shields, Chul & Young Kim,
Linda Sharp, Paulette Bourdon, Lisa Prestage, Tanya
Fischer, Halina Dutkiewicz, Janet Jones, Henry & Kitty
Stokes, Lorri Cordelli, Jim & Julia Williams, Ann Evans,
Jane Dalton, Keiko Mikami, Leesa Travis, Ameriprise
Financial, Kroger, ServiceMaster, Holy Apostles Episcopal Church
Volunteers
Mary Jane Randolph, Elizabeth Wayne, Janet
Jones, Whitney Beach
Donations of $500 and above:
BancorpSouth, Raymond James Financial, St. Andrew’s
Episcopal Church, New Neighbors
Donations In Kind:
Monica Evans, Mary Lou Thesmar, Celine Wong, Diane
Bernardi, Mickie Kee, Manabu & Tomoko Mariguchi,
Patree Ruggieri, David & Elizabeth Sexton, Gene Callaway, Lynn Crosson, Pilar Bendayan, Karlinda Martinez,
Janet Jones
CONTACT US
Collierville Literacy Council
167 Washington St.
Collierville TN, 38017
Call 901.854.0288
Fax 901.854.0288
colliervilleliteracy.org
[email protected]
United Way Designated Donors:
Kevin Giddis, Curt Keough, Lori Jester, Penny Kolesar,
Hospira Foundation, Deborah McDonald, Richard Trent
Grants:
Women’s Foundation of Greater Memphis, Town of Collierville, Wal-Mart, M/M John Sheahan, Collierville Civitan Club, Twentieth Century Club, Collierville Presbyterian Church, M/M John Fockler
Hours: Monday thru Friday
9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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