April 18 – 24 is National Volunteer Week and the perfect opportunity to thank and celebrate our team of more than 300 active volunteers who are making a difference in Anne Arundel County. Thank you all for your talents, kindness, and hours of work on behalf of our students. AACLC volunteers collectively donate more than 13,000 hours of their time every year to improve lives in our communities. You are amazing! COVID vaccines are now widely available in our area. We strongly encourage all of our volunteers and students who can to get vaccinated. Please see the information below about state and county vaccine clinics.
All Marylanders & AA County residents 16 and over are eligible for vaccination.
County Transportation to COVID Vaccine Clinic Appointments is Available
To coordinate transportation, call 410-222-3663 (TTY 7-1-1), Monday – Friday from 8 am to 6 pm. Read more about this program here.
With Many Thanks,
Jane Seiss, Executive Director
Anne Arundel County Literacy Council
Useful ideas and follow-up from our Zoom Roundtable
- Use Google Docs to look at a document at the same time as your student — see changes made in real-time and discuss them while you are working.
- Check out Quizlet for generating vocabulary lists, flashcards, multiple-choice quizzes, and other study tools. Use the app or the website.
- Use screen sharing and real or virtual whiteboards to work out math problems or to review material with your student.
- Some libraries are already creating and providing access to their summer reading sections, which are organized by reading level. Look for books of interest to your student, and always feel free to ask a librarian for help.
For more advice about tutoring from a distance, please contact Wendy to receive our Virtual Tutoring Guide — a compilation of tips and resources from AACLC staff, trainers, and tutors. Tips on low-tech virtual tutoring are included.
This month, we are sharing news on the impact of tutoring. Read more at these links:
Learning to read as an adult changes deep regions of the brain
“Even learning to read in your thirties profoundly transforms brain networks,” one researcher said in follow up to a 2017 study. “The adult brain is remarkably flexible to adapt to new challenges.” (Mental Floss)
Lawyer reunites with teacher who taught her English as a child
A lawyer and immigrant whose teacher spent an extra hour a day volunteering to teach her English finally gets to thank the woman who changed her life. This piece was shared by a Literacy Council supporter. (The Washington Post)
U.S. adult literacy facts
ProLiteracy breaks down its most recent findings on adult literacy including some of the costs of low literacy in the United States. (ProLiteracy)
Contact your branch for details
MAY 1 UPDATE: Anne Arundel County libraries have reopened for visits — no appointment necessary. Hours may vary at each branch. See location and contact information and call ahead with any questions or to get the latest on library policies. Mask, sanitizing, and social distancing guidelines must be followed.
Any tutor-student matches who would prefer to continue with virtual tutoring are very welcome to do so.
Two accomplished community members join our Executive Board
Catie Comer is the Director of Development & Communications for The Arc Central Chesapeake Region. She brings nearly seven years of fundraising and communications experience to the Anne Arundel County Literacy Council. She is passionate about nonprofits and supporting the community. Catie also volunteers with the Sister States Leningrad Oblast Committee and the Association of Fundraising Professionals Emerging Leaders Taskforce.
Catie is an Annapolis native and a graduate of the University of Maryland with degrees in Journalism and the Russian Language. She formerly taught English as a Second Language in Russia and volunteered as an AACLC ESL tutor. Catie also helped us plan and put on last year’s virtual art sale.
Beverly Sumpter has been a proud resident and active community leader of Anne Arundel County for more than 20 years. She graduated from Bowie State University and has an MA in Human Resource Development (HRD). In 2008 she retired from the United States Air Force after serving 23 years. Beverly currently works for the Secretary of the Air Force, Public Affairs Office as Chief, Security and Policy Review.
In 2014, her love for community building, outreach, and education inspired Beverly to join the Anne Arundel County Literacy Council as a tutor. For four years, she volunteered as a tutor fully committed to working with her student. As one of the members who wear many hats in the organization, she was the 2019 AACLC Appreciation Dinner Chairperson and worked to organize the AACLC Annual Literacy Lights the Way Walkathon.
Contact Wendy or Perinaaz for materials or resources
We are very happy to help tutors and students with materials, online resources, or advice on student progress and plans. Please reach out to us any time and visit our website Tutor/Volunteer Resources page for a comprehensive list of resources by subject area.
Recently, we’ve gotten positive feedback about the “Who Was?”/”What is?” series (see cover images above). The books focus on important changemakers, scientists, artists, writers, athletes, and history. They are enjoyable for level-3 Laubach students and above and readers of all ages. The “Who/Was” series is available at aacpl.net and on Amazon Smile, and we have some in our collection.
Spring is almost here, and the clocks move forward this weekend. It is a good time to anticipate hopeful times ahead of us.
This month, we welcome two new members to our Executive Board. Catie Comer and Beverly Sumpter have both volunteered with the Literacy Council for a while. They will continue to be wonderful contributors to our team. You can read more about our entire board: CLICK HERE.
Local libraries have reopened for appointment visits, and we have some excellent resources and articles to share:
As always, please let us know if we can help you at any time.
Thank you for your support,
Jane Seiss, Executive Director
Anne Arundel County Literacy Council
JoAnn Cook
An exceptional volunteer retires from our staff.
Long-time Literacy Council volunteer, JoAnn Cook retired from staff service in January. For many years, JoAnn contributed to our work in countless ways. Among her many roles, she served as a student coordinator, assessor, graphic designer, event planner and contributor, trainer, organizer, and database assistant.
JoAnn designed and produced almost all of our brochures, programs, posters, and forms. She has also been a kind and thoughtful staff advisor and contributor, joining committees, attending events, and offering resources to make things better than they would have been without her!
JoAnn has donated thousands of hours of her time. She will be missed. For now, it is not officially “goodbye” — JoAnn has promised to help us when we need her, and she is still working on our data team.
Jill & Perinaaz are hosting a Roundtable on Zoom.
Please email Wendy to sign up for a February 25 Zoom session to share tips and ideas for working with students remotely.
The discussion will begin at 7 pm, and our trainers and tutors will share experiences, resources, and ideas. You’ll be able to ask questions and seek advice on how to best tutor your student from a distance.
In follow-up, we’ll provide a summary sheet and information on resources.
The Literacy Council is loaning laptops to students
Thanks to a donation from the Phillips Foundation, in 2019, the Literacy Council purchased laptops for loan to our students. Please contact Perinaaz, if your student is interested in borrowing one. We will work with you to safely deliver the laptop and to provide straight-forward instructions.
So far, students have used AACLC laptops to continue their lessons remotely, access resources for their studies, take practice tests, and create resumés.
