Congratulations to our student, Collin L.! In August, he successfully passed the ASVAB and enlisted with the U.S. Army. Our thanks to tutor Timothy B., who worked with Collin over the summer to make this awesome achievement possible.
Happy Adult Education and Family Literacy Week — celebrated from September 19 – 25. Our tutors and staff volunteer year-round to improve adult literacy and family outcomes in Anne Arundel County where the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy revealed in its 2020 survey that 15% of adults lack basic literacy skills. Support our work at icanread.org.
Don’t forget our upcoming Book Fair fundraiser and community event at Annapolis Mall!
Please plan to join us for the Book Fair on Saturday, October 16 from 11 am until 3 pm at Annapolis Mall in the Crate & Barrel Court. CLICK HERE for more information.
With Many Thanks,
Annual Fundraising Event
Saturday, October 16, 11 am until 3 pm at Annapolis Mall near Discoveries Library
Please join us just outside Discoveries Library at Annapolis Mall in the Crate & Barrel Court on Saturday, October 16 from 11 am until 3 pm for AACLC’s fundraiser Book Fair.
We’ll sell gently used books to raise funds for our free adult tutoring programs. Bestsellers, fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, cookbooks, self-help, historical fiction, memoir, and much more will be featured. Hardbacks will be $2, and paperbacks will be $1. Paypal, credit cards, cash, and checks will be accepted.
The fair will also feature raffles for themed baskets, a children’s activity, and more.
Tutors, students, and their families and friends are encouraged to attend!
We welcome sponsors for this event! Contact Jane for more information about supporting our Book Fair.
Stay tuned to our social channels and Literacy Council emails for updates and developing plans.
Instagram @aacoliteracy | Facebook aaclc | Twitter @aaclc
Thanks to all of our reading enthusiasts for their donations from all over Anne Arundel County (and beyond)!
We welcome sponsors!
Please email Jane at director@aaclc.org for more information or to inquire about sponsorship opportunities for this community event.
Thanks for the donations!
Thanks to all of our reading enthusiasts for their donations from all over Anne Arundel County (and beyond), including the marvelous must-visit Park Books and Literacy Lab in Severna Park, where hundreds of books were dropped off by customers and boxed and saved for us. Book Fair Family Night Fun Time Raffle Basket donated by tutor Sandy Deeds.
Your Support & Our Work
Proceeds from the book fair will support our free adult tutoring programs in Anne Arundel County.
The AACLC transforms lives by providing free, convenient, individualized reading, writing, GED, ESL, and math instruction for all interested low-income adults and out-of-school youth who want to improve their skills.
Last year, we recorded more than 10,000 volunteer hours in service to almost 200 out-of-school learners. By serving these students, AACLC is also impacting children, families, workplaces, and the community. Educating vulnerable and underserved low-income adults provides better opportunities for the students and their families. Students are empowered to participate in their children’s education and in our communities, improving equality fates for the next generation and helping to break the cycle of poverty.
Find out more about us.
All Marylanders & AA County residents 12 and over are eligible for vaccination.
Walk-ups now accepted at state & county vaccine clinics.
Visit Maryland’s COVID-19 vaccination information site at https://coronavirus.maryland.
Anne Arundel County’s Department of Health is also running local clinics and there is a Mass Vaccination site at the USNA Stadium. Find more here: https://www.aacounty.org/
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.
As summer comes to an end and fall approaches, we are looking forward to working with new students, as well as those who are returning to their studies, and our students who have been meeting with their tutors through these very hot weeks.
We’re also hosting a very special fundraiser and community event at Annapolis Mall…
Please plan to join us for our Book Fair fundraiser on Saturday, October 16 from 11 am until 3 pm at Annapolis Mall in the Crate & Barrel Court. Please see more information below and stay tuned for upcoming details.
Important Reminders and Resources:
- Click HERE for COVID Vaccine information in our area. For more information, visit aacounty.org/coronavirus.
- Anne Arundel County has a Community Warmline available 24/7 at 410-768-5522 to help anyone experiencing stress, depression or anxiety. Access mental health, substance misuse, and grief counseling. Get referrals and support.
- 211 Maryland — Help is a cal or text away. Dialing 2-1-1 connects callers with trained health and human services personnel who provide guidance and help with a range of needs from utility assistance to legal guidance to mental health help. 211 help is available in more than 100 languages. Please see 211md.org to know all that the service offers. Calls are confidential, and there is a texting option as well.
With Many Thanks,
August 17 update: our fall tutor training session is now full.
Please email Jane at director@aaclc.org to sign up for our spring 2022 training workshop.
Please spread the word or join us for a Volunteer Tutor Training Session on Saturday, September 25 from 9 am until 3 pm at Woods Church in Severna Park.
We will provide training for literacy, ESL, math, and high school diploma prep tutoring.
Anyone interested in becoming a tutor should email Jane at director@aaclc.org to sign up.
Current tutors are welcome to join us for a refresher. Space is limited, so please be sure to RSVP.
Sylvia and her tutor, Sandy at the library
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This student-tutor duo has fun working toward an impressive goal.
Sylvia and her tutor, Sandy, have been working together since March of 2019. Sylvia is originally from Korea, and she is studying English as a second language. Her goal is to become a Medical Coder. To qualify, she plans to complete a 14-month program at AACC and pass a Board exam. Today, Sylvia is working on her English language skills as she prepares for community college coursework. A detail-oriented person, she looks forward to achieving her Medical Coding career dream.
Sylvia and Sandy stayed in touch during the pandemic, and Sylvia took online ESL classes at AACC. The two recently reunited to resume in-person tutoring sessions at the library. Here’s how they’ve made a success of their match.
Once a week, Sylvia and Sandy meet for two to two-and-a-half-hour sessions. They are using “Challenger” literacy materials to study English. At each session, the two review Sylvia’s homework, discussing any words or phrases that may be new or of interest, and then move on to the next lesson in the book.
Each section of Challenger opens with a table that lists new vocabulary. If there are words that Sylvia isn’t familiar with, Sandy and Sylvia discuss them. Sandy has a dictionary and a thesaurus on hand for reference. Sylvia then reads a short story or article from the workbook. She notes any words or phrases that are new to her, and she and Sandy talk about them. Sandy maintains a helpful notebook and keeps a running list of vocabulary and expressions or idioms that Sylvia learns as they move through the materials. Next, Sylvia completes exercises related to the reading, and then she marks any corrections once she and Sandy have reviewed the answers.
Through Challenger’s lessons, Sylvia reads about history, geography, American culture, and even biology. Sometimes, Sandy will pull materials from library shelves to deepen Sylvia’s understanding. In follow up to reading about Ireland’s potato famine, Sandy grabbed a library atlas so the two could locate Ireland and discuss emigration from its shores during that period.
Sylvia and Sandy supplement Challenger coursework with novel reading. A librarian recently recommended the award-winning middle reader, “Front Desk” by Kelly Yang, about an ambitious young girl who aspires to a big life beyond the front desk of the family motel where she works. They read the book at the same pace on their own time and talk about it at tutoring sessions, discussing vocabulary, phrasing, characters, and storyline.
“It complements our coursework and helps us with conversational English,” Sandy notes. “She’s learning the nuances of words or phrases.”
For example, “Get out of here!” Sylvia explains. “It means ‘really’? but also ‘get out.’”
Sandy notes that Sylvia has strong study skills and excellent techniques for learning. She is an outstanding student! “Watching Sylvia grow and get to where she wants to be is rewarding,” Sandy adds. “We have fun!”
Sylvia agrees and says that practicing English through one-on-one lessons is effective. She appreciates learning how to use appropriate words in a given situation. “She is learning the nuances of words and phrases,” Sandy says. “One-on-one tutoring is specifically targeted to her needs and her questions.”
As well as being a dedicated student, Sylvia is a mother, wife, and a talented painter and crafter.
Sandy first trained and tutored with the Literacy Council in the 1990s. After retirement from a 40-year career living all over the world working as a civilian for the U.S. military, she rejoined our tutoring ranks in 2019.
“Front Desk” by Kelly Yang is available at www.aacpl.net.
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All of us at the Literacy Council hope that you are having an enjoyable summer. We are pleased to be busy assessing students and matching tutors with students during these hot days. In this month’s What’s New, please see great news about goal setting and success for two of our wonderful students. Finally, join us this fall for two important Literacy Council happenings…
Tutor Training Session
If you know someone who would like to join our team of tutors in Anne Arundel County, we are having a Volunteer Tutor Training Session on Saturday, September 25 from 9 am until 3 pm. Please read on for sign-up details.
Book Fair
The Literacy Council is hosting a fundraiser Book Fair on Saturday, October 16 from 11 am until 3 pm at Annapolis Mall. This summer, we are collecting gently used books that we will offer at the October event to raise money for our free tutoring programs. Please see more information below and stay tuned for upcoming details.
With Many Thanks,
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We’re already planning our October Book Fair and collecting books that we will sell to raise funds for our free tutoring programs. The date and location for the event are TBD.
The fair will also feature raffles for themed baskets, refreshments, and more.
Donate Books
Bestsellers, fiction, nonfiction, children’s books, cookbooks, etc. are welcome!
Email director@aaclc.org to get donation drop-off information.
We are also doing pick-ups from your doorstep in Annapolis on Fridays and Glen Burnie on Mondays. Special pick-up and drop-off arrangements may also be made.
We welcome sponsors for this event! Contact Jane for more information about supporting our Book Fair.
Stay tuned to our social channels and Literacy Council emails for updates and developing plans. Thank you!
We are happy to share the good news that we are planning in-person events for the fall.
Tutor Training Session
If you know someone who would like to join our team of tutors in Anne Arundel County, we are having a Volunteer Tutor Training Session on Saturday, September 25. Please spread the word or join us.
We will provide training for literacy, ESL, math, and high school diploma prep tutoring.
Anyone interested in becoming a tutor should email Jane at director@aaclc.org to sign up.
Current tutors are welcome to join us for a refresher. Space is limited, so please be sure to RSVP.
First-Annual Book Fair
The Literacy Council is hosting our first-ever fundraiser Book Fair in October. This summer, we are collecting used books that we will sell at the October event to raise money for our free tutoring programs. Please stay tuned for updates.
All of us at the Literacy Council wish you a happy and safe summer.
With Many Thanks,
