Did You Know?

August 17, 2018

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AACLC Appreciation dinner pictures (photographer Mary Wickman)

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“Every study shows that a parent’s education level—particularly the mother’s—is the highest determinant of a child’s academic success. The positive effects are virtually lifelong, as one longitudinal study showed. It found that children of high school graduates pursue more education, get better jobs, make more money and are more optimistic than children whose mothers never graduated.” – Sharon Bonney, executive director of the National Coalition on Adult Basic Education.

Student Success: Ameeta

August 17, 2018

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Ameeta and tutor Michael Green
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Congratulations to Ameeta for achieving her GED on May 29th! Ameeta successfully completed the first 3 sections of the GED on her first go-around. The Reading Language Arts section was the final hurdle and she pursued it doggedly until she passed. Several tutors—and the encouragement of her family—helped her along the way towards achieving her goal.

Ameeta and current tutor Michael Green held two 2-hour tutoring sessions per week, with Ameeta working hard the entire time and always asking for homework. She also enlisted her 7th and 8th-grade sons to work with her at home, checking her work so that she could then go over the areas she needed more help with.  Michael says “I told her about a month before she took the test that she should schedule it – giving herself a deadline – and she didn’t balk. She took and passed it on May 29th. It has been an honor and a privilege working with Ameeta.”

Ameeta is now enrolled at AACC with a view towards a career in Physical Therapy. Her desire to be a Physical Therapist assistant was formed when her son, who is now a big, healthy middle-schooler, was born prematurely and needed physical and occupational therapy.

Sarah’s Tutor Tips: Great Websites For Tutors

July 22, 2018

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Interactive Sites for Education

At first glance, you might think the Interactive Sites for Education is only for children. Take a closer look at http://interactivesites.weebly.com/ and you will find something for everyone in the family! The topics are: Art, Brainteasers, English Language Arts, Holidays, Math, Music, Science, Social Studies, Spanish, Teacher Tools, and Typing.

I’ve tried a few of the games in the English Language Arts (ELA), Math, and Typing sites, and they are phenomenal! The ELA games help make learning every aspect of grammar fun. My grandson ASKED to play a multiplication game!

Hawkabulary

A different website, http://mrnussbaum.com/hawkabulary/, has a great vocabulary game.Hawkabulary has some vocabulary words found on the Graduate Record Exam for graduate students! The Mr. Nussbaum website has similar educational topic games as the Interactive Sites for Education, but allows one to change the language of the games from English to Spanish or Arabic. This is an excellent game resource for English Language Learners.

Sarah Gardner

 

Director’s Message July 2018

July 9, 2018

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Lisa Vernon, Executive Director AACLC

Mark your calendars for 3rd Annual Walk-a-Thon

Please mark your calendars for Saturday, October 13th and make plans to celebrate family literacy with your friends, family, and leashed dogs at AACLC’s 3rd Annual Literacy Lights the Way 5K Walk-a-Thon! This fun family walk will begin at 9 a.m. on the beautiful B & A Trail (Marley Station Mall entrance).

Donation requests are $25 per person and all proceeds will be used to purchase AACLC student and tutor books for the upcoming 2018/2019 school year.

REGISTRATION is free for all AACLC students and children ages 16 and under. Plus, all children and leashed dogs who complete the walk will receive a prize this year! Walk-a-thon participants will receive free snacks and drinks.  CHECK HERE for additional information.

Fall tutor training Sept. 29, 2018

Also, if you, or someone you know, would like to become a literacy or math tutor, please note that our fall tutor training date is set for Saturday, September 29th from 8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church in Severna Park. This will be a one-day extended training and will fill rapidly. Please call 410-269-4419 or email director@aaclc.org ASAP to reserve a seat.

Kind regards,

Lisa Vernon, Executive Director
Anne Arundel County Literacy Council
301-523-6750 (cell)
director@aaclc.org

Chrysalis House Partnership

July 8, 2018

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Chrysalis House Executive Director Chris McCabe, AACLC math/GED coordinators Susann Felton and Dr. Perinaaz Gandhi, and Chrysalis House clients at the 2018 AACLC Appreciation Dinner.

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The Chrysalis House math and literacy tutoring program is flourishing! Seven women are currently being tutored on Wednesdays and Fridays from 10.30 am to noon, and on Monday and Wednesday evenings at 6pm. Literacy and math goals for these women include earning their GED, improving job skills, and/or successful re-entry into college.

Kiera, a 31-year-old mother of two is a new student who would like to complete her GED this summer. If you are interested in tutoring Kiera in math or reading at the Chrysalis House, please call 410-269-4419 or email Dr. Perinaaz Gandhi at perinaazgandhi@gmail.com for more information.

The mission of Chrysalis House Inc. is to transform the lives of women and children by providing comprehensive recovery programs and services that support the development of their inherent strengths, talents, and potential.

New ProLiteracy Education Network Course

May 28, 2018

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If you want to learn more about fluency and incorporating it into your curriculum, ProLiteracy Education Network free online course Developing Reading Fluency is an excellent first step.

Reading fluently means learners can dedicate more mental energy to understanding what they are reading. In this course, you will:

  • define and learn how to measure fluency
  • learn how alphabetics and vocabulary support reading fluency, and how reading fluency supports comprehension
  • discover 10 activities you can use with students to help them improve fluency
If you haven’t already, you can sign up for a free account on ProLiteracy Education Network to gain access to this course and a valuable selection of materials to help you build confidence and be successful.

Tutor Spotlight: Blast From The Past

May 24, 2018

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One-on-one literacy tutoring changes lives for both the student and tutor, while also creating life-long friendships in the process. Take, for example, tutor George Wood, who was trained and matched with 2 students in 1990.

“At church, I became acquainted with Dwight and June Blanton and learned that they were having difficulty reading because they both had only a 3rd-grade education” recounted former tutor George Wood.

“I then learned of a workshop for literacy tutors being conducted in March 1990 by the Anne Arundel County Literacy Council. I signed up and attended the ten hour workshop and purchased a set of four Laubach teacher’s manuals and skill books.

For the next year and a half, I worked with Dwight and June for an average of one and a half hours every Monday night – going through one lesson each week.  By the end of that time, they were both able to read quite well.

When the company Dwight worked for went out of business he was able to get a steady job in the supply department of the hospital, which he said he would never have been able to do without being able to read.

June passed away several years ago, but the friendship Dwight and I developed has continued for over 25 years.  We still get together occasionally to visit, share gardening information and produce, and to go fishing together.”

 

George Wood

AACLC 2018 Appreciation Dinner

May 18, 2018

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Student Ridgely McGowan and tutor Larry Smith

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What a night! Two hundred and thirty guest reservations were made for this year’s AACLC Appreciation Dinner, graciously hosted by Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church in Severna Park.

Following a delicious buffet dinner, inspirational speakers Ray Williams (current student) and Deena Fujimoto (current tutor and math workshop instructor) held the rapt attention of the audience, followed by the awarding of student character certificates. Each tutor nominated their student for one of 6 certificates, based on specific character strengths they had observed in their students during the course of their tutoring. Student Coordinator JoAnn Cook created these beautiful student certificates, which will hopefully be lifelong keepsakes for the students.

Capital Gazette journalist Sharon Lee Tegler covered the evening live and captured key moments in her weekly column Around The Park: Anne Arundel County Literacy Council dinner celebrates tutors, students:
A tremendous “Thank you!” goes to Woods Memorial for hosting this dinner, as well as to the following restaurants who donated food and prizes. Please stop by these businesses to thank them for their support of our students and tutors:
Adam’s Grille, Severna Park
Adam’s Grille & Taphouse, Edgewater
All American Steakhouse & Sports, Edgewater
Bow Tie Harbour 9, Annapolis
Buffalo Wild Wings, Annapolis
The Cheesecake Factory, Westfield Annapolis Mall
Chick-fil-A, Severna Park
Chuy’s Mexican Eats, Annapolis
Franklin’s Toys
Fuddruckers, Annapolis
Giant Food, Annapolis
Giant Food, Edgewater
Glory Days Grill, Edgewater
The Greene Turtle, Annapolis
The Green Turtle, Waugh Chapel Towne Center
Grotto’s Pizza, Waugh Chapel Towne Center
Jimmy John’s, Severna Park,
Kirsten’s Cakery, Severna Park
Ledo Pizza, Edgewater
Maggiano’s Little Italy, Westfield Annapolis
Martin’s Famous Pastry Shoppe
Mission Bar-B-Que, Annapolis
Newk’s Eatery, The Village at Waugh Chapel
Outback Steakhouse, Annapolis
Potbelly Sandwich Shop, Annapolis Harbour Center
Potbelly Sandwich Shop, Glen Burnie,
Potbelly Sandwich shop, Westfield Mall
QDOBA Mexican Eats, Annapolis Towne Center
QDOBA Mexican Eats, Waugh Chapel,
QDOBA Mexican Eats, Glen Burnie
Sam’s Club, Annapolis
State Farm: Marie Waring, Odenton
TGI Fridays, Annapolis Harbour Center
Trader Joe’s, Annapolis
Deborah Turner (40 dozen gourmet desserts)
Wegmans, Waugh Chapel Towne Center
Weis Markets, Edgewater
Mary Catherine Wickham Photography
Woods Memorial Presbyterian Church

Director’s Message May 2018

May 15, 2018

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AACLC Appreciation dinner guest speaker, Ray Williams

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Please take a look at Capital Gazette journalist Sharon Tegler’s recap of our 2018 Appreciation Dinner http://www.capitalgazette.com/neighborhoods/ac-cm-around-the-park-0510-story.html. Sharon attended this year’s program, personally interviewed students and tutors, then shared her observations in her weekly Around the Park column.

Sharon also posted pictures of the evening on Facebook and wrote the following: “With most of its 250 reading and math tutors and volunteers and an equal number of students and their families in attendance, the Anne Arundel County Literacy Council Appreciation Dinner was an amazing occasion. The students I met were courageous and determined to conquer their reading problems.”

More details of this incredible evening are shared in the following article, along with the 40 restaurants and individuals who donated food and prizes to show support for our students and tutors.

Also take note of the following important math and literacy tutor training opportunities, which are shared in more detail below:

May 16 Endeavor Literacy Workshop
 
May 19 Teaching Geometry
Kind regards,
Lisa Vernon, Executive Director

Anne Arundel County Literacy Council

301-523-6750 (cell)

director@aaclc.org

Director’s Message: April 2018

April 5, 2018

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Please save the date!

Our Annual Appreciation Dinner will be held on April 27th this year and we hope that everyone will make plans to attend. Please RSVP and join us!

My favorite part of each year’s Appreciation Dinner is always the student testimonies. Our student’s courage and determination to achieve their goals is inspirational and shines through every story that is shared, reminding me of why we do what we do at the Literacy Council. Yes, literacy changes lives, not only for the student but also for their families and our community.

Please also check out details below on our GED math and ESOL tutor workshops, both scheduled for April. Space is limited for both workshops, so RSVP as soon as possible to reserve a seat. Also take a moment to read about inspiring husband and wife tutors Bob and Mary Anne Stoner and their 2 students.

Kind regards,

Lisa Vernon, Executive Director

Lisa Vernon, Executive Director

Anne Arundel County Literacy Council

301-523-6750 (cell)

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