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News 14 Carolina Visits Reading Connections!
 On Tuesday, February 9, News 14 Carolina reporter Elise Roberts visited the Greensboro Reading Connections office to get out the word about our 20th anniversary. The news segment, which aired Tuesday night, caught a glimpse of the morning ESOL Conversation class and a few students whose lives have been changed through enhanced literacy skills. Administrative Manager Rhiannon Kelly spoke to Elise about the impact of literacy not just on individuals, but their communities as well, and Reading Connections' continuing need for volunteer tutors.
Reading Connections is grateful for the coverage, as we have already received a few responses from new volunteers!
The video can be seen here: http:// news14 .com/triangle- news-30-content/top_stories/ 621809/literacy-program- seeking-help-to-nbsp-improve- reading-skills
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The High Point Office has Moved!
 Reading Connections' High Point office has relocated from the Employment Security Commission to the newly renovated High Point Public Library! As of January 11, we are now located at:
High Point Public Library
901 N. Main Street
High Point, NC
Our mailing address will be P.O. Box 2530, High Point, NC, 27261.
We also have a new phone number, and are no longer taking calls on the old 404-3474 cell phone. To get in touch with our High Point office, please call (336) 883-3474!
We are very excited about the move, which will allow us to reach even more students and will provide the Library with access to an adult literacy program for their clients.
Reading Connections' program staff will occupy temporary space at the library while we wait for our new office space to be completed. We are currently raising funds to pay for the re-development. The Hayden-Harman Foundation has offered a $10,000 challenge grant toward the estimated $40,000 construction cost. If you would like to make a donation towards this exciting new space, please click the "donate now" button on the sidebar (or on our web site) or send your contribution to 122 N. Elm Street, Suite 520, Greensboro, NC 27401.
We will continue to maintain a presence at the ESC for the time being to help students make the transition to the new space.
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Reading Connections Celebrates 20 Years!
 2010 marks Reading Connections' 20th anniversary! Our agency was founded in 1990 by Mary Adams Stephens and Cynthia Doyle in response to the serious need for adult literacy services in our community. Over the years we have grown, expanding through all of Guilford County and helping thousands of adults learn to read and meet their goals.
To mark this milestone and all of the agency's achievements, we have exciting events planned throughout the year. Keep your eyes open for details, and contact mray@readingconnections.org if you would like to become involved in planning our 20th anniversary celebrations.
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Human Race 2010
Reading Connections is planning on participating in The Human Race 2010. We will be forming a team made up of staff, volunteers, students, Board members, and other supporters. This is a great way to make a
connection with your
student and other nonprofit
agencies.
Lace up your tennis shoes and join Reading Connections for the Annual Human Race Walk!
You can walk or sponsor a walker on the Reading Connections
team.
Mark your calendars now - the race will be held March 20, 2010 starting at Grimsley High School in Greensboro. Contact Rhiannon Kelly (rkelly@readingconnections.org) to join the Reading Connections walking team!
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Barnes & Noble Fundraiser
 If you missed our Barnes & Noble bookfair on February 13th, there's good news:
Barnes & Noble has extended our book fair until February 20th! A portion of every purchase accompanied by a voucher (download and print here) will be donated to Reading Connections! The vouchers are good at ANY Barnes & Noble (but not on their web site).
Spread the word and forward the voucher to your friends and family!
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Some Tutoring Tips from a Pro
If you've spent any time in our office, chances are you've seen Kathy, our wonderful Civics and FUNdamentals instructor. This month, we asked Kathy to think of some easy tips for making the tutoring experience better for students and tutors:
- Create an interesting lesson by changing activities every 20 minutes.
- It's a good idea for each lesson to have a word component. On the higher levels, this could mean more vocabulary words, or a study of word roots. For lower levels this could involve learning letters or short words. Allow part of your lesson to be reading and comprehension.
- The last part of the lesson should focus on writing. For this, you could use a Language Experience story, graphic organizer, or journal.
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Tutors, Save the Date!
 If you are a tutor who received training between July 1, 2009 and now, save the afternoon of Saturday, March 6 for a follow-up session with Reading Connections. We'll have a St. Patrick's Day-themed "Go for the Gold" event for our tutors. More info to come--hope to see you there!
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February is Safety Awareness Month
 February is Safety Awareness month at Reading Connections, and now is a good time to review basic safety procedures with your student, especially if they are originally from another county. Take some time to review how to use 911, proper procedures for interacting with the police, how to handle a car accident, and any other basic safety issues that arise in our day-to-day lives. If you need learning materials or assistance in lesson planning, contact Rhiannon Kelly at rkelly@readingconnections.org.
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Upcoming Tutor Training Dates
Greensboro:
| Orientation: |
Tuesday, March 2
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5:00 - 6:15 p.m. |
Self Help Building
122 N. Elm Street
5th floor conference room |
Session 1:
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Monday, March 22 |
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
Self Help Building
122 N. Elm Street |
| Session 2: |
Wednesday, March 24 |
9:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. |
Self Help Building
122 N. Elm Street |
High Point
All sessions will be held on the 3rd Floor of the High Point Library in the Board Room.
| Orientation |
Thursday, March 18 |
6:00 - 7:00 pm |
| Session I |
Tuesday, March 23 |
5:30 - 8:00 pm |
| Session 2 |
Thursday, March 25 |
5:30 - 8:00 pm |
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Volunteer Instructors Needed
Our High Point office needs volunteer ESOL instructors for small group classes and to work one-on-one with students. If you, or someone you know, would be interested in working with ESOL students, please contact High Point Coordinator Kyri Murdough at 883-3664 or kmurdough@readingconnections.org. High Point also needs help with:
Workplace Essential Skills
Employment Security Commission
919 Phillips Avenue, High Point
Mondays 1:00 - 4:00 pm
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Flexible Tutoring Opportunities
Do you want to volunteer, but your schedule is erratic? Not sure how much time you have to tutor each week? We have the perfect opportunity for you (or someone you know): tutor in our Learning Lab.
Learning Lab is our new program to provide tutoring for students without a permanent 1:1 match. Volunteers sign up for times when they are free each week, and students make appointments during those staffed times. You may be working with a different student every week, or you may find a student whose schedule matches yours.
This program has helped us provide instruction for the 75 students on our waiting list, and we need more tutors! If you are interested in staffing our Learning Lab, please contact Rhiannon Kelly in Greensboro at 230-2223 or rkelly@readingconnections.org, or Kyri Murdough in High Point at 404-3474 or kmurdough@readingconnections.org.
We also have a need for math tutors as we have had numerous requests from students for tutoring in math. Basic math is an important part of literacy, which is defined as "an individual's ability to read, write, and speak English, compute and solve problems, at levels of proficiency necessary to function on the job, in the family of the individual, and in society." Many of our students need to improve their basic math skills in order to pass the GED or just to perform basic tasks like balancing a checkbook. Classes meet for 1-2 hours per week. If you are interested in serving as a math instructor, please contact Micah Guindon at 230-2223 or mguindon@readingconnections.org.
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An ESOL Update
- Reading Connections is happy to welcome our new ESOL Coordinator, Andrew Trump! Andrew will be supporting tutors and students throughout the ESOL program, along with teaching classes. Please take a moment to introduce yourself the next time you visit the Greensboro office.
- Also, our excellent ESOL Conversation teacher, Linda, has found some very useful websites for use with teaching foreign learners. They are:
- As you may already know, Guilford County is a central area for many refugees and relocated immigrants from all over the world. Other parts of the country are also experiencing an influx of relocated populations, including Nashville, TN. Recently, Nashville Public Television's documentary series, Next Door Neighbors, took a look at the experiences, challenges and impacts of refugees from places like Kurdistan, as they build their new lives in Nashville. You can learn more about the series at
http://wnpt.org/productions/ nextdoorneighbors/index.html
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Mid-Year Reports & New Tutor Report Form
 It's February, which means Reading Connections is just over halfway through our fiscal year. Tutors, this is the time to send in your Mid-Year Tutoring report for your student(s). You should have already received the form in your email, but if it's been misplaced, email rkelly@readingconnections.org for a replacement and more information.
In response to some new program requirements and feedback from tutors, we have created a new monthly tutor report form. You can download it at our website. (Contact Rhiannon Kelly at rkelly@readingconnections.org if you need the login name and password to access the tutors-only section of the website.)
If you are an active tutor, please remember to turn in your Monthly Tutoring Report, which is due on the 5th of each month. If you have done so already, thank you! You can submit these hours by email, mail, fax, or phone. Call the office if you have questions about reporting your tutoring hours. Remember that Reading Connections' state funding depends on being able to demonstrate success. That includes the number of instructional hours per student. If we don't get your tutor reports, we can't record student hours and are likely to get reduced state funding. Please be sure to turn these in monthly!
We'd also like to direct you to a great website with professional development resources for adult educators:
www.professionalstudiesae.org. The site has a rich variety of free and self-paced courses for instructors and tutors.
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We are always interested in your feedback. Do you have questions or concerns? Please contact the office.
Sincerely,
Reading Connections Staff
Greensboro Office
122 N. Elm St., Ste. 520
Greensboro, NC 27401
info@readingconnections.org
Phone: (336)230-2223
Fax: (336) 230-2203
High Point Office 
901 N. Main Street
High Point, NC 27262
P.O. Box 2530
High Point, NC 27261
info@readingconnections.org
Phone (336) 883-3664 (new!)
*The old phone number (404-3474) is no longer in service.
If you think you've received this email in error or would like to be removed from the list, send an email with UNSUBSCRIBE in the subject line to info@readingconnections.org
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Newsflash
