June is all but finished, so it's time to report your tutoring time for the month.
Vacation
I
will be out of the office all of next week, the week of July 1-5. My
work cell phone will be off, and I won't be checking email or voicemail.
An away-vacation is not in the budget this year, but I plan to unplug
as much as I can next week while using accrued vacation time I would
otherwise lose. I'll be back at work on July 8.
July 4th noise
It
is a very good idea to let your students know that the week of July 4
can get quite noisy in the Denver area. Firecrackers and fireworks can
sound a lot like gunshots and bombs, and this can be particularly
frightening for people who are harboring war-related trauma. Explain to
your student that it's a normal part of the sound landscape in the
Denver area at this time of year.
Here are two articles that list places to see Fourth of July fireworks in the metro area:
5280 Fireworks List (some out-of-the-way, smaller sites)
Here's a story about how illegal fireworks are triggering to people with trauma: https://denver.cbslocal.com/
Newcomers' Fourth of July
Roshni--a
Performing Arts organization--and Control Group Productions are
celebrating shared community with their first annual New American 4th of
July: An intercultural community celebration of American
Interdependence.
The celebration will take place from 11am-1pm on Thursday, July 4th, at and around The People’s Building on East Colfax in downtown Aurora. The festivities will commence with a short sidewalk parade of diversity accompanied by a live broadcast and DJed music by KETO FM.
Potluck food and refreshments will be served. Local and guest artists will perform, including
excerpts from Mountains Made for Us, Colorado’s first intercultural play, and Control Group’s soon-to-be released film, "Solace."
The New American 4th of July celebration promises inclusive, family-friendly fun, and a lovely new take on 4th of July festivities and the day’s true significance.
RSVP to the event organizers and follow event details at Facebook.com/events/
The celebration will take place from 11am-1pm on Thursday, July 4th, at and around The People’s Building on East Colfax in downtown Aurora. The festivities will commence with a short sidewalk parade of diversity accompanied by a live broadcast and DJed music by KETO FM.
Potluck food and refreshments will be served. Local and guest artists will perform, including
excerpts from Mountains Made for Us, Colorado’s first intercultural play, and Control Group’s soon-to-be released film, "Solace."
The New American 4th of July celebration promises inclusive, family-friendly fun, and a lovely new take on 4th of July festivities and the day’s true significance.
RSVP to the event organizers and follow event details at Facebook.com/events/
Colorado Talking Book Library
There is a resource available to the public that you may not be
familiar with. The Colorado Talking Book Library is a resource for all
kinds of people, not just the visually impaired. Users simply need a
Colorado address and to
clear a very easy definition of disability, such as fatigue, stroke,
MS, Parkinson's, arthritis and more.
They have materials in 130 languages! Of course, materials in English can support the work you're doing with your student.
To learn more, check out their website:https://myctbl.cde.
You may also contact Barbara Jaynes directly: barbara@positively-
Finally, if you're working on citizenship preparation with your student, consider
connecting further with them to either access the study guide audio book
(currently just English & Spanish), or even to help record a study
guide in the language(s) of your target participants.
They welcome volunteer support to further grow their library.
I hope some of you are able to connect with this resource!
Free conversation practice
Please see the attached flyers for information about English Conversation Circles at
Eloise May, Smoky Hill, and Sheridan libraries. Conversation circles are free, run
year round, and don't require registration. All are welcome!
If
your in-home student lives in Denver and within the Denver Public
Schools boundaries, here is some helpful information for family members
12-18 years old. Please note that cell phone is necessary to access this
service.
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To
participate in the On MY Way! youth summer transportation program,
students must be between 12-18 years old, have a MY Denver Card and
complete a short
online survey. To take the survey and learn more, students can visit denvergov.org/mydenvercard
and visit RTD
Mobile Ticketing for additional details about the RTD Mobile Tickets app.
Click
here to read the article published by Chalkbeat and learn more about the program.
Some class options in Aurora/Lowry
The Community College of Aurora offers summer U.S.
Citizenship Preparation classes for students that are interested in
becoming U.S. citizens. Students prepare for the exam and receive help with
the application and process
in general. Thanks to a grant from USCIS, these classes are available at a reduced cost of $40.00 per ten-week term (40 hours of instruction).
Advanced ESL students who are
interested in future college study or workforce preparation can now prepare
for their goals in
a low-stress, student-centered environment. CCA is offering these classes at a reduced cost of $60.00 per ten-week term (60 hours of instruction).
Information can also be found on the CCA website,
at www.ccaurora.edu/esl
Aurora Public Schools registration
If
your student has children in Aurora Public Schools, please note the new
registration system being implemented. Easy-to-understand information
is here: https://app.peachjar.com/
In addition, help is needed helping parents sign up their kids for school. Read on for more information!
Aurora Public School's Action Zone is seeking volunteers to help sign up
limited-English speaking refugee families register for school this
year. Interpretation and training for volunteers will be provided.
Sign up to volunteer
here. Learn more at corefugeeconnect.org.
We're going to be on Colorado Public Radio
Several
of my colleagues in the English Language Acquisition department here
were interviewed today by a journalist from Colorado Public Radio. the
story will be about what it's like to learn English as an adult in
Denver and what supports are in place to help facilitate that process. I
spoke extensively about the in-home tutoring program. The story will
air in the next week or two, so if you're a CPR listener, keep your ears
tuned for that!
That's
all for this month. Now that summer seems to have arrived for real, I
hope you're able to get out and enjoy all that Colorado has to offer!
Reporting link:
