Reporting May hours, enrolling students online

It's a new month halfway through what's turning out to be an unfathomably challenging year. There's a reason the old Chinese saying* "May you live in interesting times" is considered to actually be a sly curse.

I hope that you all continue to be well--and safe. As we move into a new month, no matter how weird things have become, we still have some regular business to tend to. If you have not formally quit the in-home program (it's OK to be "on hold" for now), please report your participation time for May, even if the hours are zero. If you're not doing anything with your student because of the pandemic restrictions, that's OK--just leave this note in the comments: "COVID-19." If you're on-hold because of the pandemic but you don't report anything, I don't know if you've actually quit or you're just not able to tutor at this time. This is why I ask you to complete the survey and report zero hours with the note of COVID-19.

Here's the reporting link for May hours. Note the bonus question at the end (and kudos if you get my reference in the banner illustration at the top of the form).

Click here to submit your report (or lack of hours):

https://forms.gle/hQYEuuoWFcAMQcW89

*Per Wikipedia: Despite being widely attributed as a Chinese curse, there is no known equivalent expression in Chinese. The nearest related Chinese expression translates as "Better to be a dog in times of tranquility than a human in times of chaos."

Other news

I continue to try to post helpful information at the blog site, cresltutors.blogspot.com. You'll find these monthly emails posted there, as well. I also continue to post articles and similar content on the Facebook page, Colorado Refugee ESL Volunteers.

Enrolling in-home students into online classes

There were a lot of questions about this, so let me clarify a few things. First, enrolling your student in the online classes does not disenroll them from in-home tutoring. In fact, because we believe more instruction is better, we encourage you to continue to tutor remotely so you can build on what your student is covering in the online classes.

Is this the end of the in-home tutoring program? No, absolutely not. At least, if it is, no one has told me that! The decision to offer the online classes to our in-home students came about because we realized that online classes eliminated a lot of the barriers to instruction that were keeping our in-home students out of school. For now, transportation and distance aren't factors in accessing classes.

Does my student need a computer for online classes? No, although it helps. A smart TV connected to the internet (with or without a webcam) would work, or even an internet connected tablet or just phone would be fine.

Can I get a copy of the packet my student will use for class? Probably. We're working on it. We will likely send you a link to our Google Drive where you can download the documents in the packet.

When do classes start? After finishing the placement test, students can enroll any Monday, Wednesday, or Friday. The sooner students get started, the better for them. The summer term will end on July 23. Fall classes start some time in mid-to-late August.

Can my student still enroll even if I didn't get you the information you asked for? Absolutely! It is incredibly helpful if your student has an email address. This is how they will get the link to the placement test before registration. Otherwise, they'll get it as a text message, which is fine, but can be harder to navigate. They can use a family member's email address if that's the easiest route, but if you want to set up or help set up a Gmail address, that's OK, too. I used to set up Gmail addresses for my students and I would make it as close to their name as possible, so a student named Muna Ahmed would be munaahmed@gmail.com or as close to that format as possible. It has to be easy for the student to remember and to type! For the password, we used city and year, so denver2020.

May I "sit in" on my student's online class so I'm better equipped to do follow-up tutoring? Maybe. This will be decided on an individual basis by the teachers.

Does my student need to live in Colorado to take the online classes through Emily Griffith? Yes.

Can you send me any of the textbooks the classes are using? No. I can't even get into the office to get my own files.

Am I allowed to go to my student's home and tutor there? That's entirely up to you and your student. I heard from a couple of tutors who are doing this; one meets with her student outside at a picnic table, socially distanced and wearing a mask. Please take into consideration any risks that affect you and your student before going back to in-person tutoring.

If you sent me your student's information already, you don't need to do anything else yet. We'll take it from here. For everyone else, you can continue to go through me to get your student enrolled or, per our standard instructions to any refugees inquiring about classes:

Please ask someone to help you to send an email to learnenglish@emilygriffith.edu so we can email you back the link to the placement test. If you have questions, please email us at LearnEnglish@emilygriffith.edu or text us at 720-593-1692.

Mail still exists

If you have been unable to get your student to engage with you since social distancing started, consider sending a brief note of encouragement or a "Thinking of you" card through the regular US mail. The post office would welcome the work, and your student probably doesn't get any personal mail. It's a lovely gesture that your student will likely appreciate.

I'm working from home, but...

I'm somewhat limited in how much I can do from the dining room table. Still, if you want to reach me by phone, I have a work cell phone. You got that phone number before you attended training and again when you met your student. You may call or text, but I beg you to limit your calls and texts to happen between 10:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. I usually have meetings at the beginning and end of the day, so it's harder for me to have office hours then. If I don't pick up, know that I'm either on another call or doing something that I can't interrupt. When I was in Florida, my mom commented, "I guess it wouldn't be a work day for you if you didn't have at least three meetings." I think it was a surprise to her to see what "working from home" looks like for me (I actually work--a lot).

For those of you who miss in-person meetings, my cell phone is an iPhone, so if you're an iPhone user, yes, we can Facetime. If you want to set up a Google Meet, we can arrange that, too. Just let me know!

That's all for now. Please stay safe, be well, and try to get outside and get some fresh air!

June is Immigrant Heritage Month

It's a new month halfway through what's turning out to be an unfathomably turbulent year. There's a reason the old Chinese saying*, "May you live in interesting times" is considered to actually be a sly curse.

*Per Wikipedia: Despite being widely attributed as a Chinese curse, there is no known equivalent expression in Chinese. The nearest related Chinese expression translates as "Better to be a dog in times of tranquility than a human in times of chaos."

June is supposed to be a lot of things, including the start of summer, the time of butterflies, and weddings, and lovely long days. It's also Immigrant Heritage Month. you can find out more about how to celebrate and acknowledge the contributions of immigrants past and present via the I am an Immigrant website.

The site's homepage doesn't provide much background, so for a better understanding of the concept, head over to their About Us page: https://www.iamanimmigrant.com/about-us/

Stay at Home Colorado Resources

Stay at Home Colorado Guide is an evolving resource page, released by the Governor's office and designed to provide free support, resources, and activities for  Coloradans who are staying at home. It comprises wellness classes, education and entertainment for your family along with other relevant resources. The page will be updated regularly and you can contribute suggestions for resources or activities that others may also find helpful.
https://stayathomeco.colorado.gov/

If your in-home student needs immigration guidance

A note from our friends at Lutheran Family Services for our Colorado tutors whose in-home students need help navigating immigration tasks:

While Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains offices are closed, we are able to provide immigration legal services remotely over videoconference. We are able to provide the following services:

• Register to Adjust Status or Permanent Residence
• Renew & Replace Green Card
• Employment Authorization
• Refugee/Asylee Relative Petition (The Petitioner must live in Denver, Adams, or Arapahoe county)
• Petition for Alien Relative (The Petitioner must live in Denver, Adams, or Arapahoe county)
• Refugee Travel Document (The Applicant must live in Denver, Adams, or Arapahoe county)
• DACA Renewal (The Applicant must live in Denver, Adams, or Arapahoe county)
• Naturalization
• Certificate of Citizenship

Please share this information with your networks. For additional information or to schedule an appointment, please contact our Legal Services Aide, Sarah, at 303-389-2337 or sarah.feigelson@lfsrm.org

Food resources for your Aurora sStudents

A website to try!

This week, Emily Griffith Technical College English teacher Katelyn Krygowski launched her new website, Learn English with Katelyn. Take a look around at the lessons and resources that will help you in your teaching or that will help your student with self-study.

https://learnenglishwithkatelyn.com/

Housing resource your student may need

I'm passing along information about The Village Institute's new single moms' housing program.

Applications and photos of the apartments can be found HERE. Priority will be given to applications received by the end of next week. Refugee, immigrant, and asylee single mom families are welcome to apply. For families in urgent need of housing who are not interested in the longer term programming, please indicate that in the application. 

Forms can be filled in on paper, in the Word Document, or in the online form. Families will be asked to pay rent, but we have had some generous donations to help subsidize the first few months. Please let me know if you have any questions, and feel free to refer families who would be interested.

Please feel free to reach out with any questions. We are also more than happy to discuss ways our team and community of volunteers might support ongoing initiatives. We have a lot of open space right now, with our childcare program on hold, and would love to make use of it in meaningful ways for our community.

Ellie Adelman

Founder, The Village Institute

Investing in the power of refugee women

 

If your in-home student has a baby

The Office of Early Childhood shared this site for anyone in need of baby supplies, including the link below to a document showing all emergency baby supply pickup locations – mostly family resource centers:

https://dcfs.my.salesforce.com/sfc/p/#410000012srR/a/4N000000AHM4/Nh2y6cSKXRv5P_Zjr1uEq412EaFNXHgr94uvpr303So

These supplies are part of a $3 million delivery of infant supplies to Colorado from FEMA, 8,200 cases of Formula, 23,260 packages of diapers, 53,167 packages of wipes. The supplies will be distributed through 41 statewide locations of  food banks and family resource centers.

Some resources for teaching from afar

Check out this post from the ProLiteracy website: https://www.proliteracy.org/health
The post lists some of the basics you and your student need to get started for continuing lessons when you can't be in the same place together, including different free platforms and how to get connected.
Proliteracy also has a library of free videos to help you with many different aspects of teaching. You can check those out here: https://intercambio.org/curriculum-and-resources/videos/

The Center For Applied Linguistics has a one-hour video to help you, 9 Language Learning Activities at Home. You can watch the video on YouTube and download the accompanying presentation by clicking here.

Some resources for in-home tutors

From the Denver Public Library:

DPL Plaza staff are now offering free conversation groups online! Currently they're Tues/Thursdays at noon, but we may expand this soon so check denverlibrary.org/STIR for updates/links to access classes. There's also a phone-in option. Please share with anyone who might be interested!

We'll also be offering remote appointments one-on-one to help with English, citizenship study, and homework questions. More info on that coming soon! 

From the Boulder District Attorney's Office:

The Community Protection Division of the District Attorney’s Office advises community members to be alert to stimulus scams and is providing the following information as a quick reference guide to help protect the community against stimulus related scams.  Please share your networks.    

Some of the key suggestions to help prevent losing money or personal information to the scams:

• You will not need to verify any information to receive stimulus money

• You will not have to pay any fees to receive stimulus money

• No government agency will send messages asking you to fill out information to receive or about stimulus money

• No government agency will require you to go online or call after receiving your stimulus money, nor require you to send any portion of the money back to them

• Do not click on links in unsolicited emails, or from sources you don’t know: these can lead to fake websites or even steal personal information from your computer.

• Do your homework before donating: verify that a charitable organization is legitimate by contacting the Colorado Secretary of State’s office or CPD.

The District Attorney’s Office remains committed to serving and protecting the community 24/7 during the COVID-19 pandemic. The CPD is active and available to assist: call the CPD at 303-441-3700 with questions or to report a scam, or send an email to: daconsumer@bouldercounty.org.

Thank you.  Best –

Michael Dougherty

District Attorney

Food distribution information for students

As a reminder, both Denver Public Schools and Aurora Public Schools are continuing food distribution for students and parents.  Here is the link to the APS website for more information. DPS is also going to begin food distribution by bus at additional sites starting this week. The easiest way to find the locations and details for that as well as the current grab and go locations is to check the DPS website: Here is the link.

Food distribution for those in need through Denver Food Rescue
Denver Food Rescue will be sharing the latest information about their programs and resources they've seen in the Denver Metro area to support healthy food access. Join them for a livestream this Friday, April10  at 1:30pm to learn where people can access food and how you can help!

As you know, getting the word out about food resources is especially crucial now with COVID-19. This livestream may be a good chance to also chat in questions and have them answered live.

Find their post (even set a reminder!) on their Facebook page, @denverfoodrescue. You can also check out their website for more food resources around Denver (https://denverfoodrescue.org).

For those pursuing citizenship
Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains is excited to be able to offer legal assistance with the naturalization process REMOTELY during the COVID-19 outbreak.  Though our office is currently closed and we cannot meet with applicants in person, LFSRM has the ability to assist eligible lawful permanent residents with naturalization from the comfort of their own homes using Citizenshipworks, video/telephonic conferencing, and phone/email/text.  Please share this information with your clients, patients, families, and community members.

Interested lawful permanent residences need to create an account on Citizenshipworks and follow the prompts to add your information.  Here is a link to the website where you can create an account and complete your information. https://www.citizenshipworks.org/portal/LFS - Simply click on this link and go to “Start Your Application Now”. 

·         Once you create an account on Citizenshipworks, an attorney or DOJ accredited representative from LFSRM will contact you by text or email to confirm we received your inquiry about help applying for naturalization. 

o   If you have not received an email or text message from us within (2) days of creating your account, please reach out to Anastasia DelCarpio at anastasia.delcarpio@lfsrm.org or you can call or text her google voice account: 720-316-5621.

·         Once you complete at least 90% of your information, we will offer you an appointment to meet with an attorney or DOJ accredited representative from LFSRM over video or telephone. Please note that you must complete at least 90% of your information on Citizenshipworks *before* LFSRM will schedule you a virtual appointment. 
·         If you don’t know all of your information, or don’t understand a question, or don’t know how to finish filling out your information in Citizenshipworks: you can contact Citizenshipworks for technical assistance or you can reach out to LFSRM with any questions or concerns at anastasia.delcarpio@lfsrm.org or 720-316-5621 (text or phone call).

Please scan or take a clear photograph of the following documents and “upload” them into your Citizenshipworks account:

·         Green Card (front and back)
·         Colorado ID/Driver’s License (front and back)
·         If you receive benefits like Food Stamps or Medicaid, I need you to bring your 2019/2020 ELIGIBLITY LETTER, showing you were granted the benefit within the last 6 months.  Also scan and upload copy of your most recent tax return (just the first TWO pages of your FEDERAL tax return is fine).

You will also need the following documents to complete your naturalization appointment, but you do NOT need to scan and upload them.  Instead, be sure to gather them so you have them ready for an appointment with the attorney/DOJ Accredited Representative from LFSRM:

·         Social Security Card
·         $50 (per person) – check, money order, or credit card ***LFSRM never turns applicants away for inability to pay.  We recognize many folks have lost their employment and are struggling to pay essential bills.  Please do not hesitate to sign up for our services, even if you are not able to pay this $50.00 fee.***
·         All current and expired passports and travel documents
·         If you have ever applied for citizenship before, information about your previous N-400 application, including: a copy of the application you filed before; a copy of the decision notice denying your naturalization application; a copy of any and all Forms N-648 (doctor’s form) that you filed before.
·         If you have received any traffic citations, please go to the DMV and get your “MOTOR VEHICLE RECORD”  ***DMV offices are NOT currently open due to the COVID-19 virus.  You can request a copy online or by mail: https://www.colorado.gov/pacific/dmv/motor-vehicle-record***
·         If you have ever been arrested and had to go to court at any point in your life – I need you to go to the courthouse and get a “CERTIFIED DISPOSITION” and a “CERTIFIED REGISTER OF ACTIONS” for each case.  ***Courthouse records departments may not be currently open due to the COVID-19 virus.  Additionally, if the records department is open, you may be able to make the request online or over the phone.  Please call the court before you leave your house, and if possible request your documents via phone, mail, or email.***
·      If you were ever arrested, I need you to go to the police who arrested your and get an “ARREST RECORD” for each arrest.  ***Records departments may not be currently open due to the COVID-19 virus.  Additionally, if the records department is open, you may be able to make the request online or over the phone.  Please call the police/courthouse before you leave your house, and if possible request your documents via phone, mail, or email.***
·      ****$725.00 filing fee – check, money order or credit card, made out to US DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY**** (You only need this if you do not qualify for a fee waiver.  We will screen you to determine if you qualify for a fee waiver at the appointment)
·       If you have a medical condition that makes you unable to learn or demonstrate English and/or the civics information, please bring a Form N-648 that has been completed by your doctor. **If you believe you need a Form N-648, please reach out to Anastasia directly at 720-316-5621 (text or phone call) or anastasia.delcarpio@lfsrm.org.  We are not currently accepting new N-648 cases, but hope to re-open our N-648 assistance again soon. **
·       If you have a dependent spouse or child(ren) who are under the age of 18 who did not live with you full time at any point during the last five years, then you need to bring

o    Birth certificates for all children; AND

o   Evidence of your financial support including but not limited to money transfer receipts or a report from Western Union/Ria/Money Gram etc. showing all money sent, affidavits from family or friends; if there is a court order requiring you to pay child support please bring evidence that you have complied with any court or government order

o   Make sure any letters include this EXACT language: I, _________(name)___________________________, hereby declare under penalty of perjury that the above statements are true and accurate to the best of my knowledge and belief. 

·   If you have ever failed to file an income tax return since you became a Lawful Permanent Resident, then bring:
·         All correspondence with the IRS regarding your failure to file.
·         A copy of your tax return for the last five years – 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019
·         If you owe any Federal, state or local taxes (this includes any monthly payment plans), then bring:

o   A signed agreement from the IRS or state or local tax office showing that you have filed a tax return and arranged to pay the taxes you owe

·         Documentation from the IRS or state or local tax office showing the current status of your repayment program.

o   NOTE: if you pay ALL the money you owe in taxes BEFORE the appointment, you do not need to bring these documents.

·        If you have taken any trips outside the United States that lasted 6 months or more since becoming a Lawful  Permanent Resident, then bring:

o   Evidence that you (and your family) continued to live, work and/or keep ties to the United States, including but limited to :

§  An IRS tax return “transcript” or an IRS-certified tax return listing tax information for the last 5 years (or for the last 3 years if you are applying on the basis of marriage to a U.S. citizen).

§  Rent or mortgage payments and pay stubs

o   Also all reentry permits and travel documents

o   Documents explaining why your trip was so long

o   Travel itineraries showing you booked a return flight at the start of the trip

o   Exact dates of travel

·         If you are applying for naturalization on the basis of marriage to a U.S. citizen then bring:

o   Proof of your spouse’s US citizenship – US birth certificate or US Naturalization Certificate

o   your current marriage certificate

o   Proof of you have been married for the last three years, including but not limited to: tax returns, bank accounts, car registration or title information

·         If you have ever been married before, then bring:

o   Proof that all earlier marriages ended (certified divorce decree, death certificate, etc.)

·         A list of all the places you have worked for the last 5 years (Employer name, address, and the dates you started and stopped working)
·         A list of all the places you have lived for the last 5 years, including date you moved in and date you moved out

If you have any questions, please feel free to email or call.  Thank you.

Anastasia DelCarpio

Program Attorney

Immigration Legal Services

Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains

1600 Downing Street, Suite 600

Denver, CO 80218

303-389-2342 – office

720-316-5621 – work cell

Internal: ext. 5142

anastasia.delcarpio@lfsrm.org

Time to report MARCH 2020 tutoring participation time

Good morning, my dear tutors!

I hope you are all well, and in robust health, physically and mentally. Is everyone holding up OK?

I'm still in St. Petersburg, Florida. My mom's health took a frightening turn and went from bad to critical five days after I got here, but she has been getting better every day. She was hospitalized for a total of five weeks. She's home now, but still has a long way to go before she can live independently. Thank you to everyone who so kindly reached out to me to check on my mom and me over the last month. You have no idea how much that meant.

Our school, like all DPS schools, has staff working remotely indefinitely. Yesterday was the final day of my FMLA leave, so I'm back at work but I'll continue to do that from Florida for as long as I need to be here. Please keep in mind that I'm in a different time zone (two hours later than you) and I'm still caring for my mom, so be patient when trying to reach me.

This week, I'll work on pulling together some blog posts and looking for helpful resources for current and future lesson ideas for you. I know some of you are teaching remotely--hooray!

Here is the reporting link for March hours: https://forms.gle/gsifmfdBh5YMKEiW6

I realize most of you won't have hours to report because of the COVID-19 social distancing and stay-at-home order. That's OK--just make a note of that on the report! Also, a reminder that student interaction time includes: Face-to-face meeting, telephone, texting, Skype/Zoom/Google Hangouts/Facetime, field trips, shopping or appointments together, etc. If it involved you interacting with your student for English or life skills, it counts.

 

I was planning to remind you all that we have an excellent discussion board platform on Moodle, but, uh, I don't know my password. It's back in Denver on my desk. If you still have the instructions in a previous email, I believe you can still sign up and use the discussion boards. The EGTC staff that manages the platform is kind of slammed right now as all EGTC classes have gone online as of yesterday, so I'm planning to leave them alone for the time being.

I will be blogging lesson ideas and other content over at cresltutors.blogspot.com in the coming weeks, so check in there from time to time to see what's new. Also, if you recently wrote an essay about your tutoring experience or you would like to share a lesson or reflection, send the content to me and I'll post it there if it's appropriate.

That's all I have for this morning. You can reach me by email if need be.

Please take care of yourselves and those close to you. I think we're all learning how precious our connections are.

Tutoring in viral times

Greetings from Florida, once again.

I've received quite a few inquiries from tutors wondering how to proceed given all that's happening with COVID-19.

At this time, the national goal is to "flatten the curve," which means finding ways to prevent the spread of the virus or having more cases come up. The latest research is showing that there are a lot of asymptomatic people who are carrying and spreading the virus unknowingly. Furthermore, it is now estimated that the incubation period may be as long as a month in some people.

There are a lot of unknowns in play as this is a "novel" virus--meaning no one has experienced this strain before, so anyone can get it and no one has inherent immunity.

Given all of that information, I recommend that you follow all of the guidelines that Governor Polis and the Colorado Department of Health and Environment announced last week. In addition, keep in mind that your student's children are home, and although you might be able to control your own exposure and hand washing, you have no way to know what kind of exposure is happening with your students.

Do not feel guilty suspending tutoring! I'm in a super-stressful situation right now, but a few days ago, someone reminded me that "you don't need to set yourself on fire to keep somebody else warm." Something that is very much a known in this whole thing is that social distancing and self-isolating are effective measures. If you wish to go ahead and continue seeing your student, that is your prerogative (but maybe sit six feet apart!), however, the scientists in charge of mapping out the best defense to COVID-19 do not recommend that any of us spend time with other people at this time, if possible.

Please take care of yourselves, wash your hands, don't touch your face (OMG, I touch my face so much--I never realized!), don't hoard all the toilet paper, check in on friends and neighbors who are vulnerable, and maybe use this time to plan lots of great lessons and language-learning activities to use when you resume tutoring. Mostly, please take whatever precautions you can so you stay as safe as possible.

I hope we're all back to our normal routines sooner rather than later, but beating the spread of this virus is going to take a massive cooperative community effort.

Please take care, everyone!

February tutoring hours coming due!

Greetings, in-home tutors!

You're getting this message early this month because I will be away when the month ends. In fact, I will be away starting tomorrow, February 26, and returning on March 9. I will not be checking email or voicemail. Since no one is cross-trained in my job, alas, your questions will need to wait until I'm back in the office. Full disclosure, I will be here on Monday, March 1 for something that's scheduled, but it's unlikely I'll be available for more than about an hour that day.

So, click here to go to the link to report your hours!

Or here:

https://forms.gle/ubpBCL8qGUC3mw1p6

Know anyone who wants to be an in-home tutor?

The next training for incoming tutors will be on Saturday, March 21. I have a particular need for people who are willing to go to Thornton, Northglenn, Commerce City, and Green Valley Ranch. If you know of any good candidates, please have them visit www.refugee-esl.org for information about the program and to download a volunteer application.

I need a very special (female) volunteer

For over a year now, I've had a woman on the waiting list for an in-home tutor who presents a unique and challenging situation. I can't say much here, but here is what I can tell you: She's a 50-year-old Arabic speaker who lives in Aurora near S. Buckley Rd. and E. Yale Ave. This student needs to meet somewhere outside of the home she shares. She is open to having a volunteer drive her to or just meet her at a nearby location such as Starbucks (close by on Hampden). The student has experienced a tremendous amount of trauma that has affected her physical and mental health, so anyone tutoring her would need to be exceptionally compassionate, patient, and flexible. The woman does speak some English. If you're interested in tutoring this student, please email me to let me know. The tutor must be female.

Public Charge Rule

You may have heard about the new Public Charge Rule enacted by the Trump administration. It's important to know that the rule does not apply to refugees. In short, the rule says that an immigrant who accesses government benefits such as SNAP (food stamps) or TANF will be ineligible to get a green card or citizenship later. It appears that the goal is to limit immigration to wealthier immigrants. On yesterday's AllThings Considered, there was a good story that explained what the Public Charge Rule is and is not. You can find that here: https://www.npr.org/2020/02/24/808995286/immigrants-react-as-public-charge-rule-goes-into-effect

News you might want to share

Mile High Youth Corp’s YouthBuild program is currently recruiting for an April 13 start date. Interested candidates will have the opportunity to pursue their high school equivalency diploma, training and on-the-job learning in healthcare or construction, career and post-secondary readiness activities, leadership development and community service opportunities, and placement support and follow-up—all while receiving a bi-weekly stipend. Please see attached flyer.

Candidates may call or text 303-437-0926 for more information or APPLY HERE.

Also for young people:

Denver Human Services has partnered with History Colorado to provide 15 students (who receive SNAP/foodstamp benefits) the opportunity to attend Kapow! Superhero Spring Break Camp at History Colorado. Please see attached flyer for additional details. Scholarships are available to families that participate in the SNAP program within Denver County. The deadline to apply is this Friday, 2/28. Registration will be on a first come first serve basis. Below is the link for the application, along with the Promo Code to be eligible for free registration.

Here is the link to the Camp page: 

https://www.historycolorado.org/event/kapow-superhero-spring-break-camp/2020/03/30 

This link will take you directly to the Reservation Form: 

http://h-co.org/kapow 

Please have your families use the Promo Code DENGOV when filling out the form.  

If you have any questions or if families need assistance completing the form,  please contact  Victoria.aguilar@denvergov.org

Thank You America Award

The Office of International and Immigrant Affairs and the Aurora Immigrant and Refugee Commission are excited to announce the Thank You America Award. 

The award will recognize inspiring leaders, volunteers, business, or elected officials who have demonstrated great support and have been instrumental in the welcoming process of immigrants to the city of Aurora. 

Attached is the flyer and application. Deadline to nominate will be March 6th. 

January news wrap-up

Hello, in-home tutors!

First,

If you have concluded your participation in the in-home tutoring program and you no longer wish to be on this distribution list, please send me an email reminding me to remove you from the list. I'm always behind on clerical tasks, but I think I can get the email list cleaned up in the next week or so.

Second, if you haven't done so already, please don't forget to report your tutoring time for January. I need this information by tomorrow (Friday) at the latest. Click here to go to the reporting survey. Also, a reminder that if you don't see my monthly email in your inbox, you should check at cresltutors.blogspot.com for the information as I cross-post it there for all of the people who never get my emails.

Now, onto all of the news I couldn't post when I emailed you earlier this week:

The Literacy Coalition of Colorado is hosting their annual workshop for volunteers, tutors, and anyone teaching adults on Saturday, February 22. These half-day workshops are worthwhile and informative. The cost is $15. Click here for more information and to register. When you get to the page, scroll down for session information. Note that one of your fellow in-home tutors, Philip Greenberg, is a presenter, as well as one of my Emily Griffith Adult Education colleagues, Ann Leonard.

TESOL

If you're up for more of a deep-dive into all things teaching English, the annual International TESOL conference is coming up and this year, Denver is the host city. The event starts on Tuesday, March 30 and continues for four days at the Colorado Convention Center. It's a bit pricey, but I've always referred to it as the "All you can learn buffet." More information on that is here: https://www.tesol.org/convention-2020

I find this conference to be so valuable that I am giving up my spring break to attend this conference!

Income tax time is upon us

As you may be aware, navigating the income tax system in the U.S. is complicated. As a result, immigrants and refugees are exceptionally vulnerable to all sorts of tax-time scams. Even if a family had no significant income in 2019, it is worthwhile for them to file a return. You can help your student by sharing this information:

Get Ahead Colorado offers free and safe tax preparation for families making $56,000 or less. These families can save an average of $200 in tax prep fees, may qualify for the Earned Income Tax Credit—a cash-back credit worth up to $6,500—and will get high quality assistance safe from fraud.

Denver's resettlement agencies--ACC, LFS, and IRC--are partnering with Get Ahead Colorado this year to provide free tax preparation especially for our refugee and immigrant community members.  They are operating two sites:

• Mango House - East Colfax Youth Center,  10180 E Colfax Ave, Aurora
  • Saturdays 1/25 - 3/7 from 9 am - 1pm
  • Drop-in site (no appointments necessary)
  • All families making $56,000 or less welcome
• International Rescue Committee, 405 Urban St., Lakewood
  • Tuesdays and Thursdays 2/4 - 4/13 from 3 - 7 pm
  • By appointment only (call 720-328-6655 or email RefugeeTax@gmail.com)
  • Refugee, asylee, and SIV families only

Also, more sites are here: https://getaheadcolorado.org/get-my-refund/#map

Another trusted, tried-and-true local option is VITA: https://www.coloradovita.org

Aurora Youth Soccer

Aurora Parks & Recreation is offering a spring season of Youth Soccer for ages 3-12 (age as of 9/1/19) and registration is ongoing through March 2.

They are also offering spring break and summer soccer camps through Challenger Sports.

Please see attached flyers, or go here: https://www.auroragov.org/things_to_do/recreation___sports_programs/youth_sports/soccer

Financial assistance is available, but must be applied for (process can take 1-2 weeks). See the attached flyers for more information.

DMNS Scholars

If the family you're working with includes a rising freshmen student, please share the attached information. The Denver Museum of Nature and Science offers summer internships to students interested in science. It is an incredible program offering life changing possibilities to the students who are selected. Thanks to volunteer Philip Greenberg for passing along this tip.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ia1fGF3bOdc

Book recommendations?

When you attended training, you received a bibliography specific to refugee and immigrant related topics. If you have since read a book that you think would be a good addition to that list, please share it with me. I'm interested in expanding the bibliography as I haven't added any new books to the list in at least a year.

Next month

Don't panic if the monthly email from me is a little delayed at the end of this month. I will be traveling the last three days of February and likely won't be able to send my message with the reporting link until Monday, March 2.

That's all for this month.