Literacy – Spanning the US :: Rochester MN :: Perry Co PA :: Newton MA

Literacy: Spanning the U.S.     

@RochPubLibrary

Library's Reading Program Earns Innovation Award

Post Bulletin: 11.16.2018

For the second time in four years, Rochester Public Library has been recognized for its innovative work.

The Humphrey School of Public Affairs at the University of Minnesota has named the library as one of 19 winners of this year’s Local Government Innovation Awards. The annual award recognizes local governments in Minnesota for their efforts to deliver services with greater impact and lower costs.

The library was selected as one of the five awards in the city category for its Rochester Reading Champions program, a literacy intervention program aimed at helping underserved struggling readers in the community.

“Reading is such a critical life skill,” program coordinator Gail Harris said. “Our passionate and dedicated volunteers are changing lives by providing individualized Orton Gillingham instruction. Student results reflect this intervention.”

Youth students have improved, on average, by 2.6 grade levels in reading and 2.3 grade levels in spelling. Meanwhile, adult students have improved, on average, by 1.7 grades.  READ MORE >>

Perry Co

Literacy Council

Literacy council's Bentley Accepts Lifetime Award

PennLive: 11.17.2018 by Jim T. Ryan

Kathleen Bentley, director of the Perry County Literacy Council, recently earned a lifetime achievement award for her past work in special education with incarcerated youth and with the council.

"She always cared about people. Kathy looked around to figure out what was going wrong for people. She really decided to find out what was holding people back so we could get what they need," said Leslie Heimbaugh, the literacy council's office manager.

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In the past 11 years, she's transformed and expanded the council's programs to coordinate community literacy programs, adult education and workforce preparedness.

"(Bentley is) such a selfless person and she's my personal hero," Heimbaugh said. "She's someone I aspire to be more like because she's so creative in coming up with ways to solve problems."  READ MORE >>

@NewtonFreeLib

Immigrants Make New Traditions for Thanksgiving

Newton Wicked Local: 11.19.2018 by Julie M. Cohen

With the vast majority of Americans getting the day off and celebrating the secular holiday of Thanksgiving, how do new immigrants and those who are originally from a different culture feel about it? Impact: Some immigrants choose to make Thanksgiving their own and create something new while also incorporating traditional elements from the holiday. As they learn about U.S. culture, they may combine traditional Thanksgiving foods with dishes from their own cultures and host their own celebrations.

This year will be a first for Yan Jiang, a Newton resident who moved to the U.S. from China in 2014: She will be cooking and hosting her own Thanksgiving celebration.

“This year I plan to roast [the turkey] by myself,” she said, although she’ll order traditional sides from a grocery store.

Jiang and Waltham’s Yaqi Wu, both students at the Newton Free Library’s ELL and Literacy Program, recently described celebrating this quintessentially American holiday as well as wanting to learn more about its history while in class with their teacher Joanne Dixon.

Jiang said she’s incorporating this holiday’s traditions into her home life because, “I want my daughters [who are 17 and 11] to feel they are the same as the local students.”

Before she came to the U.S., however, both she and Wu thought Christmas was the most important holiday in the country and said they weren’t clear on the differences between the two important days.  READ MORE >>