WEDNESDAY, September 26, 2018
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A GIFT OF TIME 20 years of ONE TO ONE in SD 73
f you could have one superpower, what would it be?” That was the question posed to Bill and Melinda Gates by a group of Kentucky high school students. Their answer was a little surprising because it was not the ability to fly or become invisible, but rather to have the ability to create more time. As superpowers go, that doesn’t seem nearly as exciting as defying gravity, but it gets to the heart of what One to One volunteer tutors do. “Every day in our school district, we are inspired by volunteers who support schools and students in need of time. Volunteers tap into a different kind of superpower the power to make a difference in the lives of others,” says Assistant Superintendent Rob Schoen. Schoen, attending the 20-year celebration of the One to One Children’s Literacy program in School District 73, thanked the many volunteers who share their super power of creating time, and giving of themselves, to support literacy in schools and help children become better readers. Fiona Clare, Literacy Outreach Co-ordinator for Literacy in Kamloops, was recognized by the provincial One to One Literacy Society for 20 years of outstanding leadership and devotion.
Cami Klohn (right), District Coordinator, presents plaque to Fiona Clare One to One has grown a lot in SD73 since its humble beginnings back in 1998. At that time the program ran in just seven schools, but today can be found in 22 of 33 of the schools in the district. Last year 240 tutors read with 450 students, totalling a staggering 11,000 volunteer hours! The program involves patient and attentive volunteers tutoring students who need a reading skills boost. Each tutor reads, during school hours, with three students for 30
minutes each, once per week for 12 weeks. “Today I will fly,” says Grade 3 Dallas elementary student Jacob Baur as he moves his finger line by line across one of his favourite books. “Perfect,” says his reading buddy Edna Park, a retired government worker who has volunteered for One to One for the past five years. The goal is to get kids excited about reading by building their confidence. “I do, I really do like reading
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Grade 3 student Jacob Baur (left) and One to One volunteer Edna Park. now,” said Baur. “It really helped me focus. It really did.” Volunteers must first attend a three-hour training session where they learn a variety of reading strategies to use to get students comfortable with reading, such as unison reading or echo reading. They are then matched with a school. Park described the experience of being a volunteer as a rewarding one. “It’s fun for us to watch the youngsters go from really hesitant - because when they first meet
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you they’re a little shy - and then within a matter of a few short weeks they light up,” Park said. “It’s more than just reading, it’s mentoring and building relationships,” Clare said. “Our hope is that by helping children catch a love of reading, they will become lifelong readers.” The next session of One to One is slated for October. To volunteer contact Cami at one2one.kamloops@gmail.com or 250.573.1785
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WEDNESDAY, September 26, 2018
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MAKE A DIFFERENCE
Providing the tools to help children & famili
SUMMER READING IN LOGAN LAKE Serena Hazel
LITERACY OUTREACH COORDINATOR, LOGAN LAKE
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his summer, Logan Lake Literacy hosted its first ever Summer Reading Program for local students. It has been several years since the school district has run a Summer Reading Program in Logan Lake. Parents of children who needed reading assistance were advised to participate in the Kamloops reading program, but this was not feasible for many of the families. After learning of this need in the community, the Logan Lake
Literacy Task Group decided to fill the gap by facilitating a Summer Reading Program. With the assistance of the local elementary school and a local teacher, Logan Lake Literacy put together a wonderful reading program. Vice-Principal Jayne Latta, thanked Logan Lake Literacy for its support, adding, “This is amazing. What a wonderful opportunity for our kids.” 18 children from Logan Lake and surrounding area participated. These children, entering grades 2 to 6, met at the Logan Lake Seniors Centre for two hours a day, four days a week, for two
weeks in July to work on their reading skills. They used a variety of literacy games to practice what they were learning. Feedback from the parents was encouraging. “This was great for my girls. They really enjoyed themselves. Thank you,” commented one parent. Because of the positive community reaction, Logan Lake Literacy plans to provide this reading support program in the future. For information: 250-318-3561 loganlakeliteracy@gmail.com
Teacher John Blakley with Kari-Anne Campbell
Unplug and
LITERACY MATTERS Fiona Clare
LITERACY OUTREACH COORDINATOR, KAMLOOPS
ONE TO ONE IS NOT JUST FOR ‘KIDDIES’
Barbara Maher
LITERACY OUTREACH COORDINATOR, CHASE
We are fortunate to offer One to One Children’s Literacy Programs in most schools in our District, however Chase also offers a different One to One program. The Chase Literacy Program has been running Adult Computer Classes for the last five years. Classes are offered in spring and fall and are provided free. Each session has five two-hour classes, with a maximum of five students to ensure there is lots of time for questions. The Literacy Outreach Coordinator, with the help of one or two volunteers provided by the local Chase Employment Centre, sit with each student to provide instruction, answer questions and repeat steps if necessary until understood.
Unplug and Family Literacy Week in January
Shyanne, one of the volunteer instructors, says “It is a great way to volunteer in my community. The seniors are fun and so grateful for the help. I feel I am helping to make a difference in the community.” The program helps adults overcome their fear of technology and builds confidence in communicating in the on-line world. They also learn safe on-line practices for banking and making purchases. “I feel I have learned so much, and still have a lot to learn. However, the one to one attention has helped me overcome the fear of my computer. I am grateful to have this free program in our community, so that I do not have to travel to a larger centre,” shares Pat, one of the ‘students.’ For Information: 250-320-5051 literacyinchase@gmail.com
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he latest large-scale literacy survey, Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), found that 45 per cent of British Columbians have limited literacy skills and may have some difficulty with daily living tasks like understanding newspapers, reading health information, following instruction manuals. Fifty-two per cent of adults have limited numeracy skills and have difficulty calculating interest on a car loan, understanding information on a graph or table, calculating medicine dosages. Literacy matters at home! Canadians with stronger literacy skills enjoy better health; they are better prepared to manage their money; they can better help their children develop literacy skills. Literacy matters at work! Literacy can increase job opportunities and access to higher education. People with
Unplug and Unplug and Get “Unplugged today” Read Walk
Sing Write Family Literacy Week in January Play Bake
Colour Skip
Dance Drum Family Literacy Week in January Visit Paint
Unplug For more info, and contact your local Literacy Outreach Family Literacy Week Coordinator in January
stronger literacy Family skillsLiteracy can make more Week money; are better prepared in Januaryto stay safe and healthy at work; and strong literacy skills can reduce stress at work. Literacy matters in the community! Canadians with higher literacy skills are more likely to engage in their community and volunteer; are more likely to feel they can influence government; strong literacy skills are important for interpersonal communication, participation and inclusion. “It is hard to identify any other single issue that can have such a large payoff to individuals, the economy and society” – Craig Alexander Thanks to the generous support of our local communities, schools, corporate sponsors and donors, and the enthusiasm of our volunteers, Raise-a-Reader Day has raised more than $800,000 to support local literacy programs for all ages. Literacy Matters!
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“UNPLUGGED” TODAY Read Colour Walk Skip Sing Dance Play Visit Write Drum Bake Paint
For information: 250-319-9653 literacyinklamloops@gmail.com
WEDNESDAY, September 26, 2018
www.kamloopsthisweek.com
E TODAY BY HELPING RAISE A READER
ies improve their literacy skills is an investment in our community and our future
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BARRIERE BABIES TEDDY BEAR FUN Kerry Milner Cairns
Jill Hayward
LITERACY OUTREACH
LITERACY OUTREACH COORDINATOR,
COORDINATOR, BARRIERE
CLEARWATER
he Barriere Babies of 2017 Party was held June 19, with a good number of area babies attending, accompanied by siblings, parents, caregivers and family. This annual event brings together families with new babies and is often the beginning of new friendships, sometimes even lifetime friendships, especially for the babies who will grow up together in the community. It also gives parents and caregivers a chance to meet the facilitators of many local programs, including Barriere and Area Literacy
o celebrate Family Literacy Week in January, Clearwater and Area Literacy Initiative hosted a free Teddy Bear Picnic. Families with preschoolers were invited to bring along a teddy bear, or other fluffy critter of their choosing, and enjoy a few fun-filled hours with songs, stories, crafts, and a picnic feast. More than 90 people attended. The Teddy Bear picnic promotes the importance of reading and sharing songs, stories, and rhymes with children from birth on. The morning began with a large Parent/ Child Mother Goose (PCMG) circle run by the PCMG facilitators, Terra Leier and Joline McLarty. Then it was story time with RCMP Corporal Marc Labossiere, who gave each child a brand new teddy bear! Children visited the Teddy Bear Doctor, volunteer Terri Campbell, who examined the general well being of each bear checking
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Outreach, which provides new learning books for every baby at the event. Barriere and Area Literacy Outreach tries to connect with every family as they start a life of learning and teaching with their youngsters as they believe family literacy is a cornerstone of helping children to succeed.
Barriere and Area Literacy Outreach provide ongoing support to families through numerous programs Currently, young learners from 0 to 18 are being served in youth literacy and learning programs. For more information: 250-319-8023 Jill.h@yellowheadcs.ca
the fluffiness, eyes and ears. A certificate of health was presented to each teddy bear owner. The children then enjoyed a picnic lunch which included teddy bear-shaped sandwiches, catered by the Challengers. Early childhood literacy activities such as story time and PCMG help children develop language skills and literacy skills. PCMG is held in Clearwater on Thursdays from 10:30 am – 11:30 am at the Dutch Lake Community Centre. It is now being held in the Gallery and the facilitator for the fall session is Joline McLarty. Story time is held at the Public Library in Clearwater on Fridays from 1:00 to 2:00 pm. A 30-minute story time is followed by a parent-supervised craft time. The facilitator is Denica Kelly. For information: 250-674-3530 (ext.102) Kerry.c@yellowhead.ca
Volunteer Tutors Needed
As a volunteer with the ONE TO ONE Children’s Literacy Program, you will help a child build reading skills and selfconfidence. By dedicating just a few hours a week during the school day, you can help a child develop a love of reading.
For more info,
contact Cami at one2one.kamloops@gmail.com or 250.573.1785
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THANK YOU FOR
20 YEARS OF ONE TO ONE VOLUNTEER READING
Raise-a-Reader Committee THANK YOU
to our
Sponsors
Hegyi Refrigeration is focused on excellence and is committed to providing our customers with honest genuine quality service they can depend on.