Fall 2023 Update from Las Casas

Fall 2023 Update

So Happy to be Back!

The halls of Cristo Rey de la Salle HS are once again filled with the happy voices of our volunteer teachers and English language students! Every Monday, Tuesday and Thursday evening you can find our students hard at work in our 5 classrooms. From Introduction to Intermediate High we have a level that meets the needs of all our students.

This year we have 190 enrolled students with an amazing 60% of our students returning from last year! We're also seeing a record number of new students applying to the program. Demand is so high that we currently have a waitlist of eager English learners that we hope to add to our classes later in the year. As always, Las Casas is open to adults of all educational, economic and language backgrounds. We are so excited to be back and off to another great year!

Staff Workshops

Las Casas provides our dedicated teachers with ongoing training and development. At the end of the summer we gathered for two evenings of training, knowledge sharing and community building. Our energetic Resource Specialist, Corinna Bekiers-Sassano, had our teachers up and out of their seats engaging in hands-on activities that we can bring to our classrooms.

Our volunteer teachers and teacher assistants contributed a collective 3,800 hours of their time to Las Casas last year. With over 40 volunteers, Las Casas ensures each classroom has a dedicated team in place to keep our teacher-student ratio low which is critical for our low-level learners. Our volunteers are the soul of Las Casas - and our program would not exist without them!

Summer Success!

For the first time ever, Las Casas offered English classes over the summer. We launched a free, 2-week Summer Program in direct response to requests by our students for more class time.

75 students and 25 teachers participated in the program, and it was a resounding success. Our summer classes placed an emphasis on conversation with weekly topics of Community and Health. Our volunteers worked with our students in small groups to practice new vocabulary that is critical for day to day activities such as going to the doctor, the bank, restaurants and stores, as well as talking about ways that we exercise, play, eat and take care of ourselves.

Volunteer Highlight

Every Tuesday and Thursday night you can find 3-year Las Casas volunteer Sister Rose Marie Hennessy, OP in our Beginning High classroom, leading small groups and helping students practice their English skills.

In her 80's, S. Rose Marie inspires students and teachers alike with her bright smile, vibrant energy and quick wit. Her positivity is infectious and she is beloved by all. But don't let her joking manner fool you -- S. Rose Marie is also a highly skilled teacher with a significant history in Oakland education.

S. Rose Marie was born and raised in San Francisco and has spent her career in Education Administration. For 16 years she served as the Superintendent of Schools in the Diocese of Oakland for the Alameda and Contra Costa Catholic Schools. She also served as the Principal of St. Elizabeth Elementary in Fruitvale. Sister Rose Marie feels honored to be part of the Las Casas community and is inspired by our students. She shared that "if you want to be energized at the end of the day, you need to meet the students at Las Casas".

S. Rose Marie is a wonderful asset to Las Casas and our students!

Cristo Rey de la Salle

Las Casas is grateful to Cristo Rey de la Salle, who has shared its classrooms with us since they first opened their doors in 2019. Las Casas uses their beautiful classrooms for our evening program -- ensuring that we have the space to serve roughly 300 English language learners each year. In addition to providing us with an office and much-needed storage space, Cristo Rey has also served as the location for our new Community Fairs.

Cristo Rey de la Salle East Bay High School is one of 39 Cristo Rey Network schools operating across the country that features a college preparatory personalized education combined with a robust corporate work study program. The Corporate Work Study Program empowers students to contribute to the cost of their education.

We so appreciate Cristo Rey and look forward to continuing this partnership into the future.

Take me out to the Ball Game!

Let's Go A's! Through a donation of tickets from the Oakland Athletics, Las Casas students, their families, and a few volunteer teachers attended the last home game of the season this past weekend.

A wonderful time was had by all as we cheered on the A's together -- one of our students even celebrated his birthday with us! We love Oakland and our student community.

As always, please forward this update to family and friends who might be interested in learning more about our work. We only charge our students a small fraction of our overall costs and we depend on the generosity of our community to keep our program strong. Please consider making a donation - we appreciate all gifts of any size!

For more information on how to get involved, email us at: info@lascasasoakland.org or visit our website: lascasasoakland.org.

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Las Casas is a Sponsored Ministry of the

Dominican Sisters of Mission San Jose.

Las Casas | lascasasoakland.org

info@lascasasoakland.org | 510-842-3070