Happy December! Thank you for reading this month's newsletter.

In the midst of this busy season, the end of the year also (hopefully!) provides each of us with some time to reflect on, celebrate, and give thanks for all we have. At Literacy Source, we're celebrating the effort and accomplishments of our hard working students, and giving thanks to the generous community that supports our work. We'd love to have you join us (staff, students, volunteers and friends!) in celebrating another great year:

Literacy Source Winter Party

Wednesday, December 10th - tonight!

6-8 pm

History House, 790 N. 34th Street (in Fremont)

Potluck & entertainment by students

Also, a big thank you goes to all who have already donated as part of our annual Stay-at-Home fundraiser. We're halfway to reaching our year-end goal of $40,000 to support our free community-based adult basic education programs. Your support is critical and hugely appreciated. Please help us reach our goal and donate now!

Student Spotlight: Gidey Gidey

Gidey Gidey is our November raffle winner for the students whose attendance for the month were 15 hours or more. He has been coming to classes at Literacy Source for almost a year, and has been working very hard to achieve his goals and improve his English. He is taking ESL 3 and Online Learning, and especially likes to learn about computers.

Gidey is originally from Ethiopia and has been in the United States for two years. At home, he likes to pass time with his children when they are home from school. He also spends a lot of time studying. Gidey has a great personality and is a joy to have at Literacy Source! Congratulations Gidey, keep up the good work!

Volunteer Spotlight: Susan Beebe

This month, we're spotlighting volunteer Susan Beebe, who teaches our morning citizenship class!

LS: Where are you originally from?

SB: I was born in San Francisco, California. I have lived in Riverside, San Diego and Sacramento, California, as well as Fort Lauderdale, Florida. I moved to Seattle 30 years ago. Seattle is just plain beautiful - just don't tell all those Californians!

LS: Please share something of your life so far and what you would like to do in the future.

SB: I used my journalism degree to work as a copy editor at the Fort Lauderdale News. My law degree came in handy for some complex litigation cases. But best of all, my library degree enabled me to manage a library at a law firm for 14 years. My husband and I adopted a daughter in 1994 and she is now studying biomedicine in Copenhagen. The future holds more traveling, more horseback riding, more quilting, and more teaching!

LS: What made you want to volunteer at Literacy Source?

SB: I especially wanted to teach citizenship because I love American history and government. LS offered me the opportunity to plan my own classes and helped me improve my teaching skills.

LS: What do you enjoy most about volunteering at Literacy Source?

SB: I love meeting people from all over the world and adore their willingness to dive in and learn!

Susan and Sam (one of our AmeriCorps members) with Thanit on the day after his naturalization ceremony

LS: Any highlights you would like to share?

SB: It's always a highlight when one of my students passes the US Citizenship exam. I was so proud of Thanit for recently joining the ranks of US citizens.

LS: What might people not know about you?

SB: I ride horses a couple of times a week.

Volunteer Corner

It is the end of the year and we would like to extend a sincere thank you to all of our volunteers this year! We so appreciate the commitment, effort, and enthusiasm you have put in to helping our students succeed. Please check out the stars outside the Yellow Room to see all the students who have improved in their test scores!

We especially want to recognize volunteers who have logged a whopping 100+ hours at Literacy Source this year:

Alicia Kerlee, Cheryl Selvar, Claudia Roach, Dan Hurwitz, Dayna Kramers, Debbie Woolsey, Deborah Woodland, Dianne Eberlein, Eve Sternberg, James Crouse, John Trench, Julie Crowley, June Chang, Kody Janney, Larry Wydro, Linda Mendez, Marty Sherman, Megan Rider, Norma Jones, Rebecca Strabo, Sheila Ames, Sonya Brookshire, Susan Beebe, Susan Loggins, and Theresa Shea

We look forward to celebrating this great year with you at the winter party tonight!

OTHER NEWS

Look for the volunteer newsletter coming in January 2015! Upcoming trainings, teaching tips, and other volunteer related info will be included. Please send ideas or requests to Caroline.

CURRENT VOLUNTEER NEEDS

Fremont

Tutors

We need daytime and evening tutors to work on Reading, Writing, Math, ESL, and Citizenship.

Two days a week, flexible times (2 x 1.5hrs)

Class Instructors

ESL 2: 11:15 am-1:15 pm, Tuesdays and Thursdays

Evening Office Manager (must commit for 6 months)

Tuesdays, 6-8:30 pm

Wednesdays, 6-8:30 pm

Interpreters for New Student Orientations

We're especially looking for speakers of Spanish, Amharic, Vietnamese, Thai, and Chinese.

Offsite

We're looking for ESL tutors at the downtown Seattle Central Library on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 2 pm, starting in January. Contact Anne for more info.

UPCOMING VOLUNTEER TRAININGS

Citizenship Toolkit

Wednesday, January 7th

4-6 pm

Literacy Source

ESL Training at Literacy Council of Seattle (8500 14th Ave NW)

Saturday, January 10th

9 am-3 pm

Understanding Adult Learners (Required Training)

Tuesday, January 12th

5-7 pm

Fremont Library

Lesson Planning and Best Practices (Required Training)

Saturday, January 24th

9 am-1 pm

Literacy Source

NEW VOLUNTEER ORIENTATIONS

Please help us spread the word! NVOs are held on the first Wednesdays at 1 pm and 7 pm. The next NVOs will be on January 7th. Register online here.

Questions about anything related to volunteering? Please contact our volunteer coordinator, Caroline, at carolines@literacysource.org or 206-782-2050 x107.

In This Issue

Office Hours & Closures

Holiday Wishlist

Thinking about donating to Literacy Source, but prefer to contribute in a tangible way? How about choosing to give us something from our wishlist?

A new vacuum cleaner or two - the ones we have are on their last legs!
$10-15 gift cards to local businesses to give as student incentives
Dry erase markers - we can never have too many
Headsets (with microphones)
Hand truck

Interested in making a donation? Please send gifts or drop them off at 720 N 35th St in Fremont. Thank you so much!

Winter Quarter Starting in January

Before we know it, the holidays will be over and we'll be hurtling into the winter quarter here at Literacy Source! The next New Student Orientation (NSO) will take place the week of January 5th. If you or someone you know would like to take classes with us, they can register over the phone at 206-782-2050. Classes start on January 12th and and last through February 26th, so this quarter will be a short 7 weeks. New on the schedule is our evening GED Lab, held every weeknight (Monday-Thursday), where students ABE level 4 and above can get individualized help with studying for their GED.

Photo of the Month

AmeriCorps member Lauren Plitkins with ESL 5 and Online Learning student Silveria

Advocacy: US Immigration Policy Changes

President Obama announced numerous changes to the US immigration policy on November 20, 2014. Among these changes, the executive action broadens the scope of the existing Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals - a type of protected status that allows certain undocumented residents to stay in the US without fear of deportation. Want more information on the executive action and/or on local informational meetings about the changes? Visit the Northwest Immigrants' Rights Project's Immigration Reform webpage.

Upcoming Events

The Moth StorySLAM
Friday, January 16th
7:15 pm doors, 8 pm show
St. Mark's Cathedral, 1245 10th Ave E
Fremont Abbey Arts presents The Moth StorySLAM, a world renowned storytelling event & top arts podcast as heard on NPR! Drink proceeds benefit Literacy Source programs.

Office Hours & Closures

Literacy Source is open:

Mon.-Thu., 8:30 am-8:30 pm
Fri., appointment only

Our December schedule is as follows:

Dec. 16th - last day of classes
Dec. 18th until 5 pm - last day of tutoring
Dec. 21st-31st - office is closed to the public, but limited staff will be available the week between Christmas and New Year's Day

We will reopen for tutoring on January 5th!

Contact Us

206-782-2050

info@literacysource.org

Join Our Mailing List

Literacy Source's mission is to build a literate community and promote self-sufficiency by providing learner-centered instruction to adults in English literacy and basic life skills. Literacy Source believes that all adults can improve their basic life skills and that community volunteers, trained and supported by professional staff, can make this happen. We welcome the challenge of developing the habit of independent life-long learning.

Literacy Source | (206) 782-2050 | www.literacysource.org | 720 N 35th St, Suite 103, Seattle, WA 98103