Last Chance to Register for RACE FOR A CAUSE!
October 9, 2012 at 10:30 AM | Posted in Teaching, Tutoring, Student Stories, ESOL, Volunteers, Class, Announcements, AmeriCorps, Development, Family Learning | Leave a commentTags: give, announcement, volunteers, community, giving, alumni, americorps partners, students, Family Learning, Children, friends, Volunteer, AmeriCorps, Basic Adult Literacy, literacy, literacy council, literacy council of northern virginia, acumen solutions, race for a cause, 8k, James Lee Community Center, family fun, family event, Announcements, run or walk, 1 Mile Fun Run, run for local charities, October 14th, local superheroes, you get to be a superhero too, select the non-profit of your choice, north quincy street, arlington race, Boy and Girls Club, Fairfax Education, for love of children, Greenbrier Learning Center, Our Daily Bread, The Reading Connection, the women's centert, the women's center, united for d.c., young playwright's theatre
Don’t miss your chance to sign up to support the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia for the Acumen Solutions™ Race for a Cause 8K and 1 Mile Fun Run, which takes place this Sunday, October 14, 2012, in Arlington.
This a great event with a “super” post race event, which includes yummy food from Anita’s, Chidogo’s, and Whole Foods, as well as fun kids activities AND awesome raffle prizes for “big” kids (must be present to win)! Come support our local Superheroes. We encourage you to sport your favorite “superhero” attire! Don’t have a cape? Acumen Solutions will also be providing capes to all youth registrants!
We still need 40 registrants to be eligible for race proceeds. YOU can help us reach our goal! Join our walking literacy team?
Not in town? Sponsor a friend or family member as a runner! Every donation – big or small – helps support our cause. Please call or email Suzie Eaton (seaton@lcnv.org) with any questions and go to www.theraceforacause.com to sign up!
Registration Costs
- 8k: $35 through October 13
- $40 Race Day
- 1 Mile Fun Run: $20 Youth (no shirt; gift will be provided!);$35 Adult (8k technical T-shirt)
Registration Packet Pickup @ Potomac River Running Store, Arlington:
- Friday October 12, 4-8 pm
- Saturday October 13, 11 am – 4 pm
- Sunday October 14 (Race Day), 6:30 am – 7:30 am
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
2855 Annandale Road
Falls Church, Va 22042
(703)237-0866
www.LCNV.org
It’s not too Late to Register for Class!
September 28, 2012 at 12:19 PM | Posted in AmeriCorps, Announcements, Class, Development, ESOL, Family Learning, Student Stories, Teaching, Tutoring, Volunteers | Leave a commentTags: alumni, AmeriCorps, americorps partners, announcement, Basic Adult Literacy, best practices, Ceci, Children, Children's Books, Development, english classes, ESOL, Family Learning, friends, it's not too late to register, James Lee Community Center, late registration flyer, late registration schedule, LCNV, lcnv learners, learn english, literacy, literacy council, literacy council of northern virginia, literacy services, lorton senior center, Loudon Literacy, networking, register for classes, september 29, student stories, students, teaching, Volunteer, volunteers
DOWNLOAD the Late Registration Flyer
Every LCNV ESOL Learning Centers or Family Learning class turns into its own little community, and every community is like a family. Lorton Senior Center is one of our healthiest class sites, and I’m certain it’s because of the strong sense of community among the students. This past Monday, we had a really great registration, students were lined up outside the door an hour before start time. Luckily, several of our volunteers arrived a few minutes early to help with forms, testing, and payment.
I believe that sense of community starts with a smile and an inviting gesture to join and share. One students, who I had taught when I was an AmeriCorps Instructor, arrived at registration with two of her beautiful brown-eyed little boys in tow. The student’s name is Ceci, and I remember her as the family stone of our class when I taught at Lorton’s former site, Grace Bible Church. Ceci is an avid smiler, hand-shaker, team-worker, and laugh-sharer. She constantly stretched her English speaking skills to communicate with classmates from different countries and on many occasions arrived at class with a new student to recruit for classes.
Ceci demonstrates exactly what kind of student our programs work for. Monday was her first time back at class in years, but this is because she took on new opportunities to work, birth a new son, and help her family through some adjustments. She still has a complicated life and a limited budget, but we’re still here to help her. Now, she’s back because she still needs low-level English and LCNV still meets that need. I know she’ll probably test out of our classes soon and be able to move on to new opportunities, but for now, I’m excited to see her grow and progress and help other students in her class.
You can help us meet the need of other learners and fill all of our other classes, too. Take a look at our website to share our late-registration information at a grocery store, library, or other community location near you! Late registration will be held at LCNV’s headquarters located in James Lee Community Center, 2855 Annandale Rd, Falls Church, VA 22042 on Saturday September 29nd from, 3-6pm.
Katie Beckman
Program Assistant
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church, VA 22042
(703) 237-0866 x 116
kbeckman@lcnv.org
www.lcnv.org
Supporting LCNV: BeanTree’s Love of Literacy
July 25, 2012 at 1:24 PM | Posted in AmeriCorps, Announcements, Class, Development, ESOL, Family Learning, Student Stories, Teaching, Tutoring, Uncategorized, Volunteers | Leave a commentTags: americorps partners, BeanTree, BeanTree Learning, Children, Children's Books, Class, community, creative campus for children, creative campus for literacy, Development, family, family event, family fun, Family Learning, family literacy, jennifer bower, lcnv learners, literacy, literacy council, literacy council of northern virginia, Loudon Literacy, love of literacy, oatland plantation, teaching, teaching strategies, thank you!, tracy gilliam
This past spring, Carisa Pineda and Serife Turkol attended the 7th Annual BeanTree Learning Family Picnic at Oatlands Plantation in Leesburg. More than 400 new books were donated by families of students attending BeanTree Learning as part of the school’s 4th Annual “Love of Literacy” Campaign to benefit families served by the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia, and the Loudoun Literacy Council. The 200 books received by the Literacy Council are very high quality titles that included many board books which are often expensive for our program to purchase. The Family Learning Program will give these books away to the families we serve.
This is the second time the Literacy Council has received such a generous donation from BeanTree. Many thanks are due the BeanTree families who provided the books and a special thanks to Jennifer Bower, the owner of BeanTree, as well as Tracy Gilliam for coordinating the donation.
Founded in 2003, BeanTree Learning is a privately owned and operated Creative Campus for Children developed by Jennifer Bower.
Carisa Coburn Pineda
Family Learning Specialist
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
2855 Annandale Road
Falls Church, VA 22042
(703) 237-0866
www.lcnv.org
“At 98, Once-Illiterate Lobsterman Is Now An Author”
April 2, 2012 at 1:36 PM | Posted in AmeriCorps, Announcements, Class, Development, ESOL, Family Learning, Student Stories, Teaching, Tutoring, Volunteers | Leave a commentTags: 000 copies, 3, adult education, adult education in mystic, adult literacy, Alicia Smith, alumni, AmeriCorps, americorps partners, announcement, associated press, At 98, Basic Adult Literacy, best practices, captain henry, captain james arruda henry, Care 2 make a difference, Children, Children's Books, children’s dictionary, community, Connecticut seaport of Mystic., family, fisherman's language, friends, george dawson, in a fisherman's language, ionia county literacy council, it's never too late to learn, james arruda, James Arruda Henry, james henry, James Lee Community Center, John Christoffersen, LCNV, lcnv learners, Library, life is so good, life is so good by george dawson, literacy, literacy council, lobsterman learns to read, Loudon Literacy, Mark Hogan, Marlisa McLaughlin, Maxine Smith, mystic, Once-Illiterate Lobsterman Is Now An Author, reading advocate, student stories, student story, students, teaching, teaching strategies, tutoring, Volunteer, volunteers, Writing
The Literacy Council of Northern Virginia considers “At 98, Once-Illiterate Lobsterman Is Now An Author,” a must read! Friends at the Ionia County Literacy Council recently shared the article, which was published by the Associated Press at the Hartford Courant.
The article “At 98, Once-Illiterate Lobsterman Is Now An Author,” charters the life of James Arruda Henry, a lobster boat captain who learned how to read in his late 90s. Henry found inspiration in “Life is So Good,” by George Dawson, a slave’s grandson who learned to read at 98 years old. Driven by Dawson’s narrative and supported by his family, Henry labored over words until he could compose whole essays. Now, Henry’s essays have been compiled in the book “In a Fisherman’s Language: An Autobiography,” available as a Kindle Edition.
An excerpt of article written on James Arruda Henry follows:
Henry said he was taken out of school around the third grade to go to work making concrete blocks, baking bread and doing other jobs. He recalls getting a dollar from his father on the Fourth of July.
“I was so happy that I went straight to the ice cream parlor,” he writes in his book. “I got a glass of milk, a piece of apple pie, a dish of ice cream. After I finished eating I had just enough money to buy a small pack of firecrackers. I lit one and they all went off!!”
His granddaughter had read him an excerpt of the book, “Life is So Good” by George Dawson.
“I said if he can do it, I can do it,” Henry said. “That’s when I started to learn…”
Take a moment to read the article “At 98, Once-Illiterate Lobsterman Is Now An Author.”
Consider reading James Arruda Henry’s collection of autobiographical essays: “In A Fisherman’s Language: An Autobiography.”
Lastly, consider reading the story that motivated Henry to learn how to read and write at 98: “Life is So Good,” by George Dawson.
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
2855 Annandale Road
Falls Church, VA 22042
(703) 237-0866
www.lcnv.org
Come to Reading: A Family Affair Tomorrow!
March 23, 2012 at 3:02 PM | Posted in AmeriCorps, Announcements, Class, Development, ESOL, Family Learning, Student Stories, Teaching, Tutoring, Volunteers | Leave a commentTags: AmeriCorps, americorps partners, Announcements, barbara effron, Basic Adult Literacy, bob brown puppets, celebrate literacy, Children, Class, community, Development, donate, ESOL, family, family event, family fun, Family Learning, family literacy, family reading, friends, fun while reading, gary lloyd, groovy nate, jacqueline jules, James Lee Community Center, Kalavaridhi, Kalavaridhi Dance School, LCNV, lcnv learners, literacy council, Loudon Literacy, march 24, NOW THIS!, performance art, RAFA, reading a family affair, reading as a family, reading is a family affair, reading is fun, student stories, students, support, teaching, thank you!, tutoring, voices from the glen, Volunteer, volunteers, Writing, zurii conroy
Reading: A Family Affair (RAFA) is just a day away! RAFA is a free family literacy day presented by the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia (LCNV). This event brings books to life through a variety of venues:
• SEE a Book (on stage performances by puppeteers and musicians)
• HEAR a Book (storytellers)
• BECOME a Book (audience participation)
• READ & WRITE a Book (reading/writing activities; book giveaways)
• CLICK a Book (guided computer activities)
Reading: A Family Affair provides an opportunity to introduce kids and their parents to the literacy activities available throughout the community; it also has become a way for the Literacy Council to get the word out to potential volunteers, adults who need LCNV services, and businesses and individuals looking for a great mission to support.
Come and attend Reading: A Family Affair. The event will spotlight storytellers, musicians, dancers, and puppeteers from the greater Washington Metropolitan Area. Stories are told in many ways. Engage all of your senses in the magic of literacy!
WHEN: This Saturday, March 24, 2012 from 9:30 AM – 2:20 PM
WHERE: James Lee Community Center, 2855 Annandale Rd., Falls Church, VA 22042
*Parking will be available.
*For safety and space reasons, baby strollers cannot be allowed at this event.
For a complete list of RAFA performers: http://www.lcnv.org/rafa/bios.cfm
For a complete schedule of events: http://www.lcnv.org/docs/RAFA_Schedule_2012_revised_3_13_12.pdf
Join the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia this Saturday and celebrate literacy.
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
2855 Annandale Road, Falls Church, VA 22042
(703) 237-0866 x 115
www.lcnv.org
Support Reading: A Family Affair this Saturday!
March 22, 2012 at 1:44 PM | Posted in AmeriCorps, Announcements, Class, Development, ESOL, Family Learning, Student Stories, Teaching, Tutoring, Volunteers | Leave a commentTags: AmeriCorps, americorps partners, Announcements, barbara effron, Basic Adult Literacy, bob brown puppets, celebrate literacy, Children, Class, community, Development, ESOL, family, family event, family fun, Family Learning, Family Learning | Leave a comment Edit this post Tags: announcement, family literacy, family reading, friends, gary lloyd, groovy nate, jacqueline jules, James Lee Community Center, Kalavaridhi, Kalavaridhi Dance School, LCNV, lcnv learners, literacy council, Loudon Literacy, march 24, n Teaching, NOW THIS!, performance art, RAFA, reading a family affair, reading as a family, reading is a family affair, reading is fun, student stories, students, teaching, thank you!, tutoring, voices from the glen, Volunteer, volunteers, Writing, zurii conroy
Support Reading: A Family Affair. Please make a donation today.
LCNV’s 6th Annual Reading: A Family Affair – to be held this Saturday, March 24 – is a free event dedicated to family literacy and attended by a broad multicultural cross section of the area, including immigrant and at-risk families. As their children’s first teachers, these immigrant and at-risk parents need language and literacy skills that will allow their children to succeed., Research shows that literacy is a family matter; children absorb parents’ values. A parent who models reading habits, or more importantly, reads to their child, ultimately shapes that child’s love of reading. Reading: A Family Affair reaches both parents and children, stressing the importance of family literacy through performance art.
The Literacy Council relies entirely on generous contributions from community partners and people like you to support Reading: A Family Affair, as well as LCNV’s educational programs, which serve more than 1,600 students each year. Please support this event and LCNV’s programs by making a tax-deductible donation today.
Your support allows immigrant and at-risk children to experience the gift of literacy through storytelling, music, puppeteering, and other art forms. Kids will get to meet Clifford the Big Red Dog, sing with Groovy Nate, watch Bob Brown Puppets come alive, and even write their own stories. Plus, each child takes home a FREE book. To see a complete list of the performers LCNV has lined up, please visit: RAFA Performers.
Every cent counts. Your generous gift, whether it is $25, $50, $100 or more, will make a life-changing difference. Please don’t wait – donate today.
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
2855 Annandale Road
Falls Church, VA 22042
(703) 237-0866 x 109
www.lcnv.org
Check out the Performers at Reading: A Family Affair!
March 21, 2012 at 1:39 PM | Posted in AmeriCorps, Announcements, Class, Development, ESOL, Family Learning, Student Stories, Teaching, Tutoring, Volunteers | Leave a commentTags: AmeriCorps, americorps partners, Announcements, barbara effron, Basic Adult Literacy, bob brown puppets, celebrate literacy, Children, Class, community, Development, ESOL, family, family event, family fun, Family Learning, Family Learning | Leave a comment Edit this post Tags: announcement, family reading, friends, gary lloyd, groovy nate, jacqueline jules, James Lee Community Center, Kalavaridhi, Kalavaridhi Dance School, LCNV, lcnv learners, literacy council, Loudon Literacy, march 24, n Teaching, NOW THIS!, performance art, RAFA, reading a family affair, reading as a family, reading is a family affair, reading is fun, student stories, students, teaching, thank you!, tutoring, voices from the glen, Volunteer, volunteers, Writing, zurii conroy
Reading: A Family Affair (RAFA) is this March 24, 2012! The Literacy Council of Northern Virginia will be bringing books to life this Saturday at the James Lee Community Center. RAFA is a free event that celebrates the gift of literacy through storytelling, music, puppeteering, and other art forms. Check out the RAFA Performers below. Once you find a performance you’d like to attend, take a look at RAFA schedule to make sure you don’t miss your performer.
Bob Brown Puppets have been a major children’s theater company for the past fifty years, offering the finest in children’s education and entertainment and performing to over 300,000 children a year. Bob Brown Puppets bring together art, music and story-telling to the delight of children (and grown-ups) everywhere. Bob and Judy Brown have enriched the lives, the imaginations, and the potential creative abilities of children, now performing for the children of those they played to 35 years ago.
Zurii Conroy began her journey into storytelling when she was in the third grade. Realizing that she had a talent that needed to be shared, Zurii began storytelling professionally in the 6th grade under the name “Princess Zurii.” Although Zurii specializes in African-American folktales, she is able to adapt to other genres within the craft. Zurii has performed at various venues such as birthday parties, schools, colleges, hospitals, churches, libraries, community events, plays, and festivals. Also an actress, Zurii has performed on both the stage and television.
Barbara Effron’s energetic storytelling programs combine folk, traditional, and modern tales with songs and audience participation. With her energetic delivery and enthusiasm, Barbara captures the imagination and takes the audience on journeys to far-flung places and fascinating people. Her passion for storytelling is enhanced with music and audience participation. Her engaging and educational programs reflect her background as a teacher and children’s librarian.
Elnathan K. Starnes/ Groovy Nate has been a working musician and song-writer in the DC/MD/VA area for over thirteen years. Elnathan is a featured guitarist on several CDs and has performed with several Washington DC-based groups. In 1997, he founded the award-winning soul band, Oktbrwrld, with whom he made four CD’s. Elnathan wrote the film score and co-wrote the film short The Water Story which appeared on BET. He is now a member of both the National Capital Puppet Guild and Puppeteers of America. Nate is a certified Music Together teacher and is teaching Music Together as well as Groovy Nate Music and Movement classes in the Northern Virginia area. Elnathan and his wife, Kisha Kenyatta, along with their two young children, combine talents to create meaningful and educational performance art and edutainment for children and families. They produced the first Groovy Nate CD, Meet Groovy Nate, in 2009.
Jacqueline Jules is the award-winning author of 23 children’s books, including Zapato Power: Freddie Ramos Takes Off (2010 CYBILS Literary Award for Short Chapter Book, Maryland Blue Crab Young Reader Honor Book, ALSC Great Early Elementary Reads), Unite or Die: How Thirteen States Became a Nation (2010 Library of Virginia Cardozo Award), Benjamin and the Silver Goblet (2010 Sydney Taylor Honor Award), Duck for Turkey Day (Washington State Children’s Choice Book Awards list, TN Volunteer State Award), and No English (DE Diamonds list, TN Volunteer State Award list). Also a poet, Jacqueline won the Arlington Arts Moving Words Contest, Best Original Poetry Award from the Catholic Press Association, and the SCBWI Magazine Merit Poetry Award. Most of Jacqueline’s books have grown out of her experiences as a teacher and elementary school librarian. Students are her inspiration.
After training with Guru Bhanumati for over a decade, Sheela Ramanath moved to the United States and started her own dance school, Kalavaridhi, in 2001. She builds upon her gurus’ teaching methods, creatively adapting them to each student. Even in grouped settings, she coaches each student individually. Through lecture-demonstrations and illustrated recitals, she strives to mold young artists into versatile dancers. Following the traditional curriculum for Bharatanatyam, Sheela teaches both the theoretical as well as practical aspects at each level. She draws upon real-life comparisons to help communicate depth of feeling. Sheela’s senior students will be performing at RAFA in 2012.
Gary Lloyd is a renowned storyteller, visiting schools, festivals, libraries, and other venues from Vermont to South Carolina, entertaining hundreds of thousands of listeners of all ages. He begins each program celebrating the bond between storytelling and reading – each requires the reader/listener to call on their imagination to recreate the story in their mind’s eye. Known for his enthusiastic delivery, Gary orchestrates a program of story, voices, movement, and participation that is focused on capturing and keeping audience attention.
In 1990, NOW THIS! began delighting audiences of all ages and interests with totally improvised spoofs of every style from opera to folk ballads, Shakespeare to Soaps. Every scene, melody and lyric was created, on the spot, from audience suggestion. In their interactive musical shows for kids, the NOW THIS! professional cast takes the audience’s ideas and instantly turns them into songs, comic sketches and musical fairy tales. Audience members can be part of the show too!
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
2855 Annandale Road
Falls Church, VA 22042
(703) 237-0866
www.lcnv.org
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Race for a Cause is this Sunday!
October 12, 2012 at 3:29 PM | Posted in AmeriCorps, Announcements, Class, Development, ESOL, Family Learning, Student Stories, Teaching, Tutoring, Volunteers | Leave a commentTags: 1 Mile Fun Run, 8k, acumen solutions, alumni, AmeriCorps, americorps partners, announcement, Announcements, arlington race, Basic Adult Literacy, Biggest Loser, Boy and Girls Club, Children, Class, community, Development, ESOL, Fairfax Education, family event, family fun, Family Learning, Family Learning | Leave a comment Edit this post Tags: give, for love of children, friends, giving, Greenbrier Learning Center, James Lee Community Center, literacy, literacy council, literacy council of northern virginia, local superheroes, north quincy street, October 14th, Our Daily Bread, race for a cause, run for local charities, run or walk, select the non-profit of your choice, Sione Fa, student stories, students, The Reading Connection, the women's center, the women's centert, tutoring, united for d.c., Volunteer, volunteers, you get to be a superhero too, young playwright's theatre
Online registration is closed BUT you can still sign up in person at the Potomac River Running store in Arlington; don’t forget to select the Literacy Council of Northern Virginia as your charity. If you go to Potomac River Running today and sign up, you could meet Sione Fa from The Biggest Loser!
Packet pickup and registration times follow:
The race will be just off Quincy Street at the intersection of Quincy and Wilson Blvd; use the Potomac River Running Store (3924 Wilson Blvd) as your “address”. Participants will warm up at approximately 7:40 AM, with guest Sione Fa. The 8k race starts at 8:00 AM. The Fun Run will start at approximately 8:06 AM. There will be a fun post event, which includes good food and a raffle prize give away.
Come support local Superheroes like the Literacy Council – costumes are encouraged! Acumen Solutions will provide capes to all youth registrants!
Hope to see you this Sunday.
Literacy Council of Northern Virginia
2855 Annandale Road
Falls Church, Va 22042
(703)237-0866
www.LCNV.org