newsletter 9-28-11

8/3/2019 Newsletter 9-28-11

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The Bookmark

Ten Years and Growing!!!

Index:

10th Anniversary CelebrationNew Sites

…………………Page 1

Volunteer Spotlight…………………Page 2

Professional Tutor Spotlight…………………Page 3

History of ESLC………….…Page 4 & 5

Thank You Tutors…………………Page 6

Funders & Donors…………..…Page 7

Contact Information…………………Page 8

John A. JohnsonAchievement Plus Elem School

740 York AveSt Paul, MN 55106

St. Paul Music Academy27 Geranuim Ave ESt Paul, MN 55117

St. Matthew‘s Catholic School

497 Humboldt AveSt. Paul, MN 55107

10 Years of Gratitude –

The East Side Learning Center says

“thank you”

Children give a hand to ESLC partners.

April 7, 2011 wasproclaimed by Mayor ChrisColeman as “East Side

Learning Center Day” aswe celebrated 10 years ofservice to the children of St.Paul. It was a day tocelebrate partnerships andaccomplishments. It wasalso a day to say ―ThankYou‖ and recognize thosewho have supported theEast Side Learning Center inour mission of “Unlockingeach child‟s potentialthrough the foundation ofreading”.

Several hundred people

gathered to celebrate andshow their support. Theyrepresented a wide variety ofsupporters that have madeESLC successful over thepast ten years – Communityleaders, friends, the SchoolSisters of Notre Dame, theSt. Paul Public SchoolDistrict, donors, ESLC staffand tutors, Board ofDirectors, parents and ofcourse, the children.

.

Enjoy more 10th Anniversarypictures on our website atwww.eastsidelearningcenter.org

The ESLC wishes to say ‗THANK YOU‘to many people and organizations fortheir support!

TO the St. Paul community leaders whoidentified a need and the School Sistersof Notre Dame who stepped in to helpfulfill that need by establishing the EastSide Learning Center.

TO the St. Paul Public Schoolprincipals and teachers who openedtheir doors and helpedidentify students who wouldbenefit from the ESLC program.

V O L U M E 1 , I S S U E 6 O C T O B E R 2 0 1 1

TO the School Sisters ofNotre Dame for showing theirsupport and dedication of our

program by donating yetanother $12,500 to help kickoff the ESLC Ten For Tenfundraising campaign.

TO the many donors andvolunteers who contributedtheir time, money or gifts tohelp the ESLC succeed.

TO the ESLC staff, tutorsand Board of Directors whoprovided endless support,guidance and spirit to make adifference in the lives ofchildren.

TO the many parents whoallowed their children toparticipate in the ESLC andreinforced their learning athome.

TO the students, our leadersof tomorrow, whoenthusiastically strive to bebetter readers.

East Side Learning Center

“Unlocking each child’s potential

through the foundation of reading”

since 2001

New Sites

Opening in

Fall!In 2010-2011 the ESLCpartnered with John A. JohnsonElementary, St. Paul MusicAcademy and St. Matthew‘sCatholic School to provide free,one-on-one tutoring in readingfor their primary students. This

fall two more St. Paul schoolswill welcome the ESLC intotheir doors as a tutoringpartner: Community of PeaceAcademy and HOPECommunity Academy. CaraQuinn, Director of Teaching andLearning at Community ofPeace Academy, expressed herenthusiasm for this newpartnership, saying, ―I am sopleased that we've found a wayto work with the East SideLearning Center!‖

We Thank You Tutors!

S. Audrey accepts ESLC proclamation from Mayor Coleman

http://www.eastsidelearningcenter.org/



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214 Children served

220 Volunteer Tutors

25 Part-time Educators

5,869 Volunteer Hours

6,251 Part-time Educator/Staff Hours

12,120 Hours of Tutoring

2010-2011 at a glance

Volunteer Spotlight:

During the 2010-2011 academic year theEast Side Learning Center tutored 178emerging readers thanks to the dedicatedtutors who served at John A. JohnsonAchievement Plus, North End/Franklin

Elementary, and St. Matthew‘s CatholicSchool. All together these 213 volunteerstutored 5,500 hours! Of these 213volunteers, 83 were returning tutors fromprevious years and 130 were new to theprogram. Volunteers represent a widevariety of institutions in the Twin Citiesranging from businesses and schools tocommunity organizations. Each volunteerdedicated an hour or more each week tomaking a positive difference in the lives ofthe children he/she tutored. The ESLC isvery grateful for the time these individualsshared with the program.

To see a full list of these muchappreciated tutors, visit

www.eastsidelearningcenter.org

Meet Nancy Grace,

Volunteer at St Matt’s

and John A. Johnson:

Nancy is a St. Paul native whohas worn many different hatsover the years from chemist andbookkeeper to a mother of fourand volunteer tutor. In 2002 afriend‘s referral and her own

passion for reading led her to theEast Side Learning Center. Shehas volunteered with the ESLCever since. ―I love it!‖ she says.“It is so rewarding to teach thechildren at the East SideLearning Center. You canalmost „watch‟ them learn toread. …The children hold awarm spot in my heart.‖

Meet Ker Thao,

Volunteer at North

End/Franklin:

Ker was born in St. Paul and

attended the University ofMinnesota where she majored inFamily Social Science. Herinterest in elementary educationand a service-learningrequirement for her minor drewher to the East Side LearningCenter, where she has tutoredsince January. “Growing upwith English as my secondlanguage, I never had theopportunity to have a tutor helpme with my reading skills,‖ Ker says. “Even as a busy collegestudent, I always lookedforward to my two hours perweek at North End/FranklinElementary School. I loveworking with all the students andlearning from each of them.‖

Meet Randy Klinger

Volunteer at John A.

Johnson:

Randy, an IT Manager atCoughlan Companies inBloomington, has worked withthe East Side Learning Center indifferent capacities for over twoyears. He learned about the

ESLC through its partnershipwith Coughlan Companies andsince then he has helpedorganize a Coughlan tutoringteam, tutored at John A.Johnson, and serves on theESLC Board of Directors. Randyvolunteers with the ESLCbecause he believes literacy iscritical. He says, ―Through one-on-one tutoring time and tailoredlessons that are focused on theindividual student, the ESLCsupplements what is beingtaught in the classroom, andgives special, added attention, to

teach and practice the skillsneeded to experience readingsuccess.‖

Larry proudly shows his Mom what a great reader he is through the

support of his tutor, Nancy Grace.

Brooke and Randy Klinger are proof that there’s nothing better thansharing a great book together.

Joseph pauses to thank his tutor,Ker Thao for tutoring him every

week.

The ESLC uses one method used bypublic schools for evaluating mastery ofreading and comprehension known asDiagnostic Reading Assessment (DRA).Our desired outcome is to have thechildren increase their reading skills by atleast 8 DRA points if they attend 40 ormore tutoring sessions.

Laurie Kinney

wonders why the

student she tutors seems

to “always

win” thegame!

Crystal loves feeling successful as she reads to her tutor, Renae Rose.




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Hmmmm…volunteering as a tutor …can I really help a child learn toread? Ask any volunteer tutor, andthey will give you an emphatic YES!!

It‘s easy to hit the ground runningwith a student even if you don‘t havean education background. The 50minute tutoring sessions go quicklyas you guide your student through amixture of reading activities, phonicsand games, all with step-by-stepinstructions. The fast pace andlesson content keep the studentengaged and challenged but notoverwhelmed. Seems simpleenough, but why is it so simple? Theanswer: professional tutors like MaryAnn Renner.

Mary Ann is one of ESLC‘s 25 part-

time professional tutors who developthe lesson plans for the volunteertutors and work one-on-one with themost challenging students. Byassessing a student‘s reading leveland monitoring their progress, theseeducators target specific skills for achild to master. They incorporatethese goals into personalizedlesson plans that provide thebuilding blocks necessary for thatchild‟s success. The professionaltutors also prepare and share aStudent Progress Report with parentsat the end of the year. The

improvement over the course of ayear is amazing!

Mary Ann is new to ESLC having joined the ranks of professional tutorsin the fall of 2010. She decided tobecome a professional tutor as atribute to her good friend, MaryRiehle, one of the f irst ESLC tutorswho passed away in the summer of2010. For years, Mary Riehle toldMary Ann that she would be a goodfit for the ESLC and should considertutoring there. However, it wasn't untilMary died that Mary Ann decided totake her friend's advice.

Mary Ann is an experienced elementaryeducator. Since 1996 she has beencertified as a grade 1 through 6 instructorspecializing in music and language arts.She has been a Reading Recoveryteacher for 7 years and an English as aSecond Language teacher for 6 years.

Like Mary Ann, all ESLC professionaltutors are educators and hold a Minnesotateaching license or equivalent. Five of theprofessional tutors are members of theSchool Sisters of Notre Dame Community.

Throughout the year, the professionaltutors participate in a variety of professional development opportunities.This keeps tutors current with the

latest literacy practices and puts themin the best position to effectively helptheir students. Topics range fromlesson plans and curriculumdevelopment to motivation and culturaldiversity. Attendance at symposiumson dyslexia, learning disabilities andmental health provide new insights indealing with barriers that prevent achild from learning to read.

Mary Ann and her colleagues provideprogram stability and consistent,personalized student instruction, hallmarks of the ESLC‘s approach to

reading. This caring group ofprofessionals is the reason that theESLC is able to fully leverage thenumerous volunteers who want tospend an hour a week to help a childlearn to read. So, if there was ever anydoubt that you could help a child learnto read, just think about the wonderfulsupport system provided by the ESLCprofessional tutors. Hats off to MaryAnn and her colleagues for theircontribution to ESLC‘s success!

Meet Professional Tutor Mary Ann Renner

Why Mary Ann Renner Tutors

What is it that compels me to tutor at the ESLC?

I step back and conjure up a typical tutoring session at North End/Franklin. I see spiritand magic. I see magic in the frequent high-5‘s as a student ―beats the clock‖ whilereading a set of vocabulary words or wins a ―Brainy Bear‖ game, and magic in theencouragement and ―you-can-do-it‖ in the voices of tutors as students struggle througha tricky reading passage. There is a spirit of camaraderie as tutors from all walks of lifegather together for a few hours each day to share and spread the wealth of literacy.

There is a collegial spirit among tutors after students leave and we share stories ofgrowth or frustration and brainstorm strategies to help a student push through to the

next level. This rich, spirit-filled magic happens because of the sheer hard work and expertise of the ESLC staff, who have gathered together this research-basedcombination of structure and materials-at-our-fingertips to support and maximize thelearning time. I would highly recommend anyone to come and share in this magic.You‘ll be hooked!

S. Sharon White, OSF affirms Alicia for filling her goal chart

with stickers.

Shamara shows her skills to S. Josetta Marie Spencer, SSND

and her mother

ESLC “authors in residence”, KristinGallagher and Mark Ceilley, share

their books with eager readers.

Mary Ann keeps her student engaged

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Expand to 3rd site—Bruce VentoElementary

Publish The Case for Community Leadership Support FY 2004-08

50 students attend summer tutoring atJohnson Elementary

The Story Unfolds…

Grant from SSND Fund for Mission tobegin tutoring program

East Side Learning Center becomesofficial title

Receive 501 (c) (3) status as non-profitorganization

Open 2nd site—Trinity Catholic School

22 students attend first summer tutoring

session at Johnson Elementary

First site opens as an integral communitypartner of the innovative John A. JohnsonAchievement Plus Elementary

Separate incorporation

Initial Governing Board

Johnson 3rd grade students increase

MCA reading scores by 49% from 2003 to2004 with ESLC tutoring support

42 students attend summer tutoring atJohnson Elementary

School Sisters of Notre Dame(SSND) partner with St. Paulcommunity leaders to start freetutoring program on East Side ofSt. Paul

Frank Feinberg, John A. Johnson principal, visiting with the Open House

guests on February 15, 2002 in the reception area

S. Pauline Fritz, SSND and Mallorie, Gr 4, 2001

Roger is encouraged by his dedicated tutor, 2001

Visiting at the 2002 Open House, Rae

Cornelius, S. Honora Elsen, SSND and S.

Marge Rosenau,SSND

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Wilder Research evaluation

Initiate PACT (Parent and Children Together)

Identify 10 characteristics of an effective one-on-one volunteer tutoring program

56 students attend summer tutoring atJohnson Elementary and Bruce VentoElementary

Withdraw from Bruce Vento Elementary

Increase capacity at Johnson Elementary—nearly double enrollment

Serve students at co-existing school NorthEnd/Franklin

59 students attend summer tutoring at NorthEnd Elementary

Pilot ―push-in‖ tutoring model

Tenth Anniversary Celebration

Launch promotional video

―Ten-for-Ten‖ fundraiser

And the story continues…


Average over 225 hours/week of one-on-one tutoring for at-risk children in St. Paul

Approval of three-year Strategic Plan

Adopt Mission Statement:“ Unlocking each child ’ s potential through the foundation of reading ”

Expand to 4th site—North End Elementary


Relocate from Trinity to St. Matthew Catholic

School

Over three years, the percentage of children

who increased their reading skills by at least 8

DRA points (expected outcome) jumps from

49% to 86% if they attend 40 or more tutoring

sessions

73 students attend summer tutoring at Johnson

Elementary

First issue of ESLC newsletter, The Bookmark

Fifth anniversary and growing throughsupport of community partners andproviders


S. Jeanne Wingenter, SSND and Donald, Gr 4, 2001

Regina McCarthy, Keng and Joshua, Gr 4, 2002

Joan Prescott and Divondre, Gr 3, 2001

S. Judy Bakula, SSND and Keng,Gr 4, 2001

Alice Vignalo and Javette,Gr 2, 2001

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Thank you volunteer & professional tutors

The Word on the Street……. Many children do not have the opportunity to read at home with their families so it is volunteers who are key to helping ―unlock eachchild‘s potential through the foundation of reading.‖ Thank you for touching the lives of the children you tutored, strengthening theESLC program with your presence, and giving hope to St. Paul communities.

I have read 70 books! (Shamara)

―Before reading wassometimes hard work. Now Ionly want to read chapterbooks!‖ (Melissa)

―I‘m happy about tutoring because ILOVE to read with you!‖ (Jesus)

―I like it when we play games,do our Boing words and readnew stories. Now I‘m readinga higher level and usingstrategies to help me.‖ (Amari)

―I read at home every day andnow I can read chapter books.Before tutoring I could notread chapter books.‖(Patrianna)

―I used to not read. Now Ireached my goal of reading!‖ (Andre)

―My daughter was caught up with herclass by the end of the school year,and it was because of East SideLearning Center. They make it fun forchildren and exciting. The gamesespecially help the children learn andthe sticker reward system is great!‖

―The East Side Learning Center isvery organized, friendly and veryencouraging! We are SO THANKFULfor the one-on-one tutoring service; ithas made a big impact. We would notbe able to afford a private tutor, sohaving this for Tyler has reallystrengthened and encourage him—and us, too!‖ , Parent

―In the beginning of the year Josereally wasn‘t too interested in readingmuch at all, but by the time of seasonchange he had been reading moreoften and with confidence aloud.‖ --Parent

―This is a great program and Ienjoyed working here everyday!‖ –Tutor

―I had so much fun! I definitely want to

do this next year as well.‖ –Tutor

―I have enjoyed my tutoringexperience very much! Youare a wonderful team andhave made this a verypositive experience for meand my first grader. Thankyou!‖ -Tutor

―It is an invigorating experienceto work with the students!‖ –

Tutor

―I was impressed with howindividualized the lesson planswere for each student.‖ –Tutor

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Funders & Donors

The ESLC is so grateful to the wonderful supporters who graciously contribute to the program. Your dollars provide the

ESLC with the opportunity to continue helping all children realize success in school and feel better about themselves. With

your help these children can attain their dreams and goals. All Funder, Donor, and In-Kind contributors are listed on our

website at www.eastsidelearningcenter.org. Thank you Funders, Donors and In-Kind contributors!

Double your gift to the ESLC by qualifying for a matching grant ! Help match a $20,000 challenge grant by the end of December2011! It is easy with the enclosed envelope. The funder will match grants that meet any of the following criteria:

Dollar for dollar for all new contributions Dollar for dollar for contributions from lapsed donors who have not given for a year or more in support of the ESLC

Dollar for dollar for increased portion of contributions of those who donated during the 2010 calendar year

Ten-for-Ten CampaignOn April 7, 2011, the East Side Learning Centerkicked off its ―Ten-for-Ten‖ fundraising campaign toensure that St. Paul children continue to receive freeone-on-one tutoring in reading. The campaign runsthe duration of the ESLC‘s 10th Anniversary year,from April 7, 2011 to April 7, 2012. ―Ten-for-Ten‖ isa fun and meaningful way for community members

to get involved in supporting the ESLC‘s literacyefforts. Participants are encouraged to be creative!

Here are ten ideas:Money (quantities of ten or $10 over 10months…) New or gently used children‘s book (10books or 10 boxes of books…) Time (Tutor 10 hours, 10 weeks, or 10months…) Office supplies (10 reams of paper, Post-its,highlighters…) Stickers to motivate students (10 stickers or10 packages…) Student snacks (10 juice boxes or supply

treats once a week for 10 weeks…) Instructional supplies (10 literacy games or$10 towards supplies…) Gift cards or coupons for volunteerappreciation ($10 or 10 coupons…) Store discounts (10% off…) Tutor referrals (Talk to 10 friends/familymembers/coworkers…)

Need more ideas? Read about how others are joining the campaign:

Ester De La Cruz, East Side Family Center staff atJohn A. Johnson, contributed assorted officesupplies including Post-its, staples, and sharpies tokeep the ESLC well-stocked and humming.

Marilynn Kammueller, a volunteer tutor at St.Matthew‘s and John A. Johnson, contributed tenpackages of juice boxes over the course of severalweeks to keep improving readers hydrated andrefreshed.

Sharon Marlow, an East Side community member,read about the ESLC‘s ―Ten-for-Ten‖ campaign inthe East Side Review and contributed two bags ofgently used books to help eager readers build homelibraries.

Hannah McGraw-Dzik, a volunteer at St.Matthew‘s, asked ten of her friends to contribute $10

and ended up with eighteen donors who gave acombined total of over $500. With the help of amatching grant from the Katherine B. AndersenFoundation their generosity has reached over$1,000!

Check out the website for more information:www.eastsidelearningcenter.org

Technology Grant

From Best Buy This year the ESLC was awarded a $10,000 gift from Best Buy Corporation.This was the result of their team based United Way Campaign held last fall.We purchased a server and all software needed. The server will provide usa place to house our website and allow us to use shared files such as lessonplans, attendance records, student evaluations across all of our sites. We

are very excited about this and should have it installed this year. A Big ThankYou to Best Buy for their commitment to Community Service and theirgenerosity to the ESLC!

Funding Partners

3M GIVES Volunteer Match

Katherine B. Andersen Fund of The Saint Paul Foundation

Catholic Community Foundation

Coughlan Companies (Social Venture Partners Minnesota)

Frey Family Foundation

Greater Twin Cities United Way

Gustavus Adolphus Lutheran Church

Kinney Family Foundation

Richard A. Newman Foundation

Pax Christi Catholic Community Justice Grants

School Sisters of Notre Dame

SPPS Foundation Travelers Academic Intervention Grant

Richard M. Schulze Family Foundation

The Stablish Foundation

Travelers Foundation Volunteer Match

Unity Church-Unitarian of St Paul

Many individual donors and memorials

L to R: Marge Kangas, Sarah Carey from Best Buy, S. JillLaszewski, SSND, S. Audrey Lindenfelser, SSND.




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Thank You ESLC Staff, Board , Committee Members and Lillie

Newspapers for Your Time, Talent, Commitment and

Contribution to this Newsletter

ESLC CONTACT INFORMATION

Executive Director Audrey Lindenfelser, [email protected]

Program Director Sharon White, OSF..............................651-793-7331Overall Program Information [email protected]

Volunteer Tutor Information Rachel Boarden(VISTA) …………..…[email protected]

Volunteer Board Membership Midge Breiter, SSND …………………[email protected]

Contributions/Funding Audrey Lindenfelser, [email protected] Jill Leonard…………………………[email protected]

Services/Materials Audrey Lindenfelser, [email protected]

Newsletter and Website Marge Kangas………………………….651-793-7331

[email protected]

ESLC Website / Facebook http://www.eastsidelearningcenter.orghttp://www.Facebook.com/eastsidelearningcenter

SSND (School Sisters of http://www.ssndcentralpacific.org Notre Dame) Ministries

Our Core Values are summarized as

LEARN

LOVING, affirming and respectful atmosphere

EDUCATION that transforms, encouraging each child

to reach the fullness of his/her potential

ACCOUNTABILITY and careful stewardship of

community resourcesRESULTS, driven by high quality, systematic

approach and academic rigor

NEEDS of children drive where resources are

allocated

EastSideLearningCenter

740YorkAve

StPaul,Mn

55106

651-793-7331

Audrey.lindenfelser@

spps.org

Nonprofitorg

Uspostage

TWINCITIESmn

Permitno4035

AddressServiceRequested

Seth Saeugling and Amari share the magic of tutoring.

Online with ESLC

ESLC has a new and improved webpresence! In this newsletter you will findmultiple references to our website,http://www.eastsidelearningcenter.org. If you have not been out to it lately, weinvite you to come for a visit and seewhat‘s there.

In addition to our redesigned website, youcan now find ESLC on Facebook andYouTube. Sign up and become a friend ofESLC or check out ESLC‘s promotionalvideo created by InHouse Media for the 10Year Anniversary.

Finally, after you have visited us on theweb, let us know what you think. Our

emails are to the left. Happy surfing!

mailto:[email protected]





























newsletter 9-28-11

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