RCMA HOY Helping Our Youth

We Can Make A World of Difference

November 2002 Issue 115 OUR MISSION: We Open Doors to Opportunities! ¡Abrimos puertas a las opportunidades!

Redlands Christian Migrant Association

What do Big Brothers Big Sisters, the RCMA Im-mokalee Community School, and a handful of com-mitted Rollason Center staff have in common? The answer is a shared desire and support system to pro-vide mentoring opportunities that will advance the lit-eracy skills of students attending RCMA’s charter school.

A grant was se-cured from the Collier county branch of Big Brothers Big Sisters. Francisco Limon, charter school coordi-nator looked in his own backyard to re-cruit mentors who would commit a little over an hour a week toward mentoring. Ira Malamut, Kim Guinn,

Gladys Green, Pam Way, Dollie McSwain all from the fiscal department joined Judy Brill from community relations, Sovy Estrada from the clerical support team, Alicia DeLaRosa from Car-ing for Kids and Ernie Reid from the MIS department to step up to the challenge. A large group orientation was held. Mentors were in-troduced to their students and relationships are beginning to blossom. Armed with the goal of improving reading skills and building self esteem mentors have been engaged in reading with children, practicing sight words, and playing literacy games. Judy Brill had just finished reading a story about the Fall season with her third grade student, Bri-

anda. In the back of the book was an extension activity for making a simple bird feeder. She surveyed the men-tors and they all agreed to take the activity on as a group extension activity. On a brilliantly sunny day the students and their men-tors partnered to make one of a variety of simple bird

feeders using natural ingredients like toast, pine cones, cookie cutters, string, peanut butter and bird seed. All were truly en-gaged and the culmination of the activity was finding the per-fect spot for hanging the feeder. Positive experiences of the mentors have spread across the Rollason Center and additional

staff are considering taking advantage of this unique op-portunity to make a difference in the lives and futures of our young students. We applaud your spirit of giving!

The joy of mentoring

Alicia DeLaRosa spends some quality time reading with her mentee outside on a quiet picnic table.

Immokalee Community School Mentoring Group

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DEL ESCRITORIO DE OLGA

FROM THE DESK OF OLGA

Listen and Learn Escucha y Aprende ne of the most basic attributes of leadership is LISTENING. Yet it may be the most im-

portant. You can have all the other leadership skills but if you do not listen to people, it is all for noth-ing. The leader that listens knows what is going on around him/her. Listening opens the door to genu-ine communication. It shows respect and caring for others. But listening only leads you part of the way. You must also learn from it and use what you have learned to guide your actions. It is only through learning that we are able to change, grow and pre-pare for the future. There is a difference between hearing and listening. To hear means “to perceive by the ear.” To listen means “to pay attention.” There is a big difference! Pay attention to your body language. Are you look-ing at the person while they are speaking? (Are you looking at the T.V instead?) Make and maintain eye contact. Practice listening. Listen twice as much as you talk! Why else would we have two ears and just one mouth! Focus on what the speaker is saying. Listen with an open mind. Try not to jump to conclusions. Pre-tend that you will be tested what on is being said. To be continued……………………………..

no de los atributos más básicos del liderazgo es ESCUCHAR. Quizás sea el mas más importante.

Usted puede tener todas las otras habilidades del liderazgo pero si usted no escucha a las personas, de nada sirve. El líder que escucha sabe lo qué está pasando alrededor de el/ella.. Escuchando abre la puerta a la comunicación genui-na. Esto muestra el respeto y el aprecio a los demás. Pero solo escuchando lo encamina parte del camino. Usted también debe aprender de él y debe usar lo que usted ha aprendido para guiar sus acciones. Sólo ha través del apren-dizaje es que nosotros podemos cambiar, crecer y preparar-nos para el futuro. Hay una diferencia entre oír y escuchar. Para oír significa “para percibir por la oreja.” Para escuchar significa “prestar la atención.” ¡Hay una gran diferencia! Preste atención a la idioma de su cuerpo. ¿Esta usted miran-do a la persona mientras ellos están hablando? (O esta usted mirando el TV?) Haga y mantenga el contacto con los ojos. Practiqué escuchando. ¡Escuche dos veces más de lo que habla! ¡Por qué otra razón tenemos dos orejas y solamente una boca! Enfoque en lo que la persona está diciendo. Escuche con una mente abierta. Intente no hacer sus propias conclusio-nes. Pretenda que usted será puesta a prueba en lo que se está diciendo. A continuation ………………………..

There is a difference between hearing and listening. To hear means “to perceive by the ear.” To lis-ten means “to pay attention.”

Hay una diferencia entre oír y escuchar. Para oír significa “para percibir por la oreja.” Pa-ra escuchar significa “prestar la atención.”

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Professional Development is contagious in De-soto County. Infant and Toddler teachers at the No-catee Migrant Head Start Center in Nocatee and the

Smith Brown Early Head Start program are par-ticipating in Child Development As-sociate classes at the Nocatee Mi-grant Head Start Center. An invi-tation was ex-

tended for other providers in the community to join in the classes. The response was a positive one. The teachers are attending classes, writing com-petency goals, and preparing portfolios. In addition to their classroom experiences, the teachers have the opportunity to apply their knowledge in getting the Center ready for a new season. Core Team mem-bers are reviewing HSFIS computer skills prior to the Center opening. Maria Gamez, Alicia Rubio, and Sharon Fox are practicing "cutting and pasting" to simplify Progress Notes input and docu-mentation. Many Teachers and Core Team members are con-tinuing their English classes, GED preparation, Na-

tional CDA, and Col-lege classes at the Smith Brown and No-catee Centers. Profes-sional Development is contagious. Congratu-lations to everyone!

DeSoto learning in action By Sharon Fox Program Coordinator, DeSoto County

Reading is FUN! Evan Portee, area coordinator for Highlands county takes time out to focus on reading a fa-vorite book with a child. Both seem to be en-joying the story.

Cook’s wish comes true!

What a Sheen! Linda Rodriguez, cook at Bowling Green CDC is pictured here with a new stainless steel table. Linda has been wishing for one ever since she started cooking with RCMA. More space for food preparation and much easier to keep sparkling clean make this the perfect addition to her kitchen.

Director’s Credential Corner

Congratulations to Linda Stapleton of the RCMA Glades Early Childhood Center! Linda, early childhood specialist joins a prestigious group of credentialed directors and early childhood specialists statewide! Have you achieved a professional develop-ment goal? Share it with other HOY read-ers by calling or emailing the HOY editor.

Editor: Leslie Moguil Translator: Maria Garcia Please send suggestions, comments, and Letters to the Editor to the following address: RCMA HOY Editor Redlands Christian Migrant Association 402 West Main Street, Immokalee, FL 34142 PHONE: 1-800-282-6540 FAX: 1-941-658-3571

Any time, any day, any problem.

When you need someone to talk to,

LifeBalance is there.

1-800-854-1446

Thank you to farmworkers

who toil in the fields to make

the celebration of the harvest

possible!

Dear HOY Editor, I would like to take this time to thank RCMA for giving me up to 1½ hrs of paid release time to visit my child’s school each month. One morning while driving my daughter, Oshay to school I reminded her that I had not seen her progress report. At this time she informed me that “it was in her locker or somewhere”. I decided that I should visit the school and get a copy of her report. While I was asking for a copy at the front office they directed me to the Guidance Counselor and I began to explain my situation to her. She told me that Oshay’s Trigonometry teacher had contacted her concerning Oshay’s grade and her lack of interest in the class. The Guidance Counselor asked if I had time and proceeded to call each teacher for a phone conference. This was when I found out that Oshay was doing well in all of her classes except for the “D” in Trigo-nometry. During the phone conference we set-up after school tutoring and in a little more than two weeks Oshay has pulled her grade up to a “B”. I would advise each staff person to take advantage of the 1½ hours RCMA gives its employees to visit their child’s school. You and your child will reap great rewards from it. I did and so did my daughter Oshay. Thanks! Concerned Mom

Letter to the Editor Literacy takes center stage with “Circulos de Lectura"

RCMA is in the process of opening a third Centro Comunitario de Aprendizaje (CCA). The other two al-ready in operation are the CCA Florida City and the CCA Homestead. The newest CCA will be located at the O'Brien Farmworker Community Learning Centers in Belle Glade. As part of ongoing staff training, Homestead CCA tu-tor Rita Mendez, newly hired Belle Glade CCA tutor Genové Ramirez and the Family Literacy Specialist at-tended an intense weekend workshop at the Mexican Con-sulate in Miami. The topic of instruction was how to start and maintain

a "Sala de Lectura", or reading room. This program is open to any RCMA center that is willing to commit two hours per week to conduct adult read-ing activities. The Mexican Ministry of the Arts and Culture is ready to supply each site with a library of about 200 books to start their reading room. These books consist of a wide as-sortment of interests and reading levels: children, picture, cooking, history, art,

fiction, non-fiction, legends and more. A "Circulo de Lectura" can be incorporated into an ex-isting program to support family literacy, or as a support group. The methods used can be of a broad variety such as playing word games, reading aloud, writing exercises and more. If you would like to know more about setting up a “Circulo de Lectura” or reading room in your center please contact Irene at 305-242-2577 or email her at irene@rcma.org.

By Irene Brammertz, Family Literacy Coordinator