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Newsletter
February 2020

We are excited to share the remarkable stories of how our staff educate and inspire life-long learners, build partnerships, and unite communities to transform lives.  
Raspberry Pi class 1.16.20 (2)


IU13 Youth Program @ Lebanon

On January 16 & 17, students at Lebanon High School participated in a Raspberry Pi Computer Class taught by Harrisburg University and offered through the IU13’s Lebanon youth program. Raspberry Pi teaches students how to program and understand how computers work.
 

Employee Spotlight Tony Brewer

Tony Brewer, affectionately known as Mr. B, will be remembered by staff and students as a man whose depth and breadth of knowledge and unique sense of humor brightened many days and enriched many lives. In the classroom, Mr. B conveyed his deepest respect and concern for every student, and he often brought out the best in those who had never before experienced a teacher who truly cared about them. His top priority was to make students feel safe and secure, so that they could learn and grow to their fullest potential. Tony entered into teaching high school equivalency classes as a retirement job during a time of declining health, but his energy and enthusiasm never failed. He often said that teaching adults was the best, most fulfilling job he ever had!

Tony’s myriad life experiences and broad knowledge of many subject areas gave students much more than preparation for a test – it gave them a taste of the joy of learning. His legacy will be much more than the number of graduates he had – it will be the many lives restored by self-confidence and a desire for lifelong learning.

ESL @ Lebanon

On December 12th Nora Lubecki’s morning ESL class took a trip to the Lebanon Farmers’ Market. Students went on a scavenger hunt and used the food vocabulary they covered during their session to speak with vendors. They also used math skills to find answers like the price per pound of coffee. Everyone had a great time practicing the English they learned in class!

 
ESL Sensible Portions

ESL @ Sensible Portions 

Sensible Portions, a Mountville-based company that produces snacks such as Veggie Straws, recently contracted with IU13 Community Education to provide onsite English as a Second Language class. Their employees come from all over the world —Vietnam, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Burma, to name a few — but share the same desire to learn English. Sensible Portions knows that employees with better communication skills will result in increased productivity, greater teamwork, and a safer workplace.
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Family Literacy @ Lancaster 

On January 15, students from the Lancaster ESL and HSE Family Literacy classes came together for an Interactive Literacy Activity. During the activity, students discussed how they could use words to convey their feelings and how to let go of negative ones. The evening was complete with pizza and painting!
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Citizenship @ Lancaster

The Lancaster citizenship class is off to a great start with 22 students in the program! During the second night of class, students started to get familiar with 100 civics questions flashcards, while asking each other different questions and testing their previous knowledge. Many of them were very familiar with the questions and they were helping other teams answer them correctly. It was wonderful to see a sense of community despite the language and cultural differences.

 
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Citizenship @ Lebanon

On January 8, the citizenship class had their second session in Lebanon County. Students practiced a matching activity on what to expect when arriving  at the Philadelphia Immigration Office for their citizenship interview. They also started to get familiar with the 100 civics questions flashcards by asking each other different questions and testing their previous knowledge. Everyone enjoyed themselves!
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ESL @ Bright Side Opportunities Center

On December 19, Bright Side held its first Holiday Celebration entirely organized by the Student Council, who did a great job hosting the event. An MC was chosen from the Student Council to walk students and staff members through the celebration. At the event teachers were interviewed, council members presented the differences in culture and language, word activities were introduced and interactive worksheet were created. Lastly, everyone had a chance to eat delicious cultural food prepared by the students. It was great to see the level of sharing and caring coming from all the students and staff at Bright Side.

CNA @ HACC-Lebanon

On December 23, 2019 the IU13 Certified Nurse Aid Integrated Education & Training (CNA IET) class at HACC-Lebanon Campus graduated five participants of the Workforce Innovation Opportunities Act (WIOA) Youth Program. WIOA provides young women and men (primarily ages 17-24) with educational training and employment opportunities.

Pictured left to right: Back row: Yohanna Taveras Ramirez, Genelis Figueroa; Middle row: Amelia Nardo, Brianna Schneck, Kenisha Colmenero-Lopez; Front row: Ashley Howell 

Do you know someone who loves to help others and needs to learn English? 

IU13 is holding its third Teacher Assistant Training for English Language Learners! This training helps English language learners prepare for a career in education. Students will develop their English while learning the skills they need to work as para-educators in K-12 classrooms.

Open House Thursday, February 13th, 2020 from 5:30 – 7:30 pm at Bright Side Opportunities Center

Register
(717)-947-1595  or silvia_hildesheim@iu13.org

Free Tax Prepare with VITA

VITA provides free income tax preparation to anyone making $62,000 or less.  With sites throughout the county, and both day and evening hours, it's easy to get your taxes prepared for free.

Please see the attached brochure for more information on how to schedule an appointment. And if you've done your taxes by yourself before, you can use the free software at the VITA website.

 
McCaskey ESL (1)

ESL @ McCaskey

Lori Zook’s class integrated technology with civics as her students used a Google doc to write a letter to their representatives! Students had previously looked up who their representatives were to gain more knowledge about their government. The letters asked for the support of Adult Education in PA as the students wrote about how English classes have impacted their lives.

 

2019 IU13 Communication - Michelle Gonzalez, Editor