Hogar Hispano E-Nunciations
A 'Zine for ESL Teachers and Volunteers

May - June 2004 
 
In this issue...

  1. Newsflash!  Summer ESL Classes Starting in June – Schedule Available Online
  2. Tell Your Students:  If you have problems at the DMV, just call Leni!
  3. Did you know?  Hogar Staff and Volunteer Superstars
  4. Hogar Hispano’s Breaking the Language Barrier Benefit on June 17
  5. ESL Teacher Training and Educational Opportunities
  6. Tip O' the Month: How to Handle Multi-Level Classes
  7. Fashion Tip O’ the Month: Order a Hogar T-Shirt!
  8. Immigration News   
  9. Hot Links: Cicada Mania!
  10. Volunteer Opportunities
  11. Job Openings at the Hogar
  12. Hogar Wish List


Newsflash!   Summer ESL Classes Starting in June – Schedule Available Online

Dear Volunteers,

Before we say goodbye for the summer, we want to let you know about an event coming up that you won’t want to miss.  On June 17, at 7:00pm, Hogar ESL will be hosting our first “Breaking the Language Barrier Benefit” at Founders’ Restaurant & Brewing Company at 607 King Street in Old Town Alexandria (see below for details).  Founders’ has agreed to share part of the proceeds with Hogar ESL, plus we’ll have two live bands, an all-you-can-eat buffet, discounted microbrews and Virginia wines, great raffle prizes, and a silent auction.  (If you have an interesting auction or raffle item to donate, please let us know!)  Take this opportunity to share your volunteering experience with your family and friends by bringing them to Founders’ on June 17th.   

 

Do you know anyone who might be interested in studying English or computers over the summer?  Starting in June, Hogar will offer ESL classes in Falls Church, Reston and Sterling.  The computer class, held at our main office in Falls Church, will introduce Microsoft Excel.  To see the class schedule, go to our website at http://www.ccda.net/summer04-esl.htm. 

 

Woo!  You made it to the end of the year.  Congratulations and many thanks for your commitment to the students throughout the year.  It has been estimated that the 2003 U.S. average hourly value of volunteer time is $17.19 – that means you as volunteers provide a quality, professional service to the tune of over half a million dollars each year! 

 

We hope that you will enjoy a restful and relaxing summer and that we will see you again in the fall.  You should be getting a call from your site coordinator in August if you plan to teach next year.

 

Looking forward to seeing you in Alexandria on June 17th !
Sally O'Dwyer
ESL Coordinator, Hogar Hispano

 

Hogar Hispano’s Breaking the Language Barrier Benefit – June 17 in Old Town Alexandria

 

You've been volunteering all year, now it's time to kick back with family and friends at Founders' Restaurant & Brewing Company in Old Town Alexandria.  Come enjoy a night of food, music, prizes, and just a darn good time with other Hogar volunteers, staff, and friends. Proceeds benefit the adult immigrants of Hogar Hispano's English as a Second Language (ESL) Program, part of Catholic Charities.

For only $10 ($5 for kids), you will be enticed by:
-- A tempting buffet of roast beef, crab and artichoke dip, shrimp, delectable desserts and more.
-- Two local bands: "Don't Panic" and "Fake Gringos"

Discounted microbrews and Virginia wines will also run freely.

Buy a raffle ticket and you might just win a dinner at King Street Blues, Las Tapas, the Austin Grill or Pat Troy's, a gift certificate to Ann Taylor, a hair salon, make-your own ceramics, King Street Jewelers, Five Guys Burgers and more!

 

How many beers should we brew?  RSVP not required but appreciated: 703-534-9805, x. 239 or gcallahan@ccda.net

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Tell Your Students: If you have problems at the DMV, just call Leni!

 

Have any of your students come to you with frustrations about the DMV?  Please let them know that if they have a problem they need resolved, and they would like to appeal to a DMV representative, tell them to call Leni Gonzalez.  She is bilingual (English-Spanish) and her job is to help the community.

 

Leni can be reached at 703-313-6630.

 

Please let students know that they do not need to have legal status to renew a valid driver’s license, but if they let it expire (or if it is revoked) they will not be able to obtain a new license without legal status. People may renew their licenses up to two years ahead of the expiration date listed on their current license, and should go early to avoid problems. Tell people that if there are any discrepancies between their social security card and their license (e.g., name spellings, social security number), they need to get that fixed right away. Leni Gonzalez can advise.

No license will be issued if there are discrepancies.  Even if in the past the person used a fake social security number, they just need to tell the DMV that the number is incorrect.  They do not need to have a social security number to renew their license.  Also, people should not give their ITIN (taxpayer identification) numbers - these are not valid for licensing.

 

Students do need legal status to obtain a new license.

 

For more information, check out the DMV’s website at http://www.dmv.state.va.us/webdoc/citizen/legal_pres.asp

This website is also a good one to use with your learners.  Teach students how to change their address online, practice taking the driving test, or create your own license plate.

 

Now That I’m Here, Where Do I Live?  A Community Forum on Northern Virginia Housing Issues

 

Are your students having trouble finding affordable housing?  Are they worried about discrimination in the housing market?  A panel of regional experts will discuss these issues and answer your students’ questions on June 19, 12:30-4:00pm at Jefferson Houston Elementary, 1501 Cameron St. in Alexandria, near the King St. Metro.

For more information, contact JoAnn at the Alexandria Multicultural Coalition, 703-838-0709.

 

Scholarships for Immigrant Students


The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (CHCI) has released the 2003-04 Directory of Scholarships, Internships, and Fellowships for Latino Students. This guide is for Hispanic students seeking ways to pay
for college. To view the directory, visit: http://www.chci.org/chciyouth/publications/directory.pdf

 
El Pueblo, Inc. offers scholarship resources "regardless of immigration status."  For more information, visit: http://www.elpueblo.org/

 

 

Text Box: Did you know?   Hogar Staff and Volunteer Superstars!   Salvador “Sal” D’Itri, ESL site coordinator for St. Charles in Arlington, received an honorable mention in the 2004 Arlington Community Hero Award celebration on May 8.  Sal is constantly working to improve the program – surveying teachers and students to find out what they need, spreading the word in the community about classes, and making students feel at home in Arlington.  He has brought in guest speakers on topics such as how to buy a home in Arlington and the rights of immigrants in the workplace.  Felicidades, Sal!

 

 

 

 Text Box:    The ESL team is proud to have as its fearless leader Sally O’Dwyer, who recently received the prestigious Sandra Lee Fitch Volunteer Administrator of the Year.  She received this award at the Northern Virginia Association of Volunteer Administrators annual meeting on May 20.  Since Sally started with Hogar Hispano five years ago, she has helped the program grow to include over 200 volunteers, and increased the number of students enrolled by over 500%.  Way to go, Sally!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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ESL Teacher Training and Educational Opportunities 

 

ESOL Basics

Experienced ESL teacher Carolyn Harding will present this FREE workshop, which gives a comprehensive overview of teaching ESL.  Participants will discuss issues in second-language learning; learn ways to teach speaking, listening, reading, and writing; practice lesson planning and share ideas.  Dinner provided.  Register by June 4: Call Molly at 703-228-8020 or email her at mailto:mmchar@arlington.k12.va.us.  This two-day training will be held at the Clarendon Education Center on Clarendon Blvd. in Arlington.

Friday, June 11, 6 – 9pm & Saturday, June 12, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm

 

Teaching and Assessing Oral Skills

Presenter Mary Kay Alegre will discuss how to recognize the underlying principles of five oral production techniques, identify steps in teaching oral skills, distinguish between teaching and assessment activities, and identify characteristics of good assessments. Register by June 4: Call Molly at 703-228-8020 or email her at mailto:mmchar@arlington.k12.va.us.  Training held at the Clarendon Education Center on Clarendon Blvd. in Arlington. Saturday, June 12, 9:30 am – 1:30 pm

 
NOVA-Manassas Summer ESL Teacher Training
To register, go to www.nvcc.edu/manassas/continuing or call 703-257-6630.
1.  Introduction to Teaching ESL -- Thursdays, June 3 – June 24, 7-9pm, $60

In this training offered by NOVA-Manassas, you will observe ESL classes, participate in discussion, and learn practical strategies for working with ESL students.

2.  Grammar Review for ESL Volunteers – Thursdays, July 8 – July 29, 7-9pm, $60

Topics:  Nouns, verbs, articles, gerunds, and infinitives.

 

The Virginia English Language Institute (VA - ELI, aka VAILL): Pathways to Literacies

July 28-30, 2004 at Marymount University in Arlington

Forget your summer vacation plans!  Just kidding... but really, mark your calendars for this fun, hands-on ESL teachers' conference at Marymount University in Arlington, Va.  Get some new teaching ideas from energetic presenters (including the Hogar gals), plus learn about immigration law from Hogar's own attorney Megan Mack.  To register, go to http://www.aelweb.vcu.edu/si04/english/.  Conact Mary Ray for more information: (703) 714-5588 or Mary.Ray@fcps.edu.

 

Working With Adult Literacy Learners

This online course is designed for people who are interested in learning more about what it will be like as a volunteer in an adult basic literacy program.  Volunteering is a valuable and rewarding experience! This course will help you learn more about adults who attend basic literacy programs, the services provided to help meet their educational needs, and how you can use your knowledge and experience to make an important difference in people's lives. Visit http://www.vluonline.org/course/  to learn more.

 

 


Tip O' the Month:  How to Handle Multi-Level Classes

 

This document was created for Peace Corps Volunteers who teach English, and can be downloaded for free from the Peace Corps web site.  Below is the link as well as a brief description.  http://peacecorp.gov/index.cfm?shell=pchq.ol.language

 
Teaching English as a Foreign Language in Large Multi-level Classrooms
This manual draws on suggestions from Volunteers working under difficult conditions with limited resources. It offers ideas and activities to help teachers deal with very large classes or a lack of textbooks. It also addresses such issues as student interests and needs, classroom management, theme-based lesson planning, the national curricula, and resistance to group work. It aids Volunteers in creating classrooms where students are given opportunities to think critically, work cooperatively, and enjoy the experience of learning.
Download PDF (file size: 3,707 KB)

 

Courtesy of Amy Albright, Peace Corps who contributed this information to the VAESOL-Chat List-Serv.

 

Picture Dictionaries

 

Picture dictionaries like the Oxford Basic Picture Dictionary lend themselves to multilevel groups, for there is always new vocabulary that even advanced students don't know. Vocabulary work also dovetails nicely with life skills-based lessons.

 

To use the picture dictionary in class, you can go through the vocabulary as a full group and then reinforce the new terms through activities like these:

 

Ø       Pair intermediate students with beginner students. Have the intermediate students use a folded piece of paper to cover the vocabulary terms at the bottom of the picture dictionary page. Beginner students point to a picture on the page, and the intermediate students have to say a sentence about the picture (or, for extra practice, a sentence in the past tense). Then partners switch roles, with beginner students just saying the vocabulary term that intermediate students point to.

 

Ø       For writing practice, have each beginner work with another beginner and each intermediate student work with another intermediate. Beginners dictate vocabulary terms from the picture dictionary and have their partner write them, while intermediate students compose sentences together about the vocabulary terms in the book.

 

Pair Substitution Dialogues

 

If your program has a class set of "Side by Side" or "Expressways" books, practice the dialogues together (Speak Out has some of these dialogues too). Then, have different students practice the dialogue in different ways:

 

Ø       You (or a classroom volunteer) can recite the basic dialogue in the book while a literacy student repeats each line after you.

 

Ø       Beginner students can practice reading the model dialogue in the book several times until they are comfortable with it.

 

Ø       Students with a little more proficiency can use the substitutions in the book to practice different conversations.

 

Ø       More advanced students can do a "half-blind" practice, with one partner reading Role A while looking at the book while the other partner recites Role B with the book closed. Then, students can compose and practice their own conversations, using the dialogue in the book as a model.

 

This information is courtesy of Betsy Lindeman Wong, Adult ESL Instructor for Alexandria Community Education, who contributed this information to the VAESOL-Chat List-Serv.

 

 

Fashion Tip O’ the Month: Order a Hogar Hispano T-Shirt

 

Text Box: You may have noticed the snazzy, stylish Hogar T-shirts sported by Sally and the ESL staff.  Now is your chance to have your own!  The T-Shirt will say "Hogar Hispano: Serving the Immigrant Community."   Cost: $7 (or $11 including shipping).  Send an email to gcallahan@ccda.net.  Please give us  your name, T-shirt size, and quantity needed or call 703-534-9805, x 239 to place your order.   
 

 

 

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Immigration News

 

Over the summer you may not be teaching, but you can still study up on local immigration news and policies.  Here are some sites that can help you stay involved over the summer:

 

From the Brookings Institution Living Cities Census Series: Immigrant Growth and Change in Metropolitan Washington, D.C. Check it out at: http://www.brook.edu/es/urban/gwrp/20030612_immigration.htm

 

The Tahirih Justice Center and The Virginia Justice Center for Farm and Immigrant Workers are working to improve public policy for immigrants such as our ESL students.  Currently, these two groups would like to mobilize the community against Virginia police enforcement of federal immigration law.  A Virginia law recently enacted will permit police to arrest someone based just on “reasonable suspicion” that they are involved in a crime, if that person is an immigrant who has returned to the U.S. after having been convicted of a felony and deported.   This standard is less than the “probable cause” measure used with U.S. citizens.  But, as the Tahirih Center says, how will police know how to identify these immigrants?  This law may result in unjust arrests, damaged relations between the police and the community, and a “chilling effect” on crime reporting and assistance calls by immigrants who are too afraid to contact the police.

 

Get involved!  If you would like to receive updates and communicate with other concerned immigrant advocates via a list-serv, contact VJC’s Tim Freilich at tim@justice4all.org             

 


Hot Links: Cicada Mania!

 

Teach your students about the amazing 17-year locusts that have recently arrived in our community.  Try using the word searches below to reinforce the buggie vocabulary:

 

http://www.saltthesandbox.org/cicada_hunt/EasyWordSearch.htm

http://www.saltthesandbox.org/cicada_hunt/MediumWordSearch.htm

 

Volunteer Opportunities

Adult ESL Teachers for the Summer with Hogar

1.       One evening per week (Mon. or Wed.) for two hours at the Sterling Community Center

2.       One evening per week (Tues. or Thurs.) from 7:00 - 8:30pm at Christ the Redeemer in Sterling.

3.       One day per week (Mon., Tues., or Wed.) from 12:30 – 2:30pm at Hogar’s Office in Falls Church.

 

Please fill out the online application by clicking here.  If you're already a teacher with us, just contact Ginny at gcallahan@ccda.net.

Help Others to Become U.S. Citizens
Volunteers needed to help fill out U.S. Naturalization applications at this Citizenship Workshop.  June 26, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm.  Held at Arlington Mill Community Center, 4975 Columbia Pike, Arlington.  Contact Esmael Husseini at 703-534-9805, ext. 237 or ehusseini@ccda.net.  Workshops held every 6-8 weeks, so if you can't make it to this one, mark your calendar for the July 24th workshop.

 

 

Job Openings at the Hogar

 

Catholic Charities Hogar Hispano has job openings for the following, full-time positions.  More details are available at www.ccda.net.  Send a cover letter, resume, and three references to Hogar Hispano.

 

 

Hogar Wish List – Silent Auction Baskets and Raffle Items

 

 

Contact Ginny at gcallahan@ccda.net if you have an item to donate.

 


Hogar Hispano is a non-profit organization that provides assistance to immigrants of all nationalities and religions.  As part of Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Arlington, Hogar Hispano helps newcomers achieve self-sufficiency and successfully integrate into American society by offering a wide range of services at little or no cost.  Hogar Hispano offers English as a Second Language classes, legal counseling and representation, naturalization assistance, and social services

Text Box: Hogar Hispano 6201 Leesburg Pike, Suite 307 Falls Church, Va. 22044 Ph. 703-534-9805, ext. 222 Fax 703-534-9809 www.ccda.net
 


Let us know your thoughts!

Sally O'Dwyer, ESL Coordinator
sodwyer@ccda.net        x.222



Ginny Callahan, Assoc. ESL Coordinator
gcallahan@ccda.net       x.239

 

Christine Roach, English Literacy / Civics Grant Manager

croach@ccda.net           x.238

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