Diablo Valley Literacy Council Newsletter
Volunteers teaching English as a second language (ESL) to non English speaking adults
Winter 2021 | Vol. 35 No. 2
DVLC LIBRARY RE-OPENS
The DVLC library at Good Shepherd Church in Concord has reopened!! YAY! Tutors now have access to the various print resources we have available: Side by Side, Laubach, Azar’s grammar, Picture dictionaries, citizenship resources, etc.
 
As before, to access the library you must check out the keys for Room 3 from the office (and check them back in when you’re done!). For the time being, hours will be 2:30-5:30 weekdays only. Call ahead to 682-8410 to be sure Laura Mott, the Office Manager, is there. The library is self-serve. Your library card is located in the hanging file inside the first cupboard door, filed alphabetically by last name. Our librarian, Mary Nash, has included cards for our most recently trained tutors.
 
Page 2.3 of our tutor binder describes library procedures for borrowing books, returning books, purchasing books, and notifying the Student/Tutor Coordinator if you stop tutoring.
 
There is no due date on borrowed items, but of course we want the books to be returned whenever you are through using them. Please contact Mary Nash by phone or email with library related questions. (See page 1.2 of the tutor binder.)
TUTOR TRAINING

We had 22 attendees at our Zoom tutor training on February 27 and March 6. Kris Torske led the training and it went quite well even though we couldn’t meet in person. We thank Jessica Cope for presenting the unit on First Meeting with Student and Renaye Johnson for her Cultural Awareness presentation. 
 
At the follow-up meeting with new tutors on March 27, we were glad to hear that many tutors had already met with their student and were happy about the match. There were questions raised and valuable ideas shared. Keep the momentum.
ARE YOU A SOCIAL MEDIA AFICIONADO?
We are looking for somebody to take on the social media aspect of our publicity outreach. We currently have a web-site presence and can post notices on NextDoor for upcoming training, but it would be nice to reach even more candidates for tutors and students on an on-going basis. If you enjoy using various social media platforms for spreading the word, you might be just the person we are looking for. Let us know!
 
NEW TELEPHONE SYSTEM
In January our new telephone system was deployed, lowering our monthly expenses. Telephone messages are now forwarded as audio files to our email Inbox. Thus we no longer need a Telephone Committee to route the messages. Rhonda Cavin, Roberta Spalding, and Joanne Hill all served the organization for many years, taking the phone messages on a rotating schedule. We shower them with appreciation for their conscientious fulfillment of that job.
Great job!
SHINING STARS!
Jennifer Machado, Theresa Nidetz, Jeanne Chiodo, and Trudy Foote all recorded more than 20 hours of tutoring during the last quarter of 2020. Jeanne had 30 hours! This is outstanding on the part of all them.
 
TUTOR GRATEFUL FOR MEMORABLE EXPERIENCE
We received a lovely message from Ann Flynn, who is retiring after tutoring with DVLC for more than five years. She says she and her student remain friends and meet up infrequently for a walk. Her student has gained her U.S. citizenship. Ann is thankful for the “opportunity to make a difference in someone's life. It was a memorable experience.”

We thank you for your years of service, Ann!
Diablo Valley Literacy Council would like to send two of our volunteers to San Antonio next September for the ProLiteracy Conference. We will cover $1000 of your expenses if you choose to be one of our two attendees. Registration has typically been $375, so we could reimburse at least $625 of each individual’s travel expenses. he conference is a very energizing experience for any ESL tutor. Do you want to go?