Hoosier Hills Literacy League

Dolly Parton Makes several TV appearances!

Admin — Thu, 17 Jun 2010 13:45:13 +0000

Dolly Parton has several upcoming TV appearances in honor of the 25th anniversary of Dollywood. In many of these appearances, she will mention her book program, the Imagination Library. For example, she gave away her 25,000,000th book last week! The recipient was a sweet little four-year-old boy from Birmingham, Alabama, Kumar Stewart. He was absolutely adorable and should appear on the Today Show segment. Here are some of the dates:
6/29/10 – Access Hollywood – airs syndicated that night
6/29/10 – Late Night with David Letterman
6/30/10 – Regis and Kelly
7/3/10 – Dolly Parton Celebrates 25 Years of Dollywood on Hallmark
7/9/10 – Bert the Conqueror on the Travel Channel
7/14/10 – Today Show segments live from Dollywood

Thanks to the Dearborn Community Foundation, the Aurora Public Library District Foundation, and the Lawrenceburg Public Library Foundation, we have been able to participate in this program since Febrary of 2008, and given books to 1,133 children!

Write on – Book Your Summer 2010

Admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 18:38:39 +0000

Children who do not engage in educational experiences over the summer can lose up to three months of learning in math and reading. Write on – Book Your Summer 2010 is a fun way for kids age 6-12 to use their skills so they don’t lose them over the summer. The Lawrenceburg Public Library, in partnership with the Hoosier Hills Literacy League and Waterfall Ministries will be offering a summer program designed to help students use their writing and art skills to record their summer memories. At the end of the program, student will have a hardbound 6” x9” book that they have made themselves, using their own narration, photographs, and artwork. Dearborn Highland Arts Council is donating the use of their art supplies, the Youth Services Department at the Lawrenceburg Public Library is providing supplies and space, and Hoosier Hills Literacy League and Tommy’s Summer in the Sun will provide staffing. Because of the support of the Library, the Hoosier Hills Literacy League and Waterfall Ministries, there is no cost to participate.
Write on –Book Your Summer 2010 will take place on Friday afternoons from 2:30 – 4:00 at the Lawrenceburg Public Library. The program will run from June 11 to August 13. Participation is limited to 60 children each week. Parents or caregivers should call Laura Priebe at 812-584-8516 to register. Children do not need to attend every session to participate. All children in the community from ages 6-12 are eligible to participate.

Find us on Facebook!

Admin — Tue, 01 Jun 2010 18:35:03 +0000

Check out the Hoosier Hills Literacy League facebook page and become a fan! Search “HoosierHillsLiteracyLeague” and keep checking back for updates!

Practice GED Test

Admin — Mon, 19 Apr 2010 23:12:19 +0000

Think you’re ready to take the GED? The last chance before the school year ends to take the official GED practice test is on Thursday, April 29, 5-7, Saturday, May 1, 10-12, and Thursday, May 4, 5-7. You must choose 2 testing times to attend, since the test takes 4 hours total. Call us to reserve your spot today! 812-584-8516 It’s free!

Volunteer Spotlight

Admin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 23:10:41 +0000

Jennifer Hale had been signed on as a tutor with us for many months, but received her first student in August, 2009. Her student, Bill* (not his real name), had graduated high school, but could only guess at most words. In just one 90 minute session, Bill had learned to read, and was reading the paper! After approximately 5 sessions with Bill, he was reading novels from the Young Adult section of the library, and at the end, he was correcting the spelling in his girlfriend’s master’s thesis!

Charlie* ( a pseudonym) had been calling our program for weeks looking for a tutor for his wife, who speaks Chinese. When I finally matched her up with Jennifer, she reported that she had learned to read English after the first session!

Jennifer credits her success to her experience as a homeschool mom, as well as to her very effective phonics teaching materials. Above all, Jennifer credits her success to her faith in God.

Kudos to Jennifer!

Congratulations GED Grads!

Admin — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 22:28:24 +0000

Congratulations to our two newest GED graduates – Sharon Briones and Jennifer Jarrett! Both took the test in November, and both received word that they passed before the end of 2009! We are proud of you!

Tutor Training Workshop

Admin — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 02:00:35 +0000

Ever wonder if you have what it takes to help someone imporve their basic skills? If you have 60-90 minutes a week, love people, and love to learn, chances are you do have what it takes! What you don’t have, we will supply in our next tutor training workshop. This will be a very practical session – Thursday, March 11, 2010, at the Lawrenceburg Public Library, from 6:00-7:30. Those who attend will learn what resources are available for adult learners, through the Literacy League, the Lawrenceburg Public Library, and on the Internet, and how to use them to help learners meet their goals. New and experienced tutors are welcome — there will be time to share ideas, encourage and get to know one another over light refreshments!

We are continually getting requests from people in the community — help us reach those who are ready to learn!

Thursday, March 11, 2010, 6:00 – 7:30, Lawrenceburg Public Library

Call Laura Priebe at 812-584-8516 for more information or to register!

Imagination Library Enrolls 800th Child!

Admin — Thu, 03 Dec 2009 22:29:59 +0000

When parents hear about their children getting a free book every month, and when kids hear about getting mail of their very own, eveyone want to know “how do I sign up?” Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library makes it happen. The program is administered by the HHLL, and we currently have funding for 800 children to be enrolled at any one time. We reached that maximum in October, and again in November. Children are eligible for the program until they reach their fifth birthday, which enables more children to become enrolled. So far, children have only been on the waiting list for a few weeks until the next group graduates.

The next exciting news is that we’ve just received word that the program is almost completly funded for 2010. The Lawrenceburg Public Library District Foundation has awarded us a grant of $12,184, and the Dearborn Community Foundation has awarded us a $10,000 grant through the City of Lawrenceburg Youth Grant. This will help enable us to continue offering this wonderful program to the children of Dearborn County throughout 2010.

To enroll your child, you must reside in Dearborn County (Ohio County has their own administrator through the public library), and your child must be under 5 years old. Pick up a registration form at any library in Dearborn County, or sign up on-line at www.imaginationlibrary.com.

Make a Move for Literacy 2009

Admin — Sat, 28 Nov 2009 22:41:27 +0000

To celebrate Literacy Awareness Month, the children of St. John’s in Aurora had an afternoon of fun called “Make a Move for LIteracy” on September 30.

Using current brain research and her passion for improving reading skills, Laura Priebe developed a live version of the popular scrabble-type game “Bananagrams.” The game incorporates large motor activities, communication and teamwork, and made for an afternoon of fun in the school gymnasium. In the live adaption, students used large letter cards instead of small tiles to build words in an interlocking puzzle. The whole school, including Pre-K – 8^th grade, played in multi-age teams to see who could use the most letters to form properly spelled words. All the students enjoyed a candy treat of “smarties” or “runts” after each round. Jacob Neuendorf, a sixth grader at St. John’s commented, “I liked scrambling around and making words.”

GED PRACTICE TEST

Admin — Tue, 23 Jun 2009 19:05:57 +0000

The Hoosier Hills Literacy League will administer the GED PRACTICE TEST for anyone interested in taking the GED test. The official GED Practice Tests can help you determine if you are ready to take the GED test. The Practice Tests include the same types of questions that are found on the GED tests. The Practice tests are approximately half the length of the GED test. By taking the Practice test, you can find out what areas you need to study before taking the full-length GED Tests.

The test will be given on Wednesday, July 1st from 10:00-12:00 and on Wednesday, July 8th from 10:00-12:00 at the Lawrenceburg Public Library. There is no charge for the test. Class size is limited and registration is required. For information or to register, call Cindy DiBiase, Literacy Administrator, at 812-584-8516.