Seasons Greetings!

December is upon us and with it the hustle and bustle of the holiday season. I just wanted to take time in this letter to extend my warmest wishes to you and your families for a wonderful holiday. Thank you for all you do to make this world a better place. Wishing you a joyous holiday season and a healthy and happy new year!  

Donna Becht, Program Manager

Healthy Cities Moves to the School District

Beginning in January 2010, the Healthy Cities tutoring Program is going to be under the supervision of the San Carlos School District, instead of the City of San Carlos. This change should be seamless to our tutors, children and families that we serve. The change came about due in part to the budget difficulties facing the City of San Carlos, and also a recognition that the program perhaps fits more appropriately under the umbrella of our local school agency that provides support to children as well. We look forward to working more closely with the School District staff and the opportunities it presents for shared resources and collaboration. The City was the founding agency for the Healthy Cities Tutoring Program in December 1996 and has remained a consistent supporter throughout our tenure here.  The City is providing funding support for the remainder of fiscal year 2009-10 and we hope to retain the City as a partner going forward.

Shortly we will have new email addresses and phone numbers, though we don’t have those yet. Once we do, we will send that information out to all of you. Our City contact information will be operational well into the transition to allow for people to reach us.

Thank you for your commitment and support of the Healthy Cities Tutoring Program. It is you that make this program such a special gift to the children and families in our community.

Community Support

We would like to thank the Friends of the San Carlos Library for their very generous grant to the Healthy Cities Tutoring Program. For the second consecutive year, the Friends of the San Carlos Library have donated $10,000 to support our work providing tutoring and mentoring assistance to children in San Carlos. A number of tutors and their students utilize the San Carlos Public Library for their tutoring sessions throughout the school year. In addition, it is a wonderful venue for those tutors that continue to meet with their tutees over the summer.

Thank you to the Friends of the San Carlos Library for your work supporting literacy education in our community. And thank you for helping the Healthy Cities Tutoring Program support children in need.

Helpful tips for reading tutors

Are you tutoring a child who needs support in reading? Then check out the following website http://www.literacyconnections.com/AdviceForReadingTutors.php

It gives suggestions for effective tutoring and explains a variety of terms you might hear your student’s teacher talk about, like guided reading, sight words, and instructional level.

Holiday Schedule

School holidays are coming up so be sure to mark you calendars. There is no school on the following dates:

Winter Break: December 21 to January 1. School resumes on Monday, January 4.

Martin Luther King: Monday, January 18, 2010