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na òh hsòo òh klay ah
Definition (Karen): How are you?
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Upcoming events
When:
Wednesday, February 12
6 - 9 pm
Where:
Jupiter, 2181 Shattuck Ave.
Berkeley, 94704The new year is flying by, and we are long overdue for our next volunteer happy hour! This month, we'll be at Jupiter, right by the the Downtown Berkeley BART. Come by, enjoy some pizza and appetizers (on us), and mingle! As always, friends are welcome and encouraged to attend! If you're able to attend, please RSVP by email to Sandy, or call 415-989-2151.
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Recruiting tutors for new after-school programs!
With the new year, Refugee Transitions has started up four new after-school programs in Oakland and the South Bay for refugee and immigrant students.
To power these programs, we're seeking some enthusiastic new volunteers. We're holding a special orientation session for anyone who is interested on Wednesday, February 8th from 6 - 9 pm in our Oakland office. For more details, see our calendar.
Oakland Program Hours:
Roosevelt Middle School
T/Th 3 - 5:30 pm
United For Success
W 3:30 - 5 pm, F 1:30 - 5 pm
South Bay Program Hours:
Santa Clara High School
M/W 2:30 - 4:30 pm
Wilcox High School
T/Th 2:30 - 4:30 pm
Know someone who would like to volunteer their time at one of these programs? Pass the information along!
Find our volunteer application online and feel free to contact us with questions at 415-989-2151.
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 Reminder: Submit your volunteer logs
Friendly reminder to all home- based volunteers to send in your monthly volunteer logs! These logs are an incredibly important part of the tutoring process, as our staff uses logs to gauge student improvement, and this helps us to know when to test our students. For more information on how to complete a log click here. If you have any questions, contact Sandy. |
Volunteer
resources
Working with Preliterate StudentsA helpful resource from The Spring Institute. Useful for any volunteers working with preliterate students. Includes tips and activity ideas.
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Office intern wanted!
Refugee Transitions is looking for an intern in our SF office this spring.
If you're interested, or know someone who is, contact Sandy at sandy@reftrans.org for more details.
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Share your stories about RT!
Spread the word about RT and review our organization on Yelp or GreatNonprofits! We'd love to hear from you.
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Seeking tutors for after-school programs
Refugee Transitions ramps up after-school programming
We've been keeping busy here at Refugee Transitions, especially when it comes to our after-school programs! This year we've started FOUR new after-school programs, and we're looking for dedicated volunteers to help out.
Oakland
Our after-school program at Oakland International High School (OIHS) is still going strong, with more than 50 students attending on any given day. The big news to report though, is that we've just launched two new after-school programs for students at Roosevelt Middle School and United For Success (UFS).
We are looking for eager volunteers to take the lead at Roosevelt and UFS. There is a special orientation/training session for anyone interested in volunteering in our after-school programs coming up on Wednesday, February 8th from 6-9 pm in our Oakland office. RSVP to Nicole by email at nicole@reftrans.org or call 415-989-2151!
Program hours:
Roosevelt Middle School, T/Th from 3 - 5:30 pm
United For Success, W from 3:30 - 5 pm and F from 1:30 - 5 pm.
San Francisco
 We'd like to introduce you to Edgardo Cervano-Soto, new assistant to the after-school coordinator at San Francisco International High School (SFIHS). We're very excited to welcome him to the team!
A note from Edgardo: This will be my fourth week working at SFIHS and it has been amazing. While I tutor our students, I also learn so much about their families, language, and interests. I share a similar experience to many of the students. I was raised by immigrant parents in Richmond, speak two languages at home and I am connected with my extended family living in US and Mexico. I look forward to mentoring the students, especially our 11th graders as they begin preparing for life after high school.
In other news at SFIHS, thanks to a few outstanding and talented volunteers, we've been able to introduce student activities that run after school. These include a cooking club, a blogging club, specialized SAT tutoring, a video journalism workshop, and even yoga sessions!
South Bay
Refugee Transitions expanded services to the South Bay in 2008, beginning with home-based tutoring and family support. Now, we are thrilled to announce that we're adding after-school programming to the list! Starting this month, we will work with refugee and immigrant students at Santa Clara High School and Wilcox High School.
Available to volunteer? We need YOU! Contact Elsa at (408) 838-1331 or email elsa@reftrans.org for more information about how to get involved.
Program Hours:
Santa Clara High School, M/W 2:30 - 4:30 pm
Wilcox High School, T/Th 2:30 - 4:30 pm
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Volunteer spotlight
Aften Pankiewicz
 Aften started volunteering at San Francisco International High School early last semester. Luckily for us, and for our students, she would not leave. On the days Aften comes in to tutor she is always hunched over a homework problem until 6 pm when Kyle (our after-school coordinator) is begging everyone to go home.
Aften does a great job connecting with all of our students. She is open and approachable and the type of tutor that can be paired with anyone.
Beyond tutoring, Aften started an SAT prep class in response to student anxiety about the exam. Aften's commitment to the students at SFIHS has been noticed by multiple faculty members who often rave about her. Overall, Aften is a great asset to the SFIHS community and Refugee Transitions is lucky to have her.
Check out our blog for an interview with Aften! |
Introducing new citizenship exam prep class
Refugee Transitions is partnering with the International Institute to offer a free weekly citizenship preparation class open to all our clients. The class starts on Tuesday, February 7th. For many clients, gaining U.S. citizenship is a life-changing process on an individual level as well as for entire families, so please encourage your students to attend this class!
Time: Tuesdays from 12:45 - 2:45 pm Location: Harbor House Ministries, 1811 11th Ave., Oakland The class will help students: - Determine when to apply for citizenship - Answer any questions they have about the citizenship process - Review the benefits of becoming a U.S. citizen - Learn the 100 citizenship questions - Prepare to take the citizenship exam - Help complete the application (N-400 and N-600 forms) Students will need to bring their green card to the first class. They must have a green card in order to enroll! Questions? Please call (415) 989-2151 or (510) 834-6000 and ask to speak with Nicole, or email nicole@reftrans.org. |
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Volunteer log milestones
Each month, we salute the RT volunteers who have submitted their logs and exceeded 50, 100, 200 and over 500 volunteer hours! 50+ hours: Owen Miller, Mark Green, Alexander Woie, Ana San Juan, Carole-Anne Elliot, Kevin Maloney, Linsay Sobers, Hayley Rucker, Brady Page, Josiah Bragdon, Nichole Mahnert, Tami Weiss, Yi-Ru Kuah, Sikandra Christian, Karen Taylor, Samantha Ngaw, Dana Goodgame, Julie McAfee, Patricia Leal, Vijayta Maharaj, Laura Thompson, Ibukun Olude, Jane Chen, Marie Medvednik, Katherine Hills, Betty Sauer, Garrett Kravitz, Christine Orillosa-Thurber, Brian Muldoon, Emily White, Helena Perazich, Owen Lin, Roshni Patel, Sally Howlett, John Brewer, Lakshmikanthan Anandavalli, Kara Shure, Kelly Gorton, Sheryl Lee, Brooke Roundy, Benjamin Delk, Noreen Zobel, Meghan Makielski, Nancy Tivol, Jennifer Liu, Andrea Aerts, Ilse Pollet, Karen Ish, Andrew Yeh, Olivia Byler, Supatra Basham, Annie Perng, Dan Tussey, Anna Boyarsky, Mark Hawkins, Emerita Postlewait 100+ hours: David Chang, Sean Coffey, Melanie Finke, Shiying Lee, Lisa Weyland, Jean Ranck, Philip Laird, Anca Giurgiulescu, Jessi Bushey, Julie McAvoy, Alexandra Ames, Christina Emberley, Aurora Arroyo, Jean Oakley, Rashid Hameed, Malia Anderson, Susan Kippels, Willa Friedman, Tomio Geron, Jessica Chen, John Voelker, Kim Huynh, Brett Rankin,
200+ hours: Sarah Shvarts, Jayma Brown, Rishi Sinha, Katherine Meyer, Marissa Lackey, Alison Staab, Deborah Han, Mike Devito, Joyce Hahn, Katya Hawks, Liv Ames, Debbie Brown, Sirianand Jacobs
500+ hours: Gerard Regan, Nadia Shihab, Linda Foust
Also a special shout-out goes to our after-school tutors who have volunteered at least two semesters at one of our programs!
Thank you volunteers for your impressive and valuable time and commitment to your students! Also, friendly reminder to all home-based volunteers to send in your monthly volunteer logs!
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History of Bhutan and Bhutanese refugees
Refugee Transitions serves refugees who come from all around the world. This month, we'd like to share a great video that highlights the history of Bhutan and background on Bhutanese refugees. For more information about the refugee communities we serve, take a look at this resource. |
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