Are you fluent in English? Come on out and facilitate Talk Time to our Families

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Hawthorne Elementary School (K-5), located in this zip code 98118, represents this rich tapestry of over 15 different language spoken. Per USDA guidelines, 64% of our students qualify for free or reduced lunch, an indicator of low or no income families and 1/3 of our students are ELL with limited or no English spoken at home. In an effort to remove barriers and build bridges to support student success, Hawthorne’s School-Family-Community stakeholders wanted to build on past work to increase parent participation in their child’s academic success. At Hawthorne, we launched a series of cultural nights and language-based coffee chats (family focused meetings) to increase family involvement beyond the walls of the school and to understand the specific needs of our diverse students and families. These meetings enable us, as a staff, to hear what parents need/want from us at Hawthorne and how we can build positive relationships.

Based on responses to parental surveys, Hawthorne families is requesting for "Talk Time", a program to increase everyday English language that is practice and applicable. Goodwill provides a free training to facilitate this "Talk Time" program. We are seeking an individual and/or a group of volunteers to facilitate this program once a week for 1.5 hours at Hawthorne Elementary School to our families and community members. Families are looking for a positive safe environment for them to practice speaking the English language in an informal setting where they can apply this skill in everyday life.

This program offers free "Talk Time", this enables the school to make a connection to families, parents, and community, thereby increasing the likelihood that a climate for learning is created.

Most students at Hawthorne Elementary come from disadvantaged backgrounds. In the 2017 program year, Hawthorne will continue to serve students living in poverty (64.3% of Hawthorne families qualifying for free or reduced lunch). This opportunity for assistance represents our commitment to opportunities for our students to achieve at the elementary school level through graduation.