Wednesday, December 12th, 2009,

We had a great class! We completed a lengthy lesson about finances. We made personal budgets and looked at ways we could invest our extra money, other than a savings account. We made up a hypothetical set of interest rates for each year from now until five years from now. We also went back and located interest rate from the late 1990's and calculated our possible earnings at the higher interest rates of the years before our economy took some real hits this year.

We also watched the first half of the documentary, Jesus Camp.

http://www.jesuscampthemovie.com/

Stay tuned for student opinion paragraphs about the film!

GED Practice Testing

Well today i took a practice test for the GED social studies and it was not a good time haha I was stuck and then coulndt think and thought i was getting everything wrong and then when i was almost finished on my last question i just guessed but after that sue checked everything and said that i had almost every question right i missed the last one that i had guessed so lets hope i can get that good a score on the real thing oh yeah my score was a 650 ( you have to get a 450 to pass) :)

Family Fun Night

Every month the tribe has a Family Fun Night for anyone who wants to join. They have family activites to do, serve something to eat, quailty time and drawings. On 11-17-09 I went to Family Fun Night with my mom Nancy.

My mother and I don't really get to spend time together so I asked her if she wanted to attend this Family Fun Night. Of course she agreed so we went.

We get there, sign in, get a raffle ticket and was told the agenda for the night. They said we can play board games for a bit, spend time with each other and have fun till the food is ready. We were joined by my sister Jenny, her boyfriend, their kids and our mother in law.

We let the kids put a puzzle together and we played Yahtzee. For dinner they served Enchiladas with rice and water. With an ice cream for dessert. We filled out a survey and got another raffle ticket for filling out the survey. There was a lot of people that showed up.

They did the drawing for the raffle they raffled off some emergency kits that included a blanket, flashlights, candles and snacks and other stuff for an emergency. Well they had I think 3 of the emergency kits, and I don't remember exactly who all won them. Then they had a bin full of games for the families that showed up. For small families they had a bin of games for them to pick one game.

My mom and I had so much fun. I haven't spent time with her like that in a long time. So I told her about the Mother Lunches they put on every month too and she agreed she would go to those too. I am so glad they started doing these family things now because it brings me and my mom closer together. We also attend the drumming and singing on Wednesday nights.


Roseann Hoskins

Reading is Fun!

5 Reasons Why You Should Read Stories to Your Child

taken from: http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1531223/5_reasons_why_you_should_read_stories.html

1: Reading Builds Vocabulary and Promotes Communication Skills
#2: Reading Is An Excellent Bonding Activity
#3: Reading With Your Child Helps Them Develop a Love for Reading
#4: Reading Helps Build Your Child's Imagination and Creativity
#5:Reading Equips Your Child With Basic Knowledge

Family Literacy Update

Here are some GREAT activities you can do at home with your child.

www.michigan.gov/documents/Pre_Kindergarten_Literacy_Activities_66520_7.pdf

Well, it looks like Quileute Family Literacy lives on! I am so excited to share another year with the amazing students in LaPush. We will begin with a focus on goals. I have two goals for myself: 1) Connect with more students and potential students and 2) To build a network of support and guidance for students, teachers and community members.

It is going to be a great year!

Thanks to everyone who is making this a possibility a reality.

Wa ta lich ti aso asta, Sue

moving along...

Well I have had a rough time trying to get all this court stuff figured out.. I know that if family lit. was runnning I would have had alot of help with my vocabulary and just moral support. I am really going to miss going to family lit. I will try to remember to post on here to tell you how I am doing. I am going to court in the 28 th of august... so I can't wait!! I have just recently heard that there have been five out of five cases in the court where the custodial parent wanted to move and was granted the children... I just can't wait... I am kind of nervous to hear what they other party has to say.... But I know I can handle it.... I just miss venting or conteplating in family lit.... don't know if that is spelled^^ right lol -------Rena J. Roldan!!!!

awesome times

I had soo much fun at family lit in la! It was sweet! I am gonna miss skipping work to go there!! Even getting in an arugement about taking my sis with me lol !! I love my husband but sometimes he is a butt:) I dont want her in your van Awww too baaad !!! lol I will miss class lots makes me sad reminiscing about it already !!!!!----Rena Roldan

my sweet JR.

The End...For me

Well today is the last day for Sue's class. I am kinda bummed but only because Sue has made class so fun. Tomorrow is the last class for Dee I am hoping that she will take the offer for next year she has made parenting class fun as well. I have enjoyed learning how to overcome my parenting struggles. I have a four year old and a one year old. I have also learneed how to communicate better with my spouse. I know that if I havent came to family lit as much as I have in the passed year and a half then I wouldn't be able to express my feelings as well as I do now. thanks alot guys----Rena Roldan

The end is near.

Well it's the summer break and the end of class for me. I am hoping to move to Skagit County, but i have to go through a bunch of court. I really want to move I almost cant wait until the judge says that I can move. I love coming to family lit. I am especially going to miss coming to La Push mainly for family lit. I work in La Push also. I enjoy family lit because Sue and Dee both make it fun to learn. I like Dee because she expects to do things that we don't like doing. Sue is fun too. She allows us the chance to voice our opinion while she keeps an open mind.---Rena

James Island, sunset

There are a few distractions when your classroom overlooks the Pacific Ocean!

CASAS testing

At about 45 hours of instruciton time, each student must take the CASAS test. It never ceases to amaze me how my students can balance motherhood with student responsibilities.

Take a deep breath

My (Sue's) mom came to visit me on the Hoh and she was able to come to class on the day we had a guest teacher. Cathy Ellison, a liscensed massage therapist from Forks, came to our classroom to teach a class in infant and toddler massage. It was great! Dee, our parenting instructor, was able to come as well. To start the lesson, Cathy gave each of us a 7 minute massage! It was a great idea from the class. Any other suggestions or comments?

Moving Forward

Since I have started coming to family lit in La Push I have gained so many new skills!! I have been able to help myself in ways I didn't even think about. I have learned how to save documents on a flash drive and even how to take them off!! I know that seems easy to some people but I am not very computer literate!! I have also got to watch the other students gain the skills to better their education. My little sister who is also going to the same class has passed two of her G.E.D. tests!! that is huge!! This class has helped me with my communication skills as well. I know how to present my self when the time comes for it. I can go in front of a judge without being nervous. I am fighting to move my family to a different county. I have gained skills that have given me my self esteem back i just feel so great about my self!! and I am proud of my sister as well!!--Rena

Learning is fun for everyone at family lit.

This is a great place to have fun and learn. For mom's and childern and the baby's too.

Visit from Wally

Grampa Wally come's to visit and show his support to the family lit classroom.

Waiting

Well tomorrow we all get massages. I am excited about I have never gotten a professional massage before and my shoulders are killing me!! I don't really know if I will like it. I don't really like people touching me so I am excited and kinda nervous. In the pic is me, my cousin and another students child in family lit in La Push( i am the oldest one in the pic lol)--Rena

When i first stared coming to class i was super nervous!! Sue was really consistant about trying to get me into the class like leaving little notes in my books that i have left here from my parenting classes and stopping in the middle of town to let me know how much she would love it if i showed up!! But anyways really the only reason i showed up is for TANF because i got pregnant! But my whole point is that when i started to come it was freaking AWSOME! Sue and all of the students were awsome!! Like in the picture Rena is a super dork i freakin love it! It makes me feel so much better like i am more comfortable with them because i am the same way!! Well....maybe not as dorky as Rena!!

Michelle

MY MICHAELS BIRTHDAY HE WAS TWO IM SO HAPPY HE IS SO BIG.THE LEFT PIC IS MY SON AND HIS GRAMMY :) THE RIGHT IS ME AND MY SON MIKE THANKS

RUBY HOLT

Past Times

I have been coming to Quileute Family Literacy for about a year and a half or four quarters. When I first came in I was a little nervous. I didnt know if i was goignt o like it or not. I started to come because I needed hours for TANF. I continued to come and I enjoyed it. I clicked with the teacher and the other students as well. I enjoy the expierence that I got from the class.

Rena Roldan

another chapter of twilight...... :(

today we read chapter #4 in the book twilight.....i am a little intrested in reading the book only because i want to see the difference between the book and the movie....i have heard that the book is way better then the movie...i tried to read the book before i watched the movie but i am not a very big reader and i totally thought that twilight was or is super overrated i really cant stand it really.....but since i dont have to read the book and it is just read to me its way better i kinda like it i see a little bit of a differnce already just reading the 4 chapters.......michelle

What Its All About....

I love to come to work each and every day. One of my favorite aspects of our classroom at Quileute is that there is such a rich set of life experiences from which we draw our perspectives and our beliefs. To build the community of a classroom that blends family and the value of learning is a treat. Our numbers may be small, but we have established a dedicated core of students who are committed to our classroom and the goals they set for themselves. I am thankful for each of them.

Our day at the beach

Today we went to the beach it was sweet!!!! We got to see eagles, we got to play in the sand and run from the waves. My sister had her son and I got to watch his imagination run wild. I also played with Rosie. We got explore with crab shells. There were mommy shells and daddy shells and sister shells. The ocean kept taking our shells away!

This is where it all begins

We got a grant from the State to fund a Spring Quarter class in 2008. We weren't sure what would come of things...Here is a pic of Katie and Marshall.