Friday Check-In May 15, 2020

Thank you for making a difference

A Tribute to Shirley Jones

And on behalf of Indianapolis Oasis we are proud to spotlight Shirley Jones, our loyal and passionate tutor from Lawrence Township, who decided thirty years ago that she wanted to help children. During the three decades of service Shirley has been a role model and mentor not only for her students, but for countless tutors. Her wisdom and wit have provided insight on the needs of the students and how to reach them with understanding and compassion. Shirley is a true lifelong learner because she signs up for as many workshops and Oasis classes as she can so she can learn new ideas and strategies to help her pupils.

It is with our deepest gratitude that we say thank you to Shirley Jones!

Spotlight on Co-coordinators from Greenwood

From left to right: Kathy Rice and Julie Scudder

“What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” – Jane Goodall

Three years ago Kathy Rice and Julie Scudder retired from teaching and took a detour in their retirement plans. They decided to co-coordinate the Oasis Intergenerational Tutoring program in Greenwood. And we are thrilled that they did! Their years of friendship and teaching next door to one another has brought great insight and knowledge of instructing young children to read into our monthly Oasis support meetings. We always look forward to hearing what their tips and strategies are in order to improve our tutoring sessions. But what we look forward to the most is seeing the large collection of their own books that they generously share with us each month on seasonal topics and holidays. More than thirty years of ordering books from Scholastic Books for their listening centers have become a bounty and treasure for us!! Please read their personal stories below.

Kathy Rice, Greenwood Co-Coordinator

After teaching in the same school for 39 years I retired 3 years ago from Greenwood Community Schools.  I began my career in the library, and after 3 years, switched to teaching kindergarten where I stayed. I loved being with 5-6 year olds every day and reading aloud to them. Story time was one of my favorite times of the day. I hope I instilled the love of reading and books to my students.  I had always enjoyed having Oasis tutors come to my classroom and saw the positive impact they had on my students. I was so excited when my good friend, Julie (and next-door neighbor at school), asked me to partner with her to be an Oasis coordinator. Through Oasis, I can share my experiences from the classroom and hopefully guide the tutors to using books in many different ways.  I have been so impressed with our tutors and their dedication to their students.

Books have always been a favorite ‘escape’ throughout my life.  Now that I’m retired, I frequently get lost in a good book.  Some of my favorite authors are Emily Giffin, JoJo Moyes, Beatriz Williams, Liza Scottoline, and Elin Hilderbrand.  I particularly enjoyed Little Fires Everywhere, The Light We Lost, The Gown, and The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell. Books my kindergartners loved are The Kissing Hand; Yes Day!; Yo! Yes?; Tops and Bottoms; Duck on a Bike; Go Away, Big Green Monster! and The Napping House.

I have been married to my husband Dan for 38 years. Before retiring, he was a band director with the Greenwood Marching Woodmen.  Together we have 2 sons – one is a physical therapist at Vanderbilt Rehab Ctr. in Nashville, TN and the other son is married, lives in Zionsville, has a 2- year old son and has a son on the way!  Being a Grandma is the greatest!

During this ‘stay at home time’ I have cleaned out closets and drawers, done lots of walking in the neighborhood, watched way too much TV, read several books, cooked more than I have in years and yearned to see family and friends.  When it is safe, I hope to continue to travel and explore this beautiful world. Oasis Tutoring is richer because of the experience and dedication of these two jewels!

Julie Scudder, Greenwood Coordinator

I spent 33 years teaching primary grades. All but four of those years, were spent in 1st grade.  I absolutely loved seeing their growth from beginning of school to year end.  My goals for them stayed true.  I wanted them to enjoy coming to school, and have a love of books and reading. I felt strongly that if you don’t enjoy coming to school when you are 6… it is going to be a long haul until your senior year! I tried to make it as fun as possible. Having Oasis tutors come to meet with some of my students was an added bonus, so when I retired and was asked to oversee the Oasis Program in Greenwood, it was a delight. The best part is ~ I get to share the job with Kathy.  She and I taught next door to each other for over 30 years and have common goals. We know, from a personal connection, what a positive impact an Oasis tutor can have on a student.

In addition to being a co-Oasis tutor for Greenwood, I have a couple other part time endeavors.  I am a personal grocery shopper for a company called Shipt. I shop and deliver groceries to customers a few days a week. Oasis tutors often say they get more out of tutoring than their students do that is how I feel about Shiptshopping.  I love being able to help people who need this service.  I also have my own handwriting business. It is nothing big and elaborate, but it is a fun hobby of mine to hand address wedding invitations, make banners and signs.

Spending time with my family is so important.  I have two grown children. Maura lives in Plymouth, Indiana with her husband and foster son, Oliver.  In addition to being a social worker for a group of doctors, Maura and her husband, Ryan own several gyms.  It has been a light in my life to be called “Nina” and spend time with their soon to be 3-year old. My son, Kevin, lives in Florida.  I am lucky enough to get to spend part of my winters there.  Sunshine, warm temperatures, and being outside are favorites of mine!

In my free time, I enjoy walking with Kathy.  We try to walk around 15 miles a week.  I also have a great group of friends in my neighborhood.  We spend a lot of weekend time together playing cards, cooking out, swimming etc. I also belong to a book club and certainly enjoy reading.  Here are a few of my favorite books:

Children’s Books ~ Charlotte’s Web, Strega Nona, and Miss Tizzy

Adult Books ~ Have a Little Faith by Mitch Album, Sarah’s Key by Tatiana De Rosnay, and most anything by Elin Hildebrand because I love books that take place close to the ocean!

Funny fact: I still read aloud to my two sisters (ages 55 and 52) every summer when we take a beach trip together,

National Oasis Tutoring Survey

Oasis Tutoring asks all Tutors, Teachers, Principals/Building Liaisons and District Facilitators to participate in the annual Oasis tutoring survey. It is important as it provides Oasis feedback for improvement of the program and measurable data to report to funders. Thank you in advance for taking a moment to share this year’s tutoring experiences prior to the Covid-19 break.

Helpful tips for taking the survey:

1. Taking the survey on a laptop or desktop computer is recommended instead of a mobile device or tablet.
2. After clicking on the link provided, click on the role you serve in the program (“Tutor”).
3. You may receive other requests or reminders to take the survey, please only take it once.

Tutor Tuesday

This week’s literacy lesson is provided by an Oasis tutor! Ellen Boone, shares a rhyming lesson she created for her student after reading a previous lesson in a Tutor Tuesday blog on phonemic awareness.

Oasis has a long tradition of sharing an inspiring story at this time of the year. We celebrate a tutor that has reached a significant milestone of volunteer service and share her thoughts. The Oasis Coordinator from her city is also featured in the Facilitator Shout Out section.