Motheread Institute 1-4

Community Partnerships 5-6

Taotao Tano-ta:

Lilia King &

Celina Foreman

7

Schedules 8

CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Family Literacy Program is administered by the Northern Marianas Humanities Council, in partnership with the

CNMI Public School System and the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library

April 2016

Volume 9 Issue 8

Inside this issue:

Congratulations to the 2016 Nationally Certified CNMI Motheread/Fatheread parent trainers! This amazing cadre of volun-

teers successfully completed the 3-day Motheread Institute held at the Pacific Islands Club in March. Participants includ-

ed: (SAIPAN) Maria Athens Amaro, Gloria S. Kaipat, Isabel Davis, Rita Demapan, Vernon Lee Inos Manglona, Jennifer

McQuay, Velma Mafnas, Augustina Jaimatoon, Lianna P. Quitugua, Francisca Kaipat, Sr. Stella Mangona, Marja Lee

Taitano, Leoralynn Terlaje, Arlene Sandra Satur, Angela Wheat; (ROTA) Bergitt Maratita, Maria Ana Apatang, Ana Maria

Mendiola; (TINIAN) Marvieluz Syed, and Rose Lazaro.

Motheread national trainers Gwen Hinton and Gloria Gonzales trained these twenty volunteers on the Motheread philoso-

phy and teaching approaches, lesson planning and lesson presentation.

According to National Trainer Gloria Gonzales: “Motheread/Fatheread is a literacy program which utilizes multi-cultural/

lingual quality children's books as tools to begin endless discussions on our personal lives, our hopes, dreams and de-

sires for our own children, our role in our families and communities. Each session provides a safe space in which we can

openly share without judgment; we are all teachers and students for one another. A great deal of personal healing takes

place when we come together and simply talk, laugh, share oral stories, dance, make arts & crafts, sing etc., through

reading, writing, listening and speaking!

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Day 3: The 20 participants learned

marketing strategies and ap-

proaches for the program. They

learned about the registration pro-

cess, attendance and data sheets,

and were given their evaluations.

Training Topics covered the

following:

1. Teaching approaches and

learning styles: individual as-

signments, small group work,

lecture, and discussion

2. Parents’ Role in Children’s

Literacy Development: emergent

literacy activities, reading aloud,

building vocabularies and con-

cepts

3. Use of story: thematic analy-

sis

4. Adult classes: use of parent

education and literacy develop-

ment curriculum, instructional

techniques, lesson planning,

preparation, and presentations

5. Evaluation: authentic assess-

ment, student goals, measuring

student outcomes, using stand-

ardized measures

6. Program implementation:

start-up, recruitment and reten-

tion, program development, and

integration of curriculum into

existing program structures and

requirements

Participants were evaluated and

asked to describe the most help-

ful part (s) of this training?

Motheread Institute participants

responded:

“It is the hands on experience we

received. The trainers empower

the participants 100% participation

through nonjudgmental acknowl-

edgments and acceptance. We are

free to add to the curriculum guide

pertaining to what participants see

through fulfilling the holistic literacy

approach-- a proven research

based program. The value of this

program is unquestionable.”

“The trainers demonstrated the different strategies of reading and how to keep parents-- along with their children-- engaged. The train-ers demonstrated that it should

always be fun! Great job! I wish I

would have known or have been

introduced to this program sooner.

I love the different techniques and

strategies.”

“This program teaches me how to

become more open and does not

single anybody out.”

Participants further shared:

“I enjoyed going into groups and

sharing knowledge. I enjoyed read-

ing books together and the art of

story-telling.”

“I love the story extenders because

it gives parents ideas to bring

home to work with their children.”

“They provided real examples and

practice with constructive comment

on how to improve.”

“The activities because there are so many different strategies to

read a book to parents and chil-

dren.”

What makes this curriculum

different from other adult curric-

ulum products?

“Leveled materials given were

broken out, but made so that they

could be integrated if you wished.”

“(The curriculum) is interactive and

reflects back to life lessons.”

“What I really appreciated about

this training is the opportunity to

get hands on experience and as-

sistance from the two trainers

Gwen Hinton and Gloria Gonzales.

They were able to fill in gaps with

what I am doing. I love the curricu-

lum. I love how it is easy to ma-

neuver. I love how we don’t have

to invent the wheel, but instead

rely on evidence based curriculum.

Awesome teacher’s guide!”

To be a Parent Trainer providing

Mother/Fatheread facilitation re-

quires dedication, motivation, great

listening skills, ability to laugh,

dance, sing, inspire, grow and

learn together with families one is

serving. The transformation takes

place when we enjoy being of

service to others, when we sin-

cerely believe that each parent

wishes the best for their children,

when we are willing to accept indi-

viduals where they are at and not

where we wish them to be. One

needs to honor, respect and value

each participant for the gift/s they

have and help them develop and

strengthen new ones. As a Parent

Trainer one needs to be able to be

transparent and also willing to

share one's humanness... we are

not the experts, our life is not per-

fect, we make mistakes, we hurt,

we have hopes & wishes just like

our participants.”

Koblerville Youth Learning Center

Coordinator and Youth Affairs

Office Representative Vernon Lee

Inos-Manglona had this to share:

“Motheread/Fatheread is an awe-

some program that promotes liter-

acy skills to not just the parents but

to everyone who participates in it.

It also teaches parents the im-

portance of reading to their chil-

dren, and how reading certain

books can teach you life skills, and

help you cope with family and

social issues.”

The 3 day training was filled with lots of hands on activities, story-telling, and team bonding. Brief summary of the events:

Day 1:The National Trainers had the participants experience a Motheread/Fatheread class ses-sion. They had fun dancing and learning various techniques and strategies to promote literacy. They were paired and given home-work to plan out their lessons for the next day.

Day 2: the 20 participants broke up into 2 groups and facilitated their own class sessions. They planned their lessons and demon-strated to their mini-groups. They were given constructive criticism, feedback, inspirational and motiva-tional instruction.

&

Chalan Kanoa Head Start Center

Which supplemental materials

were most helpful?

“The lesson component and story

extenders will be very helpful in

planning lessons because of the

great ideas included.”

“ I enjoyed the holistic literacy

instruction. The learner –centered

graph.”

“I believe the planning guide. It

allowed me to feel more confident

with the material because of the

guide.”

Joeten-Kiyu Public Library Book-mobile Outreach Services Leo-ralynn Terlaje shared her experi-ence, “I have been consistently reminding the CNMI Moth-eread/Fatheread to sign me up as a parent trainer for more than a year. Now, that I have completed it, I am truly grateful and thankful for my boss (Erlinda Naputi) for supporting my community involve-ment and for approving my leave to attend this training. The last Motheread Institute was held 6

years ago. I know that I will be able

to use what I have learned in my

training to help further promote

literacy in my workplace, my fami-

ly, and my community. Thank you

so much! I love everything about

this program and training. It was

definitely worth it every time I at-

tended. I enjoyed the explanations,

the presentations, the motivational

facilitators, and so much more!”

According to Hinton, “One of things

that we find out about the parents

that we work with is that they have

never been read to before; there-

fore, they don’t read to their chil-

dren. So we worked on reading

skills — how to bring stories to life,

and how a book can connect to

your own personal life. It is amaz-

ing to see the transformation that

happens after the class is over.

The parents will usually say, ‘I

never knew that we can use chil-

dren’s books to talk about adult

issues and adult concerns.’ ”

Gonzales added, “We are not just

reading books; we are also em-

phasizing the importance of oral

storytelling traditions.”

Hinton said Motheread “is such a

powerful program as we just saw

here during a training session.

There were tears because parents

thought about things that they

haven’t thought about before, and

it’s also an opportunity for partici-

pants to talk about things that they

haven’t talked about, to connect

things that they haven’t connected

to, to talk about losses, to talk

about gains but, more importantly,

to talk about their children.”

Community Volunteer and Coun-selor Rita Demapan was deeply moved by the training, “ CNMI Motheread/Fatheread is an invalu-able Program for the entire com-munity. It doesn’t just stop with mothers, fathers, etc. It is all inclu-sive. I’ve been a community vol-unteer for years and this is one

program that touches my heart

every time I sit in on a class. After

undergoing this training, I am

ready to co-facilitate a Motheread/

Fatheread class, and share with

families the knowledge I have

gained so that they can forge last-

ing and memorable bonds with

their children, strengthen commu-

nity involvement, and promote

health and well-being through

family literacy.

Gonzales said the program

“creates a safe environment for

families to come together and to

be heard — this program trans-

forms lives, and it has transformed

our lives, too, as trainers.”

One participant commented, “I am

excited to start volunteering with a

mentor to how I would do,ie. Imple-

menting what I learned.”

“You’re taking people in,” Gonza-les said, “you’re starting at wherev-er they are, whatever level

Page 3

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they’re at, you’re respecting what-ever they have to offer without judgment and you begin address-ing the issues they come with. This is not the trainer’s program, this is the participants’ program. They decide what the issues are, what they want to talk about, what is impacting their home environment, what hopes and wishes they have. It is a program whose philosophy is crucial to parents and children succeeding. That is how this pro-gram works where ever you take it. Fast forward 2 months later, Gloria Gonzales recaps her CNMI Moth-eread Institute experience. “The CNMI training was amazing! The twenty participants were awe-some! The participation, ques-tions, energy, presentations were memorable, filled with much laugh-ter, incredible storytelling, sharing of CNMI rich culture and tradi-tions.... I am still smiling today and a part of me is still back on Saipan enjoying the wonderful time and new memories made with this Humanities Council/Mortheread Institute group. I am confident they will each impact the lives of so many families they work with in a strong and positive way. CNMI Parent Trainers are not only highly qualified, experienced and knowl-edgeable, but they also have the most important ingredient re-quired... "Beautiful loving and gen-tle hearts"... I will continue to keep them in my prayers and hope they will enjoy a lifetime of facilitation as Motheread/Fatheread Facilitators transforming their communities one family at a time. The three-day Motheread Institute, the fourth to be held in the CNMI, was held at the Pacific Islands Club Napu Room and Annex and was made possible in part by a grant from the Bank of Hawaii Charitable Foundation, the North-ern Marianas Humanities Council, the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library, and the CHCC Department of Public Health’s Maternal and Child Health Bureau, HOME Visiting Program. Thank you Bank of Hawaii Saipan Branch Manager and Vice Presi-dent Rose Sumor, who was on hand to congratulate the 20 Parent Trainers.

The Motheread/Fatheread® Family Literacy Program serves the whole CNMI as the Northern Marianas Humanities Council’s signature literacy outreach program. Serving over 800 families, providing 6,400 hours of literacy, and promoting to over 3,500 outreach participants every year in the CNMI! As of March 30, 2016, there are 53 total volunteer Parent Trainers and Children Story Exploring Instruc-tors who are teachers, day care providers, private business own-ers, college instructors, health care service providers, faith-based or-ganizers, retired educators, and public administrators in their full-time jobs. Cheers, Team CNMI Motheread/Fatheread!

Gwen Hinton is a National Trainer and Literacy Specialist at Motheread, Inc. She studied at North Carolina Central University and resides in North Carolina. Gloria Gonzales is a National Trainer at Moth-eread Inc. She is a former child and adult educator, social worker, mental health counse-lor and administrator and resides in Texas

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NATIONAL LIBRARY WEEK@ YOUR LIBRARY

SCHOOL LIBRARY MONTH NATIONAL BOOKMOBILE DAY WEEK OF THE YOUNG CHILD EARLY CHILDHOOD MONTH

ORAL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH SEXUAL ASSAULT AWARENESS MONTH CHILD ABUSE & NEGLECT PREVENTION

MONTH

NLW Proclamation Signing Saturday, April 9, 2016 Governor w/ Governor Ralph DLG Torres @ JKPL 10:00 am Book Donation Saturday, April 9, US Congressman Gregorio Kilili Sablan @ 10:30 am @ JKPL Mr. Larry Lee’s Ukulele Class Performance Saturday, April 9 @11:00-11:30 am @JKPL Amnesty Week April 10 –16 All fines will be waived on all over-due books returned in good condi-tion to JKPL Special Book Sale For the month of APRIL: Buy 10 Books and get 5 More for FREE! Canned Food Drive & Clothes For Goodwill Drive Throughout the month of APRIL to aid those in need of help!!! ALL GOODS WILL BE DONATED TO KARIDAT Saipan FitClub with Kate Camp-bell & Motheread/Fatheread April 11 @JKPL 4-5pm & April 29 @JKPL 5-5:30pm EFNEP Cooking Demo partner-ship with Motheread/Fatheread April 12, 13, 14, & 15@JKPL 3-4:00 pm

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Story Exploring Read Aloud with CNMI Motheread/Fatheread @ CNMI Day Care Centers April 11@Koblerville Angel Kinder-gartern Child Care 8:30am to 9:30 am April 12 @Gualo Rai, CWM Trust Day Care Center 8:30am to 9:30 am April 13 @Oleai, Golden Harvest Daycare 9-10am April 14@ Susupe, NMIS 9-10am Bank of Hawaii Financial Literacy Seminar partnership with Moth-eread/Fatheread April 20 & 21@ JKPL 4:30-5:30 pm Children’s Birthday at JKPL in honor of WOYC and Early Child-hood Month April 28 @ COHL JKPL 4:30 pm to 5:30pm sponsored by Moth-eread/Fatheread and JKPL : Happy 1st birthday Alexandra Birnbrich Week of the Young Child Infor-mation Fair Saturday, April 30 @JKPL 8am to NOON

Celina Foreman was born on Saipan on March 4, 1976. She is married to Eugene Foreman and has 3 sons: Kyle, Kevin, and Kody. She has been a certified Motheread/Fatheread Parent Trainer since 2010, and she has been actively volunteering her time and service for 6 years to our Program. She has a Liberal Arts Major background and has been working with the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library for 10 years in their Outreach Services Department. When asked why do you love volunteering for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Family Literacy Program, Celina shared, “I love volunteering with CNMI Motheread/Fatheread because I get to meet new people. I enjoy working with fami-lies from different backgrounds, and I especially enjoy helping them get their literacy needs met. I work for the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library, and we actively partner with the CNMI Moth-eread/Fatheread on so many levels—be it outreach literacy events, community partnership meetings, PTSA/CPIC meetings, etc. Volunteering for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Pro-gram is always such a joy! My teaching approach is hands on. I especially love creating activities for the parents in my classes. I enjoy the stories they share about how their children loved creating the fun arts and crafts I helped create. What lights up my heart every time is seeing both parents attend my class. Motheread/Fatheread truly makes a difference in our communities, and I urge all families to take advantage of this opportunity while it is free! This is an extraordinary program because we go out into the community and bring books to you! We also teach about financial literacy and probably most important-ly also about healthy eating in the Eagle Books series. When I am not volunteering for Motheread/Fatheread, you can reach me in the Children of Our Homeland Center in the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library, where I conduct read alouds and hold arts and crafts activities every Saturday at 10 a.m.” In her spare time, Celina Foreman is a master baker and loves planting orchids. We thank you, and we appreciate all the hard work and commitment you do for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Family Literacy Program! We are truly blessed to have you on our team! God bless you!

Lilia King was born in the Phillippines on April 26, 1957. She is married to Alexander King and has 7 children: Maggie Rit Patio, Dionesia King, Alexander King, Alexis King, Alessandra King, Alejandro King, and Alexio King. She is a proud grandmother of 14 with the youngest being 1 month old. She has been a certified Motheread/Fatheread Parent Trainer since 2010, and she has been actively volunteering her time and service for 6 years to our Program. When asked why do you love volunteering with the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Program, she replied, “I love and enjoy the work that I do volunteering for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Family Literacy Program because it encourages parents to bond with their children in positive and creative ways. I love meeting new parents and listening to their stories and sharing in their experiences every cycle (class). I especially love the icebreaker activities which occur at the beginning of each class wherein the parents and I have fun getting to know one another.” Mrs. Lilia King shares her experience for readers who are interested in volunteering for the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread Program: “It isn’t easy being a volunteer. You have to genuinely love what you do. At times, it can be challeng-ing to meet new parents from Motheread/Fatheread. It is normal to be nervous meeting new people. But I personally take it as a learning experience, because I learn a lot from the parents who attend my sessions. I learn the obstacles they face, their life experiences — all by sharing their family situation and background. You come to love the people, the memories, and the hard working team who support bringing family literacy to the CNMI.” She shared a recent memory from her last class: “ I went out to the village of Koblerville and looked for families

who were interested in literacy, and sure enough 6 parents signed up! We held classes twice a week at Siomina Asep’s home. When it came time for the completion ceremony for the families of the Mihaville Estates, we did role play using the book I Went Walking by Sue Williams. It was a beautifully performed play. The parents wore character masks of each animal, and they acted out each character with finesse! I am so proud of my parents because they really put a lot of work into the role play, which shows they value literacy and taking their children’s education seriously.” During her spare time, Lilia King enjoys babysitting her grandchildren, and she is also a busy full-time entrepreneur of her brand Chelu. She is active in the

jewelry business designing, purchasing, marketing, and selling custom-made jewelry in the CNMI. ” We wish you a very happy and blessed April birthday to our very own Parent Trainer Lilia King! May you continue to sparkle and shine brightly! We appreciate you, and we thank you for your ser-vice and commitment to the CNMI! God bless you!

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Taotao tano’-ta: People of the Island encompass a collection of local leaders, individuals, and groups from the CNMI

whose vision, wisdom and skill have made an enormous impact in the lives of the people of the Commonwealth in many

ways. These are progressive local leaders that showcased exemplary leadership roles in public service, community build-

ing, and undertakings that benefited the CNMI as a whole. Taotao tano’-ta are Individuals & Artisans that promoted and

represented the CNMI local culture and traditions through the arts of healing, music, crafts, dances, culinary, and language

enhancement in the Commonwealth and beyond the Pacific. These are also groups and innovative individuals that contrib-

uted generously in the development of agriculture, fishing, education, health, law, religion, public safety, and good govern-

ance in the Northern Marianas Island. Their untiring efforts to lift the Commonwealth to prosperity leaves no question of

their true leanings; that is for the betterment of the CNMI.

Lilia King Motheread/Fatheread

Certified Parent Trainer

Celina Foreman Motheread/Fatheread

Certified Parent Trainer

****Attention ****

Parent Trainers and Story Exploring

Instructors. Do you have a special birth-

day shout-out or success story for the upcoming month of

May please email cnmimo-

theread@gmail.com or facebook us @

cnmi moth-eread/fatheread with the exciting news to publish in our next

Motheread®, Inc. is a nationally acclaimed private, non-profit organization that combines the teaching of literacy skills with child development and family empowerment issues. Parents and children learn to use the power of language to discover more about them-selves their families, and their communities.

Motheread® offers classes for both the adults and children. In adult classes, participants learn to be story readers, writers, and tellers in a group structure that supports their own sense of worth and ability. These classes are appropriate for all adults, regardless of reading ability or prior educational experience. By teaching the “why” of reading rather than just emphasizing the “how”, classes encourage parents to be reading role models for their children. For children, Story Exploring provides a structured environment for learning reading, critical-thinking, and prob-lem solving skills.

CYCLE DAY TIME START DATE VENUE PARENT TRAINER/SEI

1 Mondays 5:30 pm April 4 2016 Oleai Elementary School Celina Foreman & Leora Terlaje/ Joelyn Varona

2 Tuesdays 5:30 pm April 12, 2016 William S. Reyes Elementary School

Bryan Manabat & SR Stella Mangona/ Margarita Sugaste

3 Tuesdays 5:30 pm April 12, 2016 Koblerville Elementary School Viola Deleon Guerrero, Gloria Kaipat& Sandra Satur/ Ignacia Reyes

4,5 Wednesdays 5:30 pm April 13, 2016 Garapan Elementary School/Americorps

Celina Foreman & Angela Wheat/ Evangelina Espanola

6 Thursdays 5:30 pm April 14, 2016 San Vicente Elementary School Beth Demapan & Rita Demapan Ignacia Reyes & Viola DLG

7 Thursdays & Mondays

5:30 pm April 21, 2016 Gregorio T. Camacho Elementary School

Maria Athens Amaro/ Hilma Castro & Evangeline Espanola

8 Fridays 3:30 pm April 29, 2016 Youth Center (GCDC)

Velma Mafnas

Schedules for interested Private Schools and Organizations/Agencies could be arranged by contacting Viola Deleon Guerrero, Beth Demapan, or Bryan Manabat at Tel:235-7319/989-8542/783-7678 or E-mail: cnmimotheread@gmail.com or visit our web-

site at https://sites.google.com/site/cnmimothereadfatheread/

THE CHILDREN OF OUR HOMELAND CULTURAL CENTER/LIBRARY

Library Hours

Tuesdays-Fridays (10:00 am-6:00 pm) Saturday

(9:00 am-4:00 pm) Closed on Mondays, Sundays, and

Holidays If you are interested in becoming a Friend/Supporter of the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library, please stop by the CNMI Motheread/Fatheread office in the Joeten-Kiyu Public Library and fill out a registration form. There will be a $5.00 membership fee assessed. Cash Only. Call 235-7319, text 783-7678, or email marianaslibraryfriends@gmail.com for more information. Thank you!

CNMI Motheread/Fatheread®

Current & Upcoming Session