Partner With Bernardsville Public Library
What is SHELLS?
Bernardsville Public Library is coordinating a two-pronged approach to
Start Helping English Language/Literacy Learners Succeed (SHELLS). Briefly,
this includes:
• English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes and practice sessions held four times weekly at Bernardsville Library.
• “Early Literacy On the Go” kits for use at home.
Initial funding of the SHELLS concept was made possible by a literacy grant from the New Jersey State Library with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.
In order to keep this successful program running, the library must find community funding before the grant runs out in August 2008.
How You Can Help
Be a sponsor! Sponsors of the SHELLS program will be recognized on multiple
levels based on the level of funding provided.
Bronze Sponsor
$500+
• Recognition in the library newsletter, Bernardsville Library Times, which is mailed to every household in Bernardsville.
• Inclusion in press releases to The Bernardsville News, Courier News, Star-Ledger and Daily Record.
• Recognition on the library website including a link to your website for twelve months.
• Sponsorship will be recognized for twelve months on all printed literature, including flyers, brochures, and signs, as well as publicity via mass emails.
Silver Sponsor
$1,000+
All of the above-outlined vehicles plus your business name and logo imprinted on library book bags which will be sold to library customers at cost (approximately $2-$3) for twelve months.
Gold Sponsor
$2,500+
All of the above plus:
• A boxed ad in The Bernardsville News, recognizing your sponsorship.
• A letter to the editor from the Library Board President and Executive Director acknowledging your support.
Platinum Sponsor
$5,000+
All of the above plus:
All books and other materials used in the program will bear a bookplate with your company name and logo.
For more in-depth information about the SHELLS program, please see below.
To inquire regarding sponsorship or request a SHELLS Sponsorship brochure,
please contact Michaele Casey at Bernardsville Public Library (908-766-0118).
Detailed Program Information
ESL Instruction and Real-Life Practice
The library provides a schedule of English-as-a-Second-Language (ESL) classes that was requested by the local Latino Community Group. Classes are conducted at the library on Mondays and Thursdays in the afternoon and evening for four ten-week sessions. Formal language instruction is taught on Thursdays by trained ESL volunteers. Many of the volunteers are retired educators or instructors. Mondays are reserved for practicing the skills learned in a conversational style. Real-life scenarios and situations are set up for the students to practice applying for a job, going to the post office, using the library, etc. Students also correspond with another ESL program in Edison, New Jersey as pen-pals. Currently, there are 120 students attending the classes from a variety of ethnic backgrounds. The first ESL class was attended by Afghans, Argentineans, Bolivians, Brazilians, Chinese, Costa Ricans, Ecuadorians, Egyptians, El Salvadorians, Germans, Guatemalans, Haitians, Hondurans, Indians, Iranians, Jamaicans, Japanese, Koreans, Macedonians, Mexican, Paraguayans, Peruvians, Polish, Portuguese, Russians, Slovakians, and Thais. The nationality of the students wanting and needing to learn English has reached far beyond the Latino community. Most of the students who attend the classes are from the Somerset Hills area; however, there are a few students from Morris and Bergen Counties.
Initial funding of the SHELLS concept was made possible by a literacy grant from the New Jersey State Library with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services through its Grants to States Programs. Under the grant, a professional language coordinator was hired to schedule classes and train the volunteers. In addition, the grant funded all the materials used in the instruction for the classes: books, audio/visual materials, newspapers, etc.
The library has enlisted the assistance of the local Catholic Church, community college, public and private schools, Greater Raritan Work Investment Board (GRWIB) and the Central New Jersey Maternal and Child Health Consortium (Mid-Jersey CARES) to promote these classes and learning opportunities as well as recruit the needed volunteers to teach the classes.
Literacy At Home
The expansion of early literacy skills during library story times is the
second part of the SHELLS concept. Library staff will demonstrate how
to introduce the six key skills of early literacy (print motivation, print
awareness, letter recognition, phonological awareness, vocabulary building
and narrative skills) to parents, caregivers, and teachers of young children.
By creating “Early Literacy On the Go” kits, the library will
promote the process of learning to enjoy books for pleasure as well as
for educational benefits. The importance of early exposure to books and
the value of library services will be stressed. These literacy kits will
help families develop and practice the skills necessary for reading to
take place. The kits will contain printed instruction, games, books, and
audio visual materials that will foster and enhance each of the six skills
at the appropriate age level: Early Talkers (newborn-2 years), Talkers
(2-3 years) and Pre-Readers (4-5 years). These kits will be the foundation
for the incorporation of family literacy. Anyone can borrow these kits
from the library. Family literacy and the importance of early literacy
skills introduction has always been and will continue to be a primary
goal of the Bernardsville Public Library.
Who benefits from these programs and activities?
The community as a whole benefits with the increased ability of the population to communicate and interact with understanding.
Sponsors benefit from multiple levels of recognition as well as from the satisfaction of helping others in a unique way. As Nobel Peace Prize winner, Kofi Annan, has said, “Literacy is a bridge from misery to hope. It is a tool for daily life in modern society. It is the bulwark against poverty, and a building block of development, an essential complement to investments in roads, dams, clinics, and factories. Literacy is, finally the road to human progress and the means through which every man, woman and child can realize his or her full potential.”
| Initial funding of the SHELLS concept was made possible by a Literacy Grant from the New Jersey State Library with funding from the Institute of Museum and Library Services through its Grants to States program. | |
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