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Learning Support

The Village Initiative’s Learning Support Committee oversees several initiatives, programs, and events that directly engage the educational needs of students in our community. 

Book Boxes

The Village Initiative builds, installs, and maintains several book boxes across the WJCC community, which provide children with free books.

Book Boxes
Book Boxes (Philip)

The Village believes that every child deserves free and open access to the tools they need to learn and succeed. We also know that many families in WJCC do not have the financial means to buy books. Since 2021, the Village has collected hundreds of donated books from community members and placed them in our book boxes, which can be found in many public spaces across Williamsburg and James City County. 

 

There's no need to leave a book or return them — our books are completely free for anyone to take home and keep!

Book donations can be arranged on a case-by-case basis or dropped off during normal operating hours at:

Colonial CASA (3917 Midlands Suite 2A)

OR

Williamsburg Christian Church

(in the drop box at the church entryway)

To LEARN MORE or Organize a drop off, Please contact us:
 
villagewjcc@gmail.com

Book Boxes

Tutoring Program

Since 2017, The Village Initiative has recruited, supervised, and supported up to 40 volunteer tutors in the WJCC Schools each year.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic our tutoring program is on hold. Please join our email list or follow us on Facebook to receive updates.

The Village Tutoring Program 2019-2020

16 TUTORS

50% from the Community

50% William & Mary Students

THREE SCHOOLS

Bright Beginnings

James River Elementary

James Blair Middle School

An estimated 350 hours of volunteer tutoring per year across the three schools.

Satoshi Tutoring Cropped

Community member Dr. Satoshi Ito tutors young learners with The Village at James River

To Volunteer, Please ContacT US:

 

villagewjcc@gmail.com

Tutoring Program

English Language Learners

The Village is dedicated to supporting WJCC's English Language Learners and their families.

W&M Student Mentors

Through a partnership with The Village Initiative and the WJCC Schools, W&M professors, Jennifer Bickham-Mendez and John "Rio" Riofrio, developed and offered a course entitled, “Educational Justice and Marginalized Communities” in the Spring 2019 and Spring 2020 semesters.
Jennifer Volunteer of the Year

Village member Jennifer Bickham Mendez named "Volunteer of the Year" at James Blair Middle School for her work with ELL students and their families

Through coursework, academic and policy-oriented readings, and discussion, W&M students in the course explored issues related to educational disparities and structural barriers to education in US public schools.

W&M tutor/mentors visited James Blair Middle School for an hour every week to work and build mentoring relationships with students, including groups of newcomer English-language learners.

2019

288 hours of tutoring

24 W&M students

2020

126 hours of tutoring

21 W&M students

(cut short due to COVID-19)

CLASSROOM & FAMILY SUPPORT FOR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS

SUPPORTING STUDENTS
In partnership with the World Language Department at WJCC, Village members collaborate with English as a Second Language high school teachers to provide classroom support, including dual language, co-curricular workshops and learning modules.
We are currently developing study to assess intervention, including interviews with students, classroom observations, and a curriculum review.
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W&M Logo
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SUPPORTING FAMILIES
Village members partnered with James Blair Middle School to hold an orientation for the parents of English Language students. We brought 12 W&M students to offer guidance and interpretation services to parents to help them master the school division’s online interface, StudentVue and to entertain younger siblings so that parents could attend the meeting.
In addition, Village member and W&M Professor, Katherine Barko-Alva, operated a mother's group that met weekly at St. Bede's Catholic Church, which involved English instruction and a support group where parents could discuss how to advocate for their children at WJCC schools.
English Learners
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