Metro North ABE Links Newsletter, Spring 2020 | Page 5

Columbia Heights/
Fridley
Centennial
Centennial Adult
Continuing Education will
open a new English as a
Second Language (ESL)
program at the Centennial
Square Manufactured
Home Community in the
Youthways Center. “Taking
it to them!” This will be
a great way to increase
our reach and help more
learners reach their
educational goals.
The Community Technology
Empowerment Project
(CTEP) awarded the Adult
Education Center-Columbia
Heights/Fridley (CHF) site a
CTEP Americorps member
once again for the 2020-
2021 program year. This will
be the seventh year that a
CTEP member has served at
CHF. Applications are now
open for the new position at
https://www.spnn.org/ctep.
At the Adult Education
Center-CHF, we couldn’t
think of a more joyful,
challenging, and rewarding
place to work. As we
continue to build our
distance learning services,
the CTEP will be at the
forefront of building a new
way of learning. Every day,
we are enriched by the
lives of our students, who
are mainly refugees and
immigrants from around the
world, who are establishing
new lives in Minnesota.
The CTEP member will be
building relationships with
adult learners who attend
classes regularly in a yearround
program, helping
them improve their digital
literacy skills. Please
help spread the word to
encourage applicants who
may be interested in serving
as a CTEP member in the
new year.
Elk River
In 2018, Metro North-Elk
River began a partnership
with Dayton Mobile Home
Park to provide adult
residents ESL instruction.
This year, 25 individuals have
enrolled in this program,
supported by several
volunteers and one paid staff
member.
While on-site classes at
Dayton and Elk River
have been suspended
due to COVID-19, online
classes and individualized
instruction using Google
Meet are being offered so
learners can continue their
education. In addition, many
learners have continued
English language instruction
by utilizing self-paced,
distance learning programs
more frequently, and their
feedback is that they find
them to be very helpful.
During these unsettling
times, students have found
the ongoing connection and
communication with staff
encouraging and supportive
so they may continue their
studies.
St. Francis
This site has new online
opportunities that allow
students to stay safe at
home. St. Francis Area
Schools Adult Basic
Education (ABE) is offering
online courses only until
further notice.
Since beginning distance
learning, students have
enrolled in online courses
for GED Prep, Brush-up
Skills in Math and Reading,
Computer Skills, and
courses for developing/
improving English
Language Skills.
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