WaylandeNews weekly newsletter (corrected version)

Be a Tutor of English – English for speakers of other languages (ESOL). Have you ever thought about tutoring someone in English (even during a pandemic)? The Friends of the Wayland Library support a program in which volunteers are trained to become tutors and are matched with learners for one-to-one tutoring. The tutor training has two main functions: to give the tutor practical skills and broadly applicable techniques, and to enhance the tutor’s understanding of the needs of adult learners. Prior to COVID, the tutor typically met with the learner once a week for an hour or so, at a mutually convenient location, often at the Wayland Library. The library has an excellent collection of resources for tutoring, from workbooks to easy-reading fiction and biography to role-playing and games. Currently, tutors and learners are working remotely, using Zoom, Skype, Facetime, or simple phone and email. Extra mentoring is offered, to help tutors find resources online. It is important to note that the tutor does not need knowledge of any language other than English and does not need prior teaching experience. Effective tutors come from a range of experiences, skills, and ages. Ginny Steel and Jane Albert, Co-Directors of Wayland’s ESOL program, conduct the training sessions, and are available for ongoing support during the tutoring relationship. The tutor training class this fall will be on Zoom, 6-9pm on five consecutive Wednesday evenings, October 7, 14, 21 and 28 and November 4. For more information or to enroll in this fall’s tutor-training course, you can email Ginny Steel or call her at 508-358-7517. Complete posting online here.

Donate to the COVID-19 Relief Fund at wayland.ma.us/donate

For more information about the fund, click here

Announcing a Special Opportunity to Help Survivors of Domestic Violence During Covid 19. Your past support of the Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable’s Shower for Shelters (SfS) has been very important to its success, and we greatly appreciate all of your past contributions of household goods. Now that we find ourselves in the midst of a pandemic, and it is not feasible to collect in-kind donations. Therefore, we are reaching out to our supporters in the hope that you are able to consider supporting SfS in a different way.

The current circumstances created by the pandemic are particularly difficult for many families affected by domestic violence, and our agency partners who deliver direct services tell us that the demand for services is at historic levels. Stay at home orders, closed schools and camps, and job losses present unique challenges and dangers for families struggling with domestic violence or trying to get free from an abusive relationship. This increased demand for services is expected to continue for some time and will exceed normal operating costs for these agencies.

The Roundtable has received a special donation from a generous donor which has enabled us to offer a challenge grant. We will match up to $2,500 in new contributions through Labor Day, September 7, 2020. All funds raised will be given to our agency partners to fund the most urgent needs of their clients during the pandemic. We respectfully ask that you consider a donation that will help save lives and provide for basic needs.

Donations may be made online at www.domesticviolenceroundtable.org

or a check may be mailed to:

The Sudbury-Wayland-Lincoln Domestic Violence Roundtable

P.O. Box 543

Sudbury, MA 01776

We hope that everyone is staying healthy. We wish you the best and thank you for your consideration of our request.

The latest from the Wayland Library (full newsletter online here)

Flu clinics will be held at the Town Building (outside) using a drive through model -please note, there may be an online pre-registration process. More information on the flu clinic will follow as well as online pre-registration if it becomes available as we get closer to the clinic dates. Information will also be posted on our website: https://www.wayland.ma.us/health-department

2020 Senior Flu Clinic Schedule. The Wayland Health Department will again be offering FREE Appointment-based Flu Vaccination Clinics for Seniors. This year we are very excited to announce that we are able to offer online registration! Please go to the Town of Wayland Health Department website to register for your appointment online at: https://www.wayland.ma.us/health-department. If you need assistance registering please call us at 508-358-6805. We will be using a drive through model (outside) at Town Building rear parking lot. When you arrive for your appointment please proceed to the rear parking lot where signage and assistance will be provided (please arrive for the scheduled appointment time).

High-Dose Flu Vaccine, geared to those aged 65 and older and Seasonal Quadrivalent Flu Vaccine will be available during our clinics. We will also have the PREVNAR 13 Pneumococcal Vaccine and the PNEUMOVAX 23 Vaccine (Pneumonia) for those aged 65 and older. This vaccine is ONLY for those who have not yet received it and have made an appointment for this this particular vaccine. Specifics can be provided when booking appointments.

There is no out of pocket expense but insurance cards are necessary to provide for reimbursement. All reimbursement is used to offset this and other public health programs to Wayland Residents.

Flu Clinic dates for Seniors by appointment will be provided on the following dates in September:

Community Health Clinic Schedule. The Wayland Health Department along with our Wayland Resident Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) Volunteers will be providing FREE Injectable Flu Vaccine Clinics for ALL interested individuals aged 6mos and up.

Flu clinics will be held on the following Wednesdays in October:

There is no out of pocket expense but please bring your insurance cards. Reimbursement is provided through your insurance provider, all reimbursement is used to offset this and other public health programs to Wayland Residents.

Limited doses of Pneumococcal, Prevnar and Tdap vaccine will be available at the Community Clinics for those individuals who meet the criteria set forth by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) AND have reserved a dose, information will be provided on reserving a dose closer to the clinic dates.

We will not be providing “flu mist” this year.

Online, interactive antiracism workshop, White People Challenging Racism: Moving From Talk to Action, to be offered in Wayland via Zoom starting October 1, 2020. Join fellow Wayland residents in learning and sharing the history of systemic racism and how it affects each of us individually and as a nation. You will develop a personalized, specific plan for challenging racism in the workplace, an organization, or in the community, while being encouraged to find other people in your life who can provide support and serve as an accountability partner in implementing your plan. Wherever you may be in your own journey, this workshop will broaden and deepen your experience. Class size is limited to the first 8 people to register. Click here to learn more.  Click here to register.

Music-making continues virtually. Wayland’s favorite senior singers continue to lift their voices together every week, and YOU can join the fun by (old-school) telephone or (new-school) computer, tablet or smartphone. After 32 years of music-making, we’re determined to stay connected and healthy with singing! Contact us at goldentones.org, or call 508-318-6318 to learn how to join our one-hour “virtual rehearsals,” weekly on Tuesdays at 10am, and Fridays at 2pm, beginning Sep. 15. There are no auditions and no attendance requirements, only a friendly group of music-lovers from all over MetroWest who enjoy singing, dancing and music-making to pop classics and show tunes.

Deluxe Thinkers Free Math Tutoring for Fall 2020. Deluxe Thinkers is offering a free, weekly tutoring session at a set time on Saturday. Your child will meet individually with a Deluxe Thinkers tutors in a Zoom breakout room. Your child can ask questions about the material they are learning or ask the tutor to help them move ahead with the curriculum. The Fall Program is open for all Elementary & Middle school students. The first session will be on Saturday, September 20, time to be determined. RSVP by emailing deluxethinkers@gmail.com

Transportation for Wayland Seniors. Under a new, grant-funded program, the Wayland Council on Aging (COA) can now arrange for free taxi rides for seniors who have no other way to get to non-emergency medical appointments or other essential errands such as grocery shopping, visits to food pantries, or to pharmacies to pick up prescriptions. The program is funded by a Metropolitan Area Planning Council/ MassDevelopment grant designed to offer short-term support to communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Wayland residents age 60 and over who find themselves without transportation options may contact the COA to request a ride. COA staff will review requests for compliance with the grant’s guidelines. For those who qualify, staff will make arrangements with either Tommy’s Taxi and JFK Transportation, who are partnering with the COA under the terms of the grant. Ride requests must be made at least one full business day in advance. The program runs through December 31, 2020, or until the funds are depleted. If you have questions or would like to ask about a ride, call the COA at 508-358-2990 or email coa@wayland.ma.us

Wayland Garden Club. The Wayland Garden Club continues to maintain gardens and planters throughout Wayland. While social distancing, Wayland Garden Club members continue to tend gardens at the Wayland Settlement sign on Boston Post Road, the Wayland Free Public Library and a pollinator garden on the Rail Trail. The Club also maintains planters at the Town’s public and historic buildings, as well as several traffic islands in town. For more information about the Club and membership, you can visit waylandgardenclub.org.

Would you like to serve on a Town Board or Committee? Many appointment opportunities, ranging from A-Z (literally! from the Audit Committee to the Zoning Board of Appeals) are posted online here.