December 2023

Dear All… here is our bumper December edition !!!

As our last newsletter for 2023, it’s tempting to look back before we start looking forward to 2024….can you believe it?

In so doing I’d like to start with our Administrator, Laura O’Neill, because without her none of this would be happening!

It’s all too easy to glide through all our projects, meetings, social media posts, technical troubleshooting, Zoom calls, PowerPoint creations, editing requests, not to mention the basic needs of accountability to the CRA etc. and keeping the financials, and preparing agendas and Board meeting minutes, insurance payments, this MailChimp, our website… and so on... without acknowledging who makes them happen… and thanks to Laura, we do glide!  Laura volunteered an incredible number of hours before we were able to pay her part-time and as we all know, there is no such thing as a part-time job, which means that she works full-time for part-time remuneration, and not only that, but evenings and weekends to keep up with our deadlines. 

Since we were fortunate enough to get the grants from Telus for the documentary and The Ministry of Education and Child Care for the Early Childhood Educators Professional Development Pilot, we have been wildly time-crunched.  It’s also quite amazing how long things take… there’s an idea, Sue drafts it, sends it to Laura and Julie, who send back comments, Laura incorporates the edits, Sue remembers something else, which sparks more thoughts and then there are more edits, Laura puts a document on the Thinkific platform, informs the ECEs, gets emails re the technology, Sue can’t get into Thinkific, so asks Laura to send her the info she needs… and so it goes on… over and over! 

So extremely long story short, Laura, we all thank you so sincerely for all that you bring, for going more than the extra mile, keeping us on an even keel, and managing to do it all so graciously.

THANK YOU !

THANK YOU 100 WOMEN WHO CARE OF THE NORTH SHORE

WE ARE IMMENSELY grateful to 100 Women Who Care for their generous donation towards our Bursary Program. We had a growing waitlist of families applying for financial assistance for their much needed Davis Dyslexia Correction Programs. We will be able to help 6 individuals with their generous donation. 6 Individuals who will flourish and thrive instead of struggle and experience defeat. Read more HERE.

DAVIS INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM 2023

Sue and Nadine went to the Davis Facilitators Symposium in San Francisco... the first one since Covid. It was incredible. Davis is undergoing a major re-fit with two remarkable individuals leading the way in branding and marketing. We are all very excited, and left feeling very much tighter as a unit, very encouraged at the new organisation and the collaborative opportunities. Nadine is a human dynamo… she interviewed and filmed people, got us all way beyond our comfort levels when singing … and turned our embarrassment into joy. She has a gift!

The Early Childhood Educators Professional Development Pilot – ‘NeuroInclusivity for Early Years’ is gathering speed!  We advertised, interviewed, informed and then started on the Modules. The first two provided background information about learning challenges and the existing Davis Learning Strategies for K-3 teachers. Sue and Julie added adaptations appropriate for 3-5 year olds to the Manual, and Stacey Smith, in her wonderfully gentle way, presented one Online 2-day Workshop and one In-Person 2-day Workshop in Langford, BC.  They all benefitted from Julie adding her practical experience, the games she uses and her practical tips. Sue was blown away by the enthusiasm of the ECEs. It’s easy for us to be excited because we have seen the results. They were excited at the thought of using the self-management tools with their little ones! We will be keeping in touch with them all, discussing the assignments (once we’ve created them) and the evaluations early next year.

TELUS STORYHIVE Documentary – when we came up for air, we suddenly realised that the STORYHIVE deadline for the Bonus edition (trailer) was only a few weeks away. Johua Mansfield of Shiloh Music Studio is busy editing all the wonderful film he took, and Nicholas Wisdom (creator of Sue’s book cover) is working on the art for the thumbnail, and it all comes together by Dec 11…!!!  We can’t wait to see how it turns out!

COME TO THE DYSLEXIC TABLE - Episode #8 - Games We Enjoy at The WDS

OUR LATEST PODCAST could be the answer to your Christmas shopping dilemma .. BOARD GAMES… we introduce 30 of our favourites and discuss the advantages of playing Board Games… verbal skills, stress reducing, organisational skills, problem solving, dexterity, learning to lose and to win, inquiry, critical thinking and collaboration and above all FUN !!!

Here is Sharon’s Article HERE, or listen to the podcast episode HERE. Here are the games we discussed:

Find It, Rush Hour, Sink and Sand, Boggle, Monopoly Deal, Conversation Cards, Jenge Maker, Lego Therapy, Connect 4, Storytime Chess, Escape Rooms, Picture Charades, Spot It, Yahtzee, Pictionary, Nowhere To Go, Dixit, Cinco Linko, Labyrinth, Shut the Box, To Get to Ride, Bananagrams, Snatch It, Cobra Paws, Ring It, Quick Cups, Spoons!

ENJOY this fun rendition of Cinderella by Matt Watson.

WE HAD OUR LAST BOARD MEETING of the year on November 30 and were delighted to welcome Del Coburn to our fundraising objective, in particular, for Autism Approach bursaries.  It’s already easy to see he is a wonderful addition to our small but mighty band.  

Four years ago, Sue’s first visit to one of their meetings resulted in the North Shore 100 Women Who Care donating $10,000 to fund Davis Learning Strategies Workshops for K-3 teachers. Julie Brewer, our Montessori pre-school educator, attended the subsequent Workshop and decided to use the strategies with her 3-5 year olds. She was pleasantly surprised by the results. Fast forward four years and here we are piloting DLS for Early Years, as above. Who knew ?!?

This year, thanks to Gisa’s successful ‘pitch’ to the North Shore 100 Women Who Care, Sue was invited to the December 4 meeting, to let them know who would benefit from the $9,600 donated to our Bursary Fund. We have to wonder where this donation will lead? For now, we are just very grateful for an exceptional end to our year!

It’s exhausting just writing all of this down, never mind putting it all into action ! We hope to get a little rest over the holidays… and we wish you all everything that you wish for yourselves, with plenty of joy and ease and fun and laughter. Thank you for being part of our community… we look forward to taking all this incredible energy into 2024.

Much love from all of us….Sue, Laura, Julie, Nadine, Sharon, Paddy, Gisa, Tristan and Del…

Come to The Dyslexic Table - Live Chat -Next Event will be February 1st about Procrastination

RSVP HERE.

CALENDAR

• Jan 21 – 28th – Family Literacy Week

• Stay tuned for more events and happenings!

WE’VE GONE INTERNATIONAL !  The Kakamega Project.

The WDS & The Kakamega Project team are on a mission ! To provide effective dyslexia education training to developing remedial tutors and supporting parents in Kakamega County, Kenya. We are very excited and honoured to be part of this initiative and look forward to telling you how it is unfolding. Visit our Campaign page HERE.

Nadine Schumont from Picture Perfect Learning Solutions in Stratford, Ontario is happy to announce the release of her new “Neurodiversity" T-shirts and merchandise.

With every t-shirt sold, $5 will be donated to the Whole Dyslexic Society to use towards the many services offered. Click this LINK to see, and buy her exciting products.

Our Giving Guide: 

NEW!! We have created some information pages on our website for Legacy Giving and Donor Advised Funds. These are ways in which you can support your favourite charity. You can read all about them on our Giving Page HERE.

Canada Helps Bursary Fund Fundraising Campaign for The WDS. The Whole Dyslexic Society’s bursary fund is seeking regeneration. We have four families who have been waiting far too long for a bursary. We know the transformation a Davis program can bring to their lives! Read all about our August Challenge to raise funds for our bursary program HERE.

Picture Perfect Learning Solutions Neurodiversity Shirts & Merchandise. Nadine Schumont has create a line of shirts and merchandise celebrating neurodiversity. You can view the range of styles and the image on the back through her store. For every shirt sold Nadine is donating $5.00 to The Whole Dyslexic Society. Check out her shop page HERE.

Purchase our Gifted with Dyslexia Pins.  Purchase our Pins Here

TruEarth Eco-Friendly Laundry Soap and Products.  20% of all sales go to our Society.  Please follow the link to our Tru-Earth product page to purchase.  Tru-Earth Eco-Friendly Products Here

Donate a Car Canada. Looking for simple and free car removal? Donate a Car Canada accepts Vehicle Donations for The Whole Dyslexic Society. When you donate your car, truck, RV, boat, or motorcycle to The Whole Dyslexic Society through Donate A Car Canada, it will either be recycled or sold at auction (depending on its condition, age and location). Read more about Donate a Car Canada…….

See how donations can result in tax credits by reading the article below. Read More…Tax Benefits of Charitable Donations

Partial proceeds go to The WDS from sales and rentals of Ed Roman’s highly acclaimed “Red Omen” video. For more information on renting or buying Red Omen click here 

We gratefully accept donations through our Canada helps charity page. We have a variety of donor options. Thank you !

Canada Helps - General Fund 

Canada Helps - Bursary Fund 

Canada Helps Tribute - Donate in honour of or in memory of a loved one.  

Canada Helps Securities - A donation of securities or mutual funds is the most efficient way to give charitably. Since capital gains taxes don't apply, our charity receives the full fair market value when the security is sold, and you get a tax receipt which reflects your larger contribution. This allows you to give more and get more. TO READ MORE ABOUT DONATING SECURITIES OR MUTUAL FUNDS CLICK HERE

We are a registered charity with the PayPal Giving Fund. You can donate to our organization using your PayPal account with no fees. Thank you ! PayPal Giving Fund