Newsletter February 2025

Feb 7

February’s here already… snowdrops and snow … and as promised, we launched our Online Fundraising Auction February 1!

www.thewds.org/auction ... so now its time to get bidding ! We have so many generous donations.. full list HERE.

We will be adding to this list throughout February, so keep checking in! I know that when we bid we often hope for a bargain, at the same time, competitive overbidding ensures we can help even more individuals 😊with their program sponsorship.. thank you!

This Online Auction is running alongside the excitement of our documentary WHO KNEW Dyslexia is a Way of Thinking.

Laura noticed that we are actually mentioned on the IMDb (Internet Movie Database)!

It looks so official … I am somewhere between disbelief and laughter…but definitely so grateful for all those involved.

Our documentary will be showcased at various film festivals and exclusive screenings throughout 2025, with a general release scheduled this fall available for free on TELUS Optik™ TV On Demand, all made possible with the support of TELUS STORYHIVE Editions.

Sharon’s February 1 Come to the Dyslexic Table article on the Green School in Bali was so interesting. You can listen HERE.

We are gathering the key points from each of her dives into different forms of education. So far I love the sound of:

The curriculum linked to the nature, the environment, conservation, sustainability
Hands-on learning hiding core subjects, involving the local community and experts
A full circle model, the school creates, sends into the community, and reaps the benefit later on
Creating and nurturing a love of learning (what a thought) free from fear of failure (known as anxiety)
Results are huge... high levels of critical/independent thinking, problem solving, ability to reason.
Small classes, toxin free, a sense of love and belonging connecting to the outside world, joyful!

Here’s to the demise of the worksheet wilderness!

Join us! To RSVP visit our page HERE. And Stay tuned for Sharon’s article on ideal education in Finland for our upcoming live chat on March 1st.

Maureen O’Sullivan (Davis Facilitator, Ontario) has been attending some of our WDS Board Meetings, and her sister-in-law, Ginny, has been SO kind and generous with her volunteer time. She has created a list of all the teacher training colleges/universities across Canada AND the Early Childhood Education Centres so that we can contact them and send them the documentary when we are able. This time-consuming research is so valuable to us, and we are so grateful!

We are also getting ready for our Annual General Meeting on Saturday February 22, 2025. We have had many successes in 2024 and more to come! All possible with the support of our volunteers, donors and community. Thank you!

Last year we were able to support an educator who wanted to take the 4 Day Gift of Dyslexia Workshop, which is the first part of the Davis Facilitator training. We just received this email:

"My name is Angela. I am a Learning Support Services Teacher. I took the 4 day Gift of Dyslexia Workshop and I was able to do my 30 hours of practice, one-on-one, in school with a grade 5 student. The student jumped from a mid-grade 2 reading level to a mid-grade 4 reading level. It was amazing to see the results and I'm looking forward to working with more students in the future!"

Following on from this, we will be presenting a Pro D to educators in her school and School District in April.

This leads us to dream that one day we can create four different paths for educators:

Davis Learning Strategies for Early Years (3-5 year olds) is still in the pilot stage
Davis Learning Strategies for K-3 teachers
Special Ed teachers working one-on-one with students having taken the Gift of Dyslexia Workshop

Coached by a Facilitator

Schools sending students to us when the family can afford a program.

Same Facilitator trains the EAs to provide follow up in school time

Calendar:

January 23: Sue visited the Nanaimo Alternative Learning Centre to speak with staff and students.

Youth Resilience Strategy

February 6: Sue meets with the Capilano University Early Childhood Education Centre

February 22: Annual General Meeting, 10am PST Online

March 1: Come to the Dyslexic Table… we are off to Finland !

April 1: Come to the Dyslexic Table …Eaton Arrowsmith Schools

April 17: Professional Development presentation for Dr Thomas A Swift Elementary

May 1: Come to the Dyslexic Table … Supported Home Schooling programs in BC

May: Gisa and Sue will be presenting to Big Sisters and Big Brothers of Greater Vancouver, Langley and the Fraser Valley

June 1: Come to the Dyslexic Table… France, Japan and maybe Italy !

October 8: As a result of the presentation that Sue and Julie made at the Decoda Conference last October Sue has been invited to be a Keynote Speaker (her first Keynote!) at the Family Literacy Conference in Edmonton.

OUR CHARITY FUNDRAISING AUCTION ITEMS AS AT FEBRUARY 3, 2025

Visit our page HERE