Newsletter May 2021

May News

Save the month of AUGUST – get into training now  for our second, and even more successful Walk and Talk the DYS out of Dyslexia  - STEP UP !

Last year we set a goal of raising $8,000 by walking the equivalent of 8,000 kms – the distance from the west coast to the east coast of Canada.

This year we thought the only way is up !   So we’ve raised our goal to $10,000 and included a virtual auction. Registration opens July 1st.

Those of you in the Vancouver area will know about the Grouse Grind, the ultimate keep-fit challenge. It is known as “Mother Nature’s Stairmaster” and there are 2,830 steps.

If Sue did the Grouse Grind steps all in one go, she’d probably need airlifting off the mountain, but… she has decided to climb 2,830 steps on local trails from August 1-31, plus 5,000 steps (4kms) per day.

Photos will be taken along the way ! Some of the Board are attempting the actual Grouse Grind – even more photos! 

So the challenge is out there – how many sponsored steps or kms are you going to walk, bike, swim each day in August ? Registration details will be on the website shortly.

We need to fill the bursary fund, as we find ourselves in the second year of challenging financial times for so many people. The learning challenges are still there when the $s are scarce. 

• Our first Online Auction – the week of August 22-28 – we have some incredible items already: Axe-Throwing, a website design….

• Our fourth series of Podcasts – People of Passion – is in the making already and will be launched ready for August. Sue is lucky to be able to interview fellow TEDx speakers, some of the coaches and curation team, all of whom are so passionate about the work that they do. Its been a wonderful opportunity to learn a little more about them and their connections with dyslexia.

• AND …. we are also launching a Universal Symbol for Dyslexia – did you know currently there is no universal symbol for dyslexia ? Well there isn’t, so we decided to create a positive one.

We are so grateful to Amanda Jane Green who donated her design to the Society www.jewellerajgreen.com. We have these goals:

• To create a positive symbol before anyone else does – we avoided the usual mixing up of ‘b’s and ‘d’s to stay positive.

• To be a physical symbol of pride in our way of thinking and learning, hopefully around the world.

• To fundraise for our charity – full transparency - we will make about $1.00 CAN on each pin.

• For Facilitators to give a pin to their newly ‘corrected’ dyslexic on completion of a program to add to their pride.

• To add to the Davis profile – people may ask the wearer what is that pin for?

• They could be seen by the student as a reminder to use their tools, and no-one else would know.

• To have them available to anyone with dyslexia, in the broadest sense of the word, in an attempt to reverse the thinking that we are disabled in any way

• They have a magnetic fixing, so can be a fridge magnet too !

They will be available to the public on our website shortly. Here’s a preview ! 

• Sue’s TEDx – Dyslexia: Enable the Different Learner -  1,500 views on YouTube – May 12 !   Please keep sharing and commenting !

  Watch HERE

• 3 Facilitators; Nadine Schumont in Canada, Jacalyn Stewart in the USA and Rachel Barwell in New Zealand formed Think Tank Marketing, to help Davis Facilitators get their message out, particularly on social media.

They sent out a challenge to Davis Facilitators around the world for 500 shares of Sue’s TEDx in the month of April – how’s that for Davis-family support ? And Sue was also privileged to be invited to speak at one of their Zoom meetings on April 10th! So grateful !

• Sue appeared on The Quiet Warrior Podcast May 6 - Watch HERE

• She will be interviewed on ‘Have the Conversation’ podcast - July 21 – will send out the link asap.

• She is delighted to be speaking to Surrey Schools on September 2.

• There is interest in our methods from a small school in North Vancouver as a result of the talk, which is VERY exciting !

WORRY:

Here are some encouraging statistics for those trying to give up worrying:

40% of what we worry about...will NEVER happen… it’s like putting a 40% deposit on a house you’ll never own.

30% of what we worry about...has ALREADY happened… so we can’t change it.

12% of what we worry about...are needless worries about our health… the 3 day headache is rarely a tumour.

10% of what we worry about...are petty, miscellaneous worries… what shall we have for dinner.

That leaves 8% for legitimate worries. 

Which means that 92% of what we worry about is TOTAL NONSENSE…and that nonsense not only keeps us from being at our best…it keeps us from actually living!

So don’t …

RESOURCES:

• Seth’s YouTube video, What is 2e Twice Exceptional? is an interesting take on qualities that you probably see in your children. www.sethperler.com. Watch Video HERE.

• Julie Brewer discovered that her local public library will lend out audio books if she was able to provide a letter (from Sue) to establish a learning challenge. Maybe see if your library has that same resource ?

COMMUNITY:

Family Summer Camp weekend September 17-19, 2021.

• Sue is in touch with the YMCA at Gibsons, to find out the projected requirements and will be sending out an email to all students shortly.

Minecraft Club !  A huge thank you to Nadine Schumont for creating this opportunity !

• Welcome New Minecraft Members - You are invited to take part in the Picture Perfect Learning Solutions [PPLS] Minecraft Club.

• Who are we? We are picture thinkers ages 6 to 18 who have completed a Davis program and love to create things, especially Minecraft things!

• Why we do it? We play Minecraft to give ourselves a healthy outlet for our natural ability to see in 3D and to allow this gift to grow, learn, and explore in a safe and fun environment.

• When do we play? As a group we like to meet most Saturday Mornings, 9:30 EST, other than the 3rd week of each month. The server is open at all times, many of the members play at different times. For those living in a different time zone, you are welcome to suggest a time for your groups to meet that best suit your local time.

• What is required? To play in the PPLS Realm you must have completed a Davis program, have your Davis facilitator and parent permission, and own the Minecraft Bedrock version.

• Next steps: If you would like to check out our PPLS Minecraft Club, contact Nadine Schumont with the requirements above at pictureperfectlearning@gmail.com to receive your Minecraft link.

---

Hoping you are all having a fabulous month – getting out into the beauty that May offers us. Take care, stay well, and think about your August endeavours .

Sue, Laura, Paddy, Nadine, Sharon, Julie, Gisa, Tristan

Our Giving Guide: 

• Participate in our August Campaign, Walk & Talk the ‘DYS’ out of Dyslexia - Step Up & Virtual Auction. Registration opens July 1st.

• See how donations can result in tax credits by reading the article below.

  Read MOre…Tax Benefits of Charitable Donations

• We have Note Cards for sale at The Card Project.

  Visit The Card Project Here

• 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. Thank you !

  Canada Helps

Newsletter April 2021

April News

Welcome:

We are excited to welcome Sharon Roberts to our Board, she is a Davis Facilitator in Waterloo, ON and is dedicated to getting Davis Learning Strategies into schools. She adds to Nadine’s WDS Ontario presence!

Please can we slow down this time of year ? The snowdrops are over, and some of the crocus, daffodils and camelias are hanging on… and my favourite magnolias are just coming out. I want it to be this time of year for a long time... maybe a little warmer... but it needs to last longer! At the WDS we are not been slowing down at all ! Our Administrator, Laura, is tireless. She has to know every detail for every project we get involved with, every improve-ment to the website, or the social media, she’s amazing. Our website now has a text to speech option ! Whatever next ?

Time Sensitive:

T J Firenze is offering a second free information session on applying for the Disability Tax Credit – Tuesday April 13 at 7pm (Pacific). Please let me (Sue) know that you’d like to get a Zoom invitation. info@thewds.org

Outreach:

• Sue is over the worst …her Tedx Talk, Dyslexia: Enable the Different Learner, went out on March 27 as part of www.tedxbearcreekpark.com ‘s livestream virtual event. She was SO relieved to see what an amazing job the film editor did to seamlessly delete her 4 bloopers during filming ! All the talks are now being sent to the big Ted in New York for approval, and fingers crossed, the talks will go on their YouTube Channel in about 4 weeks time. She is very grateful for all the positive chat comments, texts and emails she’s received. It’s a message that so many people need to hear, and can relate to. She was privileged to be able to deliver it!

• SketchNotes – Following the talk, Sue received an incredible keepsake thanks to Deborah Le Frank of www.visuallifestories.com. Deborah listened to the talk and sketched the main points – you can see everything ins there ! Check out her Visual Life Stories and Verbal to Visual. I think learning to Sketchnote would be a huge asset for anyone studying, we are adding her website to our Resource page.

• Interviews: Sue has been invited to appear on The Quiet Warrior Podcast – April 26; Have the Conversation podcast July 21; and a Vlog - Picture It Marketing on April 10.

• Pro D: Sue will be talking to Surrey Schools Pro D on Sept 1, 2021.

• Networking: Gisa, Laura and Sue had a Zoom call with a representative from www.jack.org an amazing organisation which trains young people to be there for peers who are struggling. We hope to be a resource for those with learning challenges.

• Podcasts: We are up to 657 listens! Tristan and Sue will be recording a new series of podcasts featuring her fellow Tedx Speakers and some of the coaches ! Will be lots of fun!

• Ontario: Nadine rarely stops and is busy creating her local Stratford Dyslexia resource site.

Fundraising:

• It will soon be time to launch our second, and even more successful Walk and Talk the DYS out of Dyslexia for August, combined with an online Auction. Julie has amassed some fabulous prizes already! I’m bidding for the Axe Throwing ! there’s a website design too !   We are incredibly grateful for a $3,000 donation to start us off this year!

• PINS; there is no universal symbol for dyslexia – so we thought we would create a positive one, with dyslexia being a gift. They will be available from a client’s facilitator, or on our website shortly. Here’s a preview – we chose a magnetic fixing ! Thank you to Amanda Jane Green for donating her design - www.jewellerajgreen.com.

• Laura is investigating a Bottle Drive initiative – more news soon.

• Most importantly, we need a grant to actually pay Laura for all the hours that she currently donates to us. We wouldn’t be existing as we are now without her, she’s literally vital to us.

If anyone is good at understanding grant applications or even better writing them… please let us know!

Prevention:

Sadly we were 4 short of the minimum number for the April DLS Workshop to run, but we have two more dates booked:  July 19/20 and 22/23, 20210.

Community:

• Sue divided her students up into 6 local groups of clients and offered a Zoom call to each group. We ended up with 8 families in one Zoom call and it was fun to listen to all the ideas – never in short supply with our creative demographic! Nadine is in the process of developing a Minecraft platform so ‘corrected’ dyslexics can game together – more news soon!

• Fingers crossed the Family Summer Camp weekend will take place September 17-19. 2021 – more news soon!

We aim to serve you, so please let us know of any issue you’d like us to tackle… enjoy this wonderful Spring season…take care and stay well.

Sue, Laura, Paddy, Julie, Nadine, Sharon, Gisa, Tristan. 

Our Giving Guide: 

• See how donations can result in tax credits by reading the article below.

  Read MOre…Tax Benefits of Charitable Donations

• We have Note Cards for sale at The Card Project.

  Visit The Card Project Here

• 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. Thank you !

  Canada Helps

Newsletter March 2021

March News

Photo by Yoksel 🌿 Zok on Unsplash

Dear Everyone its March already! Touch wood we’ve had our annual snowfall; the snowdrops and crocus are telling us spring is doing its best to arrive! This is always a time of looking back and envisioning our future as its AGM time. As the WDS’ AGM had to be virtual, we decided to split it into two parts – the first part Feb 25 was looking back at 2020 and the business part – not the most exciting, but the necessary part. The second part on March 4 is where we look forward and plan our 2021 efforts. So let’s look back first (Click below).

And Now Let’s Look Forward to 2021

Photo: TEDxBearCreekPark March 27, 2021

March 27 – Sue’s TEDx Talk www.tedxbearcreekpark.ca – go to their Facebook page also, interviews are being posted regularly. Please REGISTER, even if you are not able to watch, the total number of registrations makes such a difference to the event’s outreach for every speaker. Please post to all your social media, email all your friends. We get one chance to get a message out that affects 1/3rd of the population.

April 13, 2021 7PM (Pacific) – Disability Tax Credit information session - the second one kindly donated by T J Firenze of Firenze Financial. She can provide assistance to apply for any disability, across Canada. Email us if you would like to attend: info@thewds.org.

Event Flyer * About DLS * Register Here

April 15/16 – Davis Learning Strategies Workshop Online – again please post to social media, email elementary school teachers, and homeschoolers, especially those parents who are also acting teachers during these very unusual times. Event Flyer Here.

Sue has just updated her client database –  long overdue - she always organised her students into Adults, Teenagers and Children.

It was staggering to see most of the 9 and 10 years olds are now in the young adult category!

Way to feel old !  It has also been exciting to catch up with some of them, and hear their news. 

They are living proof that there is no learning disability, just a learning difference.

September 17-19 – Family Summer Camp weekend, YMCA Gibsons – fingers crossed – SAVE THE DATE and let Sue know you’d like to come. info@thewds.org

Photo by Scott Goodwill on Unsplash

Your Contributions:  

Sue’s TEDx talk has brought home to her that although she might be the person delivering it, it is made up of every single student, every parent and every enquiry she’s ever met. She hopes it does you all justice. There were boundaries she would gladly have gone over, but the opportunity was way too valuable to miss.  Thank you all !   And please tell us what you would like us to tackle, your contributions are truly valued.

Look for us Here:

Podbean & Spotify (Fish Don’t Climb Trees),YouTube (The Whole Dyslexic Society)

Talented Students:

Post client database update, Sue has been contacting some students she lost touch with and hearing their news has been a huge treat.  SO, we are starting a Talented Dyslexics page on the WDS website and would love your success stories, academic or not, and a photo if you are OK with that going on the website.  Sue often used to say to her students ‘you’ll be just fine once you’ve left school’ and she is hearing that they are way better than fine, SO talented, and SO excited to be able to pursue their dreams! 

2021 WALK AND TALK THE ‘DYS’ OUT OF DYSLEXIA - GOAL $10,000

Kilometers

10,000.00

3,000.00

Powered by Easy Fundraising Ideas

Our Giving Guide: 

• See how donations can result in tax credits by reading the article below.

  Read MOre…Tax Benefits of Charitable Donations

• We have Note Cards for sale at The Card Project.

  Visit The Card Project Here

• 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. Thank you !

  Canada Helps