"Is there really a ‘science of reading’ that tells us exactly how to teach kids to read?"

Photo by Josh Applegate on Unsplash

The Washington Post, Valerie Strauss, January 26, 2021

"One of the longest-running education debates — commonly referred to as a war — has been over how to teach reading. It started in the 1800s, when Horace Mann, often called “the father of public education” in the United States, argued against teaching the explicit sounds of each letter. He worried that students would concentrate on sounding out words rather than learning how to read for comprehension, so he argued that students should learn to read whole words instead.

Thus began the fight over teaching phonics or “whole language” — and more recently what is known as “balanced literacy.” We’ve also been hearing declarations that a “science of reading” proves that employing phonics in a particular war is the best and right path to teach young children how to read.

The following post looks at this broad issue and whether there really is a “science of reading” that has finally settled how reading should be taught."

read more.......................

Newsletter January 2021

January News

Disability Tax Credit information session: 

Join us on Tuesday, Feb 9 at 7pm for a free virtual seminar on The Disability Tax Credit with T.J. Firenze of Firenze Financial. Learn more about this federal benefit and why and how those with dyslexia and/or ADHD can apply.  Sue will send out a Zoom invitation, so please let her know you are planning on attending.. thank you !SO exciting and amazing!

Contact Sue at info@thewds.org

Dear All;

Happy, Healthy and vastly improved New Year to you all. Just a quick Newsletter with some exciting news!

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We are thrilled to say we finished up 2020 so close to our $8,000 goal - $7,147.00 to be exact.  A huge thank you to everyone who got us there.  We are planning a repeat in August 2021, just in case walking/running/biking is still our designated exercise… and adding an online auction … this year’s goal $10,000+ … we can do it ! 

Sue got accepted for the

TedXBearCreekPark Talk – March 27, 2021. 

She had to submit a script, which got her to the last 23 out of 60, and then had to read her script to the panel over Zoom, which got her to the final 12 ! The program will be up on this website shortly: https://tedxbearcreekpark.ca/

The theme of her talk is that everyone is learning able, some children just don’t learn the way they are taught, and she is really excited!

The hope is that more teachers and homeschoolers will attend a Davis Learning Strategies Workshop and ensure the learning challenges don’t have a chance to develop.  She is now immersed in TedX Talk boot camp – the coaching is phenomenal – right up to the middle of March!  We will make sure you have the link for the live streaming !

Davis Learning Strategies 2021

Davis Learning Strategies Workshop – April 15/16 2021 – ONLINE

We could not be happier to announce that this workshop is now available online, and the first one will take place in April.

Stacey Smith (Calgary) will be the presenter. 

PLEASE send the flyer and links to all the teachers/homeschoolers that you know, particularly those who work with K-3 children. Here are the links to share:

Our Flyer - click here

Event Details

The WDS Davis Learning Strategies Information .

 Thanks to Laura, the WDS Website is constantly updated, and we have added a Resource page recently.

To welcome in 2021 we have added a song written and composed by Don McLeod in 2008 for a fundraiser.

Listen on Podbean Here - enjoy !

Our 3rd series of podcasts was released on December 21 – very talented dyslexics who use their ‘gift’ to its full potential. You can find us on Podbean, Spotify and our YouTube Channel.

We are looking forward to having Nadine Schumont join the Board as our ‘eastern’ chapter.  She is a Facilitator in Ontario and very enthusiastic about all of our objectives.  If you have talents and or enthusiasm to share, please just let us know, we need more than a village to get our messages out there, either as a Board Director or a Member at Large.

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Family Summer Camp Weekend – details very soon !  Save May 28-30 !!!

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 Christmas 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
  

Look for us Here:

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

Newsletter December 2020

December News

PREVENTION:

Davis Learning Strategies 2021

We are beyond excited to announce that DDAI is able to offer the 2 day Davis Learning Strategies Workshop for Primary Teachers, ONLINE, April 15/16, 2021.  See Flyer below for details. Please do tell your children’s teachers, principals, homeschooling organisations… we have to ensure these challenges don’t have the chance to arise !  Attendees have to register directly with DDAI as the flyer shows, but any Canadians requiring financial assistance should email us at info@thewds.org.  We are delighted that we can assist.

Dear All;

Laura and Sue here with the December Newsletter.

We hope you are staying warm and well – loving the snow on the mountains and very much looking forward to a brighter 2021! 

We all wish you the happiest Christmas and New Year holidays – probably different – but just as full of joy.

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DONATE:

Holiday Giving: 

• We would love to reach our goal of $8,000 this year, and are still $2,000 shy… see how donations can result in tax credits by reading the article below.

  Read MOre…Tax Benefits of Charitable Donations

• We have Christmas 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

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OUTREACH:

Series 3 of our Podcast coming soon !

• Laura and Sue are re-vamping some of the website pages – Our Approach, Outreach and Resources – there will be videos on our YouTube Channel and information to assist with Homeschooling and Online learning.

• With the emphasis on Giving our 3rd series of podcasts goes out on December 21 – very talented dyslexics who use their ‘gift’ to its full potential. You can find us on Podbean, Spotify and our YouTube Channel

• Sue is keeping all fingers and toes crossed that her application to TedXBearCreekPark will make it to the last 12. She is delighted to have made from 60 entries to the last 23, just one more step!

Her presentation is entitled “Do Schools create Learning Disabilities?”  All positive thoughts appreciated!

• As Sue was researching Ted talks, she came across Terri Goldstein’s interesting talk – which focusses on the way she uses her ‘gift’ in her career.

• Nadine Schumont is a Davis Facilitator in Ontario, Picture Perfect Learning, and every month she posts a short interview on Facebook – entitled "You’ve got One Minute”. She asks a facilitator a question, and they have one minute to respond. Sue will be interviewed for the December episode on the 14th. The video will be posted on Nadine's Facebook page on December 17th. Her question is “what would the world be like if there were no dyslexics?” Easy answer – dull ! We'll publish the video on the Positive Dyslexia and The Whole Dyslexic Society Facebook pages also.

COMMUNITY:

Tax Credits, Summer Camp and Fun !

• Disability Tax Credits - TJ Firenze of Firenze Financial donates her services to anyone wishing to complete an application for Disability Tax Credits. You can call her any time 604.312.8642.

On Wednesday January 13 7PM – she is giving us a free Zoom call on this subject.  Please email info@thewds.org to register and we will send you the Zoom link.

*Read More about Firenze Financial Here*

• Family Summer Camp weekend is booked for May 28-30, 2021 and details will be sent out in January. Save the date ! We all need COVID-safe fun !

• Thinking of Fun – some ways to have creative fun! Looking forward to the New Year how about:

  • Rube Goldberg’s TinkerLab - to visit click here

  • Destination Imagination - to visit click here

  • Odyssey of the Mind - to visit click here

WOULD BE AUTHORS COLLABORATIVE BOOK PROJECT

The Flip Side of Dyslexia

Sue received this email below from Julie Salisbury of Influence Publishing.  Sue went to one of her workshops when she was planning her book Fish Don’t Climb Trees.

Visit Fish Don’t Climb Trees Here

If you are a dyslexic author read on to learn more about Julie’s collaborative book project.

“I am reaching out to you as a member of the Dyslexia community to see if you are interested in being part of a ground breaking book about the "Gift of Dyslexia".

This was the name of my TEDx talk 3 years ago where I shared with the world that I am probably the world's only Dyslexic Book Publisher.  For many years I have wanted to put a book together to encourage others that Dyslexia is a gift and I believe the time has come.  We want you to share your inspiring story of how you have recognized the unique gifts Dyslexia brings. We will publish a collaborative book with 20 authors' stories to encourage others with Dyslexia to find THEIR gift.  All royalties raised through this book will be donated to a foundation to create a scholarship fund to help more Dyslexic authors publish their story. 

As a dyslexic book publisher I have discovered how much the gifts of dyslexia have helped me with the big picture and story development of manuscripts. Many famous entrepreneurs have used their "problem solving" skills of Dyslexia to forge new paradigms of business, and this is what I have done for the publishing industry.  It is time to recognize that it is good 'stories" that make great books and leave the editors to take care of grammar, spelling and sentence structure.  You don't have to be a great writer to be a great author, but you do have to tell a good story!

 * To represent the values and knowledge of your organization/business venture and the influencers of your community.

* To create an opportunity for the community to collectively showcase their own brand/business/cause. (each author can also use the book as their own branding)  To make it available for worldwide distribution in print and e-book format.

* To brand and create credibility for your cause with a #1 Amazon Best selling book.

* To share your personal story of how Dyslexia has become a gift for you and to educate and encourage others in their journey.

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Influence Publishing will provide step by step guidance to each author in their writing process.  This includes 1 on 1 coaching for each author and several zoom calls as a group to meet each other and understand the process as well as marketing ideas.  As a dyslexic book publisher Julie has developed a unique “talk-a-book” process giving you the option to write your chapter through a zoom interview that results in a transcript which is then utilized to write the chapter.  This eliminates the fear for those who feel their writing may not be good enough. This will be included in the package for this unique book.

The Influence Publishing Inc. track record for creating Amazon best selling books has a 100% success rate (when the instructions are followed exactly). Their reputation for books that “influence” the way we see the world has given them over 100 Best sellers in the last ten years.  To learn more about this book project, please contact Julie at founder@influencepublishing.com.  If you would like to watch Julie’s TEDX talk entitled “The Gift of Dyslexia”, click the TEDX logo at the bottom of the page in that link.

Please take a look at http://www.influencepublishing.com/collaborative-book/ to view our other best selling collaborative books.  You can also listen to my recent podcast about publishing with Dyslexia by going to: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/dyslexia-is-our-superpower-podcast/id1273576736.  I know you must have questions. 

I look forward to hearing from you and to welcoming you into “The Flip Side of Dyslexia” Collaborative book!

 Julie Salisbury, Founder, Influencepublishing.com”

To contact Julie please email her at founder@influencepublishing.com

Look for us Here:

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

Our Fundraiser, Walk & Talk, continues to the end of this year. Visit our Canada Helps Page to support our cause.

Newsletter November 2020

Fall Report

Our first look backwards brings sad news. We have lost one of our most passionate directors, the late Carole Ford put all her energy into her fight with pancreatic cancer, and left this world on October 10. She was a retired Facilitator, University Professor and Elementary School teacher, and passionate about Davis Learning Strategies. She was always cheery, the best supporter, colleague, presenter and editor ever, so don’t be surprised if there are typo’s in this Newsletter. We will miss her enormously, but knowing Carole and her indomitable personality, she will be helping us from ‘above’ and we are dedicating our Davis Learning Strategies Fund to her in Memorium.

Your Board just met for a Strategic Planning Meeting and we all agreed that looking forward to the next 5-10 years involves looking back on the past 20 years of The Whole Dyslexic Society’s life – something we rarely have the time to do, but oh so valuable.

Looking back at the Society : Firstly there was an idea; let’s form a non-profit/charity, then how does one do that; where do we get the money from to initiate the legal process; who do we ask to be our founding Board members?  Well, thanks to Janice Scott for the original idea; to Brenda Pulvermacher who suggested I ask Milton Wong, who donated $5,000 and lent us his charity advisor, John McCulloch, who became our first Board Chair alongside Ian Tostensen and Helen Babalos. We got charitable status in 2002.   Every Board member since then has donated their time and enthusiasm to maintaining our mandate:  Jack Harland, John Robbins, Rita Schmidt, Carolyn Van Meenen, Joe Wozny, Susan Manz, Natrisha Sagris, Jennifer Prowse, Liz Vela, Jay Fisher,  Bruce Shore, Clinton Pazdzierski, Sue Jutson, Carole Taljeh, Anne Haegart, Andrea Flaa, Guy Murphy, Adrian Boston, Donna Doerksen, plus the endless volunteers who have helped with hosting training sessions, workshops, Pro D Day and Conference presentations, webinars, talks, fundraisers, bursary interviews, summer camps and fun activity days. 

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 This is what we have all achieved!  We have maintained our 4 Objectives: : improved Outreach, funded Bursaries, created and maintained a Community and have a Prevention plan in progress.  We are particularly proud of the fact that we have donated $90,400.00 to 10 Davis Facilitators in Canada for 63 clients over the past 16 years.  Our current website provides a comprehensive view of our mandate, our objectives and our current activities, which is astounding considering we are ALL volunteering our time outside of our full time jobs, families and hobbies; even our Administrator volunteers more time than she is paid for.  We are SO grateful and blessed for the thousands of volunteer hours donated to us.

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Looking forward to a very rosy future:

SHORT TERM:

• Continue our podcasts, starting with a Christmas series featuring the ‘gift’ of dyslexia and all the wonderful talents that it brings. The message being we are good at what we do BECAUSE of our gift, not in spite of it!

• A Davis Learning Strategies Workshop Spring 2021- Online

• Family Summer Camp weekend, May 2021, Camp Elphinstone

• Walk and Talk the DYS out of Dyslexia II - August 2021 PLUS an Online Auction

• Adding one school a year to our DLS Learning Challenge Prevention plan

• Full use of social media – especially for fundraising

• Attracting a major influencer/sponsor to support us

• Planning a Homeschooling Support Conference

LONG TERM:

• DLS Learning Challenge Prevention plan – to have at least 3 schools, or School Districts using DLS throughout their school(s).

• Maintaining a strong community of corrected dyslexics

• Being part of the Davis international community

• Sustaining the Society financially

• Being a beacon for information, solutions and support in the world of dyslexia

Look for us Here:

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

Members at Large -  To accomplish all of the above, we are asking for Members at Large.  You don’t have to be a Board member (unless you’d like to be) but if any of the tasks above appeal to you, please let us know, we would be SO grateful for your help.  We are a very small Board, with a modest budget, and an enormous amount of work to do.  Some of you have felt the benefit of our programs, maybe of our funding, and Outreach and Community efforts – our work is SO important for at least one third of the population – we are all LEARNING ABLE – we just don’t learn the way we are taught – and you all have skills worth sharing.

THANK YOU !!! Sue

Our Fundraiser, Walk & Talk, continues to the end of this year. Visit our Canada Helps Page to support our cause.

Our Fundraiser - The Card Project has a wonderful selection of art cards for purchase. Created by Davis Dyslexia Students.

Dyslexia Awareness Week October 5-9, 2020

We celebrate having the ‘Gift of Dyslexia’ every week, but especially this week:

We are still Talking the DYS out of Dyslexia with our Second Series of Podcasts !

This time we focus on the prevention aspect – Davis Learning Strategies in K-3 classes reach all learners, regardless of learning style, ensuring a cognitive equal opportunity for all.

We hear from a teacher who had no idea our way of thinking existed – from a teacher in New Zealand who is using DLS in her class – from a teacher/Facilitator/Special Education Needs Consultant who explains the argument for DLS and the enrichment factor they bring – and from the DDAI Webmaster who shares DLS origins and the research behind the methods.

Look for us Here:

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

Our Fundraiser, Walk & Talk, continues to the end of this year. Visit our Canada Helps Page to support our cause.

Our Fundraiser - The Card Project has a wonderful selection of art cards for purchase. Created by Davis Dyslexia Students.

From India:  If you have Facebook, you will be able to see the extraordinary success stories as Davis Learning Strategies are introduced in a school India. Read More……………

From the UK:  Why Tyrannosaurus but not If – The Dyslexic Blueprint for the Future of Education. To Read More and access Richard Whitehead’s free Course……………

From South Africa:  Axel Gudmundsson – DDA South Africa is offering 3 talks HERE.

Ron Davis’ Concepts for Life – Ron always wanted to create programs for those on the autism spectrum, and they are all listed on the New Site Here. The Concepts for Life program is available to anyone, especially those with ADD, ADHD, Executive Functioning challenges and Self Improvement goals – parents are also encouraged to take this program for themselves. Access Autism Programs Here.

Newsletter September 2020 #2

Dear All – always hoping you are well as we get to move to another transition – children going back to school or not.  Sue wants you to know that she is always here for a review when needed, we all get a little rusty over the summer holidays, just call or email her. 

Our education system is changing, by necessity; homeschooling organisations are inundated with applications.  We feel that Davis methods, being ‘hands-on’ are a wonderful fit to offset much of the current screen time – and would be grateful for any ideas, any open doors that you might have.  We are working on adding an Online/ Homeschooling page to our website.

DEDICATION: 

On that note, this Newsletter is dedicated to the late and hugely missed Sir Ken Robinson.  We have posted several of his YouTubes on our new channel - Here - click on the Playlist option.  To say he was inspirational is a gross understatement – I would suggest the father of educational reform with a brilliant sense of humour.  Hopefully he is orchestrating the necessary changes from his SKR cloud.   He recorded 3 videos entitled ‘Learning from Home’ which might prove useful just now.

Photo Attribution: Sebastiaan ter Burg / CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)

ANXIETY:

It is to be expected that there will be anxious moments around going back to school or trying to homeschool.  Sue read an article in the North Shore News - Here -  which she hopes might be useful.  The short story is that anxiety is based in a fear  - worrying about the fear gives us the message that we are doing something about it… that we are making ourselves safe.  Sharon Selby offers tips to deal with those anxious feelings and has written a book called ‘Surfing the Worry Imp’s Wave’ which is on Kindle and in paper.  Read More Here…….

PROJECTS:

On the Davis front we have some exciting news.  Axel Gudmundson, DDA South Africa is piloting a program called 2ReadtoLearn.  It is basically an online version of the Young Learner’s Program, and can be downloaded in modules for parents to do with their children.  For every program purchased one goes to a family who would normally not afford one.  It is in its pilot stage at the moment, but we are hoping it can be made available worldwide shortly.

 Also, in New Zealand, an online version of the Davis Learning Strategies is being piloted, and again we are hoping this will be widely available, as so many teachers find it difficult to travel to the workshops.

We are still Talking the DYS out of Dyslexia!

As you know, we launched our first series of podcasts in August on Podbean and then on our YouTube Channel.  Thanks to Tristan’s efforts we are now approved for Spotify !  Only iTunes to go !  We are currently recording the second series focussing on the Davis Learning Strategies, the preventative measures that can be introduced into K-3 classes, thus providing a cognitive equal opportunity for all, regardless of learning style.

We have international speakers shedding light on:

• The need for DLS in schools

• The success teachers see when they implement DLS (in NZ and Canada)

• The research behind DLS

• An overview of a book that provides a segueway for teachers who need more information

• An online program for young learners and their parents

and more… they will be launched to coincide with Dyslexia week – October 5-9, 2020. 

CHILDREN & READING

One of our interviewees brought up a very sound point.  She sends children home with reading books that are very easy for them, rather than stretching them.  She pointed out that when adults get home from work, they are more likely to reach for a magazine,  novel or newspaper than a highly challenging research paper.  They are tired they read for relaxation, and why would children be any different? 

She also believes, as we do, that reading is introduced far too early in a child’s life.  Brain research shows that children are not ready to read until they are at least 7 and feels that much of the anxiety she sees today is because we push too much too early.  Rudolf Steiner found that they are not ready until they have their adult teeth.

A link with the INDUSTRY TRAINING AUTHORITY is in its early stages.  They process apprenticeships throughout BC and when a student struggles and fails their exam because of their learning challenge, the ITA seeks different routes for them to take.  Luckily one route is to contact a Davis program provider, with a view to a correction program, which they will fund.  Very good news for adults who like ‘hands-on’ careers!

FUNDRAISING

We are so grateful for the generosity shown to us in our Walk and Talk the DYS out of Dyslexia campaign.  We estimate we are close to $6,000 and donations are still coming in.  We will leave the campaign page open till the end of the year. 

Ed Roman’s Video – Red Omen is now available on Vimeo for Canadian Rental Sales. Amazon, to buy or to rent for U.S.A residents and Apple Music. Part of the proceeds will go to The Whole Dyslexic Society – this video has won so many international awards at film festivals – and we thank him for being so generous. Please follow Red Omen The Video on Facebook. Follow Ed Roman on Instagram here.

A LONG OVERDUE INSIGHT – HOW I THINK

You would think that being of a grand old age, I would know how I think… particularly in my line of work!

Well, apparently not… I am still a marvel to myself.  This is my latest epiphany.  Thanks to the recording and editing of 10 podcasts which involved learning Audacity (which if you are ever tempted, know there is NO real live help or chat line), and thanks to recording 3 YouTubes via Movie Maker, which needed slides being overlaid onto the recording and for the sound to keep going… I have discovered that not only do I need to make an image of the technical support (thank you thegeekteacher), but once I have seen the advice, I need to go away, do something physical, even washing up and housework count, so that I can process the information, and come back refreshed to give it a go.  Just going away and having a break doesn’t do it… I need to do something physical in that break. 

 So I see a need for this ‘processing by doing’ to be in schools… oh wait a minute... that’s what Davis methods do!

When children look up a word in the Dictionary, when they understand the meaning, and they make a 3D model, this is their physical doing.

It is part of their processing as well as the Mastery procedure.  Ron may well have voiced that many moons ago, but I was obviously out to lunch at the time, so I guess better late than never!   And WOW… there is SO much more to Davis techniques than meets the eye first time around, or in my case many thousands of times around. 

Sue

Newsletter September 2020

A MASSIVE thank you to everyone who donated and listened to our incredibly successful Walk and Talk the DYS out of Dyslexia.

We had so much fun, both in the planning and the doing and watching our $ thermometer rising to an amazing $5200 at September 04, and we know more donations are on the way.

We have had so many wonderfully generous donations from all over Canada – and its never too late, our coffers are always open, so if you would like to help us get to that $8,000 mark just go to Canada Helps Here,

or send a cheque to The Whole Dyslexic Society, 352 East 11th Street, North Vancouver, BC, V7L 2G9.  Thank you !  We can do this by the end of 2020 !!!

 SO many wonderful donors, we can only mention a few:

• One shining star is Zoey, age 8, who cycled 25kms in 2hrs 24 mins from Mud Bay to Boundary Bay and raised $685 !!!

• We had a biker who decided to ride 505kms the equivalent distance from his home town of Yorkton in Saskatchewan to Winnipeg, Manitoba.

• Gisa, a Board director, got back her thirst for running, 10kms every other day!

• Tristan was so busy hiking, he forgot to put himself in the photo!

• Sue and a lawn bowling friend Mary Anne determined to walk 5kms every day… even Sue’s dogs were hoping for a day off but finishing the seawall walk with breakfast at the Boat shed in Ambleside made it all much easier. 

The ultimate star is Laura O’Neil, our administrator without whom this fundraiser would never have got off the ground and for whom we are always incredibly grateful. 

The podcasts would never have developed if Tristan hadn’t suggested them, and he set us up with Podbean and YouTube. Shortly they will be on Spotify and Apple iTUnes.

In one month we have had positive reviews with 223 listens, and 21 followers, most people seem to listen/download on Sunday evenings ?

This first series has been about dyslexia and the correction.   Sue and Tristan have already started interviewing a second series which will focus on Prevention using the Davis Learning Strategies in schools.  They will be published every Sunday from October 4, 2020.

Sue and Laura are now posting videos on the WDS YouTube Channel  here or just go to YouTube and Search The Whole Dyslexic Society. You will see the public videos and then click on Playlist and you will see the ones we have been collecting.  This year we are dedicating our channel to the late Sir Kenneth Robinson, who was a remarkable, inspiring, hilarious proponent of positive change in education.  We miss him greatly.

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We trust that Canada Helps will be sending you tax receipts automatically, but if not, just let us know.  Those not using Canada Helps will have a tax receipt mailed to them from the WDS. Contact us at info@thewds.org

What a month!  THANK YOU, THANK YOU, this feels like the beginning of a whole new lifetime for The Whole Dyslexic Society, and massive thanks go to the current Board who have worked so hard for so long.

We are all in this community together to bring about increased awareness, and we will keep Talking the DYS out of Dyslexia in order to bring about an equal cognitive opportunity for all.

Love and gratitude to you all,

 Sue, Laura, Denny, Carole, Paddy, Nadine, Gisa and Tristan

Please follow us on Social Media and YouTube

Newsletter August 2020

We are halfway through August and have already raised very close to half our total !  We are so grateful and so amazed by the generosity we are experiencing.

Walk and Talk the ‘dys’ out of Dyslexia

We had an article in the North Shore News August 1 and our podcasts are being published every Wednesday and Sunday in August.  We have listeners from around the world, and the comments are all good.

The episodes are on Podbean and also our own YouTube Channel.  Very soon we will be adding videos outlining what dyslexia is, the correction procedure and how it can be prevented.

Creative Dyslexia The Video

A group of Facilitators, led by Shelley McMeeken in New Zealand has launched a Kickstarter campaign for a video – Creative Dyslexia. There will be one version featuring Davis methods, and one version for general information on dyslexia. To visit the Creative Dyslexia Kickstarter campaign click here .

This truly is an exciting month for encouraging news!

To visit our Podcast Click Here

Tristan and Sue have already started working on the second podcast series which will be focussing on the Davis Learning Strategies (DLS) – our Prevention objective.  For example, Richard Whitehead of DDA UK is the author of a book entitled Why Tyrannosaurus But Not If?  The Dyslexic Blueprint for the Future of Education, which is the perfect segueway for teachers who are aware of the DLS but need more information.  I have copies here if anyone would like to buy one. Click here to contact me.

It’s been difficult to focus (surprise) with so much excitement in the past 2 weeks, so many new connections are being forged and there will be more news at the end of the month.  For now, please do encourage your friends/family/work colleagues to go to our website and register for the sponsored walk – we are going to get to our $8,000 total – and we need you !

Please follow us on Social Media and YouTube

With deep gratitude we thank you for your support. Warm sun-filled wishes, your Board, Sue, Laura, Denny, Carole, Paddy, Nadine, Gisa and Tristan.

North Vancouver Organization Launches Campaign

North Shore News August 1 st, 2020

Read More in North Shore News here …………………

Newsletter July 2020

So summer is officially here… at last ! We hope you are basking in glorious sunshine and feeling some sort of respite from a very chaotic four months. 

WALK AND TALK THE ‘DYS’ OUT OF DYSLEXIA

is officially launched – and we are SO excited! When something is right, it seems to accumulate an energy all of its own, and our initiative has grown beyond our original idea.

• The first series of podcasts are all ready for Podbean – we will publish one every Sunday and Wednesday in August, and the second series is underway. 

• The walking part is spreading all over Canada like a very positive wildfire.

All the details are here (click here to visit our registration page) so I won’t repeat them, but please DO JOIN IN, just because you can; we will all be walking, biking, running, swimming or even climbing our way through August... skateboarding, sailing, paddleboarding any human powered movement counts.  We are a creative bunch, so photos of strange ways of moving and getting sponsored are all very welcome for our Facebook page and we can do all of the above safely, social distancing if we need to.

PINS

When thinking of a recognition we could provide for our walkers, Sue googled to see if there is a universal symbol for dyslexia, and there isn’t.  SO long story short, we decided to make one.  We have a very talented jewellery designer in our midst, and she was kind enough to consider designing a pin and getting it to the production stage.  One day, I would like to think that she will sell a beautiful silver version of this symbol, as the whole concept of being proud to be dyslexic goes viral !  Our sincere thanks go to her!  More details to follow…

COUNSELLING

I am delighted to be able to introduce Daniela Gielnik to you.  She is the mother of one of my students, a teacher and now is adding counselling to her bow.  I make this introduction because I feel many of you, and/or your children have challenges that she could help with.  There are always ‘knock-on’ effects when a person learns in a different way to the way they are taught. 

Over to Daniela:

 “Over the years I have worked with children, youth, adults and families, helping them navigate their way through difficult situations and unfamiliar territory. The world of the dyslexia is one which I have encountered as a West Vancouver educator and a parent. Over the years I have been fortunate enough to work with Sue Hall in promoting a better understanding of dyslexia as a gift in order to tap into potential as opposed to focusing on obstacles.

My own life experiences bring me to a place of empathy and understanding making me a compassionate, non judgmental companion in the counselling space. My experience of working in a recovery centre and school settings has allowed me to connect with the complex lives of adults, students, parents and their families. My expertise ranges from addressing issues around social emotional issues, anxiety, loneliness, depression, grief and relationships, to name but a few. I like to work together with individuals to explore obstacles, and develop tools for life in the pursuit of mental wellness and life balance.

I like to combine creative influences with evidence based approaches in order to make the counselling sessions meaningful. It is rarely the same thing that will resonate for everyone. I utilize a range of creative inspiration to explore emotions, and offer the client a variety of evocative ways to bring about new understandings. I have experience in Solution Focused Therapy, CBT, Motivational Interviewing, Narrative Therapy, Bibliotherapy and Play Therapy.

If you feel that you could benefit from some help in navigating new terrains, please contact me for a free consultation. I offer a sliding scale in order to reduce potential barriers to those seeking to improve mental health. Check out my website at www.danielagielnik.com,”

TECHNOLOGY

I may have shared my view of technology with some of you, so I apologise for repeating myself, but for the newcomers, here goes.  When a student comes to a Davis program they know they have challenges and they know they have goals.  They take responsibility for their learning by using their focussing, relaxing and energy tools, they free their alphabet of confusions, read with a visual recognition, and fill in the blanks for those trigger words, such as ‘the’, ‘if’, ‘of’ etc.   Post program, whilst continuing the reading exercise and mastering 200+ words, they often have to go back into the school system.  The system is relentless (most of the time) and may make demands on them that are still beyond their reach.

 I am not a fan of the school system’s provision of technology pre-remediation when a student cannot read or write – for me it is a crutch not an empowerment, a third party way of achieving a goal and later on may well become the only way they can survive in the adult world. I also feel, rightly or wrongly, that it absolves the education system of finding a way that does work for all the students (can you hear my bias to Davis Learning Strategies). However, I am a fan of technology being an interim measure while students complete their Davis follow-up, and cope with overwhelming tasks.

 Julie Brewer is the mother of a student who took the program about a year ago and is very involved in his education. She is also a Montessori teacher, working with 3-5 year olds.  She has kindly agreed to share a fantastic personal review of the technology that has proved useful for her son, post-program, see link below. If you would like to contact her, just send Sue an email and she will pass it on – info@thewds.org. We are so grateful for such a comprehensive and road tested list !

Julie Brewer Dyslexia Tech Accommodations

Read More………….

Copyright 2020 Julie Brewer -All Rights Reserved

DAVIS FRIENDLY SCHOOLS

We think its time we made a list of schools that smile kindly on our Davis methods.  We are aiming for a whole Elementary School to be using the Davis Learning Strategies, however, at the moment, we can only list schools where there is one teacher using them, or a school where some of the staff are taking the children through the post-program follow-up, or there is a teacher who is a Davis fan and has referred children to us. I may well have forgotten some, and will keep collecting….

Mill Bay Nature School, Cowichan Valley School District – for those of you on Vancouver Island, I am excited to announce that a teacher who took a Davis program for herself, will be working at this school as of September 2020.  Always good to know that there is an empathetic presence for those with this wonderful way of thinking. info@thewds.org.

Wildflower School, Nelson, BC has one of their teachers using DLS.

Heritage Christine Online School – one of their learning support team has taken a DLS workshop and taken a student through her trigger words.

St. Michael’s Catholic School, Burnaby – have sent students to Sue, and four teachers attended a DLS workshop.

The Sacred Heart, Delta – have sent students to Sue and they assist them to complete the trigger word mastery at school.

St. Anthony’s Catholic School, West Vancouver – have sent students to Sue, and allowed us to host a DLS workshop there.

Donna Doerksen is the teacher/librarian in the Burnaby School  District where 5 teachers took a DLS workshop.

So there we are, we wish you a wonderful summer, very much hope to see many of you, and thank you for your support as we support as many like-minded people as we can. Warm sun-filled wishes, your Board, Sue, Laura, Denny, Carole, Paddy, Nadine, Gisa and Tristan.

Newsletter June 2020

Here we are in June – half way through a year that we might look back on as sort of never happening!  We all hope that your adjustment to our new circumstances has been as easy as possible, and that we are on our way to a slightly more normal life – maybe keeping some of the silver linings – not having to be so many places and do so many things – and making the most of the time in our own bubbles! The WDS bubble has been busy:

COMMUNITY

• This weekend some of us would have been at Camp Elphinstone for the Family Summer Camp weekend… and we take solace in the fact that we might have been a little wetter than planned – however, they are keeping May 29-31, 2021 for us, so we all have plenty of time to pre-order sunshine, and put it in our calendars, so we are hoping for a full house!

• Jan Hagedorn, a teacher, a homeschooling mom, was one of my students who became a Davis Facilitator for a brief period. She very kindly put this guide (click here) together, such a great idea, we are so grateful because not all parents were not designed to be homeschoolers.

OUTREACH

• Sue was extremely excited to be presenting a session at the Learning Ally’s Virtual Conference – Spotlight on Dyslexia, June 5, 2020.  She had no idea it was a worldwide audience, over 9,000 people registered.  The organisation has permission to scan any book and attach an audio recording to it, and apparently they had requests for Fish Don’t Climb Trees to be recorded.  They give audio books to their learning challenged members for free along with a scanned version of the text, with a highlighter that shows you where you are.

• Her session will be available on-demand session through September 30, 2020 to earn up to 16 CE Certificates. Click here to register

• Tristan and Sue have been busy recording a series of podcasts – apparently everyone listens to them these days!  They have recorded 6 already and we think you will really enjoy them; all from people who are sharing all their insights, stories, and the true knowledge gained for experience.  They aim to have 8-10 ready for August as they have more impact when released once a week or fortnightly in conjunction with our Walk and Talk Fundraiser (see below).

• Sue was asked to present two sessions to the UK Davis Facilitators at their virtual Professional Development Day.  Despite the fact that it required a very early start, it was lots of fun, and should any of the facilitators take up her support documents, she suggested they could donate to the WDS.

• Sue and Carole have put in an application for the UVic Conference to be held on October 28 which is very likely to be online. 

FUNDRAISING

• We need to fill our bursary fund. The programs we advocate are not available in the public sector, yet, and it is likely we will receive more requests for bursaries following the CoVid financial hardships. To this end, Gisa has worked tirelessly to send off an application to the Canada Post Foundation, asking them for $15-25,000 for our bursary fund. It was a lot of work, and we are so grateful to her. Grant writing is hardly ever fun !

• At our last Board Meeting it became evident that we also need more funds in our general account. The foundations who are often able to help us are struggling with their own fundraising, no events, no tins at cash checkouts, no car washes etc. SO:

  • We are registered with Canada Helps and for the month of JUNE they are giving us a chance to win $20,000 for our Society – every $1 donated to us is an entry to the competition. Click here or the donate button below to help us win $20,000

  • AND, we are delighted to announce our very own WALK and TALK the DYS out of Dyslexia initiative for the month of August…Read More.

PREVENTION

• We do have funding in our account for Davis Learning Strategies and are looking to hold another workshop in 2021.  We feel teachers have enough to cope with this year just being online and adapting to the new guidelines.  We will be in touch with them before the end of the summer term to see if they need a refresher before September. Details are always to be found at www.davislearn.com.

We wish you all a wonderful summer - we hope to be in touch with many of you as we all walk across Canada - and thank you SO much for helping us to do all we need to do!

Sue, Laura, Denny, Carole, Paddy, Nadine, Gisa, Tristan.

The Learning Ally Spotlight on Dyslexia On-Demand Sessions Available Now

Sue Hall was extremely excited to be presenting a session at the Learning Ally’s Virtual Conference – Spotlight on Dyslexia, June 5, 2020. 

“Spotlight on Dyslexia delivers powerful and impactful professional learning suitable for educators of all levels.

• Learn the impact of early intervention to put students with dyslexia on the path to success.

• Discover instructional strategies to help your students achieve their academic potential.

• Hear how research-driven technology and tools can boost classroom effectiveness.

• Connect with the experts and other educators to share first-hand experiences.”

Their on demand sessions are available until September 30, 2020. To register visit their website here.

Canada Helps chance to win $20,000 for the month of June

We are registered with Canada Helps and for the month of JUNE they are giving us a chance to win $20,000 for our Society – every $1 donated to us is an entry to the competition.

Global Morning News - Month of Giving

Following on from the CKNW Telethon Sue received an invitation to the Global Morning News. Global was featuring small local charities during the December Month of Giving, and Accents Inns donated $500 to every interviewee. You can see Sue’s interview on Facebook - The Whole Dyslexic Society page, and the Positive Dyslexia page or view below. We are grateful to both Global and Accents Inns for rounding off a fabulous 2019.

Sue Hall and one of her students took part in the CKNW Kids Fund Telethon on Giving Tuesday, 2019.

Sue and Becca visited the CKNW Kids Fund Telethon on December 3, 2019 at the Fairmont Hotel, Vancouver. The CKNW Kids Fund has graciously donated funds to students who need some financial assistance, so they can receive a Davis Dyslexia Correction Program. Sue and Becca were delighted to be able to speak on behalf of the Fund. The whole event was quite magical, you could feel the joy in giving; see the phone lines busy; listen to various choirs from local schools, and see the donated amount rising rapidly. Congratulations to all involved as the final total was over 2 million dollars ! Click on the link below to hear the interview.

100 Women Who Care of The North Shore Support The WDS

On December 2, 2019, 100 Women Who Care will be awarding The Whole Dyslexic Society $10,000. The funds will go towards workshops for educators specifically on the prevention methods for Dyslexia. Thank you 100 Women Who Care.

North Shore News 100 Women Who Care

North Shore Community Foundation Grant

The Whole Dyslexic Society has been granted an award of $2,400.00 from the North Shore Community Foundation. The grant presentation ceremony took place on November 28th at 5.30PM at the Polygon Gallery (101 Carrie Cates Court, North Vancouver).

This award will provide funding for the Society’s Community initiative for the 2020 Family Summer Camp weekend. Children who have completed a program, and some parents enjoy a multitude of activities and a rare chance to be with like-minded people for a whole two days !

Many thanks to the Foundation for helping us achieve our mission.

Newsletter November 2019

Dear Everyone… October was an amazingly successful month for The WDS … I hope it was for you too. We are excited to launch our new Newsletter format. We hope you enjoy it and look forward to hearing from you.
Warmest Wishes, Sue Hall, Chair

Achieving our Mission

You may remember that in September Sue went to her first meeting of 100 Women Who Care. All over Canada there are groups of 100 Women Who Care, 100 Men Who Care, 100 Children Who Care, and for smaller communities 100 People Who Care.  They meet 4 times a year, everyone donates $100 each time, local charities put a nomination slip in a box, and three are drawn out at each meeting.  The three charities make their pitch, the ladies vote, and the winning charity gets $10,000.  Well the North Shore branch had just achieved their 100th member when Sue got to the meeting in September, which in itself was an achievement, so it was the first time they had their goal of $10,000.  Guess who was first out of the box of nominations… the WDS…. Sue spoke first, (asking for money to fund Davis Learning Strategies Basic Teacher Workshops) then two other charities spoke, they all voted, and guess who got the first $10,000.   WE DID !!!!   So many women came up to Sue afterwards to say how learning challenges had affected themselves, or their children or their grandchildren.  At their next meeting, December 2, Sue will speak to the assembled women telling them what the money is being used for, and anyone is welcome to come as a guest, it’s at Amica just off Taylor Way.  Let her know … info@thewds.org

Prevention

On October 25/26 there was a scheduled DLS Workshop; 16 teachers attended from Burnaby, Victoria, Nanaimo, Nelson and Surrey.  The presenter, Colleen Millslagle came from Texas, and luckily for us, the workshop was the last part of Stacey Smith’s DLS Presenter training, so fingers crossed, we now have a Canadian DLS Presenter.  It was the perfect photo opportunity for the giant cheque from 100 Women Who Care to be presented.  Thank you to Naomi Chard and Mary McGivern who give philanthropic women the opportunity of supporting local charities… especially us !   I’d like to point out Donna Doerksen in the photo – 3rd from the right front row – I will never be able to thank her enough for all her support over the 17 years she has known about the work we do.  She is currently a teacher/librarian in the Burnaby School District, a total non-picture thinker, and our strongest advocate.  For this event, she got 5 teachers to come and provided the most amazing baking!   

Your Board will be meeting shortly to discuss the best use of this money.  It has always been Sue’s hope that three schools will use these methods wholeheartedly, and provide success stories/statistics that other schools will envy and replicate.  Paddy Carson, Edmonton Facilitator, and antipodean is currently in New Zealand visiting some of the schools using DLS.  This article is an update on DLS schools down under, click here to read more 

Resources

Stacey’s husband Larry Smith was also at the Workshop; he is a Davis Autism Approach Facilitator and Trainer. Many of our children have a few autistic characteristics and he recommended this book, Parenting, Love and Logic. I am also a fan of Simplicity Parenting by Kim John Payne. In the latest Dyslexic Reader there was an article entitled ‘Ten Reasons why handheld devices should be banned for children under the age of 12’ and the author, Cris Rowan, lives on the Sunshine Coast, working out of Zone’in Programs. Her latest book is The Virtual Child – the terrifying truth about what technology is doing to children.

Outreach

Sue spoke at the Decoda Conference, November 22, 2019, Radisson Hotel, YVR. The audience was made up of literacy proponents from all over BC, who were all wonderfully receptive. Sue received one such response:

‘Your presentation was definitely one of the best that I attended during the conference. I really enjoyed it – so valuable. Thank you for the information and for your good work!’

 She will also be supporting the CKNW Kids Fund at their Telethon, December 3, 2019. They have been kind enough to support some of our bursary applicants for the past few years. Sue was there 3/4 (?) years ago. Donna and Sue have put in an application for the Burnaby School District Pro D Day, February 28, 2020.

Thank you to our Donors and Sponsors

And finally… if you are still awake… more good news… the Canadian Davis Facilitators Association is donating another $1,500 to our bursary fund.  They have been kind enough to do this for several years now and this donation enables us to support clients in other provinces, so thank you!

Ed Roman is an incredibly talented, generous singer/songwriter who is donating some of the profit from his prize winning Red Omen Video (based on his dyslexic struggles) to the WDS – it will be available in Canada shortly.  So many congratulations to Ed, and so much gratitude.  To read more click here.

Thanks to Zella and Maela Aufochs we now have three Christmas Cards added to the WDS selection in our Card Project.  To read more click here. 

Thank you to the North Shore Community Foundation who has granted us an award of $2,400.00 for the Society’s Community initiative for the 2020 Family Summer Camp weekend. Children who have completed a program, and some parents enjoy a multitude of activities and a rare chance to be with like-minded people for a whole two days ! Many thanks to the Foundation for helping us achieve our mission.

Copyright ©2019 The Whole Dyslexic Society, All rights reserved.

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345 East 11th St, North Vancouver, BC, V7L 2G9

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Davis Learning Strategies Basic Teacher Workshops - the missing piece.

The Whole Dyslexic Society sponsored a Davis Learning Strategies Basic Teacher Workshop in Burnaby, British Columbia on October 25 & 26, 2019. 16 teachers participated and we hope to be able to sponsor more of these workshops. The goal is to give K-3 classroom teachers an effective and efficient way to develop the beginning reader into an accomplished reader by the end of 3rd grade and to give their students life long skills in ‘how to learn’. To read more about Davis Learning Strategies visit our page here. We are so grateful to our sponsors, presenters and volunteers for making this possible.

Thank you Davis Dyslexia and Autism Facilitator’s Association of Canada for your gracious donation

This month, DDAFAC has awarded The Whole Dyslexic Society $1,500 for our Bursary Fund. Thank you facilitators ! To read about the need for our Bursary Fund please visit our page here.