Dyslexia Awareness Walk

October is Dyslexia Awareness Month and to help raise awareness in our Bendigo region we are hosting a Dyslexia Awareness Walk on Sunday the 15th of October 2017.

This event will be held at Lake Weeroona meeting near the children’s playground starting at 2 p.m. 

We will have introductory talks and presentations followed by a lap of the lake.

On our return to the starting point people will have time to share experiences and thoughts about an event for 2018.

Prepare yourself for a relaxing walk, wear purple, put on a hat, bring your water, and your walking shoes and enjoy a stroll to support our dyslexic learners. 

 Response to Intervention Workshop for School staff and Student Support Services Officers

This will be a fantastic practical presentation for school staff (principals, senior managers, teachers) and student support services (psychologists and speech pathologists)

The presenters are Karen Starkiss and Dr Kate Jacobs.  Karen has been to Bendigo previously and conducted several workshops for parents, teachers and allied health professionals. She is very experienced, knowledgeable and practical.  This will be the first time that Kate will join her in Bendigo. Kate is an experienced educational psychologist who continues to work with those with learning difficulties(LD) as well as lecturing on LD. 

Together they are providing a practical workshop which shouldn’t be missed. Please see the attached flyer and encourage your school to send staff to this important workshop.

Please click on the link to view more details and to register.

 VCE Special Provision

http://www.vcaa.vic.edu.au/Pages/vce/exams/specialprovision/specialprovisionreview.aspx

This year Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority (VCAA) have been conducting a review for SLD students and those with mental health conditions. 

This review follows up a review of special provision across all areas which was conducted in 2014.  Back then, I was involved in a focus group and encouraged BOLD members to respond.

Luckily we can be involved again as there is another survey which we can provide input and comments about the special provision for SLD students.

The survey is only available from the Thursday 14^th – Thursday 28^th September, so don’t delay. 

In 2014, one of the recommendations to allow students the opportunity to make early applications prior to the VCE year.  If you haven’t been through this process, applications are required to be completed by early-mid March of the VCE year.  It can take some time for the result to be known.  For example, my son didn’t hear until May, which was only 3 weeks prior to sitting the General Assessment Test (GAT).  It is exciting to see that there is progress on the recommendation for early application so that it doesn’t need to occur in this busy final VCE year.

You will be asked to respond to each section of recommendations for SLD (Specific Learning Difficulty) including reading, writing and math which includes: the timing of assessments, types of assessments, supporting information, history of school interventions, potential special provisions/accommodations for VCE. This includes the use of assistive technology. 

Please click on the link above to read about the recommendations and undertake the survey before the Thursday 28^th September.

 Multi-Sensory Structured Learning /Orton Gillingham Foundations for Teaching Reading - 4 day Course - $700

Nathalie Parry, who last year conducted the very successful viewing and discussion of Outside the Square is keen for teachers to know about this 4 day course which is being offered at a greatly reduced price.  Please pass this information onto your child's school.

Three national inquiries into the teaching of reading have concluded that synthetic phonics is the most effective method of reading instruction yet may have not heard of the term, and it is not the way reading is taught in most Australian schools.

In 2005, Australia’s National Inquiry into Teaching Reading recommended that young children should be provided with systematic, explicit and direct phonics instruction, and that teachers be equipped to provide this.

Synthetic phonics starts by introducing a few sounds and letters in short words, and systematically adds and practises more sounds, spellings and syllable types, until children can read well enough to read independently.

The Orton Gillingham Approach is a highly structured, and multi-sensory approach to teaching reading. This approach uses sight, hearing, touch and movement to help students connect language with letters and words.

Foundations of Multi-Sensory Structured Language Education is an introductory course to Orton Gillingham education and training.

The Learning Differences Convention is able to part fund 70 teachers on a Foundation Course on 5th-8th June 2017. The cost of the course is normally $2,500 however the Learning Difference Convention is able to offer the course for $700.

This course is provided for Speech Pathologists, Teachers, Learning Support and Teachers' Aides

The training is provided by Corey Zylstra, M.Ed. who is a certified OG Master Trainer in Canada (CATT, OG) and an Honorary Fellow (AOGPE in the US). Her training is accredited by OG International and is in the process of being accredited by IDA.

For more information and to BOOK NOW

Please click on the read more to follow the link to the website address below.

http://www.learningdifferenceconvention.com/ogmsl-training/