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Accessing Reliable LD and ADHD Teacher and Parent Resources
October is LD and ADHD awareness month and I would like to focus on accessing accurate and reliable teacher and parent resources. Teachers need to have up-to-date knowledge about these conditions in order to best plan for our students needs and to collaborate with parents and other professionals.
Students with Learning Disabilities and/or ADHD can be puzzling because of their strengths and weaknesses, and the inconsistencies that can occur in both areas! It can also be difficult to understand how much of student behavior is the nature of the condition.
Given the immense amount of information available about each of t
heses conditions, it can be difficult to determine what is accurate and what is not. Teachers are in a unique position to help parents navigate this information overload. These two free online resources for parents of children with Learning Disabilities or ADHD from Foothills Academy Society are excellent sources of accurate information, for both parents and teachers!
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ADHD 101 for Parents workshop featuring Dr. Karen MacMillan (registered psychologist and our co-ED) is
a free nine-part interactive workshop that aims to help inform parents about Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), examine it's impact on families and provide awareness about a range of supports that exist to support young people with ADHD.
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* General overview of Learning Disabilities
* Organization tricks to use at home
* Homework tips
* How to make transitions go more smoothly
* Memory tricks
* Listening strategies for your child
* Assistive technology
* Encouragement strategies to keep kids motivated
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Additional ADHD and Learning Disabilities
The following are resources we regularly recommend to the parents of our students and our clients. I highly encourage you to pass these on and to check them out yourself!
ADHD Resources:
Learning Disabilities Resources:
Sincerely,
Tanya Keto
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Upcoming Professional Development Opportunities
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Study Skills Online Workshop - Teacher Companion
Many students can benefit from explicitly learning about note taking, study and test taking strategies. This online workshop allows students to learn and review study strategies. The Online Study Skills Workshop can benefit all students from grade 6 through to post-secondary. Participants can opt to complete it on their own or with the guidance of a parent, tutor or teacher. Additional information is provided to support students with LD and ADHD. Learn and review through videos, narrated Powerpoints, on-line surveys, polls and more. Topics covered include:
- Effective Note-taking
- Your Study Environment
- Creating a Study Schedule
- Learning Styles
- What type of learner are you?
- Test Taking
- General Test-taking tips
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Looking Beyond the Behaviour:
Motivating and Supporting Students with High Functioning ASD in the Classroom (Webinar)
Date: Wed. Oct 26 & Nov. 16
Time: 4:30 - 6:00 pm (MDT/MST)
Cost
: $45
Navigating the world as a child on the Autism Spectrum can be a confusing and many times frustrating experience. Learn practical tools designed to help you guide your high functioning ASD students towards success in the classroom. This webinar is designed to explore the diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder as it appears in the classroom, with a focus on children with high functioning Autism (formerly referred to as Asperger's Syndrome). We will explore methods of functional behaviour assessment, classroom intervention, and proactive behaviour management. Presenter:
Melissa Miller
To register for this workshop, click here.
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Date: Mon. Nov. 7 & 14, 2016
Time: 9 - 10:30 am (MST)
Format: Webinar
Cost
: $45
Precision Reading is a short, daily, research-based remedial reading activity designed to improve fluency, sight word vocabulary, and passage comprehension. It enables students from grades three to twelve with low/poor reading abilities to make progress quickly and efficiently. Precision Reading is a one-on-one instructional activity that takes less than ten minutes a day to implement. This program was created by Dr. Rick Freeze,
professor
at the University of Manitoba. Presenter Kim Tackaberry
Click here to register for the Precision Reading webinar. *Please note that we are unable to provide a recording of this webinar.
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Gamified Learning (Webinar)
Date: Wed. Nov. 23, 2016
Time: 4:30 - 6:00 pm (MST)
Cost:
$45
We've all been there at some point in our careers... Standing in front of a class of students with blank stares, completely disengaged in what they should be learning. If you have been in this situation, you most likely asked yourself some of the following questions: How can I make this subject matter more interesting to my students? How do I keep my students motivated to learn? How do I help my students to connect this information to their own experiences?
This session will hopefully help you to find solutions to the above questions. Gamified learning is a relatively new concept in the educational world. However, by turning units or lessons into a collaborative game, students will become more engaged, more intrinsically motivated, and able to relate their experiences to the content being taught. As an added bonus, both you and the students will also have fun. Presenter: Danielle Manchak Click here to register for this webinar.
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Date: Wed. November 30, 2016
Time: 4:30 - 6:00 pm (MST)
Cost:
$45
Mindful Schools states that mindfulness means 'maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of our thoughts, emotions, bodily sensations, and surrounding environment'. Ayra will share specific techniques to help students with LD/ADHD manage stress and develop mindful ways of thinking, both at home and at school. Participants will leave with simple and easy ways to integrate these methods into classrooms of all levels. Presenter: Ayra Kelly
Click here to register for this webinar.
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About Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) (Half-day Workshop) for Psychologists
Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) is a formal mental health condition that has a prevalence rate of 5-6%. Yet, because of lack of knowledge and awareness of DCD, this condition is frequently overlooked or misdiagnosed by doctors, psychologists, and other mental health professionals. Learn why it is important to know about this diagnosis and how to look for the 'signs' of this condition when working with school-aged children.
Speaker: Dr. Paulene Kamps
Dr. Paulene Kamps is a registered psychologist, certified teacher, kinesiologist and author who considers herself an educator about and advocate for people who are dealing with Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD). She loves to present, write and talk about DCD. Dr. Kamps has worked as a special education classroom teacher for students who have learning problems, emotional/behavioural
difficulties, and specific syndromes and conditions. She has also been employed with numerous private agencies and in three of Alberta's large public school districts. In addition, Dr. Kamps has a part-time private practice in Calgary, Alberta.
Target Audience: Graduate student, provisional and registered psychologists
Date: Friday, Nov. 25, 2016
Time: 8:45 am - 12:00 pm
Location: Foothills Academy, 745 - 37 Street NW, Calgary
Fee:
Early Bird (until Oct. 31st):
$40 for students and provisional psychologists
$60 for registered psychologists
After Oct. 31st:
$60 for students and provisional psychologists
$80 for registered psychologists
Click here to register for this workshop
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Partnerships and Collaborations
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 Enhancing Executive Functions in the Classroom Webinar Series
(presented by Calgary Regional Consortium)
Date: Wed. October 19, Nov. 2 & Nov 9, 2016
Time: 4:30 - 5:45 pm (MDT/MST)
Cost:
No Fee to attend but pre-registration is required
Understanding executive functions can improve motivation, grit and overall student efficacy in classrooms. This 3-part series is designed to support teachers in understanding the role of executive functions in the classroom and how to implement "executive functioning friendly" strategies in classrooms:
Webinar 1: Executive Functions: Who's the Boss?
Webinar 2: Engaging Students From the Moment They Enter Your Classroom
Webinar 3: Simply Add Executive Function Strategies to Your Lesson Plans
All three webinars are being presented by Foothills Academy Society's Tanya Keto.
Tanya is a soon-to-be Provisional Psychologist who has completed her Masters of Education in Child and Applied School Psychology at the University of Calgary. This webinar is being offered by the Calgary Regional Consortium. Registration is free thanks to a grant from Alberta Education. Pre-registration is necessary and is done directly through the CRC website. To learn more,
click here to get a copy of the flyer
.
Click here to register for this webinar.
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The Right to Read Online Workshop
Teaching Kindergarten or Grade One for the first time? Our online workshop is the perfect refresher of the developmental reading continuum. Learn how to screen your students and discover which students would benefit from more reading support and in which particular areas. A manual specifically designed with activities to support these students is included along with a guide to share with parents as well.
Registration is ongoing online through this link.
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Why Not Bring a Foothills' Speaker to You?
Are you interested in having one of our presenters bring a workshop to your school or conference? We can arrange to come in person or through videoconfering or webinar. Check out our full list of workshop offerings. We are happy to customize our workshops to meet your needs. Contact Kim Tackaberry at ktackaberry@foothillsacademy.org or call 403-270-9400 ext. 236 for details.
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