LISTENING GROUP

Listen & Learn: "Sold a Story" meets Williams Syndrome

You may have seen recent headlines that mention things like "Science of Reading", "Balanced Literacy", "Reading Wars", and "Sold A Story". These headlines are referring to recent debates on what is the "right" way to teach reading and a polarizing podcast called "Sold A Story" by Emily Handford. The podcast tells the story of reading instruction in America and outlines the impact that trends in reading instruction have had on literacy rates in America.

Please join Dr. Carolyn Mervis & WSA Education Consultant, Robin Pegg as we listen to each of the episodes of the "Sold A Story" podcast and discuss what this means for literacy and learning for individuals with Williams syndrome.

Join us for this important six 90-minute session series.

8:00 – 9:30 pm ET

Monday, February 13

Monday, February 27

Monday, March 13

Monday, March 27

Monday, April 10

Monday, April 24

Zoom Registration link: wsinfo.org/reading2023

FAMILY SUPPORT NETWORK SESSIONS

Are you looking for ways to connect with other parents/caregivers? Our support groups gather monthly virtually to discuss experiences, share thoughts, and offer support: private "peer-to-peer" groups. Periodically, a medical advisor specializing in the topic may join the discussion.

The topic-specific groups offer a great way to meet with parents/caregivers going through similar experiences. If you haven't had a chance to join, we welcome you to try a group in February.

February Schedule for All Groups:

Please click to register to receive the Zoom link if you plan to attend any of the following:

Feb 7, 8pm ET: Parents/Caregivers of Adults and Children with Williams Syndrome and Anxiety

Feb 16, 8pm ET: Parents/Caregivers of Adults with WS & Challenging Behaviors

Feb 21, 8pm ET: Parents/Caregivers of Children with WS 4 and under

Feb 23, 8pm ET: Parents/Caregivers of Adults and Children with Williams Syndrome and Autism

Feb 27, 8pm ET: Navigating Transition out of High School

New Groups will start in March!

You can also access our events calendar for recurring groups and all our events.

If you have a suggestion for a new group or would like to help lead a group, please contact us at familysupport@williams-syndrome.org. We look forward to partnering with each of you as we continue to add more support groups as another way of providing important support and connection within our community. Thank you to all who have participated so far!

Looking to connect outside of our group sessions with others who have similar experiences? Join our Family Support Forum to ask questions online and connect to other parents and caregivers in the WS community.

Join the Forum

ADVENTURE SEEKERS

MONTHLY VIRTUAL ADVENTURE SEEKERS MEETING ZOOMS

It's time to register for our February 2023 Zooms!

NEW! This year, you'll use the link below that corresponds with the date you'd like to attend to register for the Zoom. This will allow us to know who will be joining us and make it easy to remind you of the call, and to follow up afterward.

You'll register to receive the links every month.

You can join us on either Tuesday, February 21 at 4pm ET/ 3PM CT/ 2pm MT/ 1pm PT or Thursday, February 23 at 7pm ET/ 6pm CT/ 5pm MT/ 4pm PT.

To register click on the link below for the day you want to attend.

February Adventure Seekers Meeting Dates

Feb 21, 4pm ET: Adventure Seekers - Register here

Feb 23, 7pm ET: Adventure Seekers - Register here

JOIN THE ADVENTURE SEEKERS EMAIL LIST

Are you an adult with Williams syndrome age 18 or older, or their parent or caregiver, and want to ensure you never miss out on information about our Adventure Seekers program? Be sure to join our Adventure Seekers email list! This is how you'll learn about our monthly virtual meet-ups, trips, learning opportunities, in-person gatherings, and more!

Join the Adventure Seekers Email List

ORLANDO ROOM BLOCK UPDATE

We’re currently working with the hotel to try to get more rooms added. They recently added 10 king rooms with a sofa sleeper at our current block. We may need to bump up to the next price level to add additional rooms and are currently negotiating with the hotel to see what we can do. Don't worry, if we run out of rooms here, we'll find more!

All that to say don’t panic – We're actively working on it. If it makes you feel better to reserve the room at the regular rate, then we can work on getting it adjusted later. You’re totally fine to go ahead and do that!

We'll update you as soon as we know.

Thanks for your patience!

CAMP BLUE SKIES - SPOTS STILL AVAILABLE!

UPDATE!!! We have a handful of spots left for Camp Blue Skies-Williams Syndrome March 6-10 at Camp Twin Lakes in Rutledge, GA.

There's room for 3️⃣ more female and 3️⃣ more male campers (age 21 and up).

If you know someone who might be interested, please share! Apply here: https://campblueskies.org/williams-syndrome

FEBRUARY IS AMERICAN HEART MONTH

All of February is National Heart Month. Approximately 75% of individuals with Williams syndrome have a detectable cardiovascular defect from extremely mild to severe. Many have had one or more surgeries and procedures, so heart awareness is very important to our community.

Thank you for tagging us in your social media photos on #WearRedDay!

Use #OurHearts on social media to share how you prioritize your heart health and to see how others are showing their hearts some love, too. When we take care of our hearts as part of our self-care, we set an example for those around us to do the same. www.nhlbi.nih.gov/ourhearts

Devoting some time every day to care for yourself can go a long way toward protecting your heart health. Self-care—like moving more, preparing healthier meals, getting enough quality sleep, and taking a moment to de-stress—helps your heart.

#OurHearts. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/resources/self-care-tips-heart-health

Taking small steps, like adding more physical activity to your day, can reduce your risk for heart disease. At least 150 minutes of exercise for adults every week can help keep #OurHearts healthy. https://nhlbi.nih.gov/resources/move-more-making-physical-activity-routine

Learn More

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