Celebrate the Hero

Weekly Mission

Lend a Hand

Lending a hand to someone in need is a small gesture that can make a huge difference. This can be as simple as opening a door for someone that has their hands full or helping a family member out with their homework. If there is one thing every person in the world could use from time to time, it is help. Doing something that is relatively simple for you can really mean the world to someone else, which is what helps make the world a better place. So let’s lend a hand heroes! 

Please comment on this post and share some ways you have helped another person this week and inspire others to do the same!

Let's Talk About LDs

Once again, we would like to share a video made by one of our students who was asked to create a presentation about learning disabilities to share with the resource teachers back in her home board. Watch the video below to see one of our second year students, Megan, speak eloquently and with exceptional insight into what it is like to be diagnosed with a learning disability and the strategies and tools that have helped her to persevere! Megan is an incredible example of resiliency and we hope her words will inspire and motivate other students who learn differently to advocate for what they need to be successful.

Readiris

Readiris is another app, similar to Prizmo, that can be used to scan and read text to our students. The main difference, however, is that Readiris allows you to bring in pictures and Prizmo doesn't.  This is great for our students if they need to capture a picture of a text book in Science, Social Studies, or Math, for example, where there are many diagrams, maps, illustrations, etc.  Watch the video created by Geoff Mortaley, our assistive technology advisor, to see how easy this program is to use.  Once you have taken a picture and scanned the text, you export it into a word processing app and have it read to you.  Geoff models how to do this step-by-step and shares how to trouble shoot if a problem arises.  Technology isn't perfect, but as Geoff says, minor glitches should not be a deal breaker! Text is accessible to our students now in a way that wasn't possible before and we are leveling the playing field for all students with LD.

Another Free Webinar through LD@School! Check it out!

FREE WEBINAR: Supporting the Social and Emotional Development of Students with Learning Disabilities 

Presented by: Dr. Colin King
Tuesday, May 12, 2015 3:30 – 4:45pm EST
 
Many students with learning disabilities also struggle in their social-emotional development. How can educators and professionals support the development and social-emotional skills of children with learning disabilities? This webinar will provide an overview of the complex interactions between learning disabilities and the development of social-emotional challenges in students. It will also attempt to answer this question by providing information about common social-emotional challenges that are experienced by students, and strategies and tools to connect these ideas into a practical plan for student support.

This is a great professional learning opportunity for all, so please share this with your friends and colleagues.

Click here to find out more information about this FREE webinar on the LD@school website!

Personal Devices as Assistive Tools

FREE WORKSHOP FOR PARENTS AND TEACHERS

Monday May 11th, 4 to 4:45pm

This workshop has been designed for parents and teachers who want to learn more about personal, mobile devices and how they can be used to assist and deepen learning.  Geoff Mortaley, our assistive technology advisor, will demonstrate the basic built-in supports that are available on iOs devices, as well as several apps that our students are using to access text, create digital products, and demonstrate their learning. Parents and teachers of returning schools are invited to take part via Adobe Connect to learn more about how we are using this technology to support students with learning disabilities.

Connect via Adobe Connect:   http://connect.psbnet.ca/parentworkshop/

Contact Martin Smit at martin.smit@ontario.ca for more information.

All About Tessa

Twice a year at Sagonaska, home school boards and families are invited to attend review/transition meetings to see first-hand the progress our students are making, learn more about the supports and strategies that are being used, and hear the students advocate for what needs to be in place when they return to their home schools, in order for them to be successful.  Our students spend a lot of time preparing pamphlets, videos, presentations, etc. to share with everyone at the meetings, in order to capture their strengths and needs as learners.  Schools and families are always impressed at how well our students can articulate their needs and advocate for themselves.  As a result, we have had several requests for students to present to groups of teachers or educators about what it is like to have a Learning Disability and how teachers can accommodate their needs.  Tessa, one of our second year students, created this video to share with a group of in-school resource teachers at her home school board, Hastings Prince Edward District School Board.  She also answered questions about life at Sagonaska and responded to inquiries about the different programs she uses on both her mobile device and her SEA laptop.  We are so proud of what Tessa has accomplished and how well she can advocate for herself.  Check out her video and feel free to ask questions through the comment section of the blog.

Celebrate the Hero

Weekly Mission

Support a local business/organization

Local businesses and organizations support our community in big ways. There are many local organizations who support people who are sick, who have no food, help with healthy eating, who have no money, need a home, help getting a job etc. Local businesses support our community by supplying things the community needs, like food, clothes, electronics and more jobs. When we spend our money on local businesses this money goes back towards building our community. For this week let’s support a local business/organization by volunteering our time, shopping at a local business and showing our appreciation through our words. Try dining at a locally owned restaurant or diner, or support local entertainment when you go out, like a bowling alley.  On the weekend, check out your town's farmer's market and convince your parents to get some fresh produce! There are many ways to support our community throughout the week.