Terry Fox Run

Back in September, Sagonaska participated in the Terry Fox Run with a Super Hero theme! The sun was out, the costumes were great, and our spirits were high! There was lots to celebrate considering our tiny school of 40 students raised over $800!! $811.65 to be exact! Which is close to $200 more than last year! Way to go Dragons!

Sagonaska Spirit Week

Our newly formed Leadership Team has planned some exciting activities for our students to participate in!  

• There will be separate Halloween activities taking place in residence.  Information will come home in the home going books.
• On behalf of the student leadership team, we hope all the students show their spirit by participating! Noah & Nikolas

Updated Workshop Flyer

Our newest list of workshops is now available for viewing on the right hand side of this blog, under "Professional Development Opportunities" or at our official Ministry website at http://psbnet.ca/eng/schools/sagonaska/workshops_educators.html.  If you are familiar with our model in the past, please note that while we will continue to offer on-site workshops, we are now offering potential off-site workshops for groups of four or more individuals.  Groups can tailor their workshops by selecting from a variety of topics of interests related to either the LD profile, Instruction, and/or Technology. We are very excited about the new model and are looking forward to sharing our knowledge with the schools and school boards in our catchment area. Parents of current students are also invited to register for workshops.  If you have any questions, please contact either Tammy Brintnell (tammy.brintnell@ontario.ca) or myself (anne.truaisch@ontario.ca).  The Out-Reach workshops will need to organized through us and will be subject to staff availability or you can register for the onsite workshops either through us or online at http://psbnet.ca/eng/schools/sagonaska/workshops_educators.html.

Attention Sagonaska Parents!

These announcements are for current Sagonaska parents!  

Life Touch photos and order forms will be coming home this Thursday! (Friday is a PA Day). You can order your child's photos in two different ways; directly online at www.lifetouch.ca or by sending back the envelope with your student..  Orders are due by Wednesday, October 19th so they should be sent back with your child no later than Monday, October 17th.  To order online, follow the instructions listed on the order form.

 

Fundraising forms will also be coming home this Thursday.  Our fundraising campaign runs until October 24th.  With Thanksgiving holiday being this weekend, this is a perfect opportunity for your child to share his or her fundraising magazines with family and friends. The magazines are full of Christmas decor, fun household items, chocolate & gourmet food mixes, and other great gift ideas.  There is something for everyone. Please remind your child it is not safe to go door-to-door to ask strangers to contribute.

Tips for Parents of Students with Learning Disabilities

As educators who specialize in working with students with learning disabilities, we are often asked what resources are out there for parents or how can parents help their children at home.  A couple of weeks ago we shared the LD@School website and it is a great Canadian resource, full of relevant information for our parents and teachers.  There is another site called LD Online.  It is an American website but many of the strategies, tips, and resources are applicable for our Ontario parents. Below e is a link to an article, for example, that shares lots of great information for parents like how they can help with school work, and what medical professionals may be of assistance to a family with a child with a reading disability.  Please take a few minutes to read the article and look over the site and I'm sure you will find something of interest or relevance to you.

CLICK HERE  to read the article

First Year First Impressions

We just finished the first full week of school, and we thought it would be nice to hear what some of our first year students had to say about their time so far at Sagonaska.  (We know what the second years would say... they LOVE it... that's why they are back!)  Read below to hear what some of our newbies had to say!

"It was scary the first few days, but now its getting better.  I really like it and it's helping me learn already!" Holly, Grade 6

"I have only been here for not even two weeks and I'm already starting to improve.  I've already moved up a level so I'm really excited!" Zoey, Grade 7

"I feel like I'm already learning how to read!" Ella, Grade 7

"It's a really good school." Nathan, Grade 7

"It's one of the best things out there for kids with LDs.  And you learn a lot too." Lyndsey, Grade 7

"It is awesome!" Carter, Grade 7

"It's been good so far." Ryan, Grade 6

"It's a really good school.  You learn a lot.  And the teachers let you use Mindcraft!" Landon, Grade 5

"I found it very fun and not as boring as I thought it would be.  I've actually learned a lot in the short time I've been here." Cody, Grade 7

""It's a good school." Logan, Grade 6

"I love it." James, Grade 7

"The friendly atmosphere is really nice.  It's not as nerve wracking as being in a big class." Nikolas, Grade 8

"It's been really welcoming.  All the people are really nice.  Everything is really cool.  And it's fun." Hannah, Grade 8

"It's very inviting." Tyler, Grade 8

"It's been very good and I like it here. Everyone is welcoming and very nice.  And I wish this wasn't just a one or two year school.  I wish it was a forever school." Jordan, Grade 8

"It was very fun.  There was a lot of learning.  And I'm definitely coming back for the third week." Josh, Grade 8

"It's been pretty good.  It's been a lot of fun.  Residence is amazing!" Naomi, Grade 9

"I've been enjoying everything.  The best part is the dorm.  They keep you busy!" Martin, Grade 9

"I really like the residence and the learning.  I know my reading is going to get better." Cameron, Grade 9

LD@School

LD@School is an amazing resource for educators and parents of students with Learning Disabilities. If you haven't had a chance to check it out, it's definitely worth the time.  This website is the first resource of its kind.  It provides educators and parents with information about learning disabilities, shares resources that are available, and highlights research related to teaching students with learning disabilities.  There are amazing webinars and podcasts with experts in the field on a variety of topics, from assistive technology use to understanding executive functioning and the LD learner.  The success stories would be an excellent section to read with your child or student as well! Please take the time to check it out.  The link is always provided here on our blog on the right-hand side, under "Sites Worth Checking Out", but you can click below to go directly to the site as well.

CLICK HERE