Thank you to Carolyn Webber at the Park Record for covering our first annual Gin & Phonics fundraiser, where we honored Katherine Gardner Martz with our first Elevating Literacy Award!
Thank you to Carolyn Webber at the Park Record for this excellent article about our upcoming event! Please register to reserve your free seat and join us on Saturday for this special opportunity to learn more about dyslexia & the English language from the Dyslexia Training Institute. #elevatingliteracy
Guest editorial: Park City making strides in addressing dyslexia
PC READS’ President, Elissa Aten, shares her thoughts during Dyslexia Awareness Month.
Wilson Fundations author to speak about new reading program
PC READS and The Hall Family Foundation are hosting Barbara Wilson in Park City! While here, she will meet with teachers, parents and provide a community presentation on “Navigating Reading Success.”
EXCERPT FROM ARTICLE: One in five students has a language-based learning disability, and the most common, by far, is dyslexia, Aten said. Those who attend the event will learn about the reading program teachers in Park City schools have adopted, which helps all students learn to read with multi-sensory methods, especially those suffering with dyslexia. The plan is to eventually include all third-graders as well – it is currently being taught to third-graders at McPolin – and to feature a structured support system for dyslexic students who need extra assistance.
Reading Program Expands to Park City Elementary Schools
PC READS is proud to be collaborating with the Park City School District, the Park City Education Foundation and The Hall Family Fund on a Dyslexia Initiative which includes implementing Wilson Fundations in our elementary schools. What a wonderful example of a public/private partnership to benefit our students!
“Reading is an essential life skill that is not always easy to learn. The Park City School District recognized that, and with help from the local nonprofit PC READS and donors, it began a new reading program for teachers to help all students learning to read.”
Park City Rotary Club boosts Summit County nonprofits
Thank you, Park City Rotary Club! Our MIND events are free and open to any student struggling with reading. These are all active kids who are athletes, artists, good friends and leaders – but when they get together, they can joke about being terrible spellers, hear stories about self-advocating in the classroom or celebrate the end of 3 years of after-school tutoring. This year, the participants learned about assistive technology, celebrated their strengths and attended social events at Black Diamond Gymnastics and the Kimball Art Center.
Please email us at www.parkcityreads.org if you’d like information about MIND.
Dyslexia Pilot Program at McPolin Elementary Will Determine District Wide Implementation
From this KPCW Interview: The Park City School Board received an update on the Dyslexia Pilot Program which is currently underway at McPolin Elementary. The Board will decide this spring if it should be implemented in all four of Park City’s elementary schools.
PC READS on Park City TV
Co-Founders Elissa Aten and Jackie Blake are interviewed about PC READS on our local television station.
Ideas to Impact: Your Gifts at Work Dyslexia Initiative (PCEF Monthly Newsletter)
October is Dyslexia Awareness Month! Thank you Park City Education Foundation for highlighting the Dyslexia Initiative in your monthly update!
Park City’s Dyslexia Initiative on Park City TV!
PC READS is so excited and proud to be collaborating on the Park City School District Dyslexia Initiative with the Ty & Karen Hall Foundation and the Park City Education Foundation! Thanks to PCTV for inviting PCEF Executive Director, Abby McNulty, and Initiative Director, Julie Hastings, to speak about this wonderful project. And, thank you to Karen Hall and Ty Hallfor their vision and support!
We will provide updates on our Dyslexia Initiative throughout the school year.
Pilot program at McPolin aims to identify dyslexic students
Exciting news in Park City, UT during Dyslexia Awareness Month! Read about the Dyslexia Initiative pilot program which is bringing Wilson Fundations to one school and Comprehensive Orton-Gillingham to 5 educators. PC READS was instrumental to this project’s development and is very proud to be collaborating with the Park City School District, the Park City Education Foundation and the Ty & Karen Hall Foundation on this important work.
Letter to the Editor from PC READS – May 4, 2016
Letter to the Editor from PC READS thanking the community for their support of Dyslexia for a Day.
On a recent Saturday morning, over 60 parents and educators came together for an informative and inspiring day of dyslexia awareness presented by The Dyslexia Training Institute. PC READS wants to express sincere thanks to the many teachers who spent 5 hours of their own time on a weekend to learn more about dyslexia and strategies to assist their students. Throughout the program, all participants provided excellent insight, asked thoughtful questions and remained fully engaged.
As PC READS President, I want to thank the local community members and businesses who enabled us to provide this event for free. Our partners for this event included the Ty & Karen Hall Foundation, Utah Olympic Park, Newpark Resort and Park City Bread & Bagel. Additionally, we greatly appreciate the marketing support we received from The Park Record and KPCW.
PC READS looks forward to continuing to provide awareness and support within the Park City community. If you are concerned with a student’s reading, writing or spelling and/or have questions about dyslexia, please email us at parkcityreads@gmail.com or visit our website: parkcityreads.org.
Elissa Aten, President, PC READS
Awareness, early intervention critical for dyslexic kids
Letter to the Editor thanking PC READS for hosting Dyslexia for a Day.
Editor:
A huge “thank you” to Jackie Blake and Elissa Aten of PC READS for bringing Dyslexia for a Day to Park City. Thanks also to Ty & Karen Hall whose Foundation funded this enlightening and encouraging program presented by the co- founders of the Dyslexia Training Institute of San Diego.
As a person who has advocated for family members with dyslexia, I also appreciate the many teachers and school personnel who gave their time to learn more about the varied ways dyslexia presents in the classroom. With 15-20 percent of students having some form of dyslexia, these teachers recognize that they are the first line of defense to identify a need for intervention. Specific remedial intervention for dyslexia in the first years of learning to read has been shown to increase needed neural pathways in the verbal processing area of the brain of students with dyslexia. Students become able to read which increases love of learning, performance and self-worth.
I hope that Park City Schools will use the advances in early intervention reading programs to both address the unique learning needs of dyslexic students and as an opportunity to be a leading example in dyslexia intervention. If you have concerns about your child’s reading, more information and support can be found at parkcityreads.org.
Ethel Preston
Park City
Educators, community can get a read on dyslexia at PC READS event
Article about PC READS’ upcoming event, Dyslexia for a Day, featuring speakers from the Dyslexia Training Institute in San Diego, CA. Excerpt from the article:
The event is being put on with the help of financial contributions from the Ty & Karen Hall Charitable Foundation. The Halls, who are relatively new to Park City, also have a dyslexic child and see the event as a way to make a difference in the community.
Karen Hall said teachers in Florida were often unable to give her son the help he needed, and she had to advocate for him throughout his school years. She hopes the event makes it so some families here don’t have to go through a similar experience.
“Teachers want to understand it and they want to learn,” she said. “We’re just trying to bring about awareness so people don’t have to fight the way we had to fight every year. Park City is so progressive, and it has such a great school system. We think we’re at the right place at the right time to bring that awareness.”
PC READS teams with Park City Film Series for ‘Dislecksia’
“Since October is National Dyslexia Awareness Month and Utah Governor Gary Herbert has declared it in the State of Utah for the second year in a row, PC READS Park City Recognizing, Educating & Advocating for Dyslexic Students will partner with the Park City Film Series to present a free screening of Harvey Hubbell V’s “Dislecksia” at the Jim Santy Auditorium at the Park City Library, 1255 Park Ave., on Thursday, Oct. 22.
Harvey, an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, has dyslexia, and the film is based on his own experiences. The film also features dyslexic actors Billy Bob Thornton and Joe Pantoliano and world-renowned brain scientists, researchers, students and advocates as they join a movement to revolutionize education.
“I have seen several films about dyslexia and we picked this one, because most are dry and dark, but this one is more [enjoyable],” Blake said. “At the same time, it gives a lot of statistics and facts about dyslexia. It just had some good information. There is some humor to it and it’s OK for all ages, because we want families to bring their children.”
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion that will include screenwriter Jack Amiel, Emerald Date Solutions founder Aristedies Ioannedis, Park City High School graduate Alex Hall and neuropsychologist Dr. Jenise Jensen.”
