Outreach & Workshops

Churchill Center & School’s Sandra K. Gilligan School Partnerships & Outreach Program is essential in strengthening our mission of fostering greater understanding and support for all people with learning disabilities by training other educators, supporting families, and enlightening the community.

Since the inception of our Community Outreach Program in 1990, more than 37,500 educators, parents, students, and other supporters have been given the opportunity to experience and broaden their understanding of learning disabilities.

We offer Teacher Workshops, Parent Workshops, Student Workshops, Community Service Events, and a Speaker Series. Each one of these programs offers our community a variety of services to recognize learning disabilities and to then equip the participants with strategies and knowledge to offer further assistance.


Reviews from Outreach Program Attendees:

  • “What a great role model Churchill Center & School is for our community.”
    – Educational Program Director
  • “Please accept my gratitude for your willingness to come and speak with our staff. There’s a lot of exciting things happening with study skills — a daily “organizational tip of the day,” teachers actively teaching study skills, and many more ideas brewing.”
    – Middle School Director
  • “You had a positive impact on me when you presented at our school, and I am still using your references.”
    – High School Principal
  • “Faculty members found the topics to be pertinent and directed to their needs and concerns.”
    – Learning Consultant
  • “The speakers were fascinating and I am avidly reading their book, Overcoming Dyslexia. I am very impressed with the knowledge base of the teachers at Churchill as well as their dedication and professionalism!”
    – St. Louis Area Psychologist
  • “Both presenters were terrific and all in attendance left with a wealth of knowledge and enthusiasm to begin a new school year.”
    – Elementary Principal

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Wilson® Just Words® Introductory Workshop

Just Words

Looking for a word-level intervention for students in grades 4-12?

Introducing...
WILSON LANGUAGE TRAINING® JUST WORDS® INTRODUCTORY WORKSHOP

WHEN: Monday, September 9, 2024
TIME: 9:00 AM - 3:00 PM CST
WHERE: Virtual (Zoom link will be emailed prior to the workshop)
COST: $330.00 per person

Just Words® is a word-level intervention for students in grades 4-12 and adults who have mild to moderate gaps in their decoding and spelling proficiency.
- Highly explicit, multisensory structured literacy program that focuses on decoding and spelling
- Curriculum and strategies are expertly aligned to the science of reading and writing.
- "Just the word study" part of the Wilson Reading System® curriculum at an accelerated pace.

WHAT:
This workshop provides the practice and guidance needed to effectively begin teaching the Just Words® curriculum. This full day workshop is highly interactive and designed to allow for teacher input and active engagement via activities and discussions throughout. The workshop covers an overview of the program, a dive into the materials and resources needed to teach Just Words, a look at how to use the Instructor Manual and practice planning a lesson, and wraps up with a chance to see Just Words in action, debrief and look at what "next steps" will help participants kick off their Just Words instruction.

COURSE OBJECTIVES:
Upon the completion of the course, participants will be able to-
• Identify the skills taught in Just Words: phonics and word study (phonemic awareness, six basic syllable types in English, spelling rules, common Latin roots, prefixes and suffixes), vocabulary study and high frequency words.
• Understand the principles of instruction: explicit, sequential and cumulative instruction that engages multiple learning modalities with multisensory instruction, repetition and immediate, specific feedback.
• Identify and understand the use for all materials in the Just Words Teacher's Kit, and have a sense of how to find and use the many extended resources available on the Intervention Learning Community for Just Words (membership included with participation in this workshop).
• Use the Instructor Manual to prepare a daily learning plan and practice lesson activity procedures.
• Visualize the flow and pace of a full Just Words lesson completed with fidelity.
• Identify which students may be appropriate for a Just Words class, and understand how to assess students' progress in the class by using progress checks at the beginning of each unit and unit tests at the end.

QUESTIONS:
Contact Rachel Wheatley, Director of the Sandra K. Gilligan School Partnerships & Outreach Program, at rwheatley@churchillstl.org

Churchill's proven methods and well-trained faculty change the lives of children who struggle with dyslexia, ADHD and other learning disabilities.