Community Outreach Events
We offer various events to many different constituencies in the St. Louis community who need or want more information related to learning disabilities.
Our annual College Opportunities Fair for LD/ADHD connects area high school students and their families with college and university personnel who address their specific questions as they journey through the collegiate process.
Wilson® Parent Workshops are offered four times a year for interested parents, educators, or community members who would like to learn more about the research behind the Wilson Reading System® program and why it works. Experience Dyslexia®: A Learning Disabilities Simulation created by the Northern California Branch of the International Dyslexia Association allows participants to truly experience what dyslexia is and how it makes you feel.
As they become available, movies are screened on the topics of learning disabilities and dyslexia.
For more information on Churchill’s Sandra K. Gilligan School Partnerships & Outreach Program Events, check out our upcoming events below or email Rachel Wheatley at rwheatley@churchillstl.org.
Reviews from Community Service Attendees
- “I found the event to be very helpful. We found several new college options, plus a lot of helpful general information. I think this is an outstanding community service for the school to provide.”
– College Opportunities Fair Parent Attendee - “I love the fact that all the activities were hands on. They made me realize how challenging school can be for these children.”
– Experience Dyslexia® Participant - “I felt the frustration my students must feel.”
– Experience Dyslexia® Teacher Participant - “The simulation helped me better understand my students. I learned it’s not about working harder, but teaching differently.”
– Experience Dyslexia® Teacher Participant - “The simulation helped me as a parent better understand how my son learns. It was very eye opening! Now I really understand the frustrations he must face on a daily basis.”
– Experience Dyslexia® Parent Participant
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Wilson® Just Words® Introductory Workshop
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