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Your Newsletter for July 2019
CONFERENCE SCHOLARSHIPS
IDA - Oregon Branch is pleased to be able to offer 28 full scholarships to individuals wishing to attend the Annual International Dyslexia Association Conference to be held in our very own city this year!

Cherida Collins Smith Scholarships:-
These annual scholarships are offered to help public school educators and administrators from our branch's geographical area to attend the IDA national conference.

Richard B. Siegel Foundation scholarships:-
These scholarships are offered to any parent, teacher, student, tutor, and other interested individual from our branch's geographical area wishing to attend the IDA annual conference and requiring financial aid to do so .
**Application for these scholarships closes on September 6 **
To learn more about either of these scholarships and to apply click here.
Facebook Join My List Logo
Joining IDA as an Institutional member allows
EACH member of your district or institution
to register for the Annual IDA Conference at a reduced rate,
saving up to $130 per person .  

In addition, all of the staff in your district or institution will have access to IDA’s quarterly research publication, as well as monthly newsletters and informational briefs on best practices on dyslexia and reading instruction.  

Thank you to our long time Institutional members Park Academy and Language Skills Therapy .


For further information on membership, please visit the IDA website
Portland Public Schools
announces a dyslexia priority line item of $435,000 in the 2019-20 budget
On May 30th Portland Public Schools (PPS) hosted In this Together: A Dyslexia and Literacy Information Night - Partnering to Help your Struggling Reader . The evening was organized by PPS staff in conjunction with the PPS Dyslexia Advocates Group.  Community Partners besides PPS Dyslexia Advocates Group included Decoding Dyslexia, Books Not Bars, International Dyslexia Association-Oregon Branch, and FACT Oregon.  

S uperintendent Guadalupe Guererro warmly welcomed all and proceeded to announce a dyslexia priority line item of $435,000 in the 2019-20 PPS budget.  This budget includes hiring of a 1.0 FTE Dyslexia Program Administrator, purchasing of evidenced based materials, professional development funds to train teachers including Orton Gillingham training for 12 teachers this summer, and additional funds to communicate with parents.

Gretchen Schlag, PPS Director of Elementary Humanities , led a group of presenters who discussed various aspects of PPS’s implementation of Oregon dyslexia legislation, and PPS long - term goals for change. The district seems to be proceeding earnestly toward making certain that:

  1. Teachers are aware of signs of dyslexia and know how to support students with dyslexia.
  2. Tiered levels of intervention will be implemented district wide.
  3. SPED staff know how to support students with dyslexia and they can also be a resource for general education teachers

It was truly exciting to see the largest district in Oregon talking about dyslexia in a very transparent and inclusive manner as they work together with families to improve instruction for all students who struggle.

You can find a link to the presentation and questions and answers from the evening’s agenda as well as other dyslexia related documents on the PPS Dyslexia Resource Page .
For anyone interested in applying for the Dyslexia Program Administrator Associate Humanities Department position, a job description and application can be found here .
Find out more about the PPS Dyslexia Advocacy Group on their Facebook page.
Andrew Peterson from IDA-OR with Lisa Lyon of Decoding Dyslexia
Superintendent Guadalupe Guerrero

Although November seems far away, the countdown is on!

In order to get you excited, we would like to introduce you to two speakers who will be participating in the pre-conference symposium "Dyslexia Spells Success" on Thursday November 7, 2019.

During this symposium a panel of dynamic and successful individuals who are dyslexic and leaders in their respective fields, will talk about their challenges and unique skills as well as offer words of advice.
Sat Singh
Sat Singh founded Renaissance Foundation in 2003. "His own experiences of growing up in one of London’s most disadvantaged areas, caring for family members whilst also trying to complete his GCSE’s and experiencing a severe health condition made Sat reflect and think about other young people experiencing similar challenges. With a group of friends, he began to contact community figures and started a series of inspirational sessions given at a local fast food restaurant. This led on to a visit to the BBC and then involvement with other youth media activities.
Madalyne Clark
Madelyne Clark "became committed to Graphic Design during her first typography class. She now specializes in luxury branding, packaging, and art direction. Her expertise allows her to implement a brand idea in all of its elements and processes. Across her years in New York City, Clark has worked with both regional and international brands and her designs have won several awards. She looks to artists like Paula Sher and Saul Bass who brilliantly blend Fine Art and Graphic Design."


Conference Corner:
Volunteers


Many of you have offered to volunteer at the upcoming conference. Thank you! When we have the final schedule of duties from Home Office we will send it out for you to sign up. The discount you receive for volunteer hours will be reimbursed to you after your volunteer sessions are completed.
For those of you who are interested in volunteering and have not yet signed up, please email us at volunteer@orbida.org

If you are interested in other volunteer opportunities within IDA, Oregon Branch, please visit our web page here .
The International Dyslexia Association - Oregon Branch welcomes gifts to help support our programs. All donations are tax deductible. With your generous support, the IDA Oregon Branch can continue to improve the lives of individuals with dyslexia. 100% of every donation goes to better the organization, its programs and the services we provide.

If you can, any amount helps. Please make and online donation here.
International Dyslexia Association, Oregon Branch | 503-218-3727 | info@orbida.org | http://or.dyslexiaida.org