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Park City Reads

Park City's Resource For Children with Dyslexia

Special Event Recaps

Raising a Reader

On September 24, 2024, PC READS hosted national literacy expert, Margie Gillis, for a community presentation: Raising a Reader: Why It’s Important and How to Motivate Your Child to Read. Over fifty parents and educators attended the event, held at the Blair Education Center. Margie’s presentation covered topics including the science of reading, structured literacy, explicit spelling instruction, the role of text, and the importance of oral language. A robust panel discussion followed the presentation, discussing current reading curricula used in our local schools.

Panelists included: National literacy experts Margie Gillis and Louisa Moats, as well as local educators: Katie McGinn (PCSD Literacy Coordinator), Amy Jenkins (PCSD Elementary Director), Elizabeth Phillips (WSD Lower School Principal) and Britta Joslyn (Park City Day School Learning Support Coordinator) .

General, Special Event Recaps · October 21, 2024

The Disruptors

In March 2024, PC READS collaborated with Park City Film to show a screening of the ADHD documentary, The Disruptors.  The film follows five families affected by ADHD, giving viewers a glimpse into their daily lives. It explains the brain chemistry of ADHD, interviews experts in the field and identifies successful celebrities, athletes and business owners with ADHD. The goal is to dispel misconceptions and reframe ADHD symptoms as “superpowers.”  

ADHD is not a learning disability; however, 50-60% of people with ADHD will also have a learning disability – and often, that learning disability is dyslexia. Similarly, among students diagnosed with dyslexia, about 30% also have coexisting ADHD. While dyslexia and ADHD are two distinct conditions, both run in families and their symptoms overlap – which can lead to misdiagnosis. 

About 250 community members came out for the event. Following the film, PC READS hosted an excellent panel discussion. 

General, Special Event Recaps · April 1, 2023

The Truth About Reading

In March 2023, Park City READS collaborated with Park City Film to show a private screening of the new documentary about the illiteracy crisis in America titled, The Truth About Reading. As the film’s tag line states – “it’s an invisible crisis, hiding in plain sight.” The film highlights a few people who learned to read as adults and interviewed many well-respected experts about the importance of bringing the “science of reading” into both teacher preparation programs and classroom reading curricula. Following the film, PC READS hosted a wonderful panel discussion including local educators, professionals and parents.

Information about this documentary, including the trailer and upcoming screenings is available at: The Truth About Reading.

General, Special Event Recaps · October 8, 2022

Teaching (and Learning) Reading IS Rocket Science: Guest Speaker, Louisa Moats

In October 2022, Park City READS hosted literacy expert, Dr. Louisa Moats, lead author of LETRS (Language Essentials for Teachers of Reading and Spelling). Dr. Moats gave two presentations diving into the science of reading and explaining how this body of research guides the way reading, language and writing are taught. Her work in this area spans decades and has received international acclaim. 

On Thursday, October 6th, Dr. Moats gave a free community presentation entitled, Teaching (and Learning) Reading IS Rocket Science at the Newpark Resort. She shed light on some surprising facts about how children learn to read, addressed what goes wrong when children have difficulty, and shared insights into the approaches to instruction that are most likely to be successful for all children. The following day, Dr. Moats led a professional development session for Park City School District K-3 staff to kick-off their LETRS training.

“We were very proud to host Dr. Moats in Park City. Her landmark research and lectures are considered the gold standard in literacy education,” said Park City READS Executive Director Elissa Aten. “Her body of work is the foundation that ensures reading instruction is effective for all students. In the literacy world, Dr. Moats is a superstar.  I’ve had the pleasure of hearing her speak at national conferences, so it was a thrill to offer this opportunity to parents and educators in our community.”

General, Special Event Recaps · October 9, 2021

College Planning Presentations: Guest Speaker, Elizabeth Hamblet

In October 2021, PC READS invited Elizabeth Hamblet to Park City to give two presentations on college planning for students with IEPs and 504 Plans. As the author of From High School to College: Steps to Success for Students with Disabilities, Elizabeth’s knowledge is extensive and PC READS was grateful for the opportunity to host her in-person.. The topic of Elizabeth’s first presentation, which was focused on families, was Why They Change and What is Commonly Available (Or Not). The Park City High School Lecture Hall was full of students from grades 9-12 and their parents, who greatly appreciated her expert advice. The following day, professionals and educators joined Elizabeth for a virtual presentation (hosted from Park City) on Educational Evaluations: How to Make Reports More Helpful for Students Headed to College. Visit her website, ldadvisory.com, to learn more.

Wrightslaw Special Education Law and Advocacy Conference

On November 10th, PC READS hosted a Wrightslaw Special Education Law & Advocacy Conference featuring expert attorney, Peter Wright. While originally planned for April 2020, this event was rescheduled due to the pandemic to be held virtually through Zoom. PC READS volunteers organized and mailed conference materials, including three Wrightslaw books, to all participants. About 100 participants logged online to gain increased knowledge of special education laws and procedures with the ultimate goal of helping families and schools work together to better ensure that children receive appropriate and effective educational services. We are very thankful to our Conference Scholarship Sponsors, Reading Horizons and The Hall Family Fund, as well as the National Ability Center for being a conference supporter.

Different ≠ Deficient, featuring Jonathan Mooney

October 30, 2019

Over 100 community members joined PC READS to hear Jonathan Mooney share his personal and professional experiences as a dyslexic and ADD student in a presentation filled with humor and knowledge. Jonathan, who co-founded Project Eye-to-Eye while a student at Brown University,  spoke about neurological and physical diversity, emphasizing that different does not mean deficient. His message, that we shouldn’t be striving for normalcy, was well-received and attendees left this event filled with hope.

Thanks to the support of The Hall Family Fund, PC READS was able to give 50 attendees a free copy of Jonathan’s recently released book, Normal Sucks: How to Live, Learn, and Thrive Outside the Lines.

Read the Park Record article published before this event: PC READS and Hall Family Fund books author and student advocate Jonathan Mooney

 

 

Dyslexia in Our Schools

May 20, 2019

PC READS hosted about 40 parents and educators for this evening presentation featuring an overview of the new Utah State Dyslexia Handbook, released in Fall 2018. Members of the Utah State Dyslexia Task Force, which helped draft the Handbook, followed their presentation with a Q&A Session. Thanks to the support of The Hall Family Fund, all attendees received a copy of the Handbook.

The Golden Age of Dyslexia – Dean Bragonier

PC READS kicked-off Dyslexia Awareness month with an engaging presentation entitled, The Golden Age of Dyslexia, by Dean Bragonier.  Community members filled the Park City High School Auditorium to hear Dean, the Founder of NoticeAbility speak about the positive attributes of a dyslexic mind which should be nurtured and celebrated. Audience members left inspired!

Earlier in the day, Dean met with a smaller group of Park City students, sharing his story and answering their very astute questions.

Dean with some PC READS MIND Youth Program participants

During Dean’s visit to Utah, hosted by PC READS with the assistance of The Hall Family Fund, he also gave a presentation to over 200 educators at The Wasatch Reading Summit.

Read the Park Record’s article published before the event: PC READS event will focus on the positive side of dyslexia

Dyslexia for a Day

April 21, 2018

A group of about 50 educators and parents participated in this workshop provided by Kelli Sandman-Hurley and Tracey Block-Zaretsky from the Dyslexia Training Institute. The presentation included a Dyslexia Simulation and an introduction to Structured Word Inquiry. Each participate received a book about dyslexia to continue their learning at home. Thanks to the Hall Family Fund, there was no cost to attendees.

Read the Park Record article published prior to this event: PC READS’ Dyslexia for a Day teaches parents and educators about the disorder

Barbara & Ed Wilson Visit Park City

October 25th & 26th, 2017

PC READS hosted Barbara and Ed Wilson, Co-founders of Wilson Language Training, on October 25th and 26th. Upon their arrival to town, they visited McPolin and Trailside Elementary schools, where they observed teachers using Wilson Fundations in their classrooms. Later that evening, Barbara gave a wonderful presentation, open to our community, entitled Navigating Reading Success. She shared the importance of early for reading difficulties and explained the difference between screening and a more comprehensive evaluation for students with dyslexia. Barbara also provided an excellent overview of structured literacy, focusing on key instructional needs for students with dyslexia.

The following morning, Barbara attended PCSD’s Wilson Implementation Task Force meeting and also met with a small group of PC READS volunteers.

Read the Park Record article published prior to the event: Wilson Fundations author to speak about new reading program

Dyslexia for a Day

April 23, 2016

Over 60 parents and educators came together for an informative and inspiring day of dyslexia awareness presented by The Dyslexia Training Institute. The 5 hour presentation began with simulations designed to provide participants with a better understanding of what a dyslexic student experience in the classroom. This was followed by an overview of dyslexia, including information on scientific research, symptoms and remediation programs. Attendees were also introduced to Structured Word Inquiry (SWI), which is an explicit multi-sensory strategy to understanding English orthography is based on
the science of linguistics.

Throughout the program, all participants provided excellent insight, asked thoughtful questions and remained fully engaged. PC READS is especially thankful that many teachers spent 5 hours of their own time on a weekend to learn more about dyslexia and strategies to assist their students.

Our partners for this event included the Ty & Karen Hall Foundation, Utah Olympic Park, Newpark Resort and Park City Bread & Bagel. Thanks to their generosity, PC READS was able to provide this event for free. We also greatly appreciated the marketing support we received from The Park Record and KPCW.

Special Event Recaps · October 26, 2015

Dislecksia: The Movie

October 22, 2015

For Dyslexia Awareness Month, we co-hosted the film, Dislecksia: The Movie, with the Park City Film Series. In this film, Emmy award-winning filmmaker Harvey Hubbell V and his crew explore the unique nature of how each of us learn. Hubbell, dyslexic superstars Billy Bob Thornton and Joe Pantoliano, world-renowned brain scientists and researchers, students and all share their insights in an effort to revolutionize education.

150 people were in attendance and the film was followed by an excellent and, at times, humorous panel discussion moderated by Leslie Thatcher. Panelists included Jack Amiel, Ari Ioannides & Alex Hall, who shared their experiences living with dyslexia, and child neuropsychologist, Jenise Jensen, Ph.D.

If you missed it, it is available on the Dislecksia: The Movie Website for a small price.


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