Welcome to Language Science
Instruction to target the needs of students with Dyslexia
mbourland@mckinneyisd.net 469-302-7969
Dear Parents,
There are no words to fully explain my excitement about working with your child this year in Language Science. I have been educating children in different roles for 18 years, the last 10 have been in McKinney ISD. My husband and I have two boys, Noah and Levi, 10 years apart! Noah will be a Cockrill Cowboy this year, and Levi is in preschool at Lawson. As a family we enjoy movies, exploring nature, and “glamping”.
Your child will attend class every day during the assigned period according to his/her schedule. We will be working in a researched-based program, called MTA, which utilizes a multi-sensory approach to teaching reading, handwriting, and spelling. My training has equipped me to answer your questions that you may have about the MTA program, dyslexia, and your child’s progress throughout the year. If I can’t answer your question, I’ll find someone who can!
We will spend the first week of school getting to know each other, learning about how our brains work, considering the power of mindset and our individual talents, and preparing to hit the ground running with the curriculum. We have a fast-paced, packed schedule and will establish routines to provide plenty of structure in order to maximize our time together each day.
Your child will receive quarterly progress reports, which will keep you informed throughout the year. Keep using Learning Ally, the audiobook program which is provided free of charge to your student. Please let me know if you need support gaining access to this very beneficial resource; it is a great way to expose your child to literature he/she may not otherwise be able to read. Along with frequent reading practice, your child will need to spend some time occasionally working on reading or handwriting practice activities that I will send home. I LOVE to give bonus points in the grade book for those that are completed and returned!
As questions arise throughout the year, I encourage you to contact me at mbourland@mckinneyisd.net. Thank you for the opportunity to impact your child’s educational experience at Cockrill this year. I look forward to getting to know your family!
Mandy Bourland, M.Ed.
Dyslexia Specialist
Cockrill Middle School
469-302-7969