September Dyslexia Newsletter
Farmersville ISD
A Great Start to the Year!
If you are new to the district, we welcome you. If you are returning, we are so glad that you are back. We've had such a wonderful start to the year in our Dyslexia classes!
We absolutely love seeing all the former students and meeting our new ones!
Farmersville ISD is proud to be a leader in the fields of dyslexia evaluation and remediation. It warms my heart to know our district invests in our students at every level.
Please feel free to reach out to your campus dyslexia therapist and/or district dyslexia personnel for support. We are so excited to have 2 new amazing Dyslexia Therapist join us this year, Mrs. Patricia Cifuentes and Mrs. Marla Mock. Please give them a warm Farmersville welcome. There are so many things we can do, and we do better together!
District Coordinator: Brook Cross bcross@farmersvilleisd.org
Tatum Elementary: Cassie Long clong@farmersvilleisd.org
Intermediate School:
Patricia Cifuetes pcifuentes@farmersvilleisd.org
Marla Mock mmock@farmersvilleisd.org
Dru Vamvakas dvamvakas@farmersvilleisd.org
Jr. High and High School: Marla Mock mmock@farmersvilleisd.org
What is Dyslexia?
The International Dyslexia Association defines "dyslexia" in the following way:
Dyslexia is a specific learning disability that is neurological in origin. It is characterized by difficulties with accurate and/or fluent word recognition and by poor spelling and decoding abilities. These difficulties typically result from a deficit in the phonological component of language that is often unexpected in relation to other cognitive abilities and the provision of effective classroom instruction. Secondary consequences may include problems in reading comprehension and reduced reading experience that can impede growth of vocabulary and background knowledge. (Adopted by the International Dyslexia Association Board of Directors, November 12, 2021)
Dyslexia HB 3928- Important Details
Check out the House Bill 3928 Important Details Infographic to find out all the necessaries related to dyslexia.
Find the information HERE.
What program do we use?
TAKE FLIGHT: A COMPREHENSIVE INTERVENTION FOR STUDENTS WITH DYSLEXIA
What is Take Flight?
Take Flight: A Comprehensive Intervention for Students with Dyslexia is a curriculum written by the staff of the Luke Waites Center for Dyslexia and Learning Disorders at Scottish Rite for Children. Take Flight builds on the success of the three previous dyslexia intervention programs developed by institution: Alphabetic Phonics, the Dyslexia Training Program and TSRH Literacy Program.
What is included in the Take Flight Program for Students?
Take Flight contains the five components of effective reading instruction : Phonemic Awareness, Phonics, Vocabulary, Fluency and Reading Comprehension. It is taught using multisensory discover techniques that are intensive, systematic, and sequential.
With Take Flight, students will learn all 44 sounds of the English language, 96 letter – sound correspondence rules and 87 affixes. The student will also learn spelling rules for base words and derivatives. Practice opportunities are also provided that are designed to improve oral reading fluency. Finally, Take Flight introduces comprehension and vocabulary building strategies for both narrative and expository text in the context of oral reading exercises to prepare students for successful, independent reading.
Building Phonemic Awareness: Know What Matters
Fact Sheet from International Dyslexia Association:
This fact sheet discusses phoneme awareness, why it is necessary, and how it develops. In it you will find tips for effective practices to build children ’s phoneme awareness in kindergarten, first grade, and beyond.
Read more HERE
This is how our dyslexic brains learn best
Did you Know?
Over 50% of NASA employees are dyslexic. They are deliberately sought after because they have superb problem-solving skills and excellent 3D and spatial awareness.
-Mary Margaret Scholtens
Resources: Three Beneficial Books for Parents and Teachers
Overcoming Dyslexia: Second Edition, Completely Revised and Updated
Sally Shawitz, 2020
https://www.amazon.com/Overcoming-Dyslexia-Complete-Science-Based-Problems/dp/0679781595
Late, Lost and Unprepared: A Parent's Guide to Helping Children with Executive Functioning
Joyce Cooper-Kahn, Laurie Dietzel, 2008
Nowhere to HIde: Why Kids with ADHD and LD Hate School and What We Can Do About It
Jerome J. Schultz, 2011