Foothills Academy Community Services

Creating Inclusive Classrooms Series

Join us for workshops & training that focuses on strategies and programs to assist Educators and Support Staff in meeting the diverse learning needs of all students. 

Location:     Foothills Academy 745-37 th Street NW, Calgary, T2N 4T1
Coffee & tea provided. Parking is free.
Workshop Descriptors & Presenters provided below.

To register please contact Shelly in Community Services, (403) 270-9400 Ext. 107, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Please note full payment is due at the time of registration and a $20 cancellation fee will apply to all cancellations.

Presenters:

Kim Tackaberry
Kim Tackaberry B.A, B. Ed. (Specialist in Special Education) graduated with a Bachelor of Education from the University of Ottawa in 1991. She has been teaching for twenty years in the area of learning disabilities. Kim has taught Grades One through Nine at Foothills Academy, a centre for children with Learning Disabilities. Over the past eight years, Kim has presented specific reading and writing programs as well as strategies to educators in districts across Canada

Melanie Reader
Melanie Reader, BScH., MSc., is a Registered Psychologist and has been with Estelle Siebens Community Services since August 2006. While her primary job is conducting psycho-educational assessments with children and adults of all ages (including regularly using the WIAT-II), she also enjoys running and supervising social skills programming within Foothills Academy and with the Learning Disabilities Association of Alberta – Calgary Chapter. Further, she has presented on a number of different topics for parents and teachers such as social skills, test anxiety, motivation, and demystifying psycho-educational assessments.

Carla Simon
Carla Simon has a B.Ed with a minor in Educational Psychology, and has worked in the education field for over 6 years.  She has worked with grades K-7 and has taught early literacy and intervention in both regular and special education classrooms for the Western School Division in Manitoba, The Calgary Board of Education and at Foothills Academy.  She has worked extensively with students who struggle with learning disabilities.   

Sandy Duncan
Sandy Duncan B.A, B. Ed. has been using the Read/Write training approach for 15 years. She is not only an expert with the LiPS program but extremely successful at pairing these specific skills with other programs to create effective outcomes with children, youth and adults.

Workshop Descriptions:

Precision Reading
This powerful teaching strategy was developed by Rick Freeze, Professor at the University of Manitoba. It is research-based program that improves fluency and reading comprehension with a daily commitment of only 5-10 minutes a day.
Offered in two parts:
Part I: The Core Strategy
Part II: Supplementary Strategies and Follow-up
*Research to support success with ESL, Down’s syndrome, FAS and Learning Disabilities populations.

Precision Reading: Part III Spelling & Vocabulary
This word meaning and spelling infused program promotes inclusion of students with low reading achievement into the curriculum of their grade placement.  It has a whole class instruction approach that can virtually be integrated into any subject area at any grade level.

Study Skills for Success
Looking for a Study Skills program to integrate into any curriculum?  Designed by our Foothills Academy psychology team this program teaches study strategies, material and time management , as well as test taking strategies without focusing on hand-outs.  It is intended to be taught and practiced in preparation for unit tests, projects and exams.

Chisanbop Math
This precise, accurate method of calculating math facts on your fingers appeals to the kinesthetic and visual learners. Participants will engage in an interactive, hands-on session that teaches these skills in two parts:
Part I: Addition & Subtraction, Part II: Follow-up & Multiplication & Division

Designing Differentiated Learning Experiences: A Strength-based Approach
Through this hands-on Language Arts program, students use their strengths to build on their self esteem, reading, listening and speaking skills. Learn how to engage your students while teaching life skills; such as how to run a meeting, act as secretary, answer questions, evaluate peers and themselves and deliver authentic speeches that the whole class will truly enjoy.  Leave the session with a package to take and use immediately.

Building Better Comprehension at all Levels
This session is a unique blend of two programs: the GO CHART strategy created from the research of Carrice Cummins, Professor at Louisiana Tech University and aspects of the Visualizing & Verbalizing program by Lindemood Bell. Learn how to use knowledge of brain activity in conjunction with research supported comprehension strategies to build comprehension levels in any subject or grade.

Cyber Bullying- Parents & Teachers
Ann Wade, BA.Hons. MSc, (Provisional Psychologist) recently completed her thesis on Cyber Bullying. She will summarize the research that supports its prevalence, parental perceptions and the devastating effects. Strategies for parents and teachers will be shared.

WIAT III Workshop
Administering the WIAT –One full day
The Wechsler Individual Achievement Test - Third Edition (WIAT - III) is the updated version to the commonly used WIAT-III.  The WIAT-III now contains 16 subtests across the areas of reading, mathematics, written language, and oral language to help identify the academic strengths and weaknesses of a student.  The current workshop will not only provide you with the knowledge of how this new test is used to assess each of these areas, but will also provide explicit instruction on administration (and making comparisons to its predecessor the WIAT –II).  It provides opportunity for hands-on practice in giving and scoring the test.  Furthermore, participants will be provided with tips on how to use the information gleaned from the WIAT –III to better guide interventions.

Read/Write Training –Intensive Remedial Program
Foothills Academy offers a 75 hour intensive one on one Read/Write program for students who are one or more grade levels below their actual registered grade. This program is comprised of the LiPS program (formerly called ADD) adapted to meet the needs of persons with learning disabilities. Students receive one-on-one instruction as to the valuable connection between mouth actions and producing accurate speech sounds. This understanding increases the student’s self-confidence and ability to identify sounds as well as self-correct when reading and spelling.

We offer teacher training in the specifics of LiPS over three consecutive days. The training can be offered as professional development for groups as small as four to as large as sixty participants. Our trainers have over 15 years experience teaching these methods and strategies. The LiPS program is taught daily however its success stems from the integration of other powerful programs such as Blended Structure and Style (writing), Precision Reading and concrete reading comprehension strategies. 

Study Skills
Improve your strategies and performance! Study Skills, Organizational Skills, and Test-taking skills taught by a psychologist.

Writing Strategies for the LD Student
This structured writing approach offers writers, kindergarten to post-secondary level, guidance in outlining, summarizing and enhancing the quality of their narrative and expository writing.  The process has been implemented school-wide at Foothills Academy.