Please join Steve Holland, Paul Carson and other NWDSA dads on Saturday, January 28th for an afternoon of conversation and good times at McMenamin’s Backstage Bar pool room.

If you haven’t been there, the Backstage Bar is a great space with classic oak pool tables and a relaxing vibe. This is a great chance for us dads to take a break and get together for some fun and camaraderie. We hope to see you there! Just let them know you are looking for the NWDSA group when you get there, and they’ll help you find us. Leave the kids at home for this one!

January 28th, 2:00pm – 4:00pm
McMenamin’s Backstage Bar
3702 S.E. Hawthorne, Portland

Eleanor Bailey has become a valuable member of the New Seasons team. Eleanor is thrilled to be earning her own money and lending her talents to a great company! Learn more about Eleanor.

You can help NWDSA with your vehicle donation.

Most title and estate issues can be easily resolved.


By donating your vehicle to Northwest Down Syndrome Association:

• Help us maintain and expand our important work
• Avoid the possibility of receiving a low trade-in value from a dealer, or the anxiety and hassle of selling to a private party

If you decide to donate your vehicle:

• It will be picked up free of charge
• It will be sold at auction or older vehicles can be sold for parts
• Proceeds will go to the Northwest Down Syndrome Association
• You will receive a receipt entitling you to a tax deduction

Our vehicle donation program is made possible through our partnership with Donate For Charity. When you are ready to donate your vehicle, you may call Donate For Charity toll-free at (866) 392-4483 or donate online or at their website: www.donateforcharity.com.

Helping Charities Help Themselves

Friday, February 17th, 10:30am – 1:30pm
Multnomah Education Service District (MESD)
11611 NE Ainsworth Circle
Portland OR 97220

Learn about iPad and tablet applications that support learning and communication at home and in the classroom. Spend 3 hours with experts getting tips on the best apps out there and how to use them. There is a tremendous amount available for the iPad that can support all types of learners.

For more information and to RSVP, please call 503-238-0522.

Saturday, March 3rd, 9:00am – 12:00
Multnomah Education Service District (MESD)
11611 NE Ainsworth Circle
Portland OR 97220

What’s more fun than a bouncy castle, air hockey, photos with Santa, and pizza? That’s right, the company of family and friends! Join the NWDSA as we celebrate the holidays at JJ Jump.

Sunday, December 4
2:30 – 4:30 pm
Clackamas JJ Jump
9057 SE Jannsen Road
Just off I-205 at exit 13

Please visit www.jjjump.com to download a map and a waiver.

Space is limited. Please RSVP by Dec. 2nd by calling 503-238-0522.

The NWDSA would like to thank der Rheindlander for their continued support. A $2 portion of the door fee from everyone who attended the Oktoberfest in September funded this years Winter social. Plans are already underway for a family day on September 22, 2012 during next year’s Oktoberfest. Check out their website, www.rheinlander.com if you want to dine out and support one of our partners.

Learn and share with other new families

Please join NWDSA Board Members Angela Jarvis-Holland, Steven Holland and Abby Braithwaite for a morning of information, resources and introductions. Meet other new families and get a chance to learn and share. Steven, Angela and Abby, along with occupational therapist Mary Williams and audiologist Heather Durham, will lead a discussion on the developmental, educational and medical needs in the first five years of the life of a child with Down syndrome.

Enjoy a light brunch and get to know your Resourcefulness Center! Limited childcare is available. If you know someone who might be able to volunteer to help, please let us know!

We will meet on Saturday, November 5th from 10:00 am – 12:00 pm at the NWDSA Resourcefulness Center, 11611 NE Ainsworth Circle in Portland. Please RSVP to 503-238-0522 or abraithwaite@nwdsa.org. Hope you can join us!

¿Tiene un niño o niña con Síndrome de Down de 0 – 5 años? ¿Nunca ha participado con el NWDSA?

Venga a Aprender y Compartir con otras Familias Nuevas

El NWDSA (Asociación Noroeste de Síndrome de Down) les invita a una merienda con la madre y directora ejecutiva Angela Jarvis-Holland, la coordinadora de familias nuevas Abby Braithwaite, y Isis Sánchez, madre y voluntaria con las familias hispanas.

Venga a conocer a otras familias y a darse cuenta de recursos valiosos que les ayudarán a apoyar el futuro éxito de su hija o hijo. Se hablarán sobre los mejores prácticas médicas y de desarrollo para infantes y niños/as chiquitos/as con síndrome de Down.

Esperamos que se junten con nosotros el sábado, 5 de Noviembre de 10 a 12 para compartir historias y bocadillos.

Se ofrece cuidado de niños, pero el espacio es limitado y les pedimos el favor de comunicarse con nosotros primero.

Favor de responder y reservar su cupo al #503-238-0522 (Pregunten por Abby)

Recuerden:
Sábado, 5 de Noviembre
10 am – 12 pm
Centro de Recursos de NWDSA
11611 NE Ainsworth Circle, Portland 97220
Teléfono: 503-238-0522

Kick-Off Meeting October 26th, 6:00pm

Staff and families are welcome to come to our kick-off meeting on October 26th from 6:00pm – 8:00pm to learn about the Kindergarten Inclusion Cohort and ask questions.

The NWDSA Kindergarten Inclusion Cohort is about to form its second class focused on informing and empowering families around inclusive placements for their young students. This is a cross disability cohort for ALL children who experience a developmental disability that will be entering Kindergarten in the Fall of 2012.

We need your help to get word out about this unique and valuable opportunity!

Our first cohort was a great success! ALL the children whose parents participated in last year’s cohort received placements in the general education classroom for the majority of the school day. Parents have found the trainings and networking opportunities to be very valuable as they advocated for their children during transition and into the school year.

With the first set of kids off to school, we are ready to enroll families in the 2011-2012 cohort. Please share this information with families and help us get the word out about the cohort! Our first meeting on October 26, 2011 is open to anyone, staff or parents, who want to find out more about the cohort and get any questions answered.

Here’s What It’s All About!

The Kindergarten Inclusion Cohort program is designed as a series of interactive and best practices driven trainings. In order to receive the full benefit of the cohort we ask participants to commit to attending all of the sessions. This is not just about preparing families, but also about building a community of parents who will support each other as their children move through the transition process and beyond. Often along with big dreams there can also be fears. Our coordinators and guest speakers have all ‘walked in those shoes’ and will help families along the way by building skillsets, communication strategies and support connections.

We have some great speakers joining us and we are very excited to get the second year of this project up and running. We, as parents, are the experts on our children and the constant in their lives. Moving from early childhood to the school years can be a confusing and sometimes dis-empowering transition without tools and mentors to help navigate this new phase. We will help you to create a portfolio about your child, learn about the law, your rights and school responsibilities, share success stories and strategies from others and much more.

Over the next year, the cohort will feature six interactive training sessions with expert speakers and best-practices resources as well as graduates from our first session that will share their experiences and successes. Session topics will include information about the law and your child’s rights, tools and supports to use in the classroom, IEP goal writing to help support inclusion, communication and behavior strategies, tips from parents and teachers and more.

We are also seeking volunteers, teachers and other supportive professionals who would like to help in this work.

Please call Cohort coordinator Alicia DeLashmutt at 503-238-0522 or email alicia.kindergartencohort@gmail.com if you have any questions or would like to participate in our 2011 / 2012 session.

Thank you!

Learn more about the Kindergarten Inclusion Cohort