Blog

By: Barry Soltz Playing Pokémon with my children is something we both enjoy – I get to spend time with them and they get to be excited about playing the beloved game. Part of Pokémon …

We were lost when we found out Klara had dyslexia. We didn’t know what to do.  I was at a swim meet, talking to another parent when she shared that her son also had dyslexia. …

Just a handful of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to attend the 2023 Orton Gillingham Academy Conference in Boston, Massachusetts. Not only did I get to meet my supervising Fellow and President of the …

Written by Mr. Epsten, Counseling Director One of the main tenets of Horizon Academy is to create a caring school community to help students feel welcome, safe and accepted by staff and peers.  Many of …

Written by Mrs. Herber, Elementary Teacher In part 1 of this series, Mr. Epsten discussed the school-wide initiatives Horizon Academy has taken to create a caring community of learners. Continue reading as Mrs. Herber discusses …

Written by Aly Burnett, Tutor This year I have had the opportunity to work with Elementary, Middle and Upper Team students while tutoring in Orton-Gillingham (O-G), and KU Writing Strategies. It has been extremely rewarding …

Accommodations and Modifications by Lower School Teacher, Ann Kavanaugh When students struggle, it is important and common for schools to utilize needed accommodations and modifications to support these students and help them to be successful …

Written by Mike Chamberlain One of the best ways students can get involved at Horizon Academy is through the numerous clubs and after-school activities we offer. These clubs are an awesome way for our students …

American Sign Language for the Dyslexia Student By Rachel Denning, Horizon Academy Orton-Gillingham Coach and Instructor Did you know that American Sign Language (ASL) is not just a gestured version of English? It is actually …

Written by Mrs. Semro, Middle Team Teacher The very word summer brings to my mind mental images of swimming pools, lightning bugs, baseball, and ice cream cones.  The smells of suntan lotion and outdoor grills …

Board Test

Written by Mr. McConnell, Upper Team Instructor   Early in February, my Earth Science class learned about the forces that produce volcanic eruptions. This presented an opportunity for a classic high school science demonstration, the …

The mission of Horizon Academy is to empower students diagnosed with dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities to become effective learners and confident self-advocates. One of the ways in which we empower our students is …

As I think about the path that brought us to Horizon Academy, I’d say, I noticed several little things very early on with my son, Burt. He didn’t meet the developmental benchmarks for crawling or …

I noticed Anna was having trouble even before kindergarten. She has an older sister, and I had also gone through preparing her for school. Anna’s letter retrieval was slow. She might know a letter, but …

Written by Mrs. Bergman, School Counselor I like to tell our students that I have the best job in the world, but that’s not entirely true. I have the best job in the world – …

By: Michael McConnell Over the last 3 years, Collaborative Storytelling Club has become one of Horizon Academy’s most popular clubs with sessions every quarter even during our online 4th quarter last year. If you have …

Written by Ms. Guillory, Upper Team Teacher As a first-time teacher, the first few weeks of school feel make-or-break. This is when you establish your authority as a leader in the classroom even though you’re …

Calendar time is critical in any elementary classroom, and Mrs. Maloney’s class is no exception. This is a great opportunity for students to build life skills and reinforce academic skills that they are learning throughout …

By Andi Meyer, Fine Arts Instructor  Educators at Horizon Academy and across the country are working to make sure their curriculum is culturally responsive. One of my specialty areas, Music Education, is undergoing a significant …

By Sage Isenmann My educator mind was blown last summer. I’m in my fourteenth year of teaching (and my eighth at Horizon), so this doesn’t happen often. We were assigned to read David Kilpatrick’s book, …

Written By Michael McConnell, STEM Instructor I am what sociologists call a digital native. Tim Berners-Lee released the first web browser the month after I was born. (I’ll leave it to curious readers to research …

Written by Mr. Isenmann, Middle Team Teacher As a teacher, I’m constantly looking for new ideas. I get bored doing the same projects, the same writing prompts, the same review games year after year. I’ve …

Research now shows that 30-70% of students with dyslexia have math learning difficulties, even without a formal math learning disability diagnosis. Dyslexic students may develop areas of unfinished learning or educational gaps because math is …

Written by Mrs. Bergman, Counselor What do the founders of IKEA, JetBlue, Charles Schwab, and Apple all have in common? They all have learning disabilities. While learning disabilities can make many tasks more challenging, they …

Written by Mrs. Imgrund, Speech-Language Pathologist Many students with weaknesses in the area of expressive language have a hard time accurately describing objects, events, and concepts. Just the other day I asked an elementary school student …

Alana Seidenberg has learned through her years of experience that the way an educator communicates to their students with diagnosed learning disabilities needs to be explicit, direct and sometimes broken down. “Typical learners have the …

For more than 26 years, Mr. Barry Soltz has been continuously trying to find new ways to make science interactive and fun for students. Part of the reason he pursued a career in science and special …

Before coming to Horizon Academy, Brenna Watson was a Special Education Resource Teacher in the public school system. In 2019, Horizon Academy visited her school to host a Learning Disability Simulation. “It was so powerful …

Mrs. Brett Lasseter has known she wanted to be a teacher since she was a child herself! Having family members diagnosed with learning disabilities, she was exposed at a young age to appreciate the different …

“I want to be a positive influence for students, a cheerleader, helping them to reach their full potential,” says Horizon Academy teacher, Gricelda Garcia. Garcia was deeply impacted by her teachers growing up and the …

Holly Hammond is no ordinary educator. She is responsible for a classroom of all 4th and 5th grade boys with diagnosed learning disabilities. “I am a huge advocate for boys. So many boys are in …

In 2012, Mrs. Holly Hangauer was going to school at the University of Missouri Kansas City for art education when someone approached her about becoming a Waldorf teacher. She participated in a summer training program …

Ms. Katlin Gardner grew up in Kansas City, Missouri. She had a hard time moving through the Kansas City public school system but had one particular teacher in 3rd-5th grade that advocated for her. This …

“I noticed students that struggled in the classroom and thought to myself, ‘there must be a better way to educate these students,’” said Upper School teacher, Molly Schmeidler. Schmeidler spent 4 years teaching at the …

As a young girl, Stella Garibaldi’s mother owned and operated a Montessori preschool, so you could say, teaching is part of her DNA. In high school, she helped supervise classes at the preschool and found …

Mrs. Teri Truog has wanted to be a teacher for as long as she can remember. She had many teachers who influenced her throughout her life, and she was continually reinforced with the thought that …

Horizon Academy is excited to welcome Dr. Tiffany Arrington, PhD, as our new school psychologist. There are many benefits to having a school psychologist on staff. Dr. Arrington can consult on instruction, assessment and student …

“It wasn’t until coming to Horizon Academy that we really realized how hard school had been for Will,” says current Horizon Academy parent, Michelle Millard. In early 2019, Michelle started to recognize the signs that …

by Gerilyn Semro Hope actually does not spring eternal. Sometimes, being disappointed time after time begins to wear away at hope and confidence. In my decades of teaching, I have seen far too many children …

Dear Gabi,  I am a parent of three children with dyslexia. I’ve recently realized that I have dyslexia myself! My fourth child is only three years old, but I’m starting to get nervous. What can …

Written by Julie Altman, Principal Before you know it, school will be back in session, which means it’s time to start thinking about routines and schedules. Having routines in place will increase the chance that …

Written by Judy Cowin, Director of Tutoring Services   Early literacy refers to the knowledge and skills young children need to learn to communicate, read, and write.  There are six basic skills that make up early …

Written By Gabi Guillory-Welsh Teachers and parents alike understand the importance of building strong, trusting relationships with students. According to a Review of Educational Research analysis of 46 studies, strong teacher-student relationships were associated with …

Written by Coach Chamberlain, Physical Education & Sports Coordinator Last year, we began a new tradition in PE at Horizon Academy, the Olympics. Held twice a year, before winter and summer break, the Olympics are a …

Everybody is giving thanks this time of year and it’s wonderful! Many of us spend time in contemplation of what makes us truly grateful and then share those feelings with the people in our lives. …

Horizon Academy is currently enrolling kindergarten students who are at risk for dyslexia for the 2024-2025 school year. Ours is the first early intervention program of this kind in the region. Horizon Academy is the …

Written by Mr. McConnell, Upper Team Instructor Horizon Academy was lucky to be near the path of a total solar eclipse this August. As a science teacher, I have been looking forward to this educational opportunity …

Written by Olivia Cowin In many ways, mathematics is an intersection of two languages. Names derived from the meaning of Latin or Greek roots and affixes are assigned to mathematical symbols; these symbols are themselves …

Horizon Academy is conducting free screenings for parents of children 4-6 years of age who are at risk for dyslexia. The screenings are available during October and November 2024.  Step One. Fill out the form …

Have you ever prepared for a pitch or a presentation by writing down your talking points or even a script of what you planned to say, and practiced it repeatedly? When we speak on a …

By Dr. Tiffany Arrington, School Psychologist, Horizon Academy The holiday season can be a time of joy and celebration, but for students with dyslexia and other language-based learning disabilities, it can be a time of …

Igniting Real-World Understanding in a 2020 Classroom By Gabi Guillory-Welsh On Halloween night, I saw an incredibly elaborate “2020 Dumpster Fire” costume, complete with dancing flames, graffiti, and two giant dumpster lids flapping in the …

Math + movement = Success Engaging both the mind and body Emily Staten, Lower School Teacher Imagine you’re a teacher who must cover countless math standards within a school year and your math period is …

By Emily Staten When I accepted to lead the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (D.E.I.B) movement at Horizon Academy in 2022, I did so with self-doubt and uneasiness. I was incredibly conscious of my whiteness …

Written by Mrs. Denning, Upper Team Teacher   “Fake it ’til you make it.” It’s a phrase I heard repeatedly during my college days, and I have heard it throughout my career, as well. I definitely …

Before my time at Horizon Academy, my relationship with school was anything but positive; in fact, it was quite intimidating. Reading posed a challenge for me, I vividly recall the frustration of being pulled out …

Written by Ms. Jones, Upper Team Teacher It’s a presidential election year, and the U.S. Government Class is learning first hand how the political process works through a mock election.   To avoid controversy, the candidates …

Written by Jackie Thomas, OT For this 2019-2020 school year, Horizon Academy extended its school day. Usually when a school adds minutes to their day, it is intended to be used for instruction or classroom …

Written by Ms. Jones, Upper Team Teacher This year, I’ve had an amazing opportunity to take both the Multisensory Math I and II classes taught by Marilyn Zecher from the Atlantic Seaboard Dyslexia Education Center …

Did you know that music is the perfect tool to help our dyslexic students improve their reading?  At Horizon Academy students use all of their senses to learn.  Whether the subject is math, science, or …

Written by Ms. Guillory, Upper Team Teacher The opportunity to witness the solar eclipse last week allowed me to reflect for a moment on awe (a feeling of reverential respect mixed with fear or wonder). …

By Brenna Watson, Lower School Teacher It’s not uncommon that a special education teacher is led to the profession because of their own struggles in school. For me, it was math. I remember feeling so …

Dr. Doug Burgess (Jordan’s dad) We knew Jordan was struggling but the school kept telling us that everything was fine. The testing they performed did not indicate that any interventions were needed. We kept getting …

Written by Jill Hodge In the last few decades, scientists have learned a lot about how we learn to read and why some people have reading challenges. One of the most significant findings is orthographic mapping. …

by Aly Burnett, Orton-Gillingham Instructor & Tutor Transfer of Learning is the application of skills, knowledge, and/or attitudes that were learned in one situation to another learning situation (Perkins, 1992).The Orton-Gillingham approach provides cumulative and …

Written by Ms. Doetzer, Elementary Teacher   The Orton-Gillingham Approach is designed to help students with Dyslexia, which affects 1 in 5 children. Once you’ve been through the Orton-Gillingham training, there are a lot of …

Over the summer, our Horizon Academy community suffered a heartbreaking loss with the unexpected passing of Taiga Hughes.  Her death forces all of us to confront the horrible reality that suicide is the 3rd leading …

Phonemic awareness is the best predictor of a child’s reading skills during the first two years of school. You may have heard a teacher, an SLP, or a school psychologist use the term “phonemic awareness” …

Written by Mr. Isenmann, Middle Team Teacher Education and fun. What comes to mind when you think of those two words together? Before I became a teacher, those words conjured memories from PE class. Each …

At first glance, it may seem like dyslexia and poetry just don’t mix! But if we pull back the curtain, we reveal that poetry offers many gifts to a dyslexic reader-to-be. Poetry, shall I compare …

At Horizon Academy, we want to help you and your family reduce stress and increase the likelihood of success during what is a traditionally hectic time of year known as “back to school”. Here are …

Written by Mr. Hayes, Technology Specialist At Horizon, we strive to help our students achieve their best. As a school for students with learning disabilities, this means we use many new systems and creative methods …

By Ellyn Linton   As the saying goes, if you don’t use it, you lose it.  This rings true for our students at Horizon Academy where teachers anticipate various levels of regression over winter and …

Written by Ms. Linton, Elementary Teacher As we make our way into the final months of the school year, there have been quite a few requests about how to avoid the ‘Summer Slide.’   Unfortunately, I …

Written by Ms. Bardwell, Arts & Extracurricular Coordinator   Unlike music, where talent is passed on through genetics, art is developed over time with lots of practice. Along with developing fine motor skills, art students …

By: Jackie Thomas Does your child?: Have difficulty sitting still in class for a 30-minute lesson?Have meltdowns when having to go to an assembly in a loud gym?Refuse to wear certain clothes?Bump into things or …

Does your child: If you answered yes to some of these questions then your child may have a sensory processing disorder (SPD).  Sensory processing is the ability of the brain to take in, organize, and …

 Written by Mrs. Semro, Middle Team Teacher You can be smarter.  You can learn to be a smarter person.  Sound good? It certainly would to most people.  Intelligence is highly valued in our society, even …

By Michael Chamberlain, PE Teacher 10,714.18 miles. This is the distance between all 48 capitals in the mainland of the United States. This year, my challenge for students is to see if we can walk/run …

Jamal Johnson was a bright toddler who was inquisitive about the world around him and eager to learn. It wasn’t until after starting Kindergarten that Kim Johnson, Jamal’s grandmother, began noticing problems. “Academically, he was …

By Gabi Guillory Most of us do not realize how truly skilled we are in the area of executive functioning. We use daily planners and calendars. We know what we’re having for dinner over the …

As Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs), we recognize the power of storytelling in the vast universe of language development. Not only is storytelling a rich tradition passed down through generations, but it is also a critical educational …

Written by Ms. Olinger, Middle Team Teacher Learning strategies work well with our students as it gives them a concrete way to move through a specific skill. Traditional classrooms often use textbooks, and students must …

Written by Mrs. Denning, Upper Team Teacher “The greatest individuals who attain the highest forms of achievement in life don’t sprint toward success, but significance. They don’t run races, build businesses, raise kids, and live …

Isabella Fulton is a current Horizon Academy student. She was diagnosed with dyslexia in first grade. “We knew Isabella was having difficulties from a young age,” said parent Sonia Fulton. “She always had to work …

“Prepare the child for the path instead of the path for the child.” – T. Elmore As a teacher and as a parent, I can think of nothing more valuable than having children feel comfortable …

The Giving Tree Horizon Academy students are giving back to the Kansas City community. This year, Horizon Academy has implemented a new incentive system called Kickboard. Students earn Kickboard points throughout the week. If students …

By: Nichole Morrissey Instructional Language is what we say and do in a classroom to teach new information. One way we use this is by intentionally and systematically increasing students’ understanding of vocabulary. When a …

By Alana Seidenberg, Lower School Teacher Have you ever prepared for a pitch or a presentation by writing down your talking points or even a script of what you planned to say, and practiced it …

By Alicia Carr, Counseling Director At Horizon Academy, we cherish building relationships with each individual student. Ultimately the goal for every student is to transition back to a traditional school setting; we strive to provide …

By: Ann Kavanaugh, Middle School Teacher This year, Horizon Academy is focusing on a different approach to teaching writing: The Writing Revolution (TWR).  One of the essential aspects of this method is the recognition that …

by Holly Hammond, Teacher According to the Universal Design for Learning (UDL), there are three primary neurological networks that impact learning: Multiple means of representation – Gives learners various ways of acquiring information and knowledge.Multiple …

By Gerilyn Semro, MS – LD, MS – ASD, MA ELAssociate Member | Orton-Gillingham Academy Associate Principal, Horizon Academy In the ever-evolving landscape of education, the intersection of neuroscience and teaching methodologies has paved the way …

By: Teri Truog, Lower School Teacher That’s a common, but relatively new question we all hear these days. As a middle-aged woman who considers herself open-minded and inclusive, I do admit I am not adept …

Written by Judy Cowin, Tutoring Coordinator   I am often asked, “What is Orton-Gillingham?”  Parents may have come across the name in their research, heard of a “multi-sensory method”, or received a referral from a …

Written by Jill Hodge. I would like you to visualize a drummer, hitting a snare drum at a consistent beat in the same intervals: ti-ti-ti-ti-ti and the only change is in the pace, which can …

What’s That Word?  Alli Caplinger, Speech and Language Pathologist Understanding words around us is essential to meaningful communication, cognitive development, and is one of the critical pieces to reading acquisition (National Reading Pane, 2001). As …

by Jackie Thomas At Horizon Academy, we teach our students cursive. They learn it in the classroom, during Orton-Gillingham lessons, handwriting groups and during direct Occupational Therapy services. They practice until proficient enough to use …

Written by Coach Chamberlain, Physical Education and Sports Coordinator As I read different articles on the internet about cutting back Physical Education in schools across the country, it only motivates me to do more as …

By Emily Hathhorn, Speech Language Pathologist at Horizon Academy One of Horizon Academy’s initiatives for the 2024-25 school year has been to teach high-utility vocabulary words directly. Using precise vocabulary words in written and spoken …

Written by Mr. McFarland, Middle Team Teacher Each year kids (and teachers) count down the last 20 some days of the school year and look forward to summer break. It means something different probably to …

By Shaynee Sherwood, Lower School Teacher “What is it like having dyslexia?” I have been asked this question dozens of times since my own diagnosis in 2nd grade, and for a long time, I was …

Written by Alli Caplinger Our annual theme is My Story Matters, through which each student, parent, or caregiver is empowered to understand their connection to Horizon Academy. Many times, we know what we want to …