Essential Pieces: Changing the World One Child at a Time
Elk Park Event Center, 747 East Elk Park Drive | Columbia, MO 65201
Lunch Provided by Room 38

St. Louis Oasis Tutor Appreciation and Training Event

On Thursday, April 20, 2023 St. Louis Oasis is hosting an event to recognize and provide professional development to their older adult volunteers who serve in school districts across Illinois and Missouri. The “Essential Pieces: Changing the World One Child at a Time” event will be held at the Elk Park Event Center in Columbia, MO.

The “Essential Pieces” event is about enriching the tutors’ work and thanking them for the service they provide in their communities. The event falls during National Volunteer Week, April 16–22. Oasis is proud to honor these dedicated individuals whose service enriches the lives of children daily.As an Oasis tutor, you are essential in improving self-confidence and higher academic achievement in Missouri students.

As recognition of their service, Oasis is offering two sessions of continuing education for their tutors that help them better understand the students they work with and the challenges they face. Join us for a professional development event for Oasis tutors with presentations by:

Darbie Valenti Huff, 2017 Missouri Teacher of the Year
Two Birds, One Stone: Balancing Academics with Social-Emotional Needs – Learn skills that help guide students to embrace mistakes to reach deeper levels of learning while developing tenacity.

Laura Nass, Retired Elementary Classroom and Title I Reading teacher
Dyslexia for a Day – Laura served as a member of the Missouri Legislative Task Force for Dyslexia and is a member of the advocacy group Decoding Dyslexia – Missouri. Discuss what dyslexia looks like from a child’s point of view and how we, as tutors, can better mentor them.

Essential Pieces takes place during National Volunteer Week when we would like to thank our tutors for the service they provide in their communities. Oasis is proud to honor these dedicated individuals whose service enriches the lives of children daily.

Transportation will provided on a first-come, first served basis. There are only 50 spots available, so please indicate if you would like to sign up for a spot.

For more information or to register, please contact Stephanie McCreary at (314) 862-2933 ext. 239.

Darbie Valenti Huff,
2017 Missouri Teacher of the Year

Two Birds, One Stone: Balancing Academics with Social-Emotional Needs – Learn skills that help guide students to embrace mistakes to reach deeper levels of learning while developing tenacity.

Laura Nass,
Retired Elementary Classroom and Title I Reading teacher

Laura Naas is a retired elementary classroom and Title I Reading teacher. While earning her M.S. in Reading degree, she realized that the issue facing many of her struggling students was probably dyslexia. Thus began her journey into learning as much as she could about dyslexia and how to teach dyslexic students. Much of her knowledge has been self-taught from books, articles, and professional websites. Laura has also completed courses in dyslexia, the Orton-Gillingham approach, and special education law from the Dyslexia Training Institute and how to screen for dyslexia from Susan Barton, author of the Barton Reading & Spelling System. Laura served as a member of the Missouri Legislative Task Force for Dyslexia and is a member of the advocacy group, Decoding Dyslexia—Missouri. She continues to tutor several dyslexic students in the Barton System and serves as a Dyslexia Consultant.