Friends of OSD - FOSD

Enhancing the educational experience for OSD students.

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Disc Golf comes to OSD

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 June 18, 2021 – by FRIENDS OF OSD

Boaz Edmunson’s application to FOSD for baskets and equipment to establish a disc golf course was enthusiastically approved.  The course will consist of 9 “holes” which individuals or teams will target as they fling their discs toward the baskets.

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Disc golf is a sport that is growing in popularity and is becoming a favorite pastime of the Deaf in Oregon.  In fact, there is a Deaf organization dedicated to disc golf that hosts tournaments in various states.

Scooters for dorms

April 8, 2021 – by FRIENDS OF OSD

FOSD’s Board was happy to approve Zachary Wertz’s Educational Enrichment Award application for 6 scooters for residential dorm student use.  OSD wanted to encourage physical activity, while following the Covid guidelines for schools.  The scooters contribute to students’ sense of balance, cardio exercise, learning to share, and “healthy competition” among friends as they enjoy this extracurricular option.

FOSD Swims with the Sharks

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FOSD Swims with Sharks

Oregon School for the Deaf teacher, James Smith, brought a fresh, new vision to prepare graduates for employment.  But he needs a professional grade piece of technical equipment to do that.

More and more, the construction and manufacturing industries depend on technology.  These businesses are in need of workers who know how to operate Computer Numeric Control (CNC) systems.  As of this writing, there are 142 businesses seeking workers with knowledge of CNC operation listed on the Oregon Department of Employment’s statewide job listing, with entry level pay ranging from $15 to $25 an hour.

In CNC production, the item or product is designed on a computer, then sent electronically to a “robotic” router head that can cut, drill, machine and carve (even 2 and 3 dimensional) a variety of materials—wood, plastics, metals, etc.  CNCs can produce items that are consistently precise and of high quality.  They improve productivity by reducing waste, frequency of errors, and the time required to get the finished product to market.

Check out our 2017 ShareTank Video: https://youtu.be/zFhCyptsPlc

To see a CNC router in action, go to: https://youtube.com/UFTJts0KvHc

But, CNC systems are expensive, and the School’s budget could not support such a large purchase.  James sought the help of Friends of OSD (FOSD) to bring his vision to reality.  FOSD was established 10 years ago as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit to enhance the educational programs and services for students at OSD beyond the basic level of state support.  They agreed that helping Oregon’s young people with hearing impairments become productive members of society is a worthwhile goal.  But, never did James or FOSD think that would mean swimming with sharks!

In April, the Center for Community Innovation in Salem announced an opportunity for nonprofits to participate in a Nonprofit Share Tank event, modeled after the TV show Shark Tank.  FOSD applied and was chosen as one of 4 presenters.

On June 29 at Salem’s Elsinore Theater, James, the School’s director Sharla Jones, and FOSD’s vice president Linda Couoh, had just 5 minutes to convince a panel of 5 local philanthropists (the “sharks”—but NICE sharks) that a CNC router was worthy of funding.

After the presentation, the “sharks” schooled (or huddled) to deliberate.  When they surfaced a few minutes later, they announced that they would personally contribute $4,750, their second highest contribution that night, toward the purchase of the $45,000 CNC router for the School’s Construction Technology Academy.

The audience also was able to make donation pledges via their cell phones during the event, and FOSD received $1,000 from the Center for Community Innovation, which is earmarked for the CNC router.  FOSD also has applied to several other foundations for funding, but donations still are needed.

If this CNC router could be purchased during the summer of 2017, James could begin training students during the coming 2017-18 school year.  With this technology in place, OSD’s students will be more fully prepared to compete for positions in the workforce with current skills and self-confidence, having been trained on the very equipment that they will see on the job.

If you would like to donate toward this purchase, you may use the PayPal feature on this website, or send your check or money order with a note “CNC Router” to:
Friends of OSD
PO Box 15053
Salem, Oregon 97309

Information from the FOSD sponsored Family Learning Weekend

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Resources for Families **Recursos para las Familias

THROUGH YOUR CHILD’S EYES: AMERICAN SIGN LANGUAGE
https://www.csun.edu/~tyce/spindex.html

**A Través de los Ojos de su Hijo: con el lenguaje estadounidese de señas

OREGON SCHOOL FOR THE DEAF: www.osd.k12.or.us Check out the OSD website for Parent Newsletters, events on the calendar, volunteer applications, ParentVUE (check out your child’s progress, and more!

**Escuela de Oregon para Sordos Boletín de novedades
https://www.osd.k12.or.us/sites/osd.oregonk-12.net/files/Vol4Ed08_Spa.pdf
https://www.osd.k12.or.us/sites/osd.oregonk-12.net/files/Vol4Ed07_Spa.pdf

AMERICAN SOCIETY FOR DEAF CHILDREN https://deafchildren.org This is a nationwide
organization for parents with Deaf/hh children. Their website is full of resources. They publish a
magazine, The Endeavor, 3-4 times a year. https://deafchildren.org/join/endeavor-magazine

**LA EVIDENCIA LO APOYA USO DEL LENGUAJE DE SIGNOS PARA BEBÉS SORDOS,
HIPOACÚSICOS Y OYENTES https://www.gallaudet.edu/Documents/Clerc Spanish_ASDC_summary.pdf

LAURENT CLERC NATIONAL DEAF EDUCATION CENTER https://www.gallaudet.edu/clerc-
center/our-resources/for- families.html This center is based at Gallaudet University. They publish an
annual magazine, Odyssey, which focus on topics related to the Deaf Education Classroom. Obtain a
free subscription on line. There are many resources and free publications listed on line.
https://www.gallaudet.edu/clerc-center/info- to-go/family- resources.html
Learning Opportunities: https://www.gallaudet.edu/clerc-center/learning- opportunities/webcasts.html

15 PRINCIPLES FOR READING TO DEAF CHILDREN https://www.gallaudet.edu/clerc-
center/learning-opportunities/online- learning/fifteen-principles- for-reading- to-deaf- children.html

** 15 PRINCIPIOS PAREA LEER A NINOS SORDOS https://www.gallaudet.edu/clerc-
center/learning-opportunities/online- learning/fifteen-principles- for-reading- to-deaf- children/15-
principios-para- leer-a- ni%C3%B1os-sordos.html

** RECURSOS SOBRE LOS ESTUDIANTES QUE SON PERSONAS SORDAS Y CON PROBLEMAS DE AUDICION EN ESPANOL https://www.gallaudet.edu/clerc-center/info- to-go/multicultural-
considerations/resources-spanish.html

DESCRIBED AND CAPTIONED MEDIA PROGRAM: https://dcmp.org/
https://dcmp.org/accessible-television The purpose of the Described and Captioned Media Program
(DCMP) library is to provide free-loan captioned and described educational media to benefit K–12
students who are deaf, hard of hearing, blind, visually impaired, or deaf-blind. Family Sign Language
lessons in English and Spanish and much more!

**El DCMP https://es.dcmp.org/ El DCMP es una idea que funciona gracias a la financiación del
Departamento de Educación de los Estados Unidos y que esta administrada por la National Association
of the Deaf Explore el catálogo de más de 4,000 títulos de contenido con subtítulos y descripción, para
préstamo gratuito **Videos de la familia de lengua de signos en español

EQUALITY AND QUALITY EDUCATION FOR DEAF AND HARD OF HEARING CHILDREN: A STATEMENT OF CHILD FIRST PRINCIPLES
https://www.ceasd.org/images/pdfs/CEASD_Child_First_brochure.pdf

**ENUNCIADO DE LOS PRINCIPIOS DE CHILD FIRST (PRIMERO, EL NIŇO) IGUALDAD Y
CALIDAD DE EDUCACIÓN PARA NIŇOS SORDOS E HIPOACÚSICOS
https://www.ceasd.org/images/pdfs/CEASD_primero_el_nino.pdf

VISUAL LANGUAGE AND VISUAL LEARNING, an NSF Science of Learning Center
https://vl2.gallaudet.edu/resources/asl-parents- toolkit Information and resources for teachers and
parents about American Sign Language. https://vl2parentspackage.org/ Find a sign! Games and
tutorials! https://vl2.educ.ualberta.ca/

BEDROCK LITERACY https://www.bedrockliteracy.com/ Teaching English literacy skills to Deaf/hh
students. Check out the parent pages.

VISUAL PHONICS https://www.seethesound.org is a multisensory instructional tool that represents
all of the sounds of English with a hand-shape prompt and a corresponding written symbol.

CENTER ON LITERACY AND DEAFNESS https://clad.education.gsu.edu/ Information about
reading and Deaf children. ASL Stories/Songs https://clad.education.gsu.edu/center-activities- 2/asl-
stories/

Our Mission

IMG_2702The FOSD mission and purpose is to support the enhancement of programs and services for students at OSD beyond the State’s funding responsibility*. The FOSD Board has identified four initiatives for which awards may be granted:  education, cultural activities, innovative programs and minor capital improvement projects.

Founded by a small group of dedicated people in 2006, FOSD was established to support the students at the Oregon School for the Deaf (OSD).  From that beginning, Friends of OSD has grown into a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization with an all-volunteer Board of Directors. In 2014, FOSD created an Advisory Council of 15 members.

The Friends of OSD Strategic Plan provides direction as the nonprofit continues to expand. We are proud to say that 95% of all grants and donations go directly to programs that benefit students.

*The State of Oregon is responsible for operating programs and services for the students at the Oregon School for the Deaf (OSD). Federal case law establishes the expectation that special education services provided by a school be reasonably designed to ensure students make progress. Friends of OSD will not replace or supplant the responsibilities of the state.

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