Karl Heldrich Reading Center

Background:

The Karl Heldrich Reading Center is a unique facility housed at Our Lady of Grace School (OLGS) in Parkton, Md. When founded, OLGS was the first parochial school to open in Baltimore County in 35 years. The KHRC was established in Fall 2004 as a tribute and memorial to Dr. Karl Heldrich, a beloved parishioner, who gave the community many years of service as a veterinarian.

Mission Statement:

The purpose of the Karl Heldrich Reading Center is to meet the reading support needs of students at Our Lady of Grace School and the Northern Baltimore County community who are at-risk for reading failure. Students who struggle learning to read are statistically shown to be at risk for continued academic difficulties. Often their challenges are not severe enough for them to be eligible for special programs. The KHRC provides the critical early intervention reading support services needed to develop competent readers. Today parents and students in both private and public educational settings can benefit from supplemental educational resources.

Services Provided:

• Identification of a child’s specific needs utilizing research-based assessments.
• Development of individualized prescriptive programs of intervention based on assessment and instructional data.
• Ongoing administration/revision of these remedial plans as students progress
• Parent support through progress reports, workshops, and materials for home support
• Cooperative interaction with teachers to provide reading assessment testing results, monitor on-going student progress and to align classroom and Center reading activities
• On-going Center staff development and training to insure that most current instructional practices and methods are in use
• After-School Tutoring Program and Summer Reading Program offered to the community-at-large

Tutoring Services Available:

The Karl Heldrich Reading Center was created to support Our Lady of Grace School as well as the community of Northern Baltimore County.  Students experiencing difficulty with reading and math may contact the Center at bricketts@ourladygrace.org to arrange for tutoring sessions.  

Most Current Information:

In School Services:  Mid-year reading assessments have now been adminstered to all Kindergarten, Grade 1 and Grade 2 students at Our Lady of Grace School, as well as all students currently receiving intervention services.  Results are used to chart reading skill growth and progress, and to indicate if additional students could benefit from the reading support services provided by the Karl Heldrich Reading Center.   Reading Specialist Debbie Francis also participated in the recent testing of  prospective Kindergarten students for the 2013-2014.

Grant-Writing Assistance Needed - We are seeking a volunteer with
grant-writing experience to help support the Heldrich Center's funding
efforts. Interested parties should contact Principal Byrdie Ricketts
at 410-329-6956. Your help would be much appreciated!