Meet Victoria Linnartz, a New Canaan mom of two who has lived in town for nearly 30 years. An interior designer by trade, she is now making her debut as an author. She wrote Olivia’s Gift to share her story of having two dyslexic children and how “each child foraged their learning journey.” Discover how Victoria learned to help dyslexic learners, why she thinks New Canaan is a “special community to raise a family,” and save the date for her book signing at Elm Street Books on June 8 from 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
How many kids do you have and what are their ages?
We have two children, Olivia age 23, and Jack aged 20.
What brought you to New Canaan and how long have you lived in town?
We have lived in NC for 28 years. My husband used to work for Smith Corona, which was based in NC, so he was very familiar with the town, so a couple of years after we were married, we found a house in town luckily. We always say it was one of our best decisions.
What are your favorite family activities in New Canaan?
When our children were younger, we used to always go to the NC Nature Center Fall Fest/Octoberfest, Halloween parade, and the Easter egg hunt. Now, Family Fourth and the Holiday Stroll are favorites. All wonderful events in town and a lot of fond memories. Newcomers Club and Gourmet Group were fantastic groups for us, and we made some of our best friends through those groups. Lately, we have been enjoying Irwin and Waveny Park.
What led you to write your first book, Olivia’s Gift?
Both our children are dyslexic, so it’s been a long journey for our entire family, but now that they are on their way, it just felt like it was time to take a breath and share with others.
Do you have any talks or book signings coming up soon?
I’ll be having a book signing at Elm Street Books on June 8 from 11-1 pm.
Where can customers buy the book?
Olivia’s Gift is available through Amazon, and IngramSpark, or you can ask Elm Street Books or the NC Library to get a copy for you. I also have an order of hardcovers coming soon.
What advice would you give to parents of dyslexic children?
Surround them with supportive role models, activities that they love, and academic help where possible. Self-esteem is very important!
Favorite part about writing the book?
My favorite part about writing Olivia’s Gift was reflecting about how Olivia has overcome so many challenges, and now to see her flourishing is truly aspirational.
The biggest challenge of writing the book?
As a first-time author, it was hard learning all the terminology and finding the resources to write my book.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve gotten from another mom?
Be involved and present. Another one was (for boys mostly) NO XBOX! Jack still talks about this one.
How do you unwind when you need some “me time?”
I swear by acupuncture for many reasons. For stress, relaxation, or pains it’s life-changing. Pilates with Robin in town is another “me time.” Lastly, having dinner out with friends is a total reset and gives me renewed strength.
Please tell us about the challenges of navigating school when your children have dyslexia.
This could be a long conversation and would be open to sharing with anyone facing these challenges. Olivia and Jack both took different educational paths, so we have both the private school and NCPS experiences. In a nutshell, you have to be proactive about why your child is struggling, obtain the correct testing, and then get the correct accommodations and remedial intervention, which is not always easy. As a parent, you need to make sure your child is getting all the intervention possible, and allowed by law, all the while keeping their self-esteem intact, Every child has a distinct educational path, so each child has to be treated according to their learning differences. Olivia being the oldest, we were deer in headlights!
Guided by resources recommended by her school (Psychologists, tutors, reading specialists, and many more) led us to the Windward School in Westchester and NYC. Windward is a school for Dyslexic children that uses the Orton-Gillingham approach as well as their teaching methods to give these students the tools to tackle their learning differences. There Olivia mainstreamed to Holy Child which is a fantastic and supportive all-girls school in Westchester. There she had accommodations all through High school and into College. Olivia graduated from Denison University in 2022 and is now finishing up a Master’s in Education at American University.
Each Dyslexic is different, so when it came to Jack, we thought we would follow the same path, but Winward did not have an opening, so we enrolled him at West School for First grade. We did bring our private testing to West, where they put him in Tier 3 remedial intervention, and he was pulled out of class several days a week. NCPS uses the Wilson approach which is similar to Orton-Gillingham. In the NCPS we had to be very diligent and in constant communication with the school to make sure Jack received the services to succeed. Jack would meet benchmarks and services would be pulled, but the testing still showed discrepancies, so back in we would go for another meeting. He did receive a 504 plan that continued through high school and he is now at Bucknell University and doing very well. An open and respectful line of communication is key. As a parent you know your child and if they are struggling speak up.
Any words to live by?
Be present as much as possible and don’t be afraid to challenge yourself.
We love supporting local businesses. What are your favorite places in town or nearby to…
Have Dinner: Dolce
Shop: Terrain in Westport, Blue Mercury for skin care products, Consider The Cook for anything Kitchen or small hostess gifts.
Treat Yourself: Beautiful Acupuncture, Robin Kleban for Pilates on Forest St. Bird Salon in Westport
Spend time with family: Still want to try pickleball in Stamford, anything foodie related, walks at Irwin and Waveny, and NC Library events are spot on!
Unwind: We have a sailboat, so we spend time on her and sailing over to Long Island to see friends and family.
Have Coffee: Zumbachs Coffee
Any local gems? We love to support several charitable organizations, so I’d say ABC House! They are celebrating 50 years!
Favorite hidden spots in New Canaan: Hidden gardens all around town—check out Olive and George Lee Memorial Garden off Chichester. It took a friend from Long Island to take us there!
ABOUT OLIVIA’S GIFT
Olivia couldn’t wait to go to school to learn to read and to meet new friends only to realize that reading is not so easy for some. Join Olivia on her journey to learn to read, the people she meets, and the gifts she realizes she has.
Click the link for a hardcover version – Ingramspark
Olivia’s Gift
