This is what I have been recommended by friends in Australia- note details for upcoming online course starting Dec 30. Modern spoken Tibetan has various dialects; I was pointed out resources for literary/dharma Tibetan. See the pdf by McComas Taylor and Lama Choedak.
The following is link to the events at the Canberra Tibetan Buddhist Centre (Lama Choedak):
The course is listed under Upcoming Events. It starts on 30 December this year and can be done in person or online.
Both the Canberra Centre and the Drogmi Centre at Tilba are Sakya lineage.
My acquaintance took Tibetan at ANU, which does colloquial in one semester, then moves on to classical in another semester. But she ultimately preferred to work with Lama Choedak.
Thanks SO much for the Aus/Portland/Toronto resources. Absolutely correct - I have to start from the script; so, that I will practice on my own. And yes, I am looking to learning to read texts - colloquial Tibetan only later, I guess.
The Dharmasala book I referred to - I found its reference online -
“The Heart of Tibetan Language - Text Book and Exercise Book”
Franziska Oertle