Listening Tour - respond to our survey!
PTA 2013  Legislative Priorities Survey
Dr. Linda Silverman: "Upside-Down Brilliance: The
     Visual-Spatial Learner"
Making  Friends & Social Development
What Parents Need to Know About Smart  Kids
WAETAG Conference - early registration deadline!
Scholar Search Oct  27
Save the Date! Connections Conference
on March  8
SENG facilitator training Oct 12-13 - last call
ESD training sessions
Recent Articles
Enrichment Programs

We are conducting a Listening Tour this fall so that we can better shape NWGCA around the needs of our community.

Would you please answer our survey to tell us about your family's needs, and how NWGCA  might best help you?

It should only take 5-10 minutes, so please do it  now before you forget.

Take the Listening Tour Survey

Funding for highly capable education made it onto the WA State PTA Legislative Issues survey! Would you help HiCap funding become a PTA priority this year by voting for it? The PTA Issues Survey closes October 3, so don't wait! Take the PTA Issues Survey

The  Edmonds SD Challenge Parents Association is overjoyed to welcome world-class  gifted expert and author: 

Monday, October 21st  

Book Signing at 6:30pm
Presentation at 7:00pm 

Terrace Park Elementary, Commons
5409 228th St SW, Mountlake Terrace
 
A $10 suggested  donation will be collected at the door.

Hosted by Challenge Parents Association 

October 9 at 7pm  -  Northshore Administration Building
3330 Monte Villa Pkwy, Bothell (FREE)
 
Learn why your smart kid may prefer a book to a  playdate, why they might gravitate to play with older (or younger)  children, how they actually desire deeper relationships with friends than their  neurotypical
peers (even though it might not always look like it), what it means  to be a social introvert, why kids need intellectual peers for optimal social development, and where to look if your child needs help.

September 25 at 7pm - Terrace Park School, Mountlake
Terrace 
October 23 at 6pm - Voyager Elementary School, Gig Harbor 
November 6 at 6:30pm - Lake Wash Resource Center, Redmond 
November 13 at 7pm - Northshore Administration Building, Bothell

 Many parents are surprised to learn that their bright child's unique "quirks" are actually well-studied social & emotional behavior patterns that appear across large populations of  highly intelligent children. Whether it's refusing to wear shirts with buttons  or tags, overreacting to the slightest criticism, gravitating to play with older  children, anxiety about trying something new, or preferring a book to a  playdate, many perplexing behaviors are common in this population.  Learn what's  normal, what to expect as they grow, and why full-time hicap programs are  optimal for kids' social and emotional development, as well as developing their  academic talents.

November 16, 1-5pm - Brightwater Center, Woodinville 
  
The workshop format provides additional time to dig into deeper content, participate  in thought-provoking activities, and engage in guided discussion with other  parents of highly intelligent kids. The goal is to give you research-based  perspectives, new tools for your toolbox, and support to help you develop a  written plan for parenting your unique child with intentionality.
A second  family member can attend for $5.
Pre-registration required 

(Want to bring an NWGCA talk to your area? Email us) 

October 18-19, 2013, Hotel Murano, Tacoma     
Early registration closes on Sept  30!

WAETAG's annual  conference is looking to be the best one yet, with a topic that is particularly  relevant to parents as well as educators. The keynote speaker is
Dr. Linda  Silverman from the Gifted Development Center in Colorado--families fly to  Colorado just to have their kids assessed by her, she is that amazing.  

There is also a pre-conference day specifically for administrators with everything they need to know to get in compliance with the new laws--please spread the word to your school district's gifted coordinator!
     
Conference Flyer 
Pre-Conference Administration Day Flyer 
Registration

Described as a FREE event for  intellectually curious students, there will be some great resources here for  families of gifted students, and workshops for kids grades 4 and up. Be sure to  save October 27th to come check it out. Sponsored by Annie Wright Schools and  Scholar Search Associates. Register & More Information 

Tell your adminstrators &  teachers! WAETAG trained 20+ people from each of the WA state Educational Service Districts (ESDs) over the summer to be able to give short courses for educators on three topics: 
* Nature and Needs of Gifted Learners  
* Differentiation 
* Critical and Creative  Thinking
Currently scheduled courses   
Full list of ESD training contacts

The 2014 Connections Conference will be held on March 8 from 9am to 4pm, graciously hosted by Seattle Public Schools.

This year we will have  a track for kids as well as sessions for adults, and two positively amazing  keynote speakers.

If you have ideas for this year's conference, please  email  us. 

There are just a few spaces left for SENG Facilitator training happening in Tacoma on Oct 12-13. Last chance!
Registration & Info 

Are you registered for the SENG training?  Looking for a  roommate? Email us 

Top Pick: 
We Only Get Stronger When It's  Difficult

What is Imposter Syndrome?
 
The Imposter Syndrome: Caltech Counseling   
 
Gifted Adults and Imposter Syndrome 
 
Why Education Needs More Radioactive Spiders
 
Medical Misdiagnosis in the Gifted

Looking for school year enrichment programs? Here are some to check out:  
 
Prime Factor Math Circles in  Bellevue - weekly sessions for grades 3-10  

Challenge Math Online is a 20-week long practice program  that helps young students develop problem solving and logical reasoning  skills. 
    
CTY Online academic classes for  grades preK-12, in a
wide variety of subjects.   

Stanford EPGY academic classes for  kindergarten to university level for gifted youth

Gifted Homeschoolers Forum whose  blog, facebook page, and group purchase discounts for members are useful even  for non homeschoolers.  
 
New! CTY Cogito Research Awards for  students ages 13-18 to support pre-college STEM research.
 

New Leadership for NWGCA & Listening Tour
SENG facilitator training Oct 12-13
WAETAG Conference Oct 17-18
ESD training sessions scheduled
Enrichment Programs
Getting ready for our yearly "Connections" conference
Recent Articles

After many years of tireless dedication, Marcia Holland has decided to step down as President of NWGCA. Thank you to Marcia for her huge and
continuing  contributions in our state!

Please welcome our new leadership team:
Austina De Bonte, President
Tawna Eggert, Vice President
Marcia Holland, Secretary, Past President
Pauline Bowie, Treasurer

We are conducting a 3-phase Listening Tour this fall to better understand and shape our future organization around the needs of  our community. For Phase 1 we are looking for:
 * Families with elementary or middle school-aged gifted children who are willing to do a short phone interview with a board  member. 
 * Names and contact info for current leaders (formal or  informal) of gifted parent groups in towns, cities, and school districts across  the state. We are planning to hold a meeting with these leaders in September.  
  
Can you help? Do you have ideas or suggestions for   Phase 2 of our Listening Tour? Please email us.  

Want to learn how to be a facilitator for SENG Model Parent Groups (SMPGs)? Now is your chance to become a certified facilitator here in our own backyard! We are especially lucky to have the president of SENG, Lori  Comallie-Caplan, and her colleague, Sheri Plybon, coming to do this training for us personally. This opportunity won't happen again in WA state for a  long, long while--only a few facilitator trainings are held nationwide each year. No previous experience required--just a passion for helping families come together to discuss topics around raising gifted children, particularly around their social and emotional needs. If you have any questions about SMPGs or
about  becoming a facilitator, please email David Berg. Special thanks to the Seabury School for hosting
this  session!
Registration & More Info 

October 18-19, 2013
 Hotel Murano, Tacoma 
 
WAETAG's  annual  conference is coming soon, and is looking to be the best one yet, with a  topic  that is particularly relevant to parents as well as educators. The keynote  speaker is Linda Silverman from the Gifted Development Center in Colorado--families fly to Colorado just to have their kids tested and assessed   by Linda, she is that amazing.

There is also a pre-conference day specifically for administrators with everything they need to know to get in compliance with the new laws--please spread the word to your school district's gifted coordinator!
 
Conference Flyer 
Pre-Conference Administration Day Flyer 
Registration

WAETAG trained 20+ people  from each of the WA state Educational Service Districts (ESDs) over the summer  to be able to give short courses on three topics:

• Nature and Needs of
  Gifted  Learners 
  
• Differentiation
  
• Critical and Creative
    Thinking

Courses are intended for teachers and  school administrators, but several sites said they would allow parents as well.  Please encourage your teachers and school district coordinators to attend. Note  that these classes are appropriate for regular program teachers who need to  differentiate for a few gifted learners in
their classrooms. These courses are  already scheduled, more coming soon:
ESD 112 (Vancouver)  - Oct 24+     
ESD 101 (Spokane)  - Sep 25+ 
ESD 189 (Anacortes)  - Nov 2 
ESD 123 (Pasco/Yakima)- Oct 17+      

To look up other ESDs, and for the full  list of ESD training contacts, go to www.waetag.net   

Looking for school year enrichment programs? Here are some to check out: 
Prime Factor Math Circles in  Bellevue - weekly sessions for grades 3-10   
Challenge Math Online is a 20-week  long practice program that helps young students develop problem solving and  logical reasoning skills.  
CTY Online academic classes for  grades preK-12, in a
wide variety of subjects.   
Stanford EPGY academic classes for  kindergarten to university level for gifted youth    
Gifted Homeschoolers Forum whose  blog, facebook page, and group purchase discounts for members are useful even  for non homeschoolers.  
New! CTY Cogito Research Awards for  students ages 13-18 to support pre-college STEM research. 

We are in the early stages of  planning our yearly Connections conference, that seeks to bring together  families of gifted kids in Western WA. This year we are looking into a full day  format, and including a kids track as well as sessions for adults. If you have  ideas for this year's conference, have a recommendation of a great place to hold  the event, a speaker we should invite, or any other ideas, please email us at  info@nwgca.org

This season's theme for articles is about advocating for your child's needs at school. Remember that both public and private programs take applications for next year in the fall, so it's not too late to start thinking about next school year!

13 tips for advocating for your child (or how to become  "that parent")

'Same' and 'Equal' are not congruent  terms

I'm an advocate and so are you

Should you let your child decide?
  
Appealing your child's gifted placement  decision 
  

New Law: Highly Capable Education is Required
Celebration of Talent Conference
Summer Programs Update
Request: Testing & Appeals for Public Gifted Programs
Recent Articles
Recently Published Books

At long last, the new WAC (Washington Administrative Code) rules have been finalized that explain how school districts must comply to support  Highly Capable students. Many thanks to our colleagues at the Coalition for Gifted Education for helping  get this important legislation passed and implemented.

Here are some highlights:

"The legislature finds that, for highly capable students, access to accelerated learning and enhanced instruction is access to a basic education."

Districts must have a formal nomination,
assessment,  and appeal process to identify highly capable kids from grades K-12. Multiple  objective assessment criteria are required. 

Districts must find ways to meet students needs.   Many models are permitted: clustering, full time, part time, subject  acceleration, differentiation, etc. 

Districts must file a HiCap plan each year on July 1.

Districts are subject to a review from OSPI (Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction) every 5 years.

June 22, 2013 - Whitworth University 
9:00am - 3:15pm   

The second  annual "Celebration of Talent" Gifted Education Conference features 22 breakout
sessions and 26 presenters. Experts on gifted education  from throughout the Northwest will share their insights into this dynamic topic.  Breakout
sessions are being offered for children as young as four years of age  through high school age, for parents, as well as for educators who are looking for professional development in the field of gifted education, including strategies for challenging gifted students  in regular classrooms.
    
$50.00 for an entire family, $30.00 for individuals. 
Clock hours will be available!
 Registration

We hear about new summer programs all the time (please keep sending your suggestions!)  Here are a few that caught our attention recently:

• Mathematical Adventures and Creative Computing Summer Day  Camps (Bellevue, WA) 
  http://www.pfmathcircle.org/PfSummerCamps2013.html
  
• Concordia Language Villages (Minnesota) Residential camps for total language immersion in 11 different languages. http://www.concordialanguagevillages.org
  
  
• Summer Genetics Program for High  School Students (Spokane, WA)  Spend three exciting weeks exploring the  world of molecular, diagnostic technology. Perform laboratory skills used by  medical professionals around the world. More info  Register
  
• Marrowstone-in-the-City, Youth Symphony 
   Orchestra (Seattle & Redmond, WA), Day
  camps for premier music instruction and orchestral  training. 
  http://www.marrowstone.org
  

Lots more on the big summer programs  list

There are a number of us who have children who
have  individual IQ testing results (either because our kids were referred as  behavioral problems, from private school admissions, or other reasons) placing
  our children in the gifted category who nonetheless fail to get a required  score  on the CogAT to qualify for public school gifted programs. The appeals process  seems to be a murky no man's land for most of us!

Some of those kids get  bogged down by low processing speeds or working memory. Others by
perfectionism.  Others by the quirks of being gifted.

For those who have appealed or  sought accommodations for CogAT testing or gifted admissions, or know of people  who have, would you share your story with others? Please include accommodations  requested, data brought to an appeal, the result of the requests, and the school  district. Both successful and unsuccessful testing and
appeals stories are very  helpful. Email me your story and I'll compile and include a pointer in a future  newsletter. If you want to be extra anonymous, use a remailer to send your  message to me, but even if you don't, I'll keep your identify  confidential.

Mary Oemig
mary@oemig.com 

This month's theme for articles is the  importance of developing persistence and study skills in gifted kids, by providing appropriate levels of challenge starting from an early age.
  
What is this "gifted" thing anyway?
 
The Key To Success: Grit (TED  Talk)
 
Coping 101: Building Persistence and Resilience in  Gifted Children

Praise effort, not intelligence
  
Interview with Dr. Carol Dweck: Developing a Growth  Mindset
 
Gifted Students Need Strong Study Habits  Too

 Ohio Study: 'Gifted' students need more classroom  instruction

Gifted is Not Always a Gift
 
The Misunderstood Face of Giftedness
  
The Most Troubling Myths about Gifted Kids --  Debunked

Giftedness 101

Malleable Minds: Translating Insights From Psychology  and Neuroscience to Gifted
Education
 
Looking for more reading?  
 Top 10 Books for Parents of Gifted  Kids

Our New Approach to Member Communication
2013 Conference Highlights
Summer Programs
Recent Articles
Action Alert: How YOU Can Help!

We forward information out to our members as soon as we get it through Facebook and Twitter. So if you want up-to-the-minute news in bite size pieces, be sure to like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.

We had a terrific Connections Conference this year at Aylen Junior High school in Puyallup, WA, hosted by their amazing Academic Booster Club. You can find slides from keynote presentations as well as photos  on our website. Thanks to all who attended for the great talks, connections with other families, and a slice of the tremendous cake that celebrated NWGCA's 50th anniversary!

Tis the season to register for summer programs.  There are many amazing opportunities in our state for gifted students, and for the adventurous, nationwide. Programs start for kids as young as 4. In Western WA, highlights include Centrum at Fort Worden on  the Olympic Peninsula, Summer Institute for the Gifted  (SIG) at the Overlake School in Redmond,  John's Hopkins Center for Talented Youth  (CTY) at Seattle University, Summer Odyssey at Western  WA University, and don't forget our very own UW Robinson Center for Young  Scholars' Summer Stretch and Summer Challenge Programs. East  of the mountains features SATORI at Eastern WA  University and Cougar Quest at WA State  University.

But that's not all! We collected a list of more than  30 camps that either focus on gifted kids, or provide unique experiences in  particular topic areas.  List of Summer Enrichment Programs for Highly  Capable Kids.

Have a favorite camp or program to add to our list? Let us  know!

Here are a few articles from the past month or  so that we thought were particularly interesting or thought provoking.

-Ten Ways Gifted Education Has Helped Me
-Giftedness and Classroom Boredom: Maybe It's  Not All Bad
-I AM..INTENSE * ASYNCHRONOUS * MISUNDERSTOOD
-How to Raise Entrepreneurial Kids
-Gifted Children's Bill of Rights

Urgent help is needed to tell your legislators how important gifted education is to your family. It's easy and takes just a minute, and every message truly makes a difference.

Do It Today!