September 2020 Newsletter

A Note from the President
Changes are afoot here at Northwest Gifted Child Association. We just had our annual board retreat, online of course, and reflected on another rich year of events, outreach, online resources, and support for families with gifted children across Washington state. Converting two large in-person conferences into online events in a matter of a few short weeks is a testament to our board's ability to adapt to these unusual times we are living in. Won't we all have stories to tell our grandchildren!
 
We also made plans for the coming year, including our first of many online events, coming up soon on Sunday, October 4. Hear from board member Mike Postma as he shares "Fostering Social and Emotional Growth in 2e Children Through a Lens of Neurodiversity." Details are below and we're looking forward to seeing you online.
 
Our biggest news to share is that we have a new president elect, Karen Thornton, who will become president of NWGCA as of January 1. I have been serving as president since 2012, and we are long overdue for a changing of the guard. I am delighted that Karen is ready to take this step in leading our organization with her passion and enthusiasm. I will remain a part of the board for the foreseeable future, however I am glad to hand the administrative duties off to someone else.
 
These times are challenging. Stay connected and let us know how we can support you and your families.
 
Austina De Bonte 
Upcoming Learning Opportunities
Northwest Gifted Child Association
 
Fostering Social and Emotional Growth in 2e Children Through a Lens of Neurodiversity
 
Sunday, October 4, 2020
5:00-6:30 p.m. Pacific
Online via Zoom (login details will be emailed to registrants)
 
Gifted/2e children often struggle with issues related to social/emotional growth and/or regulation. As a result, large numbers of these students battle anxiety, stress, emotional regulation, social anxiety, and even have difficulty with executive functioning. This is due to asynchronous development related to intense sensory integration (epigenetics) that can easily overwhelm an already vulnerable limbic system. This session will outline the latest neuro research on the gifted/2e brain and how it affects the way twice-exceptional children engage in all factions of life including school, home, and the greater community.
 
Cost
$20 WA State Residents
$24 Non-residents
 
Need a scholarship? Register with promo code SCHOLARSHIP and we will contact you via email to make arrangements.
 
Register now!
 
About the Presenter
Dr. Michael Postma is a NWGCA board member, the director of programming at SENG, and the president of Gifted & Thriving, LLC. He also is the father of three twice-exceptional children. With more than 20 years of experience as a teacher, administrator, author, and consultant, Dr. Postma continues to promote the social, emotional, and academic needs of the gifted/2e population. His latest book is "The Inconvenient Student: Critical Issues in the Identification and Education of Twice-Exceptional Students."

Online Parent Discussion Group
Every Thursday, October 8-November 19, 2020
5:00-6:30 PM Pacific
Online via Zoom  
 
Join this weekly opportunity to share ideas, strategies, and support in a relaxed setting, guided by trained facilitators. Through the valuable insights of the other parents and reading the book A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children, you will learn more about giftedness, discuss the challenges of parenting, and share strategies for supporting our gifted children while enhancing family relationships. These parent groups are not therapy sessions; however, participants often find the sessions to be therapeutic, empowering and comforting. Topics include:
            * Characteristics of gifted children
            * Communication
            * Motivation, underachievement & executive function
            * Establishing discipline/teaching self-management
            * Stress, perfectionism, idealism & depression
            * Acquaintances, friends, peers; only children & siblings
            * Values, traditions & complexities of parenting
 
The video conferencing tool, Zoom, will be used to facilitate dialogue, and connect with each other live each week. Login details are provided at the time of registration.
 
Cost
$95 plus book for one or two parents/caregivers
Needs-based scholarships available. Contact Denise or Karen for more information.
 
Register now!
 
About the Facilitators
This 7-session online series is co-facilitated by Denise Anderson and Karen Thornton. Denise is a certified SMPG facilitator, has an MA in Marriage and Family Therapy, and is the Vice President of Northwest Gifted Child Association. Karen is also a certified SMPG facilitator and on the board of NWGCA. Denise and Karen both parent gifted children.
 
Additional Learning Opportunities
 
Parenting Successful Teens Online Summit
 
September 21-25, 2020
Online
 
Don't miss this powerful lineup of experts from across the U.S. sharing their
best tips on how you can take action NOW to help improve your teenager's
Physical Health, Mental Health, & Their Academic Success.
Topics include: Stress, Time Management/Morning Routines, Anxiety, Hormones, ADD/ADHD, Autism, Nutrition, Executive Function, Prescription Drugs and Teens, How You Can Set Up a Support Network, Self-Esteem,  Homeschooling, Gut Health and more! It is all pre-recorded so you can listen to who you want, when you want!
 
Cost: FREE
 
More information and to register
 
Washington Association of Educators of the Talented and Gifted Conference
 
October 15-17, 2020
Online
 
Join WAETAG for 3 days of dynamic and engaging learning where you'll leave with an abundance of tools and resources you can start using immediately. The conference will be held live online and registrants have the option to access sessions and resources for one year!
 
Cost
Standard: $285
VIP: $350
 
More information and to register
 
National Association for Gifted Children Convention
 
November 12-17, 2020
Online
 
The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) invites you to attend this year's convention - Reimagined! The 6-day virtual convention is filled with live keynotes, engaging breakout sessions, hundreds of pre-recorded sessions, table talk discussions, and many opportunities to network and socialize.
 
Topics include diversity and equity in gifted education, addressing opportunity gaps, helping students respond to stress and other challenges in our rapidly changing world, and the convention will conclude with a panel discussion of former NAGC presidents discussing how lessons from the past will help empower us for the future.
 
Cost
Advanced (register before Sept. 30) NAGC Member: $295
Advanced (register before Sept. 30) Non-Member: $445
Regular (after Sept. 30) NAGC Member: $345
Regular (after Sept. 30) Non-Member: $495
 
More information and to register

Opportunities for Students  


Art of Problem Solving

AoPS Academy is offering classes online, with the goal of transitioning back to on-campus teaching during the year if local conditions allow. Classes are filling up, however, there are still spaces available in mathematics and language arts for grades 2-12. Academic year courses are selective - students and their parents must have a consultation with Academy staff to determine proper suitability and placement.
 
More information and to request a consultation

UW Robinson Center Fall Enrichment Program

Saturdays, October 10-December 5, 2020 (No class on Nov 28)
Online
 
The Saturday Program is an enrichment program offered by the Robinson Center for Young Scholars for students currently in grades K-8. These classes are intended to provide intellectually ambitious students with challenge, inspiration, and fun, in a collaborative, supportive learning environment. Classes are not intended to move students ahead in the standard curriculum but rather to explore topics not usually covered in the K-8 classroom. 
 
Classes meet for one 50-minute session per week on Saturdays, for eight Saturdays. All classes are currently online only. Classes offered include Brains and Behavior, Fundamentals of Public Speaking, Intro to Debate, Environmental Ethics and Storytelling, Paper Art and Engineering, Intro to Programming, Sketchbook Drawing, Philosophy and the Human Experience, and more! 
 
Cost
$225 for each course, plus a non-refundable $25 registration fee per course
Financial Aid available
 
More information and to apply
 
Hugo House Youth Writing Programs
 
Hugo House has 13 brand-new classes for youth grades 5-12, starting in October, ranging from 1-4 weeks, and topics include sci fi, fantasy, poetry, political writing, comics and graphic novels, general fiction, and more. Instructors - all accomplished writers, out-of-the-box thinkers, and experienced educators - create fun, engaging sessions to keep you writing and connecting with others. Classes are offered in a variety of writing genres, so that writers can explore new forms of writing and/or practice their favorites, including Comics and Graphic Novels, Twisted Fairy Tales, The Art of Allusion, Writing Our Politics, and more.
 
To make classes more accessible for all youth, tuition is scaled at 30%-60%-90%-100% so that families can pay what they can.
 
More information and to register
 

UW Fall Enrichment Classes
 
The University of Washington has announced new school-year enrichment courses for students in grades 10-12. Topics range from architecture and coding in Java to creative writing and more.  The registration deadline is September 28 and courses begin October 6, running twice weekly in the evenings over 10 weeks.
 
For details, visit UW Fall Enrichment Classes.
 

At-Home Resources
 
The AoPS team knows it's a hectic time for students and they want to continue to provide them with great math experiences. So they are assembling fun activities to help kids keep learning, collaborating, and having fun even while at home. Puzzles, math jams and more can be found at Keep Learning with AoPS.
 
AoPS has also started a podcast, Emergency Homeschool, which is designed to help parents navigate at-home learning decisions like we're currently facing. They talk to education and at-home learning leaders from MIT, Yale, EdChoice and more about everything from navigating all the at-home learning options to socialization, effects on college admission to planning a daily schedule. Listen here.
 
The Big Life Kids Podcast teaches children to stay resilient, believe in themselves, and face life's challenges with confidence! In each episode, Zara and Leo travel the world to discover the living heroes that are making a difference in the world today. Ideal for kids ages 5-10. The podcast is produced by Big Life Journal. Listen here.


Did You Know?
This newsletter is for Y-O-U! If you have a suggestion for newsletter content or would like to contribute, email newsletter@nwgca.org.