Gifted Education Day
Join NWGCA, Washington Association of Educators of the Talented and Gifted (WAETAG), and Washington Coalition for Gifted Education in Olympia on Friday, January 31 to advocate for our highly capable students. What is Gifted Ed Day? It's a chance to meet other parents of gifted kids from across the state, learn more about the State Bill regarding equitable identification of HiCap students, and participate in the legislative process. William Knudsen, Director of Government and Affiliate Relations at National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) will speak. Then, meet with your legislators to tell them your story - students are welcome, too! Don't worry... the partnering organizations provide tips and resources to make it easy. The National Association for Gifted Children states: Gifted children in poverty and from minority groups are 2.5 times less likely to be identified for, and in, gifted and talented programs in schools. State Bill (SB) 5354, a comprehensive bill for the Highly Capable Program, came close, but failed to pass in the last Legislative session. Under procedural rules, it is still an active bill and can move through the legislative process toward passage. The bill is being modified and this year's version focuses on the need for universal screening for equitable identification for all students and for additional training for prospective teachers in the state's colleges of education on the special needs of gifted children. If you are unsure who your legislators are, use the District Finder to find your district information, including legislators. The WA Coalition for Gifted Education will send more information on the bill being introduced in the upcoming legislative session. Sign up to be on their email list and keep current with progress. Call or email now to make brief appointments on Jan 31 (you'll be free after 11am) to meet your legislators while you're in Olympia. Nervous? Email wagifted@earthlink.net to get advice or be paired with someone to attend the meeting with you. NWGCA Sponsored Events What Parents & Educators Need to Know About Smart Kids Many people are surprised to learn that their bright children's unique "quirks" are well-studied social and emotional behavior patterns that appear across large populations of highly intelligent children, traits such as: Upcoming Learning Opportunities The Fit! Neurodiversity and Its Impacts on the Gifted Individual Are you and your family ready to move to a place of THRIVING with your neurodiverse child? Join Dr. Michael Postma and Julie Postma for seven online sessions the help define giftedness, neurodiversity, metacognition, and education fit. Watch the prerecorded sessions, work through the Family Action Plan and guidebook, and tune in for weekly live Q&A discussion sessions with Dr. Mike and Julie. Be one of the first 30 registrants and receive a free 1-hour consultation with Dr. Mike. Highly capable (HiCap)/gifted children and teens often experience intense worry and stress. This interactive presentation is an exploration into why HiCap kids experience anxiety and an introduction to anxiety-reducing tools to try at home. 7 weeks, beginning January 13 Cost: $397 Register Parenting Your HiCap Worrier Highly capable (HiCap)/gifted children and teens often experience intense worry and stress. This interactive presentation is an exploration into why HiCap kids experience anxiety and an introduction to anxiety-reducing tools to try at home. Presented by Denise Anderson in partnership with Challenge Parents Association. Thursday, January 30 7:00 p.m. Terrace Park Elementary Commons Mountlake Terrace, Washington Cost: Free Opportunities for Kids UW Robinson Center The UW Robinson Center's Summer Program provides an intensive, inspirational, and in-depth learning experience for students who are prepared to take on the challenge. They offer a rich variety of math, science, literature, philosophy, and writing classes. Class sizes are small and taught by faculty members who are experienced teachers and specialists in their fields. Programs are characterized by high-level thinking, intellectual adventure, and pursuit of understanding. Summer Challenge, for current 5th-6th graders, emphasizes hands-on learning, field trips, and activities. Registration opens Sunday, February 2 at 4:00 p.m. Summer Stretch, for current 7th-10th graders, is more academic in nature, providing an accelerated, rigorous learning experience. Registration opens Sunday, February 9 at 4:00 p.m. Before-care and after-care available for an additional fee. Summer Challenge July 6-24 9:00 a.m.-2:20 p.m. University of Washington Seattle Campus Seattle, Washington Tuition: $1,100 plus fees (tuition and fee waivers may be awarded to families who receive free or reduced lunch) More information Summer Stretch June 29-July 30 9:00 a.m.-2:20 p.m. University of Washington Seattle Campus Seattle, Washington Tuition: $1,000 plus fees (tuition and fee waivers may be awarded to families who receive free or reduced lunch) More information Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival The festival is a noncompetitive celebration of great ideas and problems in mathematics. We will have several dozen tables of rich math problems and activities led by our volunteers, who are lovers of mathematics from different disciplines, representing mathematicians, teachers, engineers, programmers, graduate students, and more. The mission of the Julia Robinson Mathematics Festival is to inspire students to explore the richness and beauty of mathematics through activities that encourage collaborative, creative problem-solving. Saturday, March 14 1:00-4:30 p.m. Husky Union Building, South Ballroom Seattle, Washington Cost: $15 (reduced rate of $10 is available at the time of registration, free scholarships available as well) Register UW Math Day Over a thousand teachers and high school students are invited to the UW Seattle Campus to uncover the exciting, practical and rewarding world of mathematics. Choose from a variety of sessions throughout the day that cover diverse applications of math. Listen to panel discussions on UW student life, watch demonstrations and more. Monday, March 23 8:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m. Kane Hall Seattle, Washington Cost: $16 per person, plus $35 per school (scholarships available) Registration opens January 27 More information Washington State Invention Convention Save the date for this year's WA iCon! Washington State Invention Convention (WA iCon) is the signature event of Invent Washington, a program that helps students ages 5-13 how to apply STEM knowledge and skills to be inventors and entrepreneurs. At the State Invention Convention students will display their inventions, explain the process by which they were created, and pitch their inventions to teams of judges. Awards will be given in several categories. Saturday, April 18 Spokane, Washington University of Washington Engineering Discovery Days At Engineering Discovery Days, students and faculty from all UW engineering departments share their work with students, teachers, families and the community. Discovery Days are oriented toward 4th through 8th grade students and feature hands-on activities that demonstrate the exciting work of engineers.
Thursday, April 23 and Friday, April 24 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. More information UW Center for Neurotechnology Young Scholars REACH Program The Center for Neurotechnology (CNT) at the University of Washington sponsors a five day "YSP-REACH" program on the Seattle Campus during the summer. High school students receive an introduction to neuroscience and neural engineering, neuroethics, scientific communication, and the latest developments in brain-computer interfaces. Participants have the opportunity to tour CNT partner labs in departments including Computer Science and Electrical Engineering. The goal is to provide students with exposure to the field of neural engineering and provide basic preparation for college studies in STEM subjects as well as future STEM careers. The program is well suited for students interested in a STEM career, with a specific interest in neural engineering and neuroscience. YSP-REACH 1: July 6-10 YSP-REACH 2: July 20-24 University of Washington, Building CSE2 Seattle, Washington Cost: $500 (scholarships available) More information Isn't It Ironic? We know there are challenges being a parent or educator of gifted kids. We also know there are hilariously wonderful and fantastic occurrences, too! New to this newsletter is, Isn't It Ironic? A spot for us to share those unique and quirky things we overhear and experience as we parent gifted kids. When driving home through our neighborhood recently, my 9-year old said - out of the blue - "Wouldn't it be nice if we could poop anywhere. And then dogs would pick it up?" Ummmm... #differentlywired Have a story to share? Send an email to newsletter@nwgca.org to submit a ready-to-print, all-ages-appropriate Funny. Articles New Year's Resolutions for Parents and Teachers of Twice Exceptional Students by Julie F. Skolnick M.A., J.D. Making New Year's Resolutions for some, is a yearly tradition. The new year presents a precipice of dual directional perspective; looking back and finding things to change while looking forward at a life we want to live. In essence we seek to reboot the system, install version 2.0 of ourselves. For parents and educators of twice exceptional students this practice of reflection and action is essential, but for it to succeed, it must occur daily and be well-defined. There is no option for failure, like so many short-lived New Year's resolutions. To assist parents and teachers of 2e kids with this daily practice, I've devised a menu of intentional thoughts and mantras to keep parents and educators focused on maintaining a successful system. The key, however, is one overarching resolution - to build and maintain a strong personal connection. Read the complete article here. Managing Your Child's Intensity During the Holidays by Colleen Kessler While I'd rather hibernate and skip parties altogether , I know I can't. I need to have plans in place, and let go of some of the old "ideals" I had about parenting before I actually had kids. You know, all those things single people say they'll never let their kids do... So, how do I suggest managing gifted kids' intensities during the holidays? Read the complete article here . New findings from Did You Know? NWGCA has compiled a big list of summer programs. Registration for many of these opens soon! Start planning your kids' awesome summer now! Visit nwgca.org/summer-programs for more information. This newsletter is for Y-O-U! If you have a suggestion for newsletter content or would like to contribute, email newsletter@nwgca.org . Comments are closed.
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