September 2015

September Newsletter Topics

A note from the president...
SENG Model Parent Discussion Groups
James T. Webb on Oct 11 (FREE)
Webinars on Wednesdays (FREE discount code)
What Parents Need to Know about Smart Kids (FREE)
Invite us to speak to your group!
WAETAG Conference on Oct 16-17
OATAG Conference on Oct 10
Upcoming SENGinars
Highly Capable Programs Handbook
Math Enrichment
Have you considered Davidson?
Calling all Parent Groups!
Recent Articles

A note from the president...

Welcome back to another school year! Whether your children are in a full-time gifted program, the neighborhood school, homeschooling, at private school, or anything in between, we know that getting your kids' needs met requires advocacy and vigilance. Know that you are not alone, and our board members are available to help you find resources and support. Email [email protected]

Hope you have a great year! 
-- Austina De Bonte, President, NWGCA

SENG Model Parent Discussion Groups

Discussion groups are a great way to meet other parents and discuss the ups and downs of living with intense, sensitive, perfectionistic gifted kids.

A new set of groups are starting up this fall.          Seattle/Wallingford - Monday mornings (More Info)   Bellevue - Tuesday evenings (More Info)
Washougal (More Info)
Online (More Info)    
Learn more about SENG Discussion Groups 

Are you a SENG facilitator ready to start a group?  We will gladly advertise SENG groups in future newsletters--please let us know if you are starting one.  

Dr. James T. Webb - 11 Key Parenting Concerns for Families of Gifted Children

Seabury School is thrilled to announce that the 2015-16 Seabury Speaker Series will welcome back James T. Webb, Ph.D., one of the 25 most influential psychologists nationally on gifted education. Dr. Webb's bio is long and amazing, you don't want to miss the opportunity to hear him speak. This FREE event is open to the public.

When: Tuesday, October 13 at 7 p.m.
Where: Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center, Room 315
More information

Webinars on Wednesdays (WOWs)

As a special NWGCA benefit, we are happy to provide you with a discount code NW-15PM6W to register at no cost for  Webinars on Wednesdays (WOWs) offered by the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC). Please note that this discount code is not published on our website, so please don't lose it.

WOWs are designed for administrators, classroom teachers, counselors, graduate students, gifted coordinators, parents, and professors. These online webinars allow you to participate live and take advantage of the opportunity to pose questions to or share your experiences with presenters and other attendees, or access a multi-media recording, handouts, and other resources after the live event.

Wednesday, Sept. 9
Parent-to-Teacher Communication/Parent Advocacy

Wednesday, Sept. 16
Acceleration: Making Informed Decisions

Thursday, Sept. 24
Creative Underachievers and the Fashion of Passion

Wednesday, Sept. 30
Scientifically Speaking: Best Practices For Science Education with High-Ability Children

Wednesday, Oct. 7
Friendship, Character, Spirituality, and Integrity: Paths to Overall Well-Being

Wednesday, Oct. 14
How to Start Homeschooling Your Gifted Child

You can find full information on the dates, times, and sessions at the NAGC website

What Parents (and Educators, Grandparents, Coaches, ...) Need To Know About Smart Kids

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 HiCap school programs are optimal for kids' social and emotional development, as well as developing their academic talents. Presented by Austina De Bonte, President of NWGCA.

Past attendees say...  "This presentation was a true eye opener"  "greatly changed my perspective"  
"amazed at how many things applied to my daughter"  
"helped me to better understand not only my child, but myself"
"I learned so much - despite the reading I'd already done"  

September 14, Wenatchee High School, 6:30pm, FREE
October 17, breakout session in the WAETAG conference (www.waetag.net, conference registration required)
October 21, Northshore School District, 3330 Monte Villa Pkwy, Bothell, 7:00pm, FREE

WAETAG Conference on Oct 16 & 17

The annual Washington Association of Educators of the Talented and Gifted (WAETAG) conference will be held in Tacoma, WA. This year's theme is "Bulk Up Your Toolkit." If your child's teacher is looking for more support, attending this annual conference would be a great resource to suggest. Parents are welcome to attend as well. NWGCA will be presenting "What Parents Need to Know about Smart Kids" on Saturday. Stop by and introduce yourself at our information table during breaks!
More Info & Registration 

OATAG Conference on Oct 10

Oregon holds a yearly conference too, and you can catch Dr. Webb there as well, where he will be the keynote presenter this year. The OATAG conference is held in Portland, OR.
More Info & Registration 

Math Enrichment

There are lots of ways to get math enrichment during the school year. From local classes, to online classes, to some really clever book series and texts for young and old, there's a lot out there.

Math for Love classes & math circles in Seattle and Bellevue
Prime Factor Math Circle in Bellevue, Bothell, Issaquah

Archimedes School in Redmond

Go Figure Math a website dedicated to showing the elegant side of math, the kind that gets less attention than it deserves

Stanford EPGY online math classes

SIG Beyond online math classes

CTY online math classes

Art of Problem Solving online classes and resources

Life of Fred books (also here)

Beast Academy books

SENGinars

SENGifted.org also hosts regular webinars. Here is the upcoming calendar. Sorry, we don't have discount codes for these, but they do offer member discounts. SENG is a great organization, highly recommended.

August 27, 2015  
Tips for Helping Gifted Teens and Kids Cope with Trauma
Presenter: Sharon Barnes 

September 8, 2015
Issues for Gifted Women (2015 Adult Gifted Series)
Presenter: Jade Rivera  

October 6, 2015
If I'm So Smart, Then Why Am I So Dumb? (2015 Adult Gifted Series)
Presenter: Paula Prober 

November 10, 2015
Gifted Elders: A Call To Advocacy (2015 Adult Gifted Series)
Presenter: Joy Navan 

December 17, 2015
Motivation and Underachievement
Presenter: Jim Webb

More information 

Calling all Parent Groups!

We are slowly collecting contact information for more parent groups across the state, but we know there are still way more out there. If you belong to a group, whether it's associated with a school district or not, would you please drop us a line about where you are located and how best to reach your group? Or, are you hoping to found a group but not sure how to do it? We can help you get started.
Email us

Articles

9 Things I Wish People Knew about Highly Gifted Children

Celebrity Moms on Raising Gifted Kids

When Success Leads to Failure

The Poorest Students Often Miss out on Gifted Classes

Smart is Overrated

Vindication for Fidgeters

What Brain Imaging Shows Us About Gifted Children

Donate to NWGCA!

Looking for a great place to make a tax-deductible donation that really counts? We appreciate all donations, large and small, to help us reach out to parent groups across the state, provide resources and workshops. 
Donate to NWGCA   

More Information 

Resources & Links    
Meet our Board of Directors   
Join our Mailing List
We love to hear your feedback and ideas...  Please don't be shy, we are here to serve you.
Email us

Invite us to speak to your parent group

The mission of NWGCA is to reach out to parents of gifted children across the state and provide resources, information, and coaching about raising gifted children.  

NWGCA Board Members love to speak to parent groups. Our talks are FREE, and are available on a variety of topics that can be customized to the needs of your community. Please email us if you would like to schedule a speaker.

Have you considered Davidson?

The Davidson Institute for Talent Development in Reno, Nevada offers many free services for Young Scholars who have qualifying IQ or achievement scores, generally a score above 145. Note that they have recently simplified their entrance criteria. Have you considered applying?
More information

Highly Capable Programs Handbook

The UW Robinson Center for Young Scholars has published an online handbook for school districts that are developing and/or reworking their hicap programs to be in compliance with the new laws. Please feel free to use this in your advocacy, or share with your district administrators as a valuable resource.
Download the Handbook