Kate Simkowiak

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Message from The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education – Jan. 27th

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At last, the most anticipated publishing event of the year is here – the GEDay handbook is finally ready!

It is attached in 3 parts: Basics, Spotlights, Myths & Facts. If you were looking for something and don’t find it included, please contact us for more information.

For those bringing student groups, and who wish to make a curriculum connection with the trip to Olympia, there is a lot of information on the state web sites. The legislature website has lots of materials on curriculum that might be used by you.  Try civic education, bill information; http://www.des.wa.gov/services/facilities/CapitolCampus/teacher/Pages/default.aspx; and http://www.leg.wa.gov/BackToSchool/Pages/default.aspx#lesson_plans

It may not be too late to schedule a guided tour of the capitol building.

Online Opportunities for your Gifted 6th through 8th Graders

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Center for Talent Development’s Gifted LearningLinks (GLL) online program provides gifted students around the world with courses that are rigorous, furnish individualized attention, and allow for an independent pace.
Academically talented students in grades 6 through 8 can be challenged, inspired and energized by taking a credit-bearing 18-week Honors Electives (HE) course or 9-month Honors (H) course.

Courses include:

  • Playwriting 101 (HE)
  • Medical Microbiology (HE)
  • 3D Graphic Modeling for Games, Illustrations & Animated Short Features (HE)
  • Psychology Honors (H)
  • Neuroscience Honors (H)
  • Latin I Honors Wheelock or Ecce Romani (H)

Honors and Honors Electives courses enroll on a monthly basis. Register by February 1 to start on February 15.

Don’t see a class among the 60+ we offer that interests your child? Our Independent Study pairs students with an online mentor for 9 weeks. Together they create a tailored course based on a student proposal. Extracurricular Clubs such as Robotics and Architecture are formed and organized by students under the direction of a faculty advisor and run 18 weeks, starting February 15.

Visit the website for all of the current Gifted LearningLinks courses.

Questions? Don’t hesitate to contact us at gll@northwestern.edu.

Challenging Online Classes for Gifted High School Students

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Center for Talent Development’s Gifted LearningLinks allows students to study online any time, any place, any pace.

Academically talented students in grades nine through twelve have the opportunity to enroll in credit-bearing Honors Electives courses, Honors courses and Advanced Placement® courses. Students work at their own pace, guided by a master teacher who provides personal and individualized feedback as they work through rigorous curriculum.

Our single-credit Honors Elective courses are 18 weeks long and are special interest courses that may not be available in students’ schools, such as Effective Essay Writing: Writing for Test Preparation, College Applications & Beyond, The Influence of Art & Architecture, Introduction to Epidemiology and more.

Our Honors courses are one and two semesters for credit and designed for motivated students seeking challenge and rigor. We offer courses in English & Writing, Humanities & Social Sciences, Science, Technology and World Languages.

AP® courses are one and two semesters and prepare students for the AP® exams.  We offer over twenty AP® courses, including AP® World History, AP® Economics Micro & Macro, AP® Calculus AB and more.

All of these courses can begin any month; register by February 1 and begin class on the 15th.

Looking for other options?  Independent Study pairs students with an online mentor for 9 weeks. Together they create a tailored course based on a student proposal. Extracurricular Clubs such as Robotics and Architecture are formed and organized by students under the direction of a faculty advisor and run 18 weeks, starting February 15.

Please visit our website for more information about our many opportunities for your talented high schooler.

Message from The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education – Jan. 19th

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1.    A lot has been going on in Olympia. The state Legislature appears to have organized itself and committee assignments have been made. Because there are so many newly elected Legislators and so many moving from the house to the senate, the committee make up is quite different this session. For the first weeks, committees are going into learning mode – getting up to speed on basic background, recent reports on various studies they have authorized, etc. and very little actual legislating.

If you are interested in which Legislators sit on which committees, go to http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rosters/CommitteeMembersByCommittee.aspx and search by committee or to http://apps.leg.wa.gov/rosters/CommitteeMembersByMember.aspx and search by name.

2.    You might find state web sites in a state of flux as all the changes are made over the coming days so be patient.  www.governor.wa.gov now shows Jay Inslee. The “Find my Legislator” page now shows the current (new) districts.

3.    A report of great interest to gifted advocates has been submitted to the Legislature and is wending its way through hearings. Further action (including filing of specific bills to implement the recommendations) is not yet known. The Quality Education Council presented its Report to the Legislature on January 15th. The QEC is the body designated by the Legislature to organize the implementation of educational reform based on bills passed in recent sessions. This report is available at http://www.k12.wa.us/LegisGov/2013documents/QEC2013Report.pdf

The three state-wide gifted organizations have written to all legislators strongly supporting the QEC recommendations on the Highly Capable Program – pasted into the next paragraph – on page 14. We urge you to make this support the basis of your contacts with your Legislators in the coming months. We want to retain our status as a part of basic education and, if possible in this session, obtain a new funding formula. Input from advocates such as you can take us a long way toward achieving these goals.

Priority Area 3: Close the Opportunity Gap for Disadvantaged Students and Students of Color
5.    The Legislature should support the strengthening of the Highly Capable Program to ensure that all students have equal access to it, consistent with the recommendations of the Highly Capable Program Technical Working Group**:
a.    The Legislature should adopt a new and uniform definition of Highly Capable Program students, as provided in the Technical Working Group report to the Legislature; and
b.    The Legislature should direct OSPI to create a common and consistent identification process for Highly Capable Program students.
c.    The Legislature should direct OSPI to create rules that allow flexibility for small school districts to implement highly capable programs until the full funding recommendations* of the QEC can be adopted by the Legislature.

*“Full funding recommendations of the QEC” can be found on page 15 of the August 13, 2012 meeting materials, Past QEC recommendations http://www.k12.wa.us/QEC/PastMeetings/default.aspx

**The Highly Capable Workgroup report can be found online at: http://www.k12.wa.us/HighlyCapable/Workgroup/default.aspx in the right sidebar.

4.    I hope that lots and lots of you are making plans to be in Olympia on Gifted Education Day, March 19, 2013. We’ll be in the Columbia Room of the Legislative Building beginning at about 8:30. Program is scheduled for 9:00 to 10:30 and then you are free to attend to the most important business of the day, talking with your legislators and educating them on the unique educational needs of highly capable students and why such programs benefit not only the individual student but society as a whole.

We’ll be providing you with a lot of material you can use in formulating your message – it is just a bit late in getting sent out due to some unexpected (aren’t they always unexpected) health problems of your correspondent and her husband taking up a lot of time just now and the big project contacting every individual legislator (147) with the statement of support of the QEC recommendations. 147 personalized emails takes a lot of time and effort!

5.    This week the Coalition formally became a member of the Network For Excellence in Washington Schools (NEWS) the lead appellant in the McCleary case. The decision in that case calls for ample (full) funding of basic education and since HCP is a part of basic education (and is not amply funded) it seemed a good match for us to be part of the appellant group.

P.S. We’re up to 645 supporters on Facebook. We need to reach 750 before GEDay so if you are a user of Facebook, please “like” us now!

Message from The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education – Jan. 3rd

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HAPPY NEW YEAR

The Coalition needs your input.

Have you talked with a legislator in the past year about Highly Capable Programs/gifted education? If yes, please send us an email at wagifted@earthlink.net and tell us:

– Who you talked with
– Their District
– Topic of the conversation
– How the Legislator views the issue of programs and funding for Highly Capable students – e.g. enthusiastic supporter prepared to speak up; lukewarm; not in favor of; needs more information; a believer that “all students are gifted;” etc.
– Your name and email address in case we need to contact you.

We need this information to target our planning to build legislative support for ample funding of HCP. Thank you for your participation.

Opportunities for advocates:
1. A reminder of the Connections Conference sponsored by our partner the Northwest Gifted Child Association on February 9, 2013.

2. We present the following as an informational piece only. This does not constitute either a recommendation or endorsement.
Seabury School, Tacoma, is presenting its 3rd Annual Gifted Education Seminar on February 20th. Click here if you are interested in this event.

3. Last, but certainly not least, Gifted Education Day, March 19, 2013, Columbia Room of the Legislative Building in Olympia. More information will be forthcoming soon. Please plan to join us – March 19th.

If you are planning to be in Olympia, you can find a lot of excellent information at Visiting the State Capitol.

Other reminders:
4. We are up to 637 followers on Facebook. We hope to reach 750 by the time the Legislature begins considering ample funding for HCP. If you use Facebook, please “like” us NOW.

5. As usual, all three gifted groups need funding. Attached are two membership/donation options: The Joint Memberships in the Coalition, NWGCA and WAETAG or membership in the Coalition only. Please consider joining/donating to one or more of these support organizations.

NWGCA – Connections Conference February 9th, 2013

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Keynote Speakers

Keynote 1 — 8:30 – 9:30 AM

Chris McCurry, PhD
On Resilience, Emotional Intelligence, and Marshmallows – This address will describe ideas about what makes for success in academics and in life. Dr. McCurry will present research findings as well as clinical and parent experience that explores what are being called “non-cognitive” skills (emotional intelligence, attention, curiosity, and self-regulation, among others) and the important role these skills play in our children’s success and in our own work as parents.
Jane Hesslein
What Your Kids Want You to Know – This presentation is for teachers and parents who have wondered what the gifted kids in their lives might wish they knew. These unique and valuable insights are the result of two requests made to fifth-grade gifted students at the end of their school year. The responses were articulate, often heartening, and sometimes surprising. What these students had to say is something that every parent and teacher can use.
Breakout Sessions:

The Anxious Gifted Student: From Procrastination to Perfectionism

-Chris McCurry, PhD

Gifted 101

-Austina De Bonte

Supporting the Social/Emotional Growth of Gifted Adolescents

-Sandi Wollum

The Absent Minded Professor: Raising Gifted Kids Who Can’t Find Their Jackets

-Sandi Wollum

Gifted 101 (repeat session)

-Austina De Bonte

Tips for Building Successful Parent/Teacher Relationships

-Jane Hesslein

Brown-Bag Lunch Discussions
12:45 – 2:00 PM

Bring your brown-bag lunch, select a table topic, and participate in a facilitated discussion with other attendees.

Location: Aylen Junior High

101 15th Street SW
Puyallup, WA 98371

Presented by

and
Academic Booster Club of Puyallup
Register Onlineor

Mail check to NWGCA:  PO Box 30134, Seattle, WA 98113
Register by January 31, 2013:  $60.00
Register at the door:  $65.00
Additional family members:  $5
Partial scholarships available.  For more information, contact Tawna at 360-739-7901

Complete presentation descriptions and speaker bios available at http://www.nwgca.org/connections-conference.html

SENG Webinar Event, Dec. 20th – Talking with Teens

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Presented by Jean Peterson

When adults are serious about attending to social and emotional needs of gifted kids, their own self-awareness and skills can help them avoid inadvertently squelching, patronizing, judging, viewing them narrowly, or even being unhelpfully “in awe.” Paying attention to their own biases can also help adults avoid inhibiting kids’ willingness to engage and show appropriate vulnerability.

Learn how to engage gifted adolescents so that conversation is meaningful and satisfying to both teens and adults, is focused on more than just performance or non-performance, is “real,” builds mutual trust, and is “generative.” Parents, relatives, teachers, coaches, directors, and other invested adults can all benefit from stepping back and, if needed, purposefully altering patterns of interaction in the interest of supporting them effectively.

Message from The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education – Dec. 10th

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At our general meeting on November 30, members of the Coalition decided on our priority for the next legislative session. Our main effort will be to increase state funding for HCP. This can only be done by changing the formula. In order to change the formula, we will need specific legislation since the current formula is enacted in statute.

We are waiting to see what the QEC recommends to the Legislature regarding HCP funding. In prior recommendations they have asked the Legislature to enact a new funding formula. If their recommendations this year continue to request this, and they suggest a specific piece of legislation, we will support that bill. If the recommendation does not contain suggested legislation, we will have to feel our way forward, depending on the mood of the Legislature.

We recognize that 2013 may not be the year to request more money. However, the McCleary decision requires the Legislature to show year by year progress to full funding for basic education, and a new formula for HCP goes some way to meet that requirement at a relatively low cost.

Last year, advocates gathered in Olympia to say thank you to legislators for making HCP an integral part of basic education. Our theme for Gifted Education Day, March 19, will be to continue to educate legislators on the unique needs of gifted students. Approximately 1/3rd of the Legislature will consist of new members so we have a gigantic job ahead of us. The upcoming Gifted Education Day Handbook will contain a number of suggested themes you can use when talking with your legislators. A list of legislators will be forthcoming. Start planning now to join us in Olympia on March 19th.
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Have you talked/corresponded with a legislator recently? Will you be talking/corresponding with one in the coming months? If yes, we will appreciate hearing from you about the conversation. Please email us the following information about any contacts you make.

Name and title of person contacted:

Type of contact (personal or group visit)  (email contact)  (letter)  (phone)

Issues discussed:

Is the Coalition expected to follow up with this contact?

Describe any follow-up needed:

Notes and comments; was contact supportive or enthusiastic about HCP:

Your name:

Group, if any:

Your email address or other contact information in case we need to check with you:

Note:  Legislators now request that we send everything by email and not send printed letters and materials unless specifically requested. Email addresses of current or re-elected members are on the legislature web site. Email addresses of newly elected members will be available after the start of session, January 14th.
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On the federal level, a petition garnering support for the TALENT Act, is on line. If you wish to support the petition, you can use the links on our Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/wagifted  or go to NAGC  and click on Petition on the Talent Act to lend your support. http://www.nagc.org/
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Are you looking for educational opportunities online for yourself or your gifted students? The Coalition’s internet service provider recently sent this list of online education resources. I checked them and they are legitimate. Sending this list to you does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement; it is for informational purposes only.

Kahn Academy: award-winning education site for all ages (free)

Starfall: specializes in pre-K & K-2 phonics and reading (free)

Funbrain: popular free site for educational games & comics

Study Ladder: videos, activities, worksheets & more in 10 subjects (free trials + subscriptions)

Academic Earth: free videos & courses from top U.S. universities

Purdue OWL: leading free writing lab; great writing & grammar exercises

MIT OpenCourseWare: get virtually all MIT course content for free

Coursera: free online courses from the world’s top universities

Smarthistory: art history education by time, style, artist or theme

CreativeLIVE: free workshops in photography, design, filmmaking & more

Petition on TALENT Act: Sign Today!

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Please consider signing this petition to Washington DC to support the Talent Act – a piece of federal legislation for gifted — a first.

Gifted ed advocates are signing a petition on the White House website urging the Obama Administration to address the academic needs of gifted students by supporting the TALENT Act. Add your support, and share the petition with others.

https://petitions.whitehouse.gov/petition/support-unique-learning-needs-academically-gifted-students-passing-talent-act/4l6t1z05

More info can be found on the NAGC site as well.