A Positive School Year

Now that school is well on it's way, check out this article for ways to make it a positive year. Starting the School Year on a Positive Note

An Invitation from Phoenix Youth Mensa

Click here for a printable flier. 

Updates from AAGT

Do you sense a change in the air?  How fortunate we are in Arizona to know cooler days are ahead and the feast of a colorful blooming desert is upon us!

There is a similar sense of anticipation in our advocacy efforts.

Since State funding for gifted education was taken away in 2010, districts and schools have struggled to identify their gifted students, prepare teachers to challenge their students and provide programs and service options that are flexible to accommodate a variety of learning needs.

Members of the Advocacy Committee met with State Representative Heather Carter last week to discuss a plan to get funding for gifted education reinstated.  You will hear more specifics in the coming weeks regarding the plan and ways in which you can become involved. 

In the meantime, here is a place to start.  Email, call or visit Representatives and Senators in your Legislative District to introduce yourself and share your story of why support of gifted education is important to you.  Remind them you will keep in touch and ask that they support the reinstatement of funding for gifted education.  Let’s see what blooms from the seeds we plant now!

Best wishes and keep in touch!

Donna J.Campbell, President

Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented

AAGT Conference Program Cover Contest--EXTENDED!

 Each year we ask students across the state to participate in a contest to design the cover of the annual conference program. The winner will receive a $100 gift card. Please encourage your students to participate. The deadline for submissions had been extended! All submissions should include the theme of the conference and the year into the design (Gifted Education 2.0: Leaving Behind the Status Quo). Scan and send your students’ artwork along with contact information for you and the artist to officemanager@azgifted.com.  Please submit by mid-November.

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Nominate Your Teacher or Administrator of the Year!

Deadline is December 15th, 2016

Teacher form: Gifted Teacher of the Year 2017.pdf 

Administrator form: Administrator of the Year 2017.pdf

GSG New Website Hi-Lights: Advocacy, #2 in our series

The Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted website has been updated! 

The ADVOCACY page includes:

• When advocating for our gifted child, what information is good to have?  This page includes guidance on what information to gather about your gifted child to show his/her genuine needs.
• How do you talk to other people who don't understand the gifted world?  Tips on how to talk about giftedness
• How can I help my gifted pre-teen or teen learn to develop self-advocacy skills?  How can these skills benefit students?  Resources are included on this page to help you guide your gifted tween or teen in developing these helpful skills.
• Is every student the same?  An incredible real-life analogy from the Air Force explains the "Myth of Average."  Don't miss this Tedx Talk by Todd Rose. 

Attachments area

November Guest Lecture

Dates and speakers for the GSG 2016-17 Guest Lecture series 

can be found on the News & Events page of the GSG website.

Do I have to show my work?

If your child has ever been frustrated about being told "you must show proof of your work," then your child will relate to Ramanujan, the main character of the 2016 international filmThe Man Who Knew Infinity. 

Our family just watched this movie from Redbox. The Man Who Knew Infinity is "the true story of friendship that forever changed mathematics. In 1913, Srinivasa Ramanujan (Dev Patel), a self-taught Indian mathematics genius, traveled to Trinity College, Cambridge, where over the course of five years, forged a bond with his mentor, the brilliant and eccentric professor, G.H. Hardy (Jeremy Irons), and fought against prejudice to reveal his mathematic genius to the world. The film also stars Devika Bhise, Stephen Fry and Toby Jones. This is Ramanujan’s story as seen through Hardy’s eyes."

This movie was extremely well done and is family friendly.  Rated PG-13 for "smoking and some violence," click here to see the movie trailer.