Reminder - Guest Lecture on 4/14/16 "How Can I Talk to My Child About Giftedness?"

Reminder - Guest Lecture "How Can I Talk to My Child About Giftedness?" - Thursday, April 14, 2016

Join us for our Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted guest lecture.

Thursday, April 14, 7:00-8:15 p.m.

At the Greenfield Junior High Library

“How can I talk to my gifted child about giftedness?” 

Speaker: Rebecca Baker, Counselor, 

ASU Herberger Young Scholars Academy 

What does it mean to be gifted?

What is the brain development of a gifted child like? 

How do we explain giftedness to our gifted children?

Note: We will be holding Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted board elections at the beginning of this meeting. We are always looking for people to come join forces with us in being advocates for our gifted community. If you are interested, please email us at GilbertGifted@gmail.com for more information.

Guest Lecture "How Can I Talk to My Child About Giftedness?" - Thursday, April 14, 2016

Join us for our Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted guest lecture.

Thursday, April 14, 7:00-8:15 p.m.

At the Greenfield Junior High Library

“How can I talk to my gifted child about giftedness?” 

Speaker: Rebecca Baker, Counselor, 

ASU Herberger Young Scholars Academy 

What does it mean to be gifted?

What is the brain development of a gifted child like? 

How do we explain giftedness to our gifted children?

Note: We will be holding Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted board elections at the beginning of this meeting. We are always looking for people to come join forces with us in being advocates for our gifted community. If you are interested, please email us at GilbertGifted@gmail.com for more information.

Which lecture topics interest you?

We would love to know which topics are of interest to you for future Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted lectures.

Please click on the following link to take a quick survey.  And when we say, quick, it only has one question!  You can also add another topic if we don't have it listed and we can consider that too.

Thanks!

CLICK HERE TO TAKE SURVEY

"How to Talk About Giftedness" - Guest Lecture 1/21/16

Join us for our guest lecture to be held on Thursday, January 21st at 7:00 p.m. in the Greenfield Junior High Library (101 S Greenfield Road, Gilbert).

Stephanie Newitt, President of Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted, will be speaking to us about "How to talk about Giftedness: Bringing Giftedness out into the Daylight."

Come to this discussion to receive ideas on how to bring the topic of giftedness out of the dark crevices and into the daylight...or in other words, how to talk about that elephant in the room.   Please spread the word to other parents and educators.

Anxiety and Depression: Implications for Gifted Youth

September presentation:  “Anxiety and Depression:  Implications for Gifted Youth”

We would like to thank Dr. Laura Wingers for being GSG’s first guest speaker of the year.  Her presentation on “Anxiety and Depression:  Implications for Gifted Youth” was very informative.  We learned some of the symptoms that manifest themselves in gifted children and some of the supports (old and new) that are available.  The presentation reminded us that many of these feelings are normal, however, when they get in the way of life, growth, relationships, etc. that is the time to seek for help.  Dr. Wingers also recommended a book list with resources to support parents. 

If you missed  the Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted guest lecture, you can find the link Dr. Wingers’ slide show presentation on the News & Events page of our website.  Disclaimer:  The presentation is for informational purposes only; not a substitute for individual/professional consultation.

If you would like to hear Dr. Wingers again, she is presenting at Parent Day of the NAGC Conference on Saturday, November 14^th, on “Developmental Asynchrony in the Young Gifted Child: Challenges and Opportunities.”

"Anxiety & Depression in Gifted Youth" - Guest Lecture on 9/24/15

Join us for our guest lecture to be held on Thursday, September 24th at 7:00 p.m. in the Greenfield Junior High Library (101 S Greenfield Road, Gilbert).  Note that the location has changed from previous lectures.

Dr. Laura Wingers will be speaking to us about "Anxiety and Depression in Gifted Youth."

Learn about the early signs of anxiety and depression in gifted youth and how parents can appropriately support gifted children who are dealing with these issues.  Dr. Wingers will also share resources that are available to parents.  Please spread the word to other parents and educators.

Gifted Education Parent Council - Gilbert Public Schools

Gathering Information helps us, as parents, to be prepared for the roller coaster of raising a gifted child.  Please join our Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted meetings when there is a guest lecture.  Also, get informed about what is happening with gifted education in Gilbert by contacting your campus’ representative for the Gifted Education Parent Council.  Each school has a parent representative who meets with members of GPS administration monthly, so you can have a voice.  Begin by being informed, and then you will be ready to be involved at any level.

The Heart of the Gifted Underachiever - Seminar 6/18/15

Do you wish to better understand the heart of a gifted underachieving child? 

If so, then you may be interested in the webinar hosted this week by SENG – the national organization Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted…

The Heart of the Gifted Underachiever 

Date: Thursday June 18, 2015
(NEW DATE!)

Time: 7:30 p.m. Eastern [90 mins.]  

Presenter: Josh Shaine
Fee: $40 ($30 for SENG members)

In a time when even the former foremost advocate for gifted children has turned its focus back to achievement and even eminence, where is the place for the gifted child who is not achieving?

Educational research is filled with explanations about the impact of expectations on our students, our children. Yet we have this set of children for whom there were sky high expectations by teachers and parents, but whose response bears no resemblance to the authority figures' dreams and hopes.

We will spend a little time on the history of the field, but mostly we will look at the kids - and at the long term implications of being a gifted "underachiever." 

REGISTER on the SENG Senginar webpage

(some senginars may not be available for registration so check back if it isn't)

ABOUT THE PRESENTER

Josh Shaine has been working with gifted students of all ages for more than 25 years, including many years teaching, administrating, advising, and sometimes directing programs for 7th - 12th graders through MIT's Educational Studies Program.

He has taught at public, private, and alternative schools, as well as working with special needs students who were either at home or institutionalized for a number of public school districts in several different states.

Shaine has served on the boards of directors of the Hollingworth Center for Gifted Children, Kids College, the Massachusetts Association for Gifted Children, the New England Conference for Gifted and Talented, the NH Association for Gifted Children, and Voyagers Homeschool Cooperative.

He currently organizes and presents at conferences around the country, including the Beyond IQ conferences in Boston, Chicago, and the West Coast. 

NAGC 2015 Annual Convention and Exhibition in Phoenix

Mark your calendar to attend the largest annual convention devoted to gifted and talented learners.  It will be held on November 12-15 in Phoenix!  It is a rare treat to have this event in Arizona. This event will be hosted by the NAGC (National Association for Gifted Children).

People who would benefit from attending are:

Classroom teachers, gifted/talented coordinators, school administrators, parents, college & university faculty, researchers, and more.

There will be a Parent Day and Kids Program on Saturday, November 14th.  NAGC Parent Day is "a one-day event that gives parents tools, information, and networking opportunities to help them support their children's optimal development and ensure their continued growth." This event is being co-hosted with AAGT (Arizona Association for Gifted Children).  Click HERE for more information. 

Registration will open for the Parents and Kids even sometime in June. It appears that the Parent Day event will be $45 per person and the Kids Program will be $35 per person (no meals included).

Click HERE to see pricing and register for the annual convention.  Early bird and group discounts available through September 21st.

Guest Lecture - "How to Articulate Your Gifted Child's Needs and Find a Program to Match" - 4/9/15

Please join us for our quarterly guest lecture this Thursday, April 9th, from 7:00-8:15 p.m. at the Greenfield Elementary Library.

Stephanie Newitt will be our speaker and will address how to identify and define our gifted child's needs and will give advice about what questions we can ask to determine how those needs are being met in academic settings.

With changes in Gifted Education coming to Gilbert Public Schools for the 2015-2016 school year, it is important for parents to know how to seek out learning environments that are well matched to their gifted child.

Hope to see you there!

Guest Lecture - Change of Plans for April 9, 2015

We originally planned to hear from Nancy Eisenbise about non-verbal/visual spatial learners but we will have to reschedule it for next school year because the speaker isn't able to attend due to an unexpected conflict.  We look forward to hearing from Nancy at a later date.

We have this lecture offered instead on 4/9/15.

Guest Lecture 1/15/15 - Social Communications for Gifted Students: Strategies to Help Strengthen Gifted Children's "SQ" (Social Quotient)

Parent Connections: As parents, we cannot control what happens on the playground. We cannot force kindness and friendship at school. Parents can only have direct input when it comes to relationships in the family and in the home. Care givers can make homes a place of safety and love. If our gifted children have deep roots and a strong foundation with family members, then our children will not be left with feelings of isolation. We must show our gifted children that they are unique and they are loved. 

We all like to receive love in different ways. Coming home to a clean kitchen may show that your husband loves you. Your mom may like to talk about how much fun you had as a child while growing up in her home. Your brother may do flips when given tickets to a football game. How does your child most like to receive love? Gary Chapman, author of multiple books describing the 5 Love Languages, suggests that in order for your child to truly feel accepted and loved, you must speak to the child’s primary love language. 

Using the links and documents below, discover how you can best show love to your gifted child. You must create a healthy relationship now, so that when your gifted child needs to talk about his feelings of isolation, perfectionism, anxiety, or depression, you are his trusted listener. 

1st → Take the 5 Love Languages test online and note the results 

2nd → To better understand each need, look at the descriptions of the love languages in the The Five Love Languages of Children

3rd → Look at the 50 Ways to Love Your Child for how to express love, and decide to implement strategies immediately

Guest Presentation: Social Communication for Gifted Students by Kathy Varga, M.S., CCC-SLP

Are you ever concerned about your gifted child’s verbal and non-verbal communitcation skills in social settings? Tonight Katherine Varga, a certified Speech Languange Pathologist, shared strategies that can help strengthen your child’s “SQ” (Social Quotient). Kathy Varga, as a member of the 2012 GPS Gifted Education Vision Committee, advocated for the social developmental needs of the gifted child. You can view her presentation at the link above. 

Guest Lecture - "Social Communications/Conversations" 1/15/15

Mark your calendars to attend our next guest lecture.

Thursday, 1/15/15

7:00-8:00 p.m.

Greenfield Elementary Library

Katherine Varga will be sharing strategies that can help strengthen gifted children's "SQ" (Social Quotient).  

Educators can receive certification hours for attending.

Hope to see you there!

Executive Function 101

The Marshmallow Experiment - Self Control

"Executive Functioning Skills" Lecture - Thursday, 11/13/14

Guest Lecture Series

Executive Functioning Skills

Thursday, November 13, 2014 

from 6:45-8:00 p.m. 

at the Greenfield Elementary School Library

Join us to learn methods for helping our children learn organizational skills.  Discover strategies to help our children tackle projects without so much emotional drama that often comes with giftedness.

Deedee Aboroa is an exemplary ALP teacher at Quartz Hill Elementary, and she has mastered techniques for working with gifted students.  She will share with us her understanding of how effective organizational skills can empower our gifted kids as they develop awareness of their own thinking and their own behaviors.

Open to everyone.

Co-sponsored by Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted and the GPS Gifted Education Parent Council.

Guest Lecture Series 2014-2015

Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted,

with the GPS Gifted Education Parent Council,

present their 2014-15 Guest Lecture Series:

All Guest Lectures are open to parents with gifted students of all ages in the valley.  Guest lectures will take place at the Greenfield Elementary Library from 6:45-8:00pm.  Come to connect with other parents and learn from experts about helpful parenting strategies that focus on the gifted child’s development.

11/13/2014 -- “Executive Functioning Skills”

Join us to learn methods for helping our children learn organizational skills. Discover strategies to help our children tackle projects without so much emotional drama that often comes with giftedness.  Deedee Abaroa is an exemplary ALP teacher at Quartz Hill Elementary, and she has mastered techniques for working with gifted students.  She will share with us her understanding of how effective organizational skills can empower our gifted kids as they develop awareness of their own thinking and their own behaviors. 

1/15/2015 -- “Social Communication/Conversations ”

Are you ever concerned about your gifted child’s verbal and non-verbal communication skills in social settings?  Come hear Katherine Varga, a certified Speech Language Pathologist, share strategies that can help strengthen your child’s “SQ” (Social Quotient).  Kathy Varga, as a member of the 2012 GPS Gifted Education Vision Committee, advocated for the social developmental needs of the gifted child.

4/9/2015 -- “Nonverbal Giftedness/Visual-Spatial Learners”

Your child has been identified as a “Visual-Spatial” or “Non-Verbal” Learner.  What does that mean?  How do these children learn?  What learning strategies work best for them?  Come to our concluding guest lecture of 2014-15 to find out.

In addition, the Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented will present:

Parent Day on Friday, February 6, 2015 from 8:30am-5:30pm at the Black Canyon Conference Center in Phoenix.  More information at www.arizonagifted.org

Seeing the Forest for the Trees - By Stephanie Newitt

Dr. Amy Serin of the Serin Center was the keynote speaker at the September, AAGT Parent Institute.  She had these thoughts to share regarding parenting gifted kids to help us as parents see the forest for the trees.

Dr. Serin began with some biology and a look at brain cortical thickness.  This is the area of the brain that among a variety of cognitive abilities plays a key role in attention and perceptual awareness.   She shared with us a study that was conducted comparing the cortical thickness of children with typical intelligence to that of children with IQs in the 120s-130s.  The study found that in the group of gifted children, the cortex thickened at about age 11 years, but that the cortex thickened years earlier for children of typical intelligence.  

What does this mean to parents of gifted children?  This means, that biologically speaking, gifted children will struggle with their ability to self-regulate until about the age of 11 years old.  Combine this with their heightened curiosity and there is no wonder that young gifted children get distracted on their way to complete simple tasks such as feeding the dog or turning in homework. 

What can we as parents do to help our children who are still developing self-regulating abilities?

·         We can look at them and their development through the lens of giftedness. 

·         Don’t “should” your gifted child.  We tend to do this because we want THEM to make our lives easier.  Don’t look at typical kids to be the standard of a gifted child’s development.

·         Modulate expectations based on your gifted child’s needs.  Which executive functioning (self-regulating) trait does your gifted child have difficulty with?  Shifting activities?  Regulating their intense emotions?  Their overexcitibility? 

·         Motivate your gifted child, not with logic, but with rewards that will activate the dopamine levels in the brain.  Be aware of your gifted child’s developmental stages and identify their asynchronies.

·         As parents, we may need to BE the frontal lobe – giving direction and structure – while the brain of our gifted child is developing.  An example of this is that it is time for your gifted child to clean up her room.  You can break it down for them and give the direction to gather dirty clothes first, then help them with a short list of items they will gather together and put away (dolls, cars, etc.) 

·         Don’t parent based on parental entitlement.  Parent based on your child’s genuine needs.

·         Model self-soothing behavior and discuss with your gifted child why you chose this behavior and how it helped you.  Train your child to use appropriate self-soothing behavior also.  This can be as simple as when a project is frustrating, you get up and take a short walk in the fresh air.

·         When parenting your gifted child, empathize, discuss (but don’t focus on logic), distract, and put the situation into perspective.  Use humor. 

To illustrate this point, I remember when my 11 year old son was very frustrated that I had asked him to pick up the fallen citrus in the backyard.  “But I just did it last week!  I shouldn’t have to do it again!” he balked.  I let him know I understood, and that I was just thinking about him.  Since his older brother was about to mow the lawn, I thought he would prefer to pick up whole citrus as opposed to cut up pieces of fruit.  He repeated his mantra of frustration.  I then looked at him, and in a voice of empathetic frustration, said, “Well, then, you should take it up with the trees and tell them they have no business dropping fruit when you just picked up their mess last week!”  My son smiled, rolled his eyes, shook his head … and got his garbage bags and gloves.  

·         Dr. Serin continued … Regarding bullying.  Are you as a parent succumbing to victim mentality?  Be sure to not project a victim mentality on to your child.

·         Regarding self-regulating / executive functioning skills, Dr. Serin recommended the book -   Smart but Scattered: The Revolutionary "Executive Skills" Approach to Helping Kids Reach Their Potential by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare.

I highly recommend the annual AAGT Parent Institute to any parent of a gifted child.  Each time I go I’m reminded I’m not alone in this journey of parenting gifted children and I also bring home little nuggets of knowledge and skill that elevate my perspective.  I arrive home with greater peace – I remember that I love the panoramic view of the forest.

If you weren’t able to attend the AAGT Parent Institute this year, then please be sure to come to the Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted quarterly guest lectures.  Come to the GSG guest lectures and you will feel like you are not alone in this journey,  you will take home your own nugget of knowledge to raise your parenting perspective, and you just might find your own peaceful view of the forest.

MARK YOUR CALENDAR!  The next GSG Guest Lecture is Thursday, November 13th. 

If you liked this article, then you will really enjoy our November topic:  Ideas to help Gifted Children with Executive Functioning Skills.

SEE YOU ON NOVEMBER 13^TH!

Gifted 101 Meeting

One of the most important themes to take away from a Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted meeting, is that information creates understanding and power.  As parents, if we are informed about the characteristics, the strengths, the frequent behaviors, and the weakness of our gifted children, then we can facilitate more success in the home and in school.  There is a support system here.  You are not alone.  Feel free to view some of the documents that were passed out during the initial Gifted 101 meeting on September 4th.  We hope to see you again on November 13th.

"Gifted Cluster Classroom" - Guest Lecture on Sept. 4, 2014

Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted (along with the GPS Gifted Education Parent Council) are hosting a free guest lecture regarding the "Gifted Cluster Classroom" on Thursday, September 4th at Greenfield Elementary School Library (2550 E Elliot Road, Gilbert, AZ).

Parents, grandparents, teachers, administrators and other interested people are invited to attend this lecture.  Spread the word to those that you think may benefit by attending.

Here's the schedule for the evening.  Please feel free to join us for whatever portions of the evening interest you.

6:00-6:30 p.m. - Gifted 101
If you're new to the world of giftedness, come and learn some of the basics.

6:45-7:00 p.m. - Parent Connections
Be an early bird and come meet other parents who may share your same concerns.

7:00-8:00 p.m. - Guest Lecture
Learn about the "Gifted Cluster Classroom" by hearing directly from a Gifted Cluster Coach and also from one of our Gifted Cluster Teachers.