News Around GPS

GPS Override Election

Gilbert Public Schools is having an override election on November 5^th, 2013.  The override is for 6.6% in contrast to the 10% override that was requested of voters on the 2012 ballot.  As members of the Gilbert community we can share our voice regarding whether we want GPS to receive $5.8M in funding or $11.6M.

For more information about the 2013 GPS override election please visit - 

1.     GPS website for FAQs

2.     http://citizensforstrongschools.com/

3.     You may also wish to attend a GPS community forum this week to learn more about the override

Gifted Education and the Gilbert Override - 

There is ZERO state funding and ZERO federal funding for gifted education.  Based on the Override Presentation to the Gilbert Chamber of Commerce, without the passing of the 6.6% override specialty programs that include Gifted Education (ALP) may be eliminated.  To see this presentation, click here -  Override-Chamber of Commerce.  ALP (Gifted Education) is mentioned on slide #17 of the presentation.

This presentation is found on the GPS Board Docs site under the agenda for the Sep 11, 2013 Gilbert Town Council/Gilbert Public Schools Governing Board Special Joint Meeting. - http://www.boarddocs.com/az/gpsaz/Board.nsf/Public

GPS Community Survey

 GPS is looking for members of the community to take a survey regarding qualifications desired of a permanent superintendent.  For example, do you prefer the superintendent to have a non-traditional background or an education background?  To take the GPS survey, prior to 8am on 9/27, visit the GPS website.  

2013-2014 Parent Education Guest Lecture Series begins September 12th, 2013

Have you ever watched your gifted child do something that seemed below their intelligence level and thought to yourself, “What was he thinking?!?!”

Our Guest Presenters are Heather Schlemmer and Amber MacRobbie who will

share strategies for facilitating social/emotional growth in gifted children.

Heather Schlemmer is the Social Cognition Interventionist/Gifted Resource

Specialist for Gilbert Public Schools. Amber MacRobbie is a Gifted Cluster Coach

who provides training for educators who work with gifted children.

All Guest Lectures will take place from 7:00-8:00pm.  Come early at 6:45pm or stay until 8:30pm to get to know other parents of gifted kids.

The GSG Guest Lecture Series is held at the Greenfield Elementary Library located at -

2550 E. Elliot Rd., Gilbert, AZ

Our 2013-2014 Guest Lecture dates are set!  Mark your calendars for the dates below –

• Thursday, September 12, 2013
• Thursday, November 14, 2013
• Thursday, January 23, 2014
• Thursday, April 10, 2014

*Also, mark your calendar for the AAGT Parent Institute on Saturday, October 5^th!  More details can be found on the AAGT Parent Institute website.  

Gifted and At-Risk

by Seth Freeman, reposted from HuffPost Impact June 4, 2010

If things had gone as they should, in 2016, Charlie Miller would have found a way to reduce the battery in an electronic car to one tenth of its current size and weight while quadrupling its storage capacity. In 2018, Jenny Rodriguez would have developed a compound that binds to cancer cells and deprives them of the nourishment they need to grow, paving the way for a powerful new therapy. In 2025, Martin Pradeep would have written an innovative and entertaining first novel, nominated for a National Book Award and a Pulitzer Prize.

But Charlie, Jenny, and Martin will do none of these things because in 2010 all three of them dropped out of high school.

Although their names are invented, Charlie, Jenny, and Martin represent real present-day teenagers. Of course we can't really know what these young people might have accomplished if they had stayed in school, gone on to college and then gone on to productive lives in their chosen fields. What we do know is that all three of them are gifted individuals. And, although it might seem surprising, as it did to me, what we also know is that some of our very brightest, most talented kids have great difficulty in school, and many actually drop out, some even living dysfunctional lives on the edge of society.

How is that even possible? Aren't bright kids capable of rising above adverse circumstances, finding ways to succeed? I had always thought so. I was wrong.

Click here to read more.

2013 Earth and Space Exploration DAY at ASU

Mars Education at ASU - Mars Curiosity Rover replica

Saturday, November 2

Earth and Space Exploration day is a free annual fall event hosted by the School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE) on ASU’s Tempe campus inside/outside ISTB 4. The SESE community offers special science-related activities from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. for students age five and up, families, educators and anyone interested in exploring Earth and space alongside real scientists. One of the biggest attractions is ISTB 4 with its Gallery of Scientific Exploration offering a variety of interactive exhibits and the Marston Exploration Theater, which will be running 3-D astronomy shows. Visitors can also see a replica of Curiosity rover, explore Tempe Butte on a guided field trip, pan for gold, dig for meteorites, bring rock samples for Dr. Rock to examine and so much more!

The event website will updated regularly: http://sese.asu.edu/earth-and-space-exploration-day

Are We Failing Our Geniuses?

Many thanks to those who recommended this article.

August 16, 2007, TIME Magazine article by John Cloud

"Any sensible culture would know what to do with Annalisee Brasil. The 14-year-old not only has the looks of a South American model but is also one of the brightest kids of her generation. When Annalisee was 3, her mother Angi Brasil noticed that she was stringing together word cards composed not simply into short phrases but into complete, grammatically correct sentences. After the girl turned 6, her mother took her for an IQ test. Annalisee found the exercises so easy that she played jokes on the testers--in one case she not only put blocks in the correct order but did ... "

Click here to read the article as posted on the Early Entrance Foundation's website.

GPS Approves Curriculum for Self-Contained Program

PRESS RELEASE

The parents of Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted are pleased with the Gilbert School Board’s recent decision to approve an engaging and challenging curriculum that has been field-tested to provide successful learning for gifted students.   We appreciate the time and effort of GPS staff to search out this specialized curriculum and also the time that was granted to parents for curriculum review.   We continue to appreciate the Gilbert School Board’s support for gifted education.   

We invite anyone who wishes to learn more about the unique needs of gifted students to click here and visit our website - www.gilbertgifted.org

Click here to read the article in the Arizona Republic

2012-2013 In Review

by Stephanie Newitt, GSG President

This past year has been one of intense activity for gifted education in Gilbert, and Gilbert Supporters of the Gifted (GSG) has been very involved. 

PARENT  EDUCATION - We increased our focus on parent education through the publishing of our blog where we discussed important aspects of gifted education and began addressing some of gifted education’s common myths, including –

·         MYTH - “Gifted students will do fine on their own.  They don’t need accommodations.”

·         MYTH - “That student can’t be gifted.  He has a disability.”

·         MYTH – “Advanced Placement courses are the same as a gifted program.”

·         MYTH – “All children are gifted”

These myths and their corresponding truths are documented on the National Association for Gifted Children website.

We also began hosting quarterly guest lectures.  Our guest speakers were gifted educators from Gilbert speaking on the -

·         Social/emotional needs of gifted students

·         Developing the Organizational and Management Skills of Gifted Students

·         The Needs of Twice Exceptional Students – those who have both gifts and disabilities

·         Underachieving Gifted Students

All lectures were amazing and left us hungry for more!  A big thank you to our Gilbert Gifted Educators for their efforts.  Our 2013-2014 Guest Lecture line-up will be published on our blog in August.  Watch for it!

GIFTED  EDUCATION  ADVOCACY - This past year was also a big year for advocacy as some of our members were asked to participate in the Gilbert Public Schools Gifted Education Vision Committee.  The 29 member Vision Committee met August-November 2012 and was comprised of GPS educators, administrators and parents.  The committee went beyond the establishing of a vision statement and also created a mission statement and priorities for the expansion of gifted services in Gilbert Public Schools.  To see the vision and mission statements, click here.  The Gifted Presentation to the Governing Board can be found on the GPS Gifted Ed – Parent Resource Page.  

In striving to align to the Gifted Vision Statement, GPS proposed two self-contained classes for highly gifted students, serving 4^th and 5^th grades at Towne Meadows Elementary, with the plan to grow the program each year in sequential grades.  GSG expressed our support for the proposed classes and the school board voted in favor of establishing the classes, 3-2.  Community response to this program was great and waiting lists had to be generated for both classes.  The Open House at Towne Meadows for the new gifted program was successfully held on May 15^th and was well attended. 

GPS has currently brought into their office for review curriculum that is researched-based for gifted students.  Again, this is in alignment with the new gifted education vision statement.   As a parent of a gifted student, we invite you to review the proposed curriculum.  For details about the curriculum review, please email gilbertgifted@gmail.com.

This past year GPS invited leadership from GSG to attend a Q&A session with school counselors from each GPS junior high and high school.  These counselors have been and will continue to receive professional development training regarding giftedness and gifted education.  GSG leadership was also invited to attend the first GPS Gifted 101 Parent Education class and to share a few words.  Both of these events were well attended and attendees expressed appreciation for GSG’s contributions to gifted education in Gilbert.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?

We definitely feel like a pebble thrown into a large pond, yet our ripple effect is growing.  Gifted Education is gaining credibility, being considered as genuine as the students being served.  GPS is looking to receive parent input regarding future Gifted Education accommodations and GSG's collaborative voice will be a part of those conversations.

We invite you to contact us if you would like to help with our grassroots effort.  Our parent voice is one of sincerity and respect and we seek collaboration with GPS as gifted services are being expanded.   We are making a difference and are in need of interested parents to help with social media, our web page, and also committee support.  Contact us at gilbertgifted@gmail.com to be a part of this positive effort.

“Change, when managed, is opportunity.”