March 2017
In This Issue
Creativity Quest
Hoagies GT Page
GT Calendar
Mental Health Matters
A Parent and Community Education Event  for Middle and High School Families
 
April 13, 2017      6:00 - 9:00 PM
 
Poudre High School
Open to the Northern Colorado community, breakouts on mental health topics will be presented every hour, allowing participants to attend up to three sessions. Focused on secondary students, topics will include anxiety, depression, self-harm, social media, grief, substance abuse, and more. New speakers and presentations by students will offer great insight for all attendees.  Event Flyer
Thompson Kids Can Change The World Contest


Who: All TSD  students in K-12
What: Submit a step-by-step plan about how you can change the world.
How:  Complete Form
Deadline:  April 14
A Secret to Reaching Goals
 
Students really need to see the future, otherwise project deadlines and finals sneak up on them. Read More
Reading Opportunities


PRUFROCK PRESS is offering a free excerpt from a newly-published book,  Anxiety-Free Kids , by Bonnie Zucker, Psy.D. 
Local Advocacy
The NOCO Gifted Community is an affiliate of the CO Association of Gifted & Talented. 

The purpose of the NOCO chapter is to follow the CAGT mission to foster an understanding of all gifted children and their exceptional needs, and to advocate for appropriate education through partnerships with educators, parents, administrators, and more.  Learn More
Webinars for Purchase
We Can Learn From Mario
GT Library for Parents
Search our GT library for titles  specific to your questions, concerns, and interests. 
Resource Library
Gifted in the Movies
MOOCs
(Massive Open Online Course)
3 Great MOOCs for Kids

Shimon Schocken: The self-organizing computer course

If your household is anything like mine, living with gifted children never fails to deliver an array of parenting "opportunities" for which I feel totally ill-prepared.  

I have found myself explaining that my child did not, in fact, recently move from Thailand, leaving behind "his people". 

I have skulked out of the store after another child's public display of dramatic dance.

That grocery bag pilgrim hat craft catapulted from creative determination to meltdown over a fold that was not "quite right". 

I have encouraged playmates to play "Gettysburg" with my child (I'm still not sure how it's played).

And, I haven't even mentioned school! 

I have spent time pulling together information that touches on all things gifted that may help you navigate your own uncharted parenting waters. 

Michelle Stout -  GT Parent Liaison
Advocacy
Earlier this month, the Administration proposed cutting $9 billion from the United States Department of Education. This includes funding for gifted and talented children.
 
Please call your Senators and Representative by  Friday, March 31 , to ask them to support:
  • Funding for gifted and talented children
  • Ensuring the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA) is implemented with all children in mind
Specifically ask them for their commitment to:
  1. Invest $32 million in the Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program for fiscal year 2018 to support state and local work in implementing the new requirements in the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).
  2. Ensure the U.S. Department of Education issues guidance and regulations that address the education of gifted and talented children.
Please call  202-224-3121  to be directed to an operator at the United States Capitol switchboard who will connect you to your Senator's or Representative's office. 
 
If you are interested in sending an email to one of your three Federal legislators,  click here for additional contact information and sample text .
Social Emotional
Perfectionism in the Gifted - An Interview with Sylvia Rimm

Q: Dr. Rimm, why does perfectionism seem to be a problem for gifted children? 

A: Perfectionism is very close to excellence, and, of course, parents and teachers encourage excellence in children. In our great excitement at their performance, we describe their work as perfect ......   Read More

Managing His Image: The Challenge Facing a Gifted Male
Gabe was producing as little as possible in his middle school classes. Teachers reported this gifted young man was doing just enough to get by. Parents were also concerned with his lack of enthusiasm for school.  Read More

The Problem With Sensitivity
Being sensitive is a great gift, but it rarely starts that way. Boys and girls struggle with their deep feelings and quick reactivity. Most children's emotional sensitivity starts as chaotic, undirected and emotionally disorganized. So what do we do? Read More

Our Brains and Understanding Fear
Understanding our body's feelings is important, especially for gifted students whose powerful minds often overthink problems. This perseveration escalates nervousness. 
Gifted Programming
Ability grouping works - and is essential in middle school and beyond
Flexible ability grouping is a tool used to match a student's readiness for learning with the instruction provided, delivering the right content to the right student at the right pace and at the right time.   Read More

TSD Entrepreneurship Program
This program is a collaborative, real-world capstone learning experience in which high school students create and develop their own product or service while learning the skills needed to develop and run a business. Students learn from volunteer coaches and mentors in the community who provide guidance to student teams through the process of ideation market research and business plan development. The course culminates in Pitch Night; student teams pitch their innovative ideas to investors that may fund the project, turning business plans into reality.   Learn More

Academic Acceleration: Is It Right for My Child?
This article by Susan Scheibel, Ed.D. covers a number of topics related to acceleration. It also provides parents advice on how to advocate for acceleration if they think it is a good fit. Read More

Tips For Parents: AP vs. IB - Which is best for my kid?
This Tips for Parents article is from a seminar hosted by Jay Mathews, who compares Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) classes in relation to gifted students. Read More
Giftedness and Parenting
What not to say to your gifted child
Parents of gifted children may feel unique levels of frustration when they witness their child "waste" his potential, or struggle with basic social interactions, or fail to perform in school. 
Gifted & Talented Online Parent University
Want to learn more about the needs and nature of gifted children?  Looking for connections with other GT parents?  Join the Online Parent University and become a more empowered GT Parent!   Learn More

Help! My Child Won't Write!
"He struggles with written work." 
"His handwriting is disastrous!"
Why is handwriting such an issue for so many gifted children?   Read More

A 4-Step Process to Pushing the "Reset" Button After a Difficult Parenting Moment
TiLT is a new online destination aimed at helping parents raising differently-wired kids do so from a place of confidence, connection, and peace. Read More

What Parents Should Know About Teen Depression
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, in 2015 an estimated 3 million teens in America between the ages of 12 and 17 experienced at least one major depressive episode in the past 12 months; that's 12.5 percent of the U.S. adolescent population. Read More
Twice Exceptional
Documentaries
Starting on April 4, U.S. PBS television stations will show a documentary seeking to describe the sensory experiences of those with autism, according to Disability Scoop.     Find out more.
 
The New York Times describes a documentary about a man with Asperger's in which a high point is a "rare filmic experience of the sensory overload of autism."  Find a description of this film.

Gifted and Underachieving...The Twice Exceptional Learner
Jason, age 19, breezed through school with little effort until his last two years of high school. Disorganized with poor handwriting and a divergent learning style, he failed to hand in completed work in Honors and AP classes and so compromised his grades. Read More
Adult Giftedness
How Being A Gifted Kid Affects You As An Adult
Were you one of those kids with the "gifted" label? Maybe it led to better educational opportunities, or social difficulties, or both. Either way, being gifted shaped your adult life.

Fostering Adult Giftedness: Acknowledging and Addressing Affective Needs of Gifted Adults
While many parents accept their child's giftedness and associated traits, they seem to be in "denial" about their own giftedness, or at varying stages of dealing with it.   Read More