WATG Mission: To educate about and advocate for the needs of gifted in Wisconsin. |
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As you may have noticed, WATG’s activities and reach have been growing! To keep you more informed on a more timely basis, our Board of Directors voted to send out news TWICE each month. The first installment will always arrive at the beginning of the month, and the second installment will arrive in the middle of the month. With this change, we hope to keep you more curious, informed, motivated, and engaged. |
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Calling All Exhibitors and Sponsors!
Are you interested in reaching a large number of gifted and talented advocates? Does your product or service apply to educators, administrators, coordinators, parents, or others in the gifted and talented community? Then you will want to be an Exhibitor/Sponsor at our annual fall conference in the Wisconsin Dells October 3-4. Information on our conference and how you can be a part of it can be found in our proposal packet at https://midd.me/t7rw.
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Check out the following on the WATG News Page:
WATG welcomes a new partner and two new board members, logo winner announced, APSI opportunity, and much more!
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News From the Board - WATG's Membership Committee
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Roxane Hagedorn, Executive Director
For this month’s News From The Board, I’m going to spotlight the Membership Committee. Now you might be thinking that all they do is recruit folks to become members of WATG, but there is so much more than that to this group.
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(WATG would like to extend its deep appreciation to Dr. German Diaz from Milwaukee Public Schools for translating this article into Spanish for our Spanish-speaking families and educators. The translation can be found on our website blog.) |
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From your Government Action Committee
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As you may have heard, AB903 (the gifted education legislation that would have increased transparency, accountability, and equity in gifted education) was vetoed by Gov. Evers. You can see the full wording of his veto on our website and we urge you to read it. Like many of the education associations that stated their opposition to the specific bill and its precursors, the governor was not against the content of the bill, but was against the lack of accompanying funding. |
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Gifted in Perspective: Our Girls and STEM Careers |
The STEM acronym was introduced in 2001 by scientific administrators, most specifically Judith Ramelay, of the U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF). The organization previously used the acronym SMET when referring to the career fields in those disciplines or a curriculum that integrated knowledge and skills from the field of science, mathematics, engineering, and technology, but the acronym SMET apparently did not have “the sound that was appealing,” and was therefore changed to STEM. |
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Jackie Drummer
WATG Advisory Member and Former WATG President
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WATG Board Welcomes Dr. Danielle Hairston Green!
Dr. Danielle Y. Hairston Green holds a Ph.D. in Educational Leadership from Prairie View A&M University, a Master’s degree in Community Psychology & Social Change, and a Bachelor’s Degree in Criminal Justice from Penn State University.
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WATG Welcomes Dr. Jenna Cramer to Our Board!
Jenna is foremost a mom to a son who is just starting his schooling as a gifted and talented student; he is her inspiration for joining this organization. As a former educator who has taught in a variety of school districts (urban, suburban, and rural), she is passionate about meeting all students' needs.
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WATG’s Annual Conference and Logo Contest Winner |
WATG is extremely excited to announce that its annual October conference will be held in person in Wisconsin Dells this year! The theme this year is Launching Gifted Learners: All Systems Go. Registration will be opening soon, so keep an eye out for the link, and be prepared to join us to learn and to share many great tips and strategies!
We have lined up two engaging keynote speakers, Colin Seale and Dr. Matt Zakrewski, as well as a powerful lineup of workshops presented by other great speakers who are knowledgeable in the gifted field, great exhibitors, and opportunities for you to network with one another. In the past, attendees have shared that this conference is a great way to learn and grow.
Every year WATG holds a logo contest for the annual conference. We received many great logos for October 2022’s conference: Launching Gifted Learners: All Systems Go, but unfortunately we are only able to choose one. This year, we are happy to congratulate Evelyn Barker, a 6th grader, for submitting the winning logo. Check out her work!
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WATG welcomes another partner! |
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Any organization mentioned in this newsletter does not constitute an endorsement by or partnership with WATG. No recommendation regarding the services of these organizations is being made by WATG. Families and educators are urged to perform due diligence in researching all organizations. |
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