Gifted Matters- February 2013

Welcome to the February issue of Gifted Matters. Registration for Summer MOSAIC courses is open and CGA members will receive an Early Bird Discount through February 25th. Last year, over 300 students participated in our Summer MOSAIC classes. Classes this year include old favorites like Lego Robotics, Video Game Design and App Design, and new additions like Rocket Science, Improv, Puppetry, Natural Disaster Response and Journalism. Click here for a description of all courses offered this summer. Space is limited and classes fill up fast. Register early for best prices and most class choices. Non-members can register starting Feb 25th.

Our 5th annual creative writing contest was a huge success. Over 300 students entered the competition with submissions in fiction, non-fiction and poetry categories. Final results were announced on Feb 8, 2013. As has been the tradition, all students who received 1st place or honorable mention will have their work published in the book. Click HERE to pre-order your book ($17 each). First place winners will receive one free copy of the book. Mark your calendars for the Book Release Party on April 11, 2013 at Coppell High School (pick up books at 5:30p, program starts at 5:45p).

Are you a CISD educator or administrator (and CGA member) interested in gaining some additional gifted education training and enrichment? CGA is offering a limited number of educator and administrator scholarships for professional development programs offered during the 2013 summer months. Parents, please forward this to your favorite teacher!  By enriching and supporting our amazing educators and administrators, we improve the educational experiences for everyone. Deadline for applications is May 3.2013. Please click here for all details.

Our panel discussion  Advanced Academics in High School: What’s the right choice for you? facilitated by CISD Director of Advanced Academics Kristen Brown on Feb 6 was a huge success. We hope you were able to attend this event and found the information useful for your learner make his/her choices in high school. If you missed the discussion and still want to catch up on all the options CISD has for your learner, have a look at  Advanced Academics in High School, an article that we ran in our December issue.

Have you heard about the recent revolution against standardized testing? Are you wondering what the fuss is all about? Read more in our article Understanding the high stakes nature of STAAR and EOC (End of Course Exams). And if you are interested in finding out more about the changes imposed by STAAR and End of Course Exam requirements, plan to  attend a discussion hosted by Coppell Parents for Authentic Student Assessment (CoppellPASA) on Feb 28, 2013 (Noon and 7pm, CHS Lecture Hall). The discussion will also feature a presentation by state-wide, non-partisan organization Texans Advocating for Meaningful Student Assessment (TAMSAtx).

In our November issue  of Gifted Matters, we introduced a new series of essays which highlight young achievers- current or past students of CHS or NTH@C, who have been outstanding learners and role models. In this issue, our series Young Achievers- Raga and Sneha Ayyagari features an essay by  twin sisters and seniors at CHS. They share their thoughts (and tips) on course selection, electives and much more.

The Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT) awards a variety of scholarships to gifted students from across the state.  These scholarships are based upon merit, not financial need.  The application deadline for TAGT scholarships is March 1; all applicants will be notified of their status by April 15.  Learn more about the scholarships here.

Our Speaker Series workshop What is your Online Identity planned for Feb 21, 2013 has been cancelled due to unavoidable circumstances. If we are able to reschedule, information will be posted to the CGA website.

We would like to take the opportunity to congratulate the CHS Academic Decathlon team for placing third in regionals and advancing to State. The Coppell AcDec team also is the two-time Defending Champion in  Team Super Quiz. We wish them all the luck and success as they prepare for State.

Click here for a complete list of upcoming events.

We hope that you’ll enjoy the information included in this newsletter.  We’d love to have your feedback on how we are doing, and what you’d like to read about in the future.

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