Gifted Matters- September 2013

Welcome to the September 2013 edition of Gifted Matters. Can you believe that summer is over,  that the back-to-school frenzy is done with, and that the kids are back into their school routine? This school year has brought a lot of changes for our GT learners, and we have a roundup of what to expect going forward, in the article Gifted and Talented Interventions- Going from Good to Great. This will be first article in a series of newsletter articles that will highlight specific improvements to our GT services. (If you are not already a member, be sure to join CGA, as the remaining editions of Gifted Matters will be only available to members.)

Be sure to attend the GT Curriculum Night for your campus if you have an elementary learner.  The GT Specialist from the campus(es) and Deana Harrell, CISD Director of Advanced Academics, will share useful information about GT Intervention Services (GTi).  Our Coppell Gifted Association Campus Reps will also be there to answer any questions about CGA.  This is a great opportunity to learn more about GTi and CGA.  Dates, times, and locations can be found here.

The start of the new school year also means that it is time to renew your annual CGA membership. Why join the CGA? The benefits are plenty, including (but not limited to) access to our monthly newsletter, podcasts, and the CGA lending library, free admission to CGA speaker programs, early registration discounts and priority access to Mosaic enrichment programs. Most importantly, the CGA provides a platform, an opportunity for YOU, as a parent, to be heard. Join CGA now (early bird pricing effective until Oct 15, 2013) and make the most of your annual membership.

CISD Educators can join CGA for FREE until October 15,  2013. Click here to join. As an educator and CGA member, you could be eligible for scholarships to conferences and training throughout the year, receive regular information about gifted education and additional resources targeted specifically to educators, plus enjoy all the other membership benefits. Click here to find out more.

Many were relaxing over the summer getting rested up for a new school year, however much happened behind the scenes with CISD teachers who were given scholarships to attend Conferences with the financial support of the Coppell Gifted Association. A total of five teachers from the three middle schools attended three conferences this summer. Read more about the conferences they attended and their feedback/learnings in the article Summer 2013 Educator Scholarships- Feedback and Learnings. 2013-2014 Educator/Administrator Scholarships are available; read more about deadlines and how to apply here.

Confused about all the legislative changes you keep reading about, and how they will impact your GT learner? TAGT has put together an easy-to-read summary of all the changes; we hope you can get your questions answered by reading Texas Legislative Update: 2013 school year

Our 2013 Summer MOSAIC enrichment program was a huge success with about 175 students attending each of the two sessions.  Our classes filled up quickly, with some classes like Rocket Design, Lego Robotics, Video Game and App Design getting sold out within the first few weeks of registration. Other fun classes like Magic, Balloon Twisting and Ceramics continued to be popular. MOSAIC students in new class “Journalism: Hot off the Press” investigated the top stories of the week and produced the CGA MOSAIC Times. There was learning (and fun) for all who attended. Be sure to join CGA to get priority access and early bird discounts to our 2014 Summer Mosaic Program.

It’s never too early for your child to begin writing for our Annual Creative Writing Competition. The competition, in its 6th year, is open to all students grades 3-12. Students can submit entries in 3 categories- fiction, non-fiction and poetry.  The deadline for entries is Dec 5, 2013. For more information on the competition, click on the Competitions tab above. 

The Destination Imagination Program (DI) encourages teams of learners to have fun, take risks, focus and frame challenges while incorporating STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), the arts and service learning. Teams showcase their solutions at a tournament. This year, teams are given the challenge of making a comic strip, or coming up with an improv skit, or building a structure that can withstand forces…. the list goes on, the challenges for your learners are many. The article Destination Imagination 2013-2014 provides us with a timeline for the competition, and answers to all questions DI-related. To learn more, plan to attend the informational session at Town Center Elementary on Monday Sep 23, at 6 pm.

We hope that you will enjoy the information included in this newsletter and find it useful.  We’d love to have your feedback on how we are doing, and what you’d like to read about in the future. Email us, comment on the blog or Facebook, or contact your campus rep; we’d love to hear from you.