Gifted Matters- April 2014

Welcome to the April 2014 edition of Gifted Matters. The school year is almost over and we have a lot of events planned for the coming months, so grab your calendars and make a note of the following:

• Two seats on the CISD School Board are up for general election on May 10, 2014. Incumbent Thom Hulme is seeking the Place 4 seat without opposition. Place 5 incumbent Amy Dungan will be challenged in the election by Jeff Jordan. Learn about where these school board candidates stand on GT issues here
• The CGA Speaker Series event, featuring Lisa Van Gemert, Gifted Youth Specialist at Mensa will take place on Thursday, May 1st @ 6:30 p.m. at New Tech High @ Coppell. Please join us as Lisa Van Gemert speaks about Gift of Self: Developing Self Concept in Gifted Youth.
• CGA is offering a limited number of educator/administrator scholarships for professional development programs for those educators interested in gaining additional gifted education training/enrichment. These scholarships will go toward programs offered during the 2014 summer months. Deadline for applications is May 2, 2014. For more information on how to apply and for a list of potential summer conferences, visit the Educator Scholarships link on the CGA homepage.
• It’s not too late- Summer Mosiac registration is still open, Our popular summer enrichment program for students entering Grades 4-8 will take place June 9-13 & July 28-Aug 1, 2014. New classes available this year include coding, duct tape creations, kitchen science, rainbow loom, and woodworking. Also — brand new ANIMATION class offered for the July session. Hurry and register now as space is limited.
• “Keeping kids interested” is the goal of the CHS STEM Summer Enrichment program. Learners will have the opportunity to continue to use their math and science skills in a fun, exciting and relaxed environment. Learn more about the CHS Stem Academy Engineering Summer Camps here

As a part of the House Bill 5 passed in the 83rd Legislature, new graduation requirements are mandated under the new Foundation High School Program for learners entering Grade 9 in the 2014-15 school year and thereafter. Learners entering Grade 9 in 2014-15 and thereafter will select one or more endorsements to meet graduation requirements by confirming and signing a personal graduation plan with the student and the student’s parent or guardian. In An Ode to House Bill 5, a Coppell parent shares her view on course selection in High School under the new House Bill 5, and how she approached helping her child pick an Endorsement.

Did you miss our most recent enrichment class for secondary students? Look at all the fun we had at Arduino Camp recap. Have a great idea for student enrichment? Let us know.

On April 10, 2014, CGA hosted a special event, where a panel of CISD 8^th grade learners from all three CISD Middle School Campuses talked about the academic, social, and extra-curricular choices they made throughout their middle school careers. Questions were collected and an FAQ has been compiled. For more on this event including pictures and a link to the FAQ, read CGA Middle School GT Learner Panel – FAQs

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. As always, we would love to hear from you.