Parenting the Gifted Blog Tour, 2013!
Posted on June 16th, 2013
We come from different parts of the world, different school choices, and different social and economic backgrounds, but we all [...]
Featured Posts
Come And Play – Summer Play Dates
Posted on June 13th, 2013
All Terrace Park Challenge & BTMS Highly Capable Families (current, former & future) are invited to come and play. Challenge Parents Association [...]
The Young Booksellers Guild Day Camp – at Third Place Books in Lake Forest Park
Posted on June 3rd, 2013
Announcing a brand new summer camp program, The Young Booksellers Guild Day Camp, debuting this August!
The Young Booksellers Guild Day Camp is a summer program where kids ages 7-9 will explore the world of books and bookstores from every angle. They will see the inner workings of the store and experience brand new books and old favorites. They will draw, write, and see their work turned into a real book, printed and bound on our Espresso Book Machine, which they will take home and add to their libraries.
In order for this program to be a success, we need campers who are as excited as we are about reading and writing and are itching to dive into books this summer.
If you know any students that would be a good match for this camp, please drop by the store or check out our website for more information. Registration will be open through August 1st. More information as well as the registration form can be found at http://www.thirdplacebooks.com/daycamp.
From The Washington Coalition For Gifted Education – May 15th
Posted on May 15th, 2013
NAGC and its advocacy partners are gearing up for some activity in the Congress in support of gifted students in the next month. Today they are asking for your help in advancing the TALENT Act in the Senate. The TALENT Act, which was introduced by Senators Grassley (IA), Casey (PA), and Mikulski (MD), amends ESEA to support high-ability and high-achieving students.
The Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions is preparing to revisit the Elementary and Secondary Education Act in June. This is the chance to include the TALENT Act (S.512), and gifted students, in those discussions.
The best way to ensure success for the TALENT Act is to have more Senators cosponsor the bill, and it’s your calls and emails that will make the difference. Please contact your two Senators as soon as possible and urge them to support gifted students by becoming a cosponsor of S.512.
Contact information for Washington’s senators can be found at http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm?State=WA
You can send your emails from this page.
The TALENT Act focuses on four areas: 1) Requires that states report on students who have performed at advanced levels on state tests and to disaggregate the data by subpopulations. The data is already available; it is a matter of making it public and increasing awareness of how states educate their gifted students, including those from poverty, 2) Requires professional development in identifying and serving high-potential and high-achieving students to teachers and other school personnel through the Higher Education Act, 3) Allows Title I funds (provided to schools serving low-income populations) and funds from the Rural Education Achievement Program to be used for teacher training in gifted education pedagogy. This will help address the frightening gap between how different income and racial groups of students perform at advanced academic levels, and, 4) Continues research and dissemination of information on how high-ability children learn and how they are best taught.
For more on the TALENT Act, go to http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=7804
If you are looking for summer enrichment activities for your gifted student, here are two opportunities from The Seabury School. Provision of this information does not constitute an endorsement or recommendation.
Seeking Donations For CPA’s Festival Of The Famous Costume Rental*
Posted on May 14th, 2013
Our annual Festival of the Famous is coming up! Students in 3rd and 4th grade have been researching famous personalities for the past 2 months, and their hard work will be celebrated with a festival where they get to dress up as “their” personality. To facilitate this, CPA is hosting a costume rental to help kids find the right costumes.
CPA is looking for costume donations to add to our Costume Collection. We especially need boys’ suits and/or jackets. Any items you collected for your student’s costumes in 3rd or 4th grades would also be great!
Please donate by Monday, May 20th. Collection box is located in the front office at school.
Questions: Christiane Rahbarrad, CPA Co-VP at chr_mobile@yahoo.com or (206) 399-2949.
*What is a Costume Rental?
CPA began collecting costumes a few years ago for Festival of the Famous. We hope to help kids (and their parents) in putting together a great costume for the celebration concluding this great project. Our goal is a little fundraising and a little community while supporting our families.
CPA’s Spring 2013 Pledge Drive
Posted on May 10th, 2013
It’s that time of year that we ask you to consider donating to the Challenge Parents Association (CPA). If you noticed our pledge forms in the Wednesday packets and have already donated, thank you!
CPA’s primary goal is to support the needs of gifted students, their families and teachers in the Challenge Program at Terrace Park and the Highly Capable Program at Brier Terrace Middle School.
CPA does this through:
- Classroom Support – $300 stipend to each of the 16 Challenge and Highly Capable teachers to enhance teaching materials
- Curriculum Enrichment – provide grant support across all grades to enrich curriculum.
- Teacher Professional Development – provide support to send all Challenge and Highly Capable teachers to WAETAG (Washington Association of Educators of Talented and Gifted) Conference in October as well as other staff training with a focus on gifted learning.
- Gifted Education Advocacy – participated in Gifted Education Day (G.E.D.) in Olympia on March, 19, 2013
- Social Activities – Back-to-School Potluck, Family BINGO Night and Swim Parties
If you would like to donate to the CPA and haven’t done so yet, please download the pledge form and return it to your child’s teacher by
May 15th. If your employer matches donations, use this opportunity to double your contribution to CPA!
If you have questions, please email us at challengeparents@gmail.com.
Thank you for your support!!
The CPA Board
“Race to Nowhere” FREE Showings
Posted on May 3rd, 2013
The Challenge Parents Association (CPA) is hosting showings of the movie “Race to Nowhere.” Race to Nowhere is a call to action for families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens. Raise your awareness about our children, who sometimes put themselves under so much pressure to be perfect.
Register for your FREE tickets online:
Friday, May 17 @ 7 PM http://www.racetonowhere.com/epostcard/6815
Saturday, May 18 @ 3 PM http://www.racetonowhere.com/epostcard/6817
Saturday, May 18 @ 7 PM http://www.racetonowhere.com/epostcard/6816
Sensory-Friendly Performance
Posted on May 3rd, 2013
There is a FREE “Sensory-Friendly” performance of Skippyon Jones that is specifically for children who need a modified performance style. Sunday May 12 at 4pm in Everett.
Admission to this performance is FREE with advanced reservations. Please call the Everett Performing Arts Center Box Office at (425) 257-8600.
Monthly Math Hour & Math Playground at UW
Posted on May 3rd, 2013
Sunday, May 5, at 1 pm, the Monthly Math Hour at University of Washington presents “How to Win Some Games You’ve Never Heard Of” by Prof. Martin Tompa of the Computer Science and Engineering department. FREE math lecture for grades 6-10 in Savery Hall 260.
No RSVP required.
Across the hall from the Math Hour, there will be a FREE Math Playground for students grades 1-4, presented by Prime Factor Math Circle. FYI, Prime Factor also hosts afterschool math circles for grades 3-9, and is starting a new summer camp program this summer.
SENG Webinar Event, May 16th – A Multidisciplinary Approach to Understanding and Managing Developmental Asynchronies in Young Highly Gifted Children
Posted on May 3rd, 2013
Date: May 16, 2013
Time: 4:30 p.m. Pacific [90 mins.]
Presenter: Stephanie Meyer, PhD
Children with superior intellectual capacities frequently manifest lagging skills in other areas of development. A variety of available intervention methods can help minimize the impact of developmental asynchronies on a child’s capacity to express his/her intellectual and creative gifts. This webinar features a panel comprised of a child psychologist, occupational therapist, speech pathologist, special educator, behavioral analyst, and developmental optometrist, all of whom will discuss empirically supported strategies, within their respective fields, designed to target areas of challenge commonly seen among highly gifted youth.
