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| NOTE: Those of you who attended GLIMPSE on October 30 have been added to the mailing list to receive this monthly newsletter. We hope you find it of interest. If you do not want to receive this, though, please CLICK HERE and enter your email address (popup blockers must be disabled). |
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| Gifted-Talented Resource Group |
| NOVEMBER 2007 NEWSLETTER |
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| INTRODUCTION |
Welcome to the newsletter for the Gifted-Talented Resource Group. For those of you who just joined this group, please check our web site for specific information about who we are and what we do.
This is emailed on the first day of the month (give or take a day). So please email your submissions to the editor, Leslie Mann, by the 25th of the previous month: LmannJCH@aol.com.
The GTRG was formed to lend support to D303's gifted and talented students and their families. This newsletter keeps you up-to-date on the group’s doings and serves as a source of information for all the parents of gifted and talented students. So, if you know of an activity, program or web site that serves G-T kids and their families, this is the place to share it with others.
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| OUR 2007 CALENDAR (Click here for a printable calendar of events) |
- November 6, January 14– Resource Fair committee meetings
- November 8 - D303 Community Meeting (Click here for details and look for Summit 303)
- November 10 – Barnes and Noble fund-raiser (Click here for a printable voucher)
- November 15 - Sweet Tomatoes fund-raiser (Click here for a printable voucher)
- December 6 – the GTRG November/December (combined) Steering Committee meeting
- December (entire month) - Learning Express fund-raiser (Click here for a printable voucher)
- December 9/10/11 – IAGC Convention (Click here for details)
- February 26, 2008 – Resource Fair
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Do you have concerns about D303's gifted program? If so, here is your chance to voice your opinion: On November 8, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, at the Charlestowne Mall lower level, there will be a community meeting. To receive a meeting packet, call 630-513-2265. BUT YOU DO NOT NEED TO PRE-REGISTER TO ATTEND THIS MEETING. Click here for details and look for Summit 303.
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Thanks to many adult and teen volunteers who gave up their evenings on October 30, our second annual “GLIMPSE of the Future Career Night” was a huge success. About 230 middle-schoolers met with 65 speakers of their choices in small groups.
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New this year was Parent GLIMPSE, which was attended by 100 parents. They learned how to navigate the Career Cruisin’ software. We hope to offer a different topic at next year’s Parent Glimpse, so please tell us what topic you want us to cover.
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Most of all, a big applause for Peg Sanders and Cyndy Halleran, who somehow managed to orchestrate this complicated event. And, thanks to our technology guru, Jim Chimienti, for making this year’s GLIMPSE sign-up electronic, then handling the myriad inevitable glitches that occur in an event of this size.
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If you attended Glimpse this year, please take a few moments to respond to the survey we will be sending out in a week or so. The feedback we receive will help us plan next year's event.
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Click here for pictures from the event.
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Normally, the GTRG steering committee meets monthly. But, because of the holidays, we will combine the November and December meetings at 11:30 AM, December 6, at the Knight’s Court shop in downtown St. Charles. You are welcome to attend. We will email you if the date changes.
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At the last meeting, the following volunteers were re-elected these offices for the ‘07-‘08 year:
- President: Leslie Mann
- Vice president: Karlene Stecher
- Secretary: Cyndy Halleran
- Treasurer: Yvonne Murphy
- Technology: Jim Chimienti
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We are still lacking a fund-raising chairman to oversee current and upcoming fund-raisers. If this interests you, please tell any of the officers below or just come to a steering committee meeting.
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Plans are underway for the third annual Resource Fair, which we co-host with our counterparts from Geneva and Batavia and with the Regional Office of Education (ROE). In 2006, it was at a St. Charles school. In 2007, in Geneva. On February 26, 2008, it will be at Batavia’s middle school. But the GTRG volunteers are needed to help plan this very popular event. If you are interested in joining this committee, please contact the co-chair, Lauren, at LSMarder@sbcglobal.net.
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Great news this year: The ROE is pledging $1,500 to help cover costs for this event. Thanks, ROE!
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Please stop in at one of the fair planning meetings, both at the Geneva Commons Barnes and Noble, at 7 PM:
- November 6, 2007
- January 14, 2008
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For those of you who are not familiar with this event, it is a free fair for K-12 students, where they can meet with reps from colleges and other educational organizations that offer after-school and summer programs. About 40 organizations send reps and hundreds of families from the Kane County attend.
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Our newest fund-raising venture is selling ad space on our website. If your company is interested, click here for complete details.
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The GTRG relies completely on fund-raisers to survive. Our on-going expenses are minimal – post office box rental, IAGC membership, website domain – but do require cash. And, each of our events, of course, costs money.
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If you are willing to help out by contributing a few dollars, click the "PayPal Donate" button below, enter an amount and send a payment to the GTRG. Note that you will be taken to the PayPal web site to process your payment. Thanks again for your support!
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Note the following upcoming fund-raisers. Please PRINT out vouchers from the GTRG website for these events:
- Barnes and Noble (Geneva Commons store), November 10. (Click here for a printable voucher)
- Sweet Tomatoes, November 15. (Click here for a printable voucher)
- Learning Express toy store, the whole month of December. NOTE: This store carries Webkinz and Crocs. (Click here for a printable voucher)
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At the next GTRG steering committee, we will discuss additional GTRG activities such as academic competitions, workshops and programs. Please bring your ideas or at least tell one of the officers what you want the GTRG to offer your family. Both the Resource Fair and GLIMPSE resulted from requests from parents and students. Additional activities will come from you, too.
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The GTRG hopes plans to support a LEGO competition for ages 9 to 14. But, we need VOLUNTEERS to run it and a CORPORATE SPONSOR to back it. The first year costs about $5,000. Subsequent years run about $2,720 a year.
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The volunteer commitment runs from May to September, plus attending fall regional and national competitions if the teams qualify.
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If you are interested in this very worthy competition, contact Jim Chimienti at jchimienti@gtrg-d303.org. This is an annual competition based on current, real-world issues. Coaches help the kids:
- Research and solve a problem based on the LEGO Challenge theme
- Present their research and solutions
- Build an autonomous robot using engineering concepts
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For more information, please visit this link: http://www.firstlegoleague.org.
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The GTRG is now a member of the Illinois Association of Gifted Children (IAGC). Its annual convention is on December 9/10/11. If you would like to attend one of the programs at the convention, go to this website: www.iagcgifted.org/conventions/2008/BrochurePageOne.shtml
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If you want to carpool with another member of this group, you can use this newsletter to find a buddy. Just notify the newsletter editor before December 1.
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Please see our website (under Advocacy section) for updates on legislation that affects gifted kids.
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Several times a month, the steering committee members receive notices of upcoming programs or classes for gifted or talented kids. We post those on the website under the "Enrichment" section. Click here to be taken directly to the page.
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Davidson Institute Seeks Extraordinary Achievers to Receive $50,000, $25,000 And $10,000 Davidson Fellow Scholarships
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The Davidson Institute for Talent Development is offering high achieving young people across the country the opportunity to be named as 2008 Davidson Fellows, an honor accompanied by a $50,000, $25,000 or $10,000 scholarship in recognition of a significant piece of work in Science, Technology, Mathematics, Music, Literature, Philosophy or Outside the Box.
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To be eligible, applicants must be under the age of 18 as of Oct. 1, 2008, and a U.S. citizen or permanent U.S. resident residing in the United States. There is no minimum age for eligibility.
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The deadline to apply is March 26, 2008. Applicants must submit an original piece of work recognized by experts in the field as significant and it must have the potential to make a positive contribution to society.
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The scholarship must be used at an accredited institute of learning. For more information on the Davidson Fellows scholarship, or to download an application, please visit www.DavidsonFellows.org. Contact: Tacie at 775-852-3483, x 423.
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2008 THINK Summer Institute
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The Davidson Institute for Talent Development is seeking profoundly gifted students, ages 13 through 16, who are interested in attending the 2008 THINK Summer Institute, a three-week residential summer program on the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno where students can earn six college credits.
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The 2008 THINK Summer Institute will run from July 12 through August 2. Tuition is $2,700 and covers course credits, room and board, and the cost of planned programs and activities. Financial assistance is available based on need.
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To qualify, students must be 13 to 16 years old during THINK, and must meet or exceed designated SAT (www.collegeboard.com) or ACT (www.actstudent.org) scores. The deadline for early acceptance is January 30, 2008. To download an application, please visit www.THINKSummerInstitute.org.
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If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help, please contact one of the officers of the steering committee:
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Click image for details
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Click image for details
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