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| Gifted-Talented Resource Group |
| SEPTEMBER 2006 NEWSLETTER |
| INTRODUCTION |
Welcome, new parents, to the newsletter of the Gifted-Talented Resource Group. For those of you who just joined this group, please check our Web site for specific information about the group.
This newsletter is usually emailed on the 30th of the month. So please email your submissions to the editor, Leslie Mann, by the 25th of the month: LmannJCH@aol.com.
The GTRG was formed by the district 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 in our district. 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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| Career Fair |
| We have tentatively slated November 28 for our first career fair. This will provide middle schoolers hands-on meetings with people from different professions. Your son or daughter who is interested in the sciences, for example, could meet with a veterinarian, a biologist and a therapist. A student interested in the arts could meet with a sculptor, quilter and potter. |
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| For this fair to happen, we need two parents who are willing to co-chair it. And, we need people (parents and others from the area) who are willing to talk about their professions. If you can do either, please contact one of the steering committee members below. |
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| Resource Fair |
| This fall, we will begin planning our second annual Resource Fair for the spring, which we co-hosted last year with our Batavia counterparts. If you are willing to co-chair this event or serve on the planning committee, please contact one of the steering committee members below. As with most events like this, the bulk of the work was completed the first year. This year, we have all the paperwork and forms ready to go, and vendors willing to participate, so the new committee will have a huge head start. |
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| Academic Competitions |
| The steering committee is exploring academic competitions that the GTRG can host for D303 students. We welcome your ideas and your involvement! |
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| Because some members of the steering committee have moved or changed jobs, the committee has shrunk and needs additional members. If you are willing to meet one day a month (at lunchtime), please join us. |
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| The steering committee meets monthly on the third Thursday of the month at 11:30 a.m. at the Ragamuffin coffee shop in St. Charles. In September, the third Thursday falls on the 21st. You are welcome to come. We will email you if the date changes. |
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| Please see the Gifted/Talented Resource Group's website (under Advocacy section) for updates on legislation that affects gifted kids. |
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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 2007 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, 2007, 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 30, 2007. 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, or to download an application, please visit http://www.davidsonfellows.org/. |
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| Good news on this front. The GTRG now has an EIN number, which allows us to participate in “Shop-n-share”-type fund-raisers with area merchants. And, we now have our own bank account to hold all the money we will raise! |
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| Mark your calendars for our first fund-raiser, which will be a “fair” at the Geneva Commons Barnes & Noble on December 9. By “fair,” this means a percentage of your purchases that day will go to the GTRG. Details to follow in future newsletters. For now, save that date for your book and CD purchases for holiday gifts. |
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| In order to increase traffic at the B&N fair, the bookstore invited us to host a student art show or a story time there on the 9th. If you are willing to coordinate one of these activities, please come to our September steering committee meeting or notify one of the steering committee members. |
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| We still plan to file for a 501(c)(3) nonprofit status for this group, so that we can proceed with grant applications. We still need a volunteer, though, who is willing to take the time to complete this paperwork. If you are willing to do this for the group, please contact one of the steering committee members. |
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| Remember, this group receives NO funds from the school district, so we are on our own financially. |
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| In the meantime, members of the steering committee are using their OWN MONEY for start-up costs for this group, including registering for the Web site. Please, parents, if you are willing to help out by contributing a few dollars, contact one of the committee members listed below or follow the prompts at the Web site. |
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| Before we can apply for the 501(c)(3), we must elect officers. To date, the steering committee has operated informally, and shared the duties. But at our September meeting, we will elect officers. So if you would consider becoming an officer, please attend. Basically, the duties include the following: |
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| President – Running the steering committee meetings. |
| Vice President – Overseeing committee chairs. Running the steering committee meetings when the president cannot. |
| Secretary – Taking meeting minutes. Correspondence. |
| Treasurer – Handling the group’s finances. Filing the annual IRS form. |
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If you have any questions or would like to volunteer to help, please contact one of the members of the steering committee:
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