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| Gifted-Talented Resource Group |
| OCTOBER 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.
As you can see from the list below, our steering committee has grown to include some newcomers. Thanks, parents, for joining us and bringing fresh ideas to the table! |
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| OUR 2006 CALENDAR (Click here for a printable calendar of events) |
| Career Night |
| On November 28, at Wredling, we will host our first career night (official name TBA). 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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| If you are willing to serve on the subcommittee that is planning this event or if you are willing to be one of the volunteer professionals who will talk to the kids, please contact one of the steering committee members below. |
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| Sorry this is short notice, but the subcommittee will have its first meeting on September 28 (THIS THURSDAY) at noon at the Ragamuffin café in St. Charles. (We don’t have much time to plan this event so we are hitting the ground running.) If you can’t make this meeting, but would like to be on the email list to join future meetings, let us know. |
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| Jewel Fund-Raisers |
| The GTRG has two Jewel Shop ‘N’ Share events scheduled: October 2, 3 and 4 (click here to print a voucher) and November 27, 28 and 29 (click here to print a voucher). A portion of your purchase will go to the GTRG. These can be used at ANY JEWEL, so email these to your friends and family. |
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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. Thanks to Karlene Stecher and Yvonne Murphy, who have volunteered to co-chair this event with chairs from other hosting districts. 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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| The fair is tentatively scheduled for February 2007, at a school in the tri-cities. We hope to report the exact location and date in the next GTRG newsletter. |
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| The Resource Fair subcommittee will have its first meeting on Thursday, October 19, at the Ragamuffin café in St. Charles, at 12:30, following the steering committee meeting. Please come! |
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| Barnes and Noble Fund-Raiser |
| Click here to print vouchers and take them to Barnes & Noble (Geneva Commons only) on DECEMBER 9. A percentage of your purchase will be donated to our group, which receives NO funds from the school district. |
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| You can also email the vouchers to your friends so they can use them, too. |
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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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| Steering Committee |
| 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 October, the third Thursday falls on the 19th. 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 GTRG receives no funds from the school district, so we are on our own to raise money for our programs. The good news is we now have an EIN number, which enables us to do fund-raisers like those above. The bad news is we cannot apply for grants until we complete our 501(3)(c) paperwork. So, we are still searching for a volunteer from our ranks to do this. If you are willing to do this for the group, please contact one of the steering committee members. |
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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, 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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| MISCELLANEOUS INFO FOR PARENTS |
| Fermilab, which hosts great science and math programs and classes, has just published its fall catalog for students, families, teachers and PTOs. For a copy, e-mail edreg@fnal.gov or call Gail at 630-840-5060. |
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Two books are recommended by members of this group for other parents of gifted:
- “Right-Brained Children in a Left-Brained World” by Jeffrey Freed and Laurie Parsons. This book discusses the connections between gifted and ADD children and characteristics of both.
- “The World is Flat” by Thomas Friedman. This book talks about how we need to educate our kids for them to compete successfully in the 21st Century.
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Also, if you can rescue your Sunday (9/24) Chicago Tribune from the recycling bin in time, check out reviews for these new books:
- “Hothouse Kids: The Dilemma of the Gifted Child” by Alissa Quart
- “The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids” by Alexandra Robbins
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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. At our October meeting, we will elect officers. |
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| The nominated slate from the October meeting is as follows: |
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| President: Leslie Mann |
| Vice President: OPEN |
| Secretary: Cyndy Halleran |
| Treasurer: Yvonne Murphy |
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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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