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| Gifted-Talented Resource Group |
| MARCH 2007 NEWSLETTER |
| 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 month, thanks to the fair, this newsletter is coming out a few days late. But, normally, it is emailed on the first day of the month. So please email your submissions to the editor, Leslie Mann, by the 25th of the previous month: LmannJCH@aol.com.
At the fair on February 28, we collected names of all of you who attended and added them to the distribution list for this newsletter. If you want to continue to receive this, we welcome you. If you don’t, just click the link on the left hand side of this page that says “To stop receiving emails from GTRG”. You will be taken to a screen where you can enter your email address. After doing this, you will no longer receive this or any other emails from the GTRG.
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. 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) |
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BEYOND THE CLASSROOM: EDUCATIONAL RESOURCE FAIR
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Thanks to co-chairs Karlene Stecher and Yvonne Murphy and their group of volunteers for staging a very successful, second annual fair on February 28. We don’t have an exact headcount yet, so we will include that number in the next newsletter. But we know hundreds of people attended the fair from the tri-cities and beyond to collect information for the kids.
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Special thanks to:
- Judy Rhoads, Geneva’s GT coordinator, for hosting the fair this year. Her colleagues at Geneva Middle School North made sure the fair set-up went smoothly.
- The students from Geneva High School and from Haines Middle School who not only handled fair registration but rescued us from a computer problem. (Leave it to teens to know more about computers than the adult volunteers!)
- Batavia parent Jane Gravelle, who donated her services as a professional artist. The fair logo and signs were her handiwork.
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STEERING COMMITTEE
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The GTRG steering committee meets monthly on the third Thursday of the month at 11:30 a.m. The next meeting will be March 15 at the Ragamuffin coffee shop in St. Charles. You are welcome to attend. We will email you if the date changes.
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Immediately following the meeting will be a brief meeting of a new sub-committee that will draft an ad policy for this newsletter.
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Thanks to those of you who participated in our Jewel fund-raiser in February. We will report the total when the check arrives. The GTRG relies completely on fund-raisers to survive. Our on-going expenses are minimal – post office box rental and website domain – but do require cash.
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If you have suggestions for fund-raisers that you’d like to help sponsor for the GTRG, we’d love to hear about them. Send your ideas to any of the steering committee members listed below.
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Contrary to rumors, 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 we held in recently. The bad news is we cannot apply for grants or matching corporate funds 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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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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Please see our website (under Advocacy section) for updates on legislation that affects gifted kids.
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| SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE FOR D303 STUDENT |
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National-Louis University is offering a full scholarship to one D303 student for any of its 12 programs for elementary students in the Chicago area this summer. For more info, go to www.centerforgifted.org.
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Click one of the following links for an application blank to be filled out by the student (Microsoft Word Version or PDF Version). The scholarship award will be full tuition for any 2007 Worlds of Wisdom and Wonder morning program or Summer Wonders morning session. Please send the application and flyer to Joan Franklin Smutny at National-Louis’ The Center for Gifted. For more info, email joanfsm@aol.com or call 847-256-1220. Deadline is April 2, 2007.
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| MISCELLANEOUS INFO FOR PARENTS |
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Here is an update from Jane Clarenbach, Director, Public Education & Affiliate Relations, National Association for Gifted Children:
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Greetings everyone,
I have some news to share on the Javits program:
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The House passed a “continuing resolution” that funds most federal agencies & programs in 2007 at the 2006 levels; the Senate is expected to pass it on February 15. This means that the Javits program will receive $9.5 million for fiscal year 2007 – the same funding as it received in 2006.
Keep in mind that the funding "victory" is due to the fact that the new Congress opted for a speedy resolution rather than dragging the 2007 appropriations process any farther into the fiscal year (which began on October 1). Although advocates did a great job of working with Congress last year, you’ll recall that only the Senate included funding for the program, and then at a level of just over $5 million. We need to expand our advocacy efforts if we’re to secure funding for next year.
I understand that although the NRC/GT will be funded in 2007, there will not be a state grant competition. Apparently, the funds will go to complete previous grants and to restore cuts that some of the current grants had to make in the last two years. HOWEVER, we will be working from a $9.5 million level when we discuss the program with Congress – a far better situation than beginning at $5 million.
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The fiscal year 2008 process kicked off yesterday when the President submitted his fiscal year 2008 budget to the Congress. The request for education programs, $56 billion, included $0 for the Javits program. Not a surprise, of course – this is the sixth time that President Bush has not included funds for the Javits program in his budget request. You can see additional information about the President's budget request for education at www.ed.gov/about/overview/budget/budget08/summary/index.html
I’ve updated our website with the basic information for your members. See www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=585. I also included some suggestions on how state groups and individuals can begin, NOW, to educate Congress to the needs of gifted students. We can’t count on another lucky break this year – if we want to see funds for new Javits state grants, we must begin the process of explaining the value of the program. Many members of Congress might think that a small program cannot be effective. We know differently. We know that curriculum and assessment instruments developed with Javits funds years ago are of continued value today. We know that training teachers in gifted education strategies through a Javits grant helps students years after the end of the grant. We know that the research conducted through the National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented is used by districts across the nation to develop best practices in their classrooms.
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We KNOW the positive stories, and if we don’t have them, we know that we need them. And, if you have a good story or two, PLEASE share it with me, I need as many as you'll send!
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I’ll keep you posted as we move along this year. But, given that there are new Members of Congress who don’t know the details of numerous education issues, it’s never too early to get started "educating" them on gifted and talented education. Please ask your members and other supporters to communicate with Congress on the needs of gifted learners; we’ll be back with specific messages in the near future.
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And From the IAGC...
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I thought you might be interested in an event sponsored on April 18th by the Illinois Association for Gifted Children. Titled
Please Don't Leave Our Children Behind Day, it is intended to show our legislators that gifted children do exist, they come in all sizes, shapes, colors and areas of the state, they have an interest in the legislative process, and their parents are voters. Click here for detailed information on the event.
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Newenka DuMont is organizing the event. You can e-mail her at Newenka@ArvaMont.com
She will be happy to send you an organizers packet and provide you with additional information. We are trying to get all areas of the state represented and have a large number of students and their parents, teachers... at this event. We hope you can join in.
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Cathy Greene PDS Program Coordinator
McLean County Unit 5 Schools
Normal, Ill
452-1725 office
275-0685 cell
527-5344 home
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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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