Conference Flyer: CLICK HERE

The fourth annual Hormel Foundation Gifted and Talented Education Symposium provides an opportunity for educators, counselors, administrators and parents to gain greater understanding of the unique needs of gifted and high potential learners. A generous grant from the Hormel Foundation and collaboration between the Minnesota Department of Education and Austin Public Schools makes possible this intensive educational experience. All are welcome to register and attend the symposium. Invited speakers include many of the field’s finest regionally, nationally and internationally known presenters, focusing on foundational knowledge, creativity, curriculum strategies, and social/emotional needs.

The General Sessions registration fee is $175 and includes: daily keynote presentations and sessions, all conference materials, a tote bag, continental breakfast each day, lunch Monday through Wednesday, break refreshments, Monday evening reception at the SPAM Museum and a banquet at the Hormel Historic Home on Wednesday evening.

A One Day Session for Administrators, School Board Members, and Counselors will be held on Monday, June 11, from 8:30 to 2:30 p.m. with an optional session from 2:45 to 4:15 p.m. Three scheduled sessions and one optional session will be featured: The Future of Intelligence on the Network by Eric Calvert, Muskingum University and Ashland University in Ohio; Grading and Assessment for Highly-Able Students by Mary Slade, James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia; Total School Cluster Grouping: Plans and Perspectives for Administrators by Marcia Gentry, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana and STEM Camp: The Lab (optional) by Doug Paulson, Minnesota Department of Education in Roseville and Cathy Kindem, K-5 Science Specialist at Cedar Park STEM Elementary School in Apple Valley, Minnesota. Registration cost is $55 and pre-registration is required.

Two Pre-Conference Sessions are offered on Sunday, June 10, from 1:00 – 4:00 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Conference Center. Registration begins at 12:30 p.m. Cost is $40.00 and pre-registration is required.

1) Creative Parenting of Gifted Kids: Finding Resources & Advocating for your Unique Gifted Child

Presenter: Tina Armstrong, President, Minnesota Council for the Gifted and Talented

2) Introduction to Gifted Education

Presenter: Karen B. Rogers, Professor of Gifted Studies in the Special Education and Gifted Education department of the College of Applied Professional Studies at St. Thomas University

For general information, contact Denise Farnsworth, Austin Public Schools, denise.farnsworth@austin.k12.mn.us

https://www.austin.k12.mn.us/educationalservices/GTsymposium/default.aspx

For program information, contact Wendy Behrens, Gifted & Talented Education Specialist, Minnesota Department of Education, wendy.behrens@state.mn.us

What:  The 2012 Resource Fair and Gifted 101 Mini-conference
When: March 10, 2012
Where: Edina Community Center, 5701 Normandale Rd, Edina, MN
Resource Fair: 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
Workshops: 9:00 – 10:30 and 1:00 – 2:30

In addition to the Resource Fair, last year, MCGT collaborated with the Homeschool chapter’s to present a mini-conference tailored primarily for parents with children newly recognized as gifted.  Fourty parents participated in the conference sessions . In between the morning and afternoon sessions, participants went through the Resource Fair.

This year, we’re going to do it again on Saturday, March 10, at the Edina Community Center. We intend to expand the number of speakers to three, each making their presentation twice, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Attendees may will choose two of the three (9:00-10:00 am and 1:00-2:00 pm).

Online Registration form: CLICK HERE

Promotional Flyer: CLICK HERE

Here are descriptions of the workshops:

Perfectionism – Perfectionism seems like a puzzle: since few things can be done perfectly, why all the angst?  Perfectionism is the desire to be perfect, the fear of being imperfect, and the emotional conviction that perfection is the route to personal acceptability. Mistakes are seen as signs of personal defects. While the pursuit of excellence is vitalizing, perfectionism’s inseparable dark side is the intense anxiety about never being good enough. Although perfectionism is not a part of giftedness, gifted kids can be vulnerable. Find out what perfectionism is, where it comes from, and how to encourage excellence without seeming to require perfection.

Thomas S. Greenspon, Ph.D., is a Licensed Psychologist, Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, and author in private practice with his wife, Barbara. Over the years, the greater part of their practice has been devoted to gifted and talented children, adults, and families on a wide range of issues; they are past co-presidents of MCGT, and Tom is the recipient of the MCGT Award for Distinguished Service to Gifted Individuals. Tom has presented to numerous local, national, and online groups of parents, teachers, and mental health professionals. He has published a number of professional articles on giftedness as a part of self experience, and on other topics such as intimacy and couples’ therapy, and the origins and treatment of perfectionism. One of his books, “Freeing Our Families From Perfectionism,” has won the National Parenting Publications Gold Award and a Parents’ Choice Award, and is currently being re-released as “Moving Past Perfect: How Perfectionism May Be Holding Back Your Kids (and You!) and What You Can Do About It.”

———————————————-

Young Gifted Children – Join us for an introduction to the world of the gifted preschooler and early elementary age child.  We will discuss how to identify giftedness in a child, the issues that make parenting and educating these children so challenging, and strategies to assist you in guiding your child(ren). Emphasis will be given on the social emotional components of the gifted child that make parenting them both a joy and a challenge.

Teresa Boatman is a licensed Psychologist specializing in gifted children and adults. Her work focuses on helping children, adults, and families find solutions in their real world situations, and she is a former president of MCGT.

———————————————-

Levels of Giftedness  - Ruf’s signature work is the Five Levels of Giftedness, which she developed over her many years of research and working with gifted children and their families. Ruf learned early on that an IQ score is only a small piece of the puzzle when it comes to understanding what a child needs to succeed in school and in life. At this conference, Ruf will help parents realize how behavioral milestones, gender and personality type, in addition to IQ level, all contribute to how a child fits in any particular environment. Getting a handle on this information will help parents meet the academic, social and emotional needs of their child.

Deborah Ruf, Ph.D., Minneapolis, is a private consultant and specialist in gifted assessment, test interpretation, and guidance for the gifted. Experienced as a parent, teacher and administrator in elementary through graduate education, she has written extensively about gifted issues. Her award-winning book, 5 Levels of Gifted: School Issues and Educational Options (2005) (formerly titled Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind), summarizes “levels of intelligence” and highlights the spectrum of giftedness in children. An international speaker, she addresses school issues and social and emotional adjustment of gifted children and adults. Ruf has also worked individually with families from around the world.

Mini-Conference Coordinator: Shari Colvin

Socio-Emotional Characteristics and Needs of Gifted Children

DESCRIPTION: Healthy socio-emotional development is critical to successful
functioning in life yet is often omitted from discussions on cognitive development.  Presented in a lively, humorous format, this talk will teach you the subtle (and not so!)  nuances gifted children present in their socio-emotional development and you’ll take  away skills to enhance your child’s functioning in this key area of development.

WHEN: Wednesday, Feb. 15, 2012; 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
WHERE: Saint Paul Public Schools District Office
Board Room, 360 Colborne St., Saint Paul, MN 55102
REGISTRATION: RSVP online: https://sites.google.com/site/graspmn/events
• Sorry, no child care available
• Open to the public, $5 donation for non-GRASP members;  memberships available at
http://mcgt.net/mcgt-membership/membership-form

Wendi M. Schirvar, Ph.D., is a licensed school psychologist with a particular emphasis on the  needs of gifted students and their families. With a background in child development, attachment  theory, parent education and educational psychology, she brings an eclectic blend of theory and practice to her work assisting families with parenting issues, testing, school advocacy, educational planning and family goal setting. She has been researching socio-emotional needs of gifted students for the past 20 years, focusing particularly on the important interplay between socioemotional and academic needs. She is a popular speaker nationally and sits on various local, state and national boards. Wendi serves as the Minnesota Liaison for SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted).

Being an effective advocate for your gifted child is not easy and requires significant planning. The work, however, is worth it. In this MCGT sponsored three-part series you will develop an educational advocacy plan for your GT child.

During the first two sessions of this workshop, you will learn how to identify your child’s academic needs, priority educational goals and consider appropriate educational options. You will also learn effective strategies for collaborating with the school and develop
successful communication techniques. There will also be a discussion of the common obstacles to effective advocacy and how to minimize their impact. The final session will focus on implementing and finalizing the educational plan.

Throughout the workshop there will be plenty of time for discussion, exchange of practical ideas and problem solving. The final goal is for you to begin the 2012 school year with a concrete, practical advocacy plan.

To participate in this MCGT workshop series, please register by February 4, 2012 using this form or call the MCGT office at 952-848-4906 to let us know you’re coming so we can plan to have enough materials for everyone. When you register, please leave your name, email and phone number.

All sessions will be held at the Edina Community Center, 5701 Normandale Road, Edina, MN 55424. For the exact room location of the February 11th session, please check the MCGT website. The Feb. 25th and April 21st sessions will be held in room 350/351.

Please share this information with anyone who might be interested in attending these workshops. As always, both members and non-members are welcome to attend. There is a $5.00 fee (cash or check) to cover the cost of materials for all three sessions. If you pay with cash, it would be helpful if you brought the exact amount.

Gifted 101: Kids & Education, Q&A about raising gifted kids

Interact with a panel of parents, a teacher, and an educational psychologist.  Discover  support & resources at this first meeting of the new St Croix Valley Chapter of MCGT.

Date / Time:  Tues., January 31, 6:00 – 8:00pm

Place:  Stillwater Public Library, Margaret Rivers Room B

Who:  Parents, Caregivers, Educators

Kids:  School-age kids welcome! Supervised games, homework help: Kids will gather in the adjacent Margaret Rivers Room A

Cost:  Free for MCGT members, $5 per non-member family*

*Full amount may be applied at meeting toward new MCGT member registration;  cash or make check payable to MCGT, in support of local chapter operations

Event Flyer for Download

WHEN: Wednesday, Jan. 18, 2012,  Noon to 1:30 p.m.
WHERE: Macalester-Plymouth United Church (Plymouth Room)
1658 Lincoln Ave. (upstairs in west annex building)
• Bring your own lunch
• Sorry, no child care available (children are welcome with a quiet activity)
• Open to the public, $5 donation for non-GRASP members
• RSVP via online registration: https://sites.google.com/site/graspmn/events

The term “twice-exceptional” — or “2e” — refers to students who are high-ability/gifted
learners who also have a physical, mental or learning disability. Because 2e students often
perform at grade level, their learning vulnerabilities may go unrecognized or unaddressed.
The notion that a child cannot be gifted if they have a disability is a common and persistent
myth. These atypical learners may be mislabeled as bright but not trying hard enough, or
as learning-disabled with no exceptional abilities, or they may simply be considered
disruptive with poor social skills.

The purpose of this event is to ensure that parents understand proper identification,
advocacy and support for their gifted child as they navigate the education system.
Deantha Menon received her Master of Arts degree in special education from the
University of Colorado. She is a local speaker whose passions lie in helping families with 2e
children navigate the public special-education system to bring their children to educational
and personal success. She is a parent-to-parent advocacy coach who also draws from her
daily experience as the mother of two twice-exceptional sons.

EVENT FLIER:  GRASP Jan 2012 Event

 

Dr. Short  will explore how your child’s health care provider can be an ally as you learn how to understand the needs of your gifted child and how to advocate for him or her.  Learn about different types of health care providers and tips for working with them as you navigate the ups and downs of parenting a gifted child. There will be time for questions and discussion.

Join us on Thursday, January 26, 2012 from 6:30 to 8:00pm. at Falcon Ridge Middle School, Rm. 256, 12900 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley  (Park in the south parking lot.)

The topic will be “Understanding Your Child’s Learning Style.” CHAT nights start with a short presentation and the floor is then opened for discussion.

This event is free of charge and both members and non-members are invited to attend.

This event will take place at Falcon Ridge Middle School, Rm. 256, 12900 Johnny Cake Ridge Road, Apple Valley (Park in the south parking lot.)

Whereas, our children and youth are one of Minnesota’s greatest resources; and

Whereas, education should foster the development of recognized potential abilities in areas of intelligence, creativity, academics, leadership, and visual and performing arts; and

Whereas, the State of Minnesota and its education systems play a key role in finding, maintaining, and furthering these unusual human resources; and

Whereas, Minnesota has tens of thousands of gifted and talented children whose full potential can be tapped only through the farsighted cooperation of education, community and government ; and

Whereas, maximum development of each individual’s intellectual and creative powers insures the challenges of the future will more likely be met

Now, therefore, I , Mark Dayton Governor of Minnesota, do hereby proclaim November 6-12, 2011 to be:  GIFTED AND TALENTED YOUTH WEEK in the State of Minnesota

CHAT nights start with a short presentation and the floor is then opened for discussion. This event is free of charge and both members and non-members are invited to attend.

The CHAT night will take place at the Rondo Education Complex/Capitol Hill. Enter at Capitol Hill’s blue doors on the north-east end of building and follow signs to the atrium. More detailed directions will be sent out soon.