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05/14/2012
Survey and Gifted Committee Meeting
Dear Parents of Gifted and Talented elementary students in BPS 101,
Last year a committee convened under the leadership of Dr. Jan Wright to assess/address the unique learning needs of gifted and academically talented (G/T) students in BPS 101. This committee was formed largely in response to the concerns voiced by parents at the CANDO-sponsored meeting with Dr. Wright at RMS, February 2010. Perhaps you attended that meeting.
During 2010-11, Dr. Wright, the district Gifted Coordinator, and several administrators and educators from our elementary schools met monthly to discuss a budget-neutral service that would better address the needs of G/T students. The plan was to focus on services at the elementary level of education first, with focus on the middle and high school levels to follow in subsequent years. Four representatives from CANDO were invited to participate on that committee.
At the end of the 2011 school year there were several administrative changes that affected the Gifted Committee. Dr. Wright left her position as an associate superintendent to become the principal of Alice Gustafson School, and was replaced by Mr. Brad Newkirk, formerly an assistant principal at BHS. In addition, after many years of tireless leadership and advocacy, Ann Hejna resigned her leadership position at CANDO. We have all benefited from Ann’s devotion to the cause of improving educational opportunities for our G/T students.
Now, we find ourselves well into the 2011-12 school year. Mr. Newkirk has invited CANDO to send representatives to a Gifted Committee meeting for the first time this school year. The meeting date is fast-approaching: Monday, May 21 from 5-6 p.m. at the Rosalie Jones Administration Center. Three of our four 2010-11 Gifted Committee representatives will attend that meeting: the East-/West-side parent representatives, Deb Grizzell and Dave Stone, and Maureen Mrenna, a founding member of CANDO. We would like a parent from each elementary school, whose student(s) participated in G/T services, to attend the meeting as well to discuss how services were delivered at their school. If you would like to attend as a representative from your elementary school please contact me: debgrizzell@yahoo.com.
In an effort to understand families’ experiences with G/T services during the 2011-12 school year, a 10-item survey was constructed. Please take a moment to respond to the survey. Survey Monkey will allow 100 respondents, and we ask that you complete the survey by Thursday, 17 May to allow time for data analysis/summary prior to the May 21 meeting.
Click here to participate in the survey (one survey per household).
Thank you for your interest and support of services for your gifted/academically-talented student. We invite your participation!
Warm regards,
Deborah Grizzell on behalf of Cando
CANDO East-side Parent Representative to the 2010-11 Gifted Committee
04/07/2011 Please see update / details surrounding the Restructuring of the Elementary Gifted Program, building assignments, and testing for placement.
ALSO - follow the links above to learn about two upcoming modules regarding parenting gifted children (one in Elgin, one in Downers Grove)
01/30/2011 The gifted committee has made their recommendation to the School Board. A copy of the presentation can be found in the Links section of this site. Led by Dr. Wright, and made up of a group of parents, teachers, and administrators, the committee will meet again on 2/2 to begin working on key components to the program's success, including revising the identification process, reviewing teacher qualifications and training, and curriculum -- as well as the transition of the current program.
To receive a summary after each meeting please join our mailing list by submitting your email address in the "Join Our Mailing List" location to the right. We will continue to share information as it comes about and will count on gaining your input throughout the next several months.
NEW Resources:
- February / March 2011 edition of the Area Enrichment Guide - Opportunities for Students and Parents - Listing of a wide range of opportunities in the Fox Valley and surrounding area including: Hands On Science Workshops, Geocaching at the Naper Settlement, IMSA summer programs, Center for Gifted, Packer Foundation enrichment classes, and many more! Click on the Links section above to download the flyer.
Also, Illinois Math and Science Academy (IMSA) Summer Program Registration starts 2/27/11. Financial scholarships are available.
- Google is hosting a Science Fair!
Google is looking for the brightest young scientists from around the world to submit interesting, creative projects that are relevant to the world today. The competition is open to students aged 13 to 18 from around the world working on their own or in a team of two or three. The contest begain January 11, 2011 with final submission due April 4, 2011.
The Grand Prize Winner will receive a US$50,000 scholarship from Google and his or her choice of experience from CERN, Google, LEGO or Scientific American.
For more details, visit the Science Fair Rules page: http://www.google.com/events/sciencefair/rules.html
OLDER Resources:
1. Book list for high ability readers here .
2. As the school year comes to an end, one CANDO parent shares her suggestion which can benefit your child in bps101: "At the end of each school year, instead of purchasing gifts for my kid’s teachers, I make a contribution to the Batavia Foundation in the name of all their teachers and request that the funds be earmarked for the gifted program. The donation is tax deductible and it’s going to where I want it to go. If others did the same, we would be able to assist the District with the lack of funding from the state to directly impact programming resources such as supplies and curriculum materials for high ability students."3.. Batavia Educational Program Review (BEPR), Fall 2009Program: Gifted Education This report is from the bps101.net website here.
4. For information and resources related to SENG: Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted, please go to http://www.sengifted.org/ If you are interested in receiving their newsletter, from the homepage menu, select Getting Involved\Join the SENG Email List. You won't get inundated with info. Just the newletter and occassional announcements.BPS School Board Liason Contact Information
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What is CANDO?
CANDO stands for Challenge Advocacy Network Development Organization.
Batavia CANDO is a parent organization which seeks to provide enrichment opportunities for children in need of greater academic challenge and peer interaction, encourages district and state support for gifted education, and provides programs and resources for parents about raising and educating talented children.
Join Us
There is always an aspect of CANDO that provides you with an opportunity to network with parents, learn the latest news and trends and contribute to your children’s future.
We’re in the process of discussing the current state of the programming in our district and what we can do to support our students and enhance their year with activities to enrich their experiences. Will you join us and share in the conversation and ideas?
Current CANDO Team
Your name could be here, too! The people listed below are parents who became interested and involved in CANDO a few years ago when our older children were in elementary school. Many of us have middle school students this year, and plenty of us still have younger students in elementary school.
East Side Contacts:
Deborah Grizzell, Louise White, Rotolo Middle School
debgrizzell@yahoo.com
David Stone, Alice Gustafson
dastone@niu.edu
Maureen Mrenna, H.C. Storm, Rotolo Middle School
mgmrenna@yahoo.com