Newsletter - McFarland School District

McFarland District Services for Advanced Learners
September
Newsletter
Inside this issue:
Bill of Rights
2
High School Resolutions 2
Wed Nite @ the Lab
2
Join WIS-GIFT List
3
What all Students Want- 3
Advocacy
3
Parent Group Meeting
3
Talent Development
Resources
3
EYH
Resources For You
District Philosophy &
your GT Staff
3
4
4
Annual Conference
November 5 & 6
Teen Conference for Ages 13
and Up November 6
Kalahari in Wisconsin Dells
Celebrate YOU!!
Register here: http://www.watg.org/
Hold your inner camera out and snap a shot of
yourself as you really are, then use some effective
filters to make the picture all you want it to be.
Morning:, Gifted 'guru' Lisa Van Gemert will
guide you to discover your strengths and build
them, recognize your areas for growth and minimize them, and name your insecurities and eliminate them. She’ll then work with you to seize your
strengths, recognize the powerful forces in your
favor, and learn your place in the world, increasing
your motivation and a sense of empowerment.
Afternoon: educational improve super hero, Peggy
Eserkaln, will give you a chance to ‘post’ your new
inner selfie. Through improvisational techniques
and games, you will get some experience with positive risk taking and celebrating your individual
strengths. Dress comfortably and be ready to engage!
Fee: $50 includes food!
View the Teen Conference flyer here
Register HERE!
Come join the opportunity to network with educators, parents, and other professionals with the comMcFarland High
mon goal of learning and advocating for the needs
of gifted children in Wisconsin.
School welcomes
Highlights include keynotes by Gifted Guru, Lisa
Mary Donagan Van Gemert: Harnessing the Power of Neuroscience and Dr. Mary Ruth Coleman on Gifted
as the interim AdEducation and RtI.
vanced Learner reThere are also over twenty-five break-out sessions
source Teacher.
something for everyone : understanding the
We deeply appreciate with
brain and how it continually grows, academic enall the contributions
richment strategies, acceleration, and social and
emotional issues. See the full catalog of choices
Cindy Clark
here. Exhibitors, Friday Parent Breakfast, nethas made to the gifted working opportunities and, sessions targeted to
program here in
parents needs.
McFarland. Even
Bring the Family! The Kalahari has a weekend
though she is now redeal—two nights for the price of one so you could
tired, we continue to
come for the conference and stay for the weekend!
benefit from her support and wisdom.
Meeting the Need
Students come to us from many different situations and backgrounds. Because of this, we have a
variety of programming options based on the identification of students’ learning needs. Our gifted
program is not something you are “in” or “out”.
Programming for our students remains flexible and
fluid depending on the students identified needs.
Our website has two power points on the subject
of identification. Access them at
http://www.mcfarland.k12.wi.us/families/Advanced
_Learner/gt_services.ppt
or right click on the cartoon:)
Page 2
Newsletter
Gifted Kid’s
Bill of Rights
You have a right…
 To know about your giftedness
 To learn something new every day
 To be passionate about your talent area
without apologies
 To have an identity beyond your talent
area
 To feel good about your accomplishments
 To make mistakes
 To seek guidance in the development of
your talent
 To have multiple peer groups and a
variety of friends
 To choose which of your talent areas
you wish to pursue
 Not to be gifted in everything
3 Back-to-School
Resolutions for High School Students
Counselors suggest encouraging teens to try something
new this year!
1. Clean up their online presence: Many high schoolers don’t realize what they post online could come
back to haunt them later, in terms of their college and
career plans. It’s time to think more deeply about
their digital footprint and what it is going to do for
them later. (Franciene Sabens, school counselor at
Chester High School in Illinois).
2. Take a new class or extracurricular activity: If a
student even has an inkling they are interested in
something, they should try it now! High school is the
time for students to figure out who they are. Trying a
Wednesday Night @ the Lab
(WN@L)
7 PM, 1111 Genetics/Biotechnology Center, 425 Henry Mall
September 16, Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam on the Nile,
Paul Block
September 23, Allen Centernial Gardens, Ben Futa
WN@L is organized by the Wisconsin Alumni Association, Science Alliance @ UW-Madison, and by BioTrek, the outreach
program of the Biotechnology Center at UWMadison/Extension.
See http://www.uwalumni.com/calendar/category/wnatl/ for
complete descriptions of upcoming talks.
Watch WN@L Live! If you do not live near Madison or are not
able to attend WN@L, you can still view each WN@L lecture
live through videostream. It is available starting at 7
p.m. Central Time every Wednesday. To view the lectures, it is
recommended that you use latest version of QuickTime. The
link is: www.biotech.wisc.edu/webcams
Science Workshops at Space Place in the Villager Mall, S.
Park St., every Saturday from 10 to 11 am. Hands-on science
activities for children ages 6-10 and their families.
Check it out!
www.spaceplace.wisc.edu/
new class or activity can help students build their
confidence and their belief in their own abilities. It’s
good for students to challenge themselves with something new (Julia Richardson, school counselor at
Campbell HS in Smyma, Georgia.)
3. Plan for college and career: A new activity or class
could also influence postsecondary plans. Make a
four-year plan so the classes you need/want are available for you. Sometimes parents of high schoolers
have a hard time letting go and letting students figure
things out, says Sabens. “When we do that as parents, we actually make it more difficult for them later
in life.” She suggests that we show them the resources and let them decide what they want to do.
By Alexandra Pannoni
Newsletter
Page 3
What ALL Students
Want…
Students were asked to describe a time
when they felt in charge of their learning
in school –when they were working not
just for a grade but because they were
excited and interested. Here’s what a
few of them said:

Take Me Seriously

Challenge me to Think

Nurture My Self-Respect

Show Me I Can Make a Difference

Let Me Do It My Way

Tap My Creativity

Bring Out My Best Self

Build on My Interests

Point Me Toward My Goals

Make Me Feel Important
For Girls
Only
Grades
6,7,8
November
7
Explore how
things work,
Experiment in
a lab,
Have FUN!! Meet new Friends
Discover more about yourself and
Careers you may love as you participate in hands-on activities: Animal
Science, math, biology, life science,
computers, health careers, environmental science, engineering, building
trades,
UW-Madison and Edgewood Campuses.
Only $35 for the whole day
http://www.eyh.wisc.edu/ for registration information.
Coming SOON!
Advocacy
Here’s what effective advocacy for your child could look
Self-Advocacy: encouraging students to
become partners in differentiation. The
Roeper Review, 26 (4), 223-228.
Advocating for yourself takes courage.
It is understandable that students are
reluctant to ask for more challenging
work. Teachers sometimes pile on
more rather than different work; peers
may deride the student who wants
something more difficult. Students
must be taught how to speak up appropriately on their own behalf
Understand your rights but also
your responsibilities: the ideal is that
all students have the right to an appropriate education so they can learn something new
every day. With this comes the responsibility
of good work habits (such as turning quality
work in on time), treating others with respect,
and being organized.
Know yourself as a learner: how do you
learn best? Are you visual? Spatial? AudiMonthly Parent Meetings
tory?, Kinesthetic? What are you interested in?
If you reflect on what makes you a successful
learner, you can more effectively advocate for
yourself.
Be aware of the opportunities that exist
within the district as well as the community.
There are AP courses, classroom enrichment
opportunities, curriculum compacting, acceleration, independent study, mentorships, extracurricular clubs and teams, dual enrollment,
distance learning options such as WVA ,
APEX, ALEKS, online college classes and
more.
Connect with Advocates we are here for
you! We have a Coordinator of Gifted Services
and every building has a GT Resource Teacher.
That is a good place to start . We also have
guidance counselors and supportive teachers who
will advocate for you.
“Think of advocacy as a partnership: parents,
teachers, and counselors working together to
support the student’s decision. Get to know the
school personnel who can help make a difference.” (228)
Parents of advanced learners meet to
support and learn from each other.
First meeting for the school year is
October 6 at 6:00 in the Board
Room at District Office.
Questions: Call Kitty Ver Kuilen Ext. 4760
JOIN WIS-GIFT-L
Announcements, events & discussions
about topics of interest related to gifted
education in Wisconsin
Email lyris@listmanager.uww.edu. Type
SUBSCRIBE WISGIFT-L. Leave subject
line blank
JOIN WIS-GIFTANNOUNCE-L
Get announcements only-no chat
Email lyris@listmanager.uww.edu. Type
SUBSCRIBE WISGIFTANNOUNCEL. Leave subject line blank . Don’t include email signature.
Talent Development Resources
Sites by Douglas Eby that provide material on personal growth, psychology
and creativity - especially for creative,
multitalented and high ability people
Tabs include links and information:
High Ability; Highly Sensitive; Creative People, Psychology, Developing
Creativity; and More! Others include
the product and program oriented site
The Inner Entrepreneur, Anxiety Relief Solutions and Personal Growth
Information. Find it at
http://talentdevelop.com
Philosophy
http://www.mcfarland.k12.w
i.us/families/AdvLearner.cfm
Check out more resources on our
web site:
Is My Child Gifted?
Handbook for Families
Identification Process
Frequently used terms
Programming Options
Program Review and more!!
The McFarland School District strives to meet the needs of all
of their students, including those in the gifted population. We
recognize outstanding talents in children and youth from all
cultural groups, across all economic strata and in all areas of
human endeavor. We strive to identify students in the five
areas of giftedness: Intellectual, Academic, Creative, Artistic/Dramatic and Leadership and to
provide them with continuous and systematic services. McFarland staff and parents work together to sustain the effectiveness of district G&T Services.
Archived newsletters
Serving You…
Kitty Ver Kuilen, District Coordinator of Gifted Services
Mary Donagan, Middle and
High School Advanced Learner Resource
Lisa Sheil, Intermediate School Advanced Learner Resource
Carol Greig, Primary Campus Resource Teacher
Social/Emotional Issues
Sylvia Rimm www.sylviarimm.com or
www.seejanewin.com
General Information about Giftedness:
National Association for Gifted Children www.nagc.org
Hoagies’ Gifted Education
www.hoagiesgifted.org
Davidson Institute: a Website supporting profoundly gifted children http://www.ditd.org
Wisconsin Association for Talented
and Gifted www.watg.org
Center for Talent Development at
Northwestern University
www.ctd.northwestern.edu
Caption describing picture or
Wisconsin Center for Academically
graphic.
Talented Youth www.wcaty.org
SENG Supporting the Emotional Needs
of the Gifted :
http://www.sengifted.org/
More Resources
Twice Exceptional—those who are gifted but have an Exceptional Education
Need

Prufrock Press Inc
http://www.prufrock.com/
The 2e Newsletter subscription:
www.2eNewsletter.com

Free Sprit Publishing
www.freespirit.com
Choice Book Titles:

Great potential Press
www.greatpotentialpress.com and
www.giftedbooks.com/products.asp

MindWare www.mindware.com
Dweck, Carol (2009) Mindset ; Random
House.
Daniels, Susan and Piechowski, Michael
(2009) Living with Intensity. Great Potential
Press
Greenspon, T.S. (2002). Freeing Our Families from Perfectionism. Free Spirit Publishing
Piechowski, Michael, (2006) Mellow Out, If
Only I Could. Yunasa Books.