My children are now grown and most of the issues of raising gifted children are behind me. My parenting journey was made easier by those who went ahead of me, but paused occasionally to reach back and lend me a hand or pass on some advice.  Having been the recipient of so much wisdom in my time, I pause now and reach back to help those who are following behind me.  Won’t you please pause for a moment to do the same? Are there parents with younger children who could benefit from your “been there, tried that” moments?  

My journey has been fascinating and made so much easier and more enjoyable by the small group of parents with whom I had the pleasure of traveling it. We read and discussed parenting books and gifted books; we attended lectures on underachievement and anxiety; we organized outings for our kids to the Chicago Fed and local museums; we agonized over gifted programming in our local schools; and when the time came we helped each other through our children’s college application processes.

I wish for each of you a cohort of parents who understand what you are going through and make your travels a little bit easier and a little bit more fun!  Won’t you consider organizing or joining a CGCC event or group and finding or building a cohort of your own?

As always, if you have suggestions or questions, please be in touch: NewenkaDuMont@ChicagoGiftedCommunity.org.

It is a time of change in my family.  My oldest has been working as a computational chemist in New York City, a job she is now leaving. She is looking to move into something a little more outdoorsy, like leading kayaking excursions in Alaska!  She is calling it her gap year and viewing herself as a late bloomer. Her younger sister has decided to major in economics and can draw in charts and explain in $20 words how crazy her sister is.  The fun of parenting never ends! 

Welcome to 2018!  January seems to be Focus on Parenting Month at the Chicago Gifted Community Center!  This is good news for all of you who resolved to take an occasional break from the kids and work on your own needs this year.  Please take a moment to sign up for something! We all look forward to meeting a few new, interesting people this month! 

As always, if you have suggestions or questions, please be in touch: NewenkaDuMont@ChicagoGiftedCommunity.org.

For nine days in January, the city's top museums are joining together to celebrate Museum Week. Take advantage of discounted admissions, special exhibits, giveaways and more at each of the participating museums. Illinois residents will receive up to 25% off admissions at all museums. From culture to constellations, art to animals, this is your chance to experience Chicago’s most beloved institutions in a whole new way!

Complete details on web site: http://www.chicagomuseumweek.com/

Does homeschooling work for gifted kids? Can a homeschooled student get into his or her first-choice college? How well does homeschooling prepare gifted students for college or business?

Over the winter break, my college-aged sons and I talked about these very topics. Both boys homeschooled all four years of high school. Their homeschooling consisted of online classes, independent study, project-based learning, homeschool group classes and many community college classes taken as dual-enrolled high school students.Their unique experiences allowed them to stand out in the college admissions process, and both were accepted to their selective, first-choice schools in early admission. Once in college, both quickly found their social "tribes." They also found that college life was a lot like homeschooling in terms of student independence. Their transition to college was much smoother than that of some of their brick-and-mortar peers. According to one son: "Some of these kids were still figuring out that they had to go to class" at the end of first semester, freshman year at a highly selective, East Coast university. Both of my sons are cultivating long-lasting, intellectual friendships with their professors, and are actively planning for life after college. They are both deeply grateful for their homeschool years.

On Tuesday, Jan. 9, a panel of college-aged, homeschool graduates will discuss how homeschooling boosted them into college or business and share their tips and advice to younger students. I hope you will join us as these accomplished, articulate young adults share their thoughts and experiences on homeschooling the high school years.

International Museum of Surgical Science - NASA Saturday Camp 

One-Day Sessions beginning December 30th 2017 and running every Saturday until March 3rd 2018 from 8:30am-4:30pm. 

Limited to current 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students. $10 fee to participate.

The International Museum of Surgical Science is proud to offer this NASA Saturday Camp program to serve those currently underrepresented and underserved in STEM education or fields. This program aims to achieve NASA science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education goals. 

This content includes the NASA Glenn Engineering Design Challenge (EDC): Powered and Pumped Up, through which students have the opportunity to work on real-world challenges in a collaborative, team-based environment. Students will apply lessons learned to solve problems that STEM professionals face while gaining a deeper knowledge of how NASA is a part of their everyday lives.

Educator led team-based projects will include:

 Solar S'Mores - Build a solar powered oven to learn about reflecting solar energy to heat up a tasty treat. 

 How Intense Are You? - Learn how light intensity changes as you move away from the source. 

 What's the Point? - Explore how lenses can be used to manipulate light. 

 Powered and Pumped Up - design, build, and improve a stand-alone solar-powered pumping system to move water as quickly as possible between two containers.

Click here for details and application.

Started in 1999, the Davidson Institute for Talent Development is a 501(c)3 private operating foundation. Their mission is to recognize, nurture and support profoundly intelligent young people ages 18 and under, and to provide opportunities for them to develop their talents to make a positive difference.

Davidson Academy News – www.DavidsonAcademy.UNR.edu

The Davidson Academy offers two educational options specifically designed to meet the needs of profoundly gifted students – an Online High School for those living anywhere in the U.S. and a day school on the University of Nevada, Reno campus for local residents. The full-time Online High School further strengthens the Davidson Academy’s commitment to the profoundly gifted population by bringing the Davidson Academy experience to students whose families are unable to relocate to Reno. Both options are centered on a rigorous academic environment where students can thrive among their intellectual peers. Classes are grouped by ability level, rather than by age-based grades, thereby providing profoundly gifted young people an educational opportunity matched to their abilities, strengths and interests.

Davidson Academy’s Online High School

Starting with eighth grade, the Davidson Academy Online High School is for profoundly gifted students living anywhere in the United States. Applicants must be 12 years old as of Sept. 30, 2018, submit appropriate test scores according to the Online High School Qualification Criteria and commit to being full-time students. Please visit the Online High School’s How to Apply page for details. The 2018-2019 application deadline is Feb. 28, 2018.

Davidson Academy’s Reno Campus

The Academy's free, public day school is located on the University of Nevada, Reno campus for profoundly gifted middle and high school students living in the Reno area. To attend the Davidson Academy in Reno, students must be at the middle or high school level across all subject areas and score in the 99.9th percentile on IQ or college entrance tests, such as the ACT or SAT. Please visit the Reno school’s Qualification Criteria and How to Apply pages. Applications are reviewed on a monthly basis with a final application deadline of Jan. 15, 2018. 

Davidson Institute News – www.DavidsonGifted.org

2018 THINK Summer Institute – Three-Week Academic Residential Program

The Davidson Institute is seeking gifted teens to attend the 2018 Davidson THINK Summer Institute.  THINK is a three-week residential summer program on the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno where students can earn up to six college credits by completing two university courses. The 2018 THINK Summer Institute will run from July 14 through August 4. Tuition is $3,800 and covers course credits, books and materials, room and board, and the cost of planned activities. Need-based scholarships are available. To qualify, students must be 13 to 16 years old during THINK and must submit a SAT or an ACT score report.  The application deadline is March 30, 2018.

2018 Davidson Fellows $50,000, $25,000 and $10,000 Scholarships

The Davidson Institute for Talent Development offers high-achieving young people across the country the opportunity to be named a 2018 Davidson Fellow, an honor accompanied by a $50,000, $25,000 or $10,000 scholarship in recognition of a significant piece of work in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics, Music, Literature, Philosophy or Outside the Box. Applicants must submit an original piece of work that is recognized as significant by experts in the field and that has the potential to make a positive contribution to society. The scholarship may be used at any accredited college or university. The deadline to apply is Feb. 14, 2018.

Davidson Young Scholars Program 

The national Davidson Young Scholars program provides FREE services designed to nurture the intellectual, social, emotional, and academic development of profoundly intelligent young people.  Families can choose from a range of opportunities and services available exclusively to Young Scholars and their parents.  Collaborate with a team of knowledgeable Family Consultants who provide individualized support based on each family’s unique needs, in the areas of educational advocacy and planning, social and emotional development, and identifying opportunities to nurture the Young Scholar’s talents and interests.  Connect with other Young Scholar families online through a dynamic private website offering discussion forums, personal profiles, online seminars, and more!  Meet other families in-person through parent-planned regional events or the annual conference-style event hosted by the Davidson Institute.  Encourage your Young Scholar to participate in programs designed specifically for them, such as online middle school courses taught by Davidson Academy faculty, the STARS summer program for 8 to 12 year olds, or the Ambassador Program, which fosters learning and civic engagement through community service, volunteerism and leadership.  Apply for the Young Scholars program today!  The application deadline is the first of each month. 

FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR EDUCATORS and STUDENTS

Students in need of financial support for a special project or program, parents or educators looking for professional development funds to support their work with advanced learners, or administrators looking to recognize staff dedicated to identifying and developing exceptional talent in young people are encouraged to explore the awards and scholarships available through the Illinois Association for Gifted Children (IAGC).

Scholarships & Awards Include:

• A distinguished service award named in honor of long-time IAGC Executive Director Sally Walker
• Student awards providing funds for supplemental programming or special projects
• Funds to attend the annual IAGC Conference in February

Information about the various opportunities available for educators, parents and students (grades 1-12) is online at https://www.iagcgifted.org/Awards-and-Scholarships.

Deadlines are in November. Apply or share information with colleagues and students! Questions? Contact IAGC at workshops@iagcgifted.org. 

Super Saturday is a program of enrichment classes for all students, that provide the opportunity to develop new skills & interests that may last a lifetime.  We want to find the gift in every child.  Most of our classes are unavailable elsewhere or are available only to gifted students.  Class sizes are small (typically 8-12) to allow more individualized instruction.  We also offer some classes for parents and teens!

First day of class starts on October 21st and ends on November 18th.

Register here https://friendsofthegifted.coursestorm.com/

Registration Open for Fall FunShops!
Register Your Student, Then Invite Others!

  
Frightful Fun Funshop! 
Friday October 13, 5:30 pm- 8 pm  
Grades 3-6, Includes pizza dinner

Registration is open for October's Frightful FunFunshop complete with creepy-crawly hissing cockroaches and blood-sucking sea creatures. Spooktacular STEM adventures for students grade 3-6. Of course, we'd only do this on Friday the 13th. Join us if you dare! 


Registration Fee: $55 
Registration closes October 6th, 2017
Scholarship Application period ends October 1st, 2017 


Grades 3-4
Be prepared to "race" your fears! Creepy crawly hissing cockroaches will become your test subjects as you experiment with different stimuli to see what really makes your cockroach scamper. The big finale will be races to see who has created the most enticing racing strategy for their roach to run!


Grades 5-6
Vampires are not the only creatures to gorge on blood! Come dissect sea lampreys, ghoulish parasites known to feed off the blood of other animals, to discover how their special anatomy makes blood the perfect meal.  Then you will get to experiment with (fake) blood to learn about real blood's cool properties!


Full details here.
 
*Applying for a scholarship does not guarantee an award or registration into the Funshop. 
To qualify and apply for a scholarship, the student is required to submit proof of eligibility: proof of participation in a free or reduced lunch program, OR proof of parent's income. 
WATCH YOUR EMAIL and CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER! Award recipients will be notified via email and must reply to scholarship offer. 
NOTE: You may choose to either pay for program registration OR apply for a scholarship and await award notification.  Scholarship applications will not be accepted along with a paid registration.

NO refunds or credits will be granted for FUNshops.