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Welcome to BVGT Insight, a resource to help you support children who are gifted at home and in school, provided by Boulder Valley Gifted and Talented. Your $40 annual membership helps strengthen our efforts to advocate for the needs of gifted individuals in Boulder Valley. JOIN TODAY at bvgt.org!
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Greetings one and all!
Is everybody ready for the new school year?
Hmmmm- I thought so. I hear loud voices answering every which way.
Wait! All of those might be coming from me...
Well, never mind. It's here whether we're ready or not.
Fortunately, BVGT is up and running and we have already held our first event.
Keep reading for news about that, as well as upcoming events. These first few at least are virtual, but we are thinking we'll hold at least one or two events in person this year, as we transition to our new normal.
I sure hope you join us!
(All of me agrees about that.)
Jocelyn Gebhardt
President, BVGT
BVGT and BVSD Present
 
Dr. Amanda Giordano: "Gaming Addiction"
Thursday, October 6th at 7:00 pm
Presentation at 7:00-8:00 pm with live Q&A at 8:00-8:30pm
When does a passion for playing video games become an addiction? Why are some kids' brains more susceptible? What are the consequences of too much gaming? BVGT and BVSD are proud to present a FREE live virtual webinar exploring these topics with Dr. Amanda Giordano THIS Thursday, October 6 at 7pm with a live Q&A to follow.
While video games can be an enjoyable, engaging activity, there are many negative consequences that can come from gaming addiction. It is important to understand why some people, especially children, are susceptible to certain behaviors. Gifted children are no exception. In this virtual presentation, Dr. Amanda Giordano, a licensed professional counselor and associate professor at the University of Georgia who specializes in addiction counseling, will explore the effects that too much video game playing can have on children.
Click here to register.
TWO Recent Programs for Educators
Our fall programming is off to a great start! The BVGT Educator Liaison team continued their ongoing series of GT 101 presentations.
On Wednesday, September 7th, two of our board members, Jen Lucchesi and Doug Alexander, presented "Differentiation on a Dime," in which they offered 20 strategies that educators can use to instantly make any lesson at any grade level in any subject differentiated for gifted and advanced learners. Click here to see the presentation.
Then, on Tuesday, September 27th, local GT expert, Dr. Della Remack, presented "The Learning Galaxy," in which she touted the benefits and joys of using strengths-based portfolios to support gifted and advanced learners. Click here for a recording of this presentation.
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Bright & Quirky Child Summit 2022
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More viewing and discussion sessions of the 2022 Bright and Quirky Child Summit are in the works! Look for announcements soon on bvgt.org and our Facebook page. In the meantime, you can find more information on the summit, which took place in April, here.
BVGT Summer Playdates - A GREAT Success!
Over the summer, BVGT hosted 11 playdates around Boulder County. We designed these activities as a way to connect GT (and GT-curious!) families so that they could swap stories, share resources, and ask questions, while also providing opportunities for GT students to get to know some of their peers from other schools. Parents and guardians spent the time talking with each other and BVGT board members, while kiddos played games and did other fun stuff.
The most successful playdates included building elaborate marble runs at the Superior Community Center, doing arts and crafts at the Collective Community Arts Center in Lafayette (where some of the students participated in a guided tour in Spanish!), playing bocce in Louisville, creating mini robots and needle felting projects at InventHQ (the makerspace in Broomfield), and playing and climbing all around the Junkyard Social Club in Boulder.
We were also very fortunate to host two guest speakers: counselor and author Catherine Zakoian, whose "Ask Anything" session inspired discussions on mental health for GT students, private schools, good books, and much more, and a Boulder County Park Ranger who taught us about the ecology of wetlands (and helped us spot a heron in the wild!).
One of our favorite parts of the playdates was watching the older kids interacting with younger ones--teens leading first and second graders on nature scavenger hunts, middle schoolers teaching elementary students how to play certain board games, even a first grader reassuring an anxious rising kindergartener that her new school will be awesome because the teachers there are nice and funny.
BVGT hopes to continue offering similar playdates next summer--and perhaps even sooner, like once a month during the school year! To receive announcements of upcoming events, please join our meetup group (it's free, quick, and easy), BVGT Family Activities.
Questions? Suggestions? Want to help plan and/or run a playdate? Contact Sarah at sdodson-knight@bvgt.org.
Committee Updates
Boulder Valley Gifted and Talented (BVGT) continues to welcome Advocacy Committee members, Parent Liaisons, and Educator Liaisons!
The BVGT Advocacy Committee had a busy summer! This new group has been focused on creating toolkits for families and schools. Still in the design phase, we look forward to beginning to roll out these resources in the next few months. In addition, we presented before the BVSD school board in early August to reintroduce BVGT to the school board members and to lay the basic foundation of why support of GT students is important and needed. The Advocacy Committee is looking for new members. If you are interested in research, writing, public speaking, organizing, or any combination of the above, we have a job for you! Please reach out to committee chair Stacey Green at sgreen@bvgt.org for more information.
Become a BVGT Parent Liaison for Your School!
BVGT is seeking "Parent Liaisons" to form a link between your school and our organization. There are many schools (both public and private) in our area which are currently unrepresented. One primary role of our BVGT Parent Liaisons is to encourage parents and teachers at your school to take advantage of resources and opportunities (in-person and online presentations, conferences, book groups, etc.) offered by BVGT and beyond. Our group of BVGT Parent Liaisons will occasionally meet in-person socially and will also connect virtually to discuss our shared experiences as we strive to build supportive local communities of GT parents at each of our own schools. Our BVGT Parent Liaisons are also invited to join our Advocacy Committee, which is working on communications with district- and school-level leaders to encourage Boulder Valley area schools to address the needs of gifted kids. Joining our BVGT Parent Liaison group will connect you with other like-minded parents who are also on the journey of better understanding our wonderfully complicated gifted children and how to best support them.
Please contact Tricia Carpenter at tcarpenter@bvgt.org for more information about becoming a Parent Liaison. Thank you for your interest in collaborating with BVGT!
Attention Educators: Lead Educator Liaison Jen Lucchesi invites any interested teacher, counselor, administrator, or school staff to join our group of Educator Liaisons. It's a great way to connect and share resources! Contact jlucchesi@bvgt.org.
Other Programming/Events
(Disclaimer: BVGT does not endorse individuals, events, and/or companies, unless explicitly stated. The information in this publication is intended for informational purposes only. Events and programming are free, unless otherwise noted.)
Conversations with CAGT, hosted by the Colorado Association of Gifted and Talented. Season 3 is underway, the first and third Tuesday of each month at 5pm on Facebook Live (look for it on CAGT’s Facebook page). Archived presentations from past seasons are available (for free!!) here!
FREE GT-friendly events at Boulder Public Library:
Spanish classes for kids
Crazy 8’s Math Club
Teen Chats with Boulder Teen Advisory Board
Go board game Club
and more!
Click here for a list of ongoing events.
Other Area Events/Activities:
(may require fees)
CU Wizards
Fiske Planetarium
My Nature Lab
Junkyard Social
inventHQ Makerspace
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Recent Articles and Resources
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(Disclaimer: BVGT does not endorse individuals, events, and/or companies, unless explicitly stated. The information in this publication is intended for informational purposes only. Resources are free, unless otherwise noted.)
Department of Education - Jacob K. Javits Gifted and Talented Students Education Program
“The War on Merit” (Parents Defending Education)
“Strategies for Teaching the Whole Gifted Child” (The Tech Advocate)
“I Grew Up Gifted and Autistic - And Suffered the Burnout of Twice-Exceptionality” (ADDitude: Inside the ADHD Mind)
“In a Class of Their Own: Leeds’ First-Years are Poised to Impress” (CU Boulder Leeds School of Business)
“Challenging Your Gifted Student” (Public School Review)
Boulder County and Colorado Teen Mental Health Resources
“No matter what you are going through, you are not alone.”
List of resources to support children who are twice exceptional
Jocelyn’s Book Reviews
Welcome back, everyone!
Here are a few of my recent favorite books. I hope you and the children in your life enjoy them. As always, I'd love to hear of books you love.
Happy reading-
Jocelyn Gebhardt
BVGT President and children's books lover
Forever Home
A Dog and Boy Love Story
Henry Cole
2022
As much as I love books with words- I confess I eagerly anticipate gorgeous picture books with none. Even the endpapers become part of the story.
The Forever Home illustrations are hand drawn with pen and ink, wordlessly and lavishly telling the story of a boy who yearns for a dog. He sees dogs everywhere in the city-- but his parents point to his perpetually (you just know it's always that way) messy room as an example of his carelessness.
How will our boy convince them?
Children can tell you the story themselves, explaining the pictures, and delighting in the details. Such a happy ending! Such a beautiful book!
Ages 3-9
The Year We Learned to Fly
Written by Jacqueline Woodson
Illustrated by Rafael Lopez
2022
When Sister and Brother are fussing, bored or scared, their grandmother has words of wisdom that are at once calming and freeing. And once internalized, both Sister and Brother can call up those words and feelings to meet any situation. They learn to fly! And so can you.
Jacqueline Woodson has done it again. She has created a book for all to enjoy and learn from.
Illustrations that are clear and bright match the text beautifully.
Ages 4-9
KINDergarten
Where Kindness Matters Every Day
Written by Vera Ahiyya
Illustrated by Joey Chou
2022
Leo is a quiet little boy who is leery about starting kindergarten.
It might be loud!
He prefers quiet.
Leo was worried.
Was he ready for kindergarten?
On the first day of school his teacher and the whole class created a kindness pledge poster. Ideas like 'Use kind words,' ‘Include others when we play' and even 'Stay in your own body space' make up the list.
At the end of the day Leo was thrilled to find out that, yes, he was ready!
This is a warm, colorful, cheerful book to help any reluctant young scholar approach school -or any other new adventure- with confidence.
Ages 3-8
I Am Love
A Book of Compassion
Written by Susan Verde
Illustrated by Peter H. Reynolds
2021
Here is a board book for all ages. Young children can enjoy the classic Reynolds illustrations, and older children as well as adults will appreciate the gentle lessons of compassion written here. It ends with words to take to heart:
"And with love we will weather the storm and light up the sky... together."
Everyone
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Thank you for checking out these resources and for supporting BVGT.
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