The next board meeting will be Thursday, November 4th at 7:00 pm in the Centennial library. All parents are welcome to attend.

If your child is in the self-contained program this year, check the teacher’s web site for homework details. Make a bookmark for your teacher’s page, and check back often.

• Ms Hunter (2nd/3rd grade)
• Ms Nieboer (4th grade)
• Ms Foote (5th grade)
• Mrs Witt (6th grade)

For other teachers in the district, visit husd.org, select your school, then select “teacher pages”. You can also check out the district information on the gifted program.

Higley Supporters of the Gifted is beginning its second year and needs to elect a board. Our first board meeting for the new school year is Thursday, August 19th, at 7 pm in the Centennial Elementary School library (3507 S Ranch House Parkway). Please attend if you are interested in being a part of the board or helping in any other way–big or small! Together we can do many great things for our children and each other.

If you have questions or are unable to attend, you can post comments on this page, or email them to higleygifted@yahoo.com

See you there!

You are cordially invited to attend
The Higley Supporters of the Gifted

Writing Contest Awards
and
Closing Social
Potluck Dinner

The potluck dinner and awards ceremony will start at 6:00 followed by a short speech by Dr. Steve Nance about the districts plans for the gifted program in the upcoming year.

For more information or questions visit us at higleygifted.org
or contact us at higleygifted@yahoo.com

Sign up at http://www.husd.org/listserver/. Our group name is “Supporters of Gifted Students”

We have published a calendar using Google calendar. You can view or subscribe to it here. If you use a calendaring program, you should be able to subscribe to our calendar and get automatic updates. If you have any questions about how to do this, please contact us or reply to this thread.

Remember to sign up for Otto Siegel and Activities. Only one week left!

This month I would like to introduce you to SENG: Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted. It is a group that was formed when a bright 16-year old boy took his own life in 1980. SENG strives to give parents of gifted children the opportunity to learn more about the emotional needs our children may have, as they are often quite intense–including as they become teenagers and hormones arrive. The group not only provides instruction for parents, but also a place to share and really ask the questions that apply to your individual family’s needs.

The questions I would like to ask you are these: What emotional patterns have occurred in your family growing up, as giftedness is often passed on genetically? How much are you aware of your child emotionally? Where are the resources you can turn to learn more? What if you feel like your child has no problems currently–should you still learn more? Of course your own answers will provide critical insights, as you know your situation better than anyone else, but I would also like to provide a few helps.

I recommend to every parent to read “A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children”. This is a fantastic book that is thorough in discussing characteristics of gifted children, and providing possible solutions. Even SENG meetings are based off of this book. It will help you understand Dabrowski’s Overexcitabilities which can give insights into your current family and your family growing up; it will teach you about many characteristics and parenting approaches which will help you whether you feel your child needs help or not.

Other resources can include other parents, including our very own parent group, Higley Supporters of the Gifted. You can also keep an eye out for SENG trainings that occur in our area. The internet is a wonderful resource as well. If you click on “Other Sites”, a few good gifted sites are already listed for you. Also try www.hoagies.org.

Most importantly, just make yourself aware. While our children’s decisions are their own, we as their parents and other supporters need to help them sort out all the feelings that go on inside of them. They are at critical stages developmentally and need our help. Good luck, as always!

Debbie Niu
HSG President

For parents, we will be hosting Otto Siegel from Genius Coaching. He will be speaking to us on “How to Avoid the 3 Biggest Parenting Traps when Raising Bright Children”.

For kids, we will be hosting break-out sessions for rockets, drama, and more.

The location will be Centennial Elementary (3507 S Ranch House Parkway). View Map.

Update: See the activity page for more information and a sign-up sheet.

The HUSD Gifted Writing Contest encourages gifted students in grades K-8 to express themselves through writing and to challenge their writing ability.  It can also be an important creative release to help children develop self-esteem.

Each year will have a new theme.  The theme for this year is “One Hundred Years…” in celebration of HUSD’s centennial birthday (1909-2009).

RULES AND DIRECTIONS OF CONTEST

1. Entries will be accepted from grade levels K – 8 and will need to reflect grade appropriate grammar, punctuation and spelling.
2. Each student may enter up to one time in each category, but each entry must be submitted separately.
3. Parents and teachers are allowed to help, but in a limited fashion.  It is tempting to want to help gifted children too much, as we are not used to seeing them fail.  However, you will be surprised at how much they learn when challenged to do so!  To edit punctuation and grammar is fine, as well as to recommend areas of change, but do not tell the student how to make the changes.  The student’s writing will need to be done at home on their own schedule.
4. Entries will be judged on:
   • Interpretation of the theme
   • Creative ability
   • Originality
   • Mood (not included on Essays)
5. Each entry must be written on 8 ½” x 11” paper.  Please have the student’s name written on the back of each individual page and have each page numbered.  This will help protect the validity of the entry.
6. Entries may be typed or in the student’s own legible handwriting. Students may have their entries typed by another person as long as the original work or a copy of the original work is attached.  Students who are physically challenged or young (i.e. K-2) may dictate to another person who may type or write down the original work.
7. Entries must not contain last names or photos that would identify the student, class, or campus.
8. Plagiarism is not allowed.  This is defined as taking and using another person’s ideas, writings, or inventions as one’s own.  Unfortunately plagiarism is not uncommon. These entries will be disqualified and returned to the student. The discovery and consequences for the student and his/her family should be dealt with by the school’s Gifted Specialist and/or Principal.
9. Each grade will be awarded a 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place winner along with two Honorable Mentions.

CATEGORIES

The student must specify a category for his/her work.   Please pay attention to the length restrictions and other criteria below.  Compositions that do not conform to the maximum length or other criteria will not be eligible to win an award.

POETRY – Poetry is “an imaginative statement expressed in words used with utmost economy and resonance,” or “the overflow of powerful emotion recollected in tranquility.” District Contest rules specify no limits for form, length, or subject.  No collections of poems please.

PERSONAL NARRATIVE – Personal narrative writing is about an actual experience, not an invented one. Selections are true stories of real events experienced first hand, observed, or learned through study.  Students’ subjects may be about themselves, others, or things.  The selections may be written in traditional composition form, as a letter, a journal, diary entry, a memoir, or in dramatic form.

Length:

• Grades  K-2: 300 word maximum
• Grades  3-4: 400 word maximum
• Grades  5-6: 500 word maximum
• Grades  7–8: 750 word maximum

ESSAY – An essay is a piece of expository writing in any one of the traditional forms: comparison/contrast, persuasion, process, cause/effect, or definition.  The emphasis should be on a personal point of view about a topic of general interest.  Internal citations may be given for sources, but the essay should represent a researched paper as opposed to a research paper.

Length:  Selections should be written in multi-paragraph manuscript form and must not exceed more than 1000 words.

IMAGINATIVE WRITING – Imaginative writing invents a situation or story based on the writer’s imagination.  The writer may create a scene, situation, or character; predict what might happen under hypothetical circumstances; or use his/her creativity to solve a hypothetical problem.  The writer may use his/her knowledge of the world to bring a unique flair or flavor to the writing but is not bound by the constraints of reality.  Imaginative writing may contain elements of fantasy.

Length:  Selections should be written in multi-paragraph manuscript form and must not exceed more than 1000 words.

TO ENTER:

Please give all entries to your school’s Gifted Specialist or to your self-contained gifted teacher.  All entries are due by the end of the school day on Friday, March 12, 2010. One original and one copy are to be submitted for each entry. Each entry is required to have an entry form attached which should be obtained through your school’s Gifted Specialist or self-contained gifted teacher.  It is very important that all rules and directions be followed.

STUDENT ENTRY FORM

All participants are required to completely fill out and sign the Student Entry Form. Students who have not completely filled out the entry form will not be eligible to participate in the program. In situations where the child cannot fill out the entry form or write legibly, a parent may complete the form.

Students have the option of titling their works. If a work has a title, the title must be included on the Student Entry Form. If the work has no title, please write “Untitled”.

A link to the entry form will be posted soon.

NOTE: Enjoy the process!  This is a neat opportunity to see what you can do!

If you have questions or comments, speak with your school’s gifted specialist, post a comment below, or see additional contact information.

Everyone is welcome to attend. If there is something you would like to discuss at the meeting, please post a comment in this category, or send it to higleygifted@yahoo.com or any member of the board. We will do our best to fit your item into the agenda.

After parking, please enter the school through the red gate just West of the Front Office and go north until you hit a junction in the sidewalk, then turn right. The Media Center entrance will then be on your right. It is on the back side (North) of the Front Office Building.

Everyone is welcome to attend.  If there is something you would like to discuss at the meeting, please post a comment in this category, or send it to higleygifted@yahoo.com.  We will do our best to fit your item into the agenda.

NOTE: the meeting is NOT at Centennial Elementary. It is at Chapparel Elementary.