Welcome to the new school year and another great year with BVGT! Your BVGT board members have been busy planning an exciting array of offerings for 2009-10. We can't wait to tell you about what we have coming up this fall, so get out your calendar so you won't miss a thing!

First, we would like to introduce you to the newest member of the BVGT board, Brian Gunnarson, who has accepted the role of Parent Liaison. Brian is the TAG Educational Advisor at Heatherwood Elementary School in Boulder and serves on the Boulder Valley School District TAG Advisory Committee. He is the parent of two gifted teens and a cross-country and track coach at Silver Creek High School in Longmont. As the Parent Liaison, Brian looks forward to establishing contact with parent representatives at schools in the Boulder area.

Remember that it's time to renew your CAGT/BVGT membership for the 2009-10 school year. Your annual $40 membership makes you a member of both CAGT (the state gifted association) and BVGT (your local affiliate group). If you are planning to attend the CAGT conference in October, your CAGT/BVGT membership is included in your conference registration fee, so you do not need to pay an additional membership fee to BVGT. However, if you have been enjoying receiving our newsletters and attending our BVGT events but have not yet officially joined our organization, we would strongly encourage you to do so at this time! Your financial support allows us to continue bringing you high-quality programs which we hope are making a difference in the lives of many gifted children, adults, parents, educators, administrators, and all others who are passionate about supporting the gifted.

We hope to see you at one (or all!) of our fall events! (Don't forget to RSVP to Hazel, our Programming Chair, at programming@bvgt.org -- thanks!)

Sincerely,

Tricia Carpenter
BVGT Communications Co-Chair, Newsletter

Support BVGT by becoming a member!

BVGT presents "Upside-Down Brilliance: Visual-Spatial Learners"

Most people think in words; however, one-third of the student body thinks in images, and this percentage is growing. School was designed for auditory-sequential, left-hemispheric students who process in words. High achievers are advanced in reading, writing, spelling, calculation, and memorization and perform well under timed conditions. Visual-spatial learners are gifted in right-hemispheric abilities, such as imagination, visualization, intuitive knowledge, multi-dimensional perception, science and technology, holistic thinking, creativity, artistic expression (music, dance, art, drama), and emotional responsiveness. These gifts are vital to employment in the 21st century and need to be nurtured. Specific strategies for identifying and teaching visual-spatial learners have been drawn from the book, Upside-Down Brilliance: The Visual-Spatial Learner.

Parents and educators are invited to attend this presentation.

WHO:  Guest Speaker Dr. Linda Silverman
WHEN:  Wednesday, September 16, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
WHERE:  Fairview High School Auditorium, 1515 Greenbriar Blvd., Boulder
RSVP: RSVP to programming@bvgt.org
no charge (donations encouraged)

Last September, BVGT sponsored a very well-attended and well-received presentation by Dr. Silverman entitled "The Unique Emotional Lives of the Gifted." Many of the evaluation forms we collected that evening expressed a desire for Dr. Silverman to return to address the topic of "Visual-Spatial Learners." We are very pleased to have Dr. Silverman back for this much-requested presentation topic!

Read more about this presentation and about Dr. Linda Silverman

BVGT presents "Profiles of the Gifted"

One of the major goals in education today is helping children and youth become life-long learners. What skills, concepts and attitudes are necessary for reaching this goal? Emphasis will be placed on understanding Betts' and Neihart's six basic Profiles of the Gifted. This presentation provides the basic understanding necessary for facilitating our children and youth in traveling the path of lifelong learning.

WHO:  Guest Speaker Dr. George Betts
WHEN:  Wednesday, October 14, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
WHERE:  Fairview High School Auditorium, 1515 Greenbriar Blvd., Boulder
RSVP:  RSVP to programming@bvgt.org
no charge (donations encouraged)

You may recall that this presentation was originally scheduled for last April but was unfortunately canceled due to circumstances beyond our control. BVGT is pleased to announce that we have rescheduled Dr. Betts' presentation as part of our exciting fall line-up!

Read more about Dr. George Betts

BVGT presents "Giftedness and Emotional Health and Well-being"

Dr. Patricia Gatto-Walden will present how to live with and navigate through difficult emotional intensities in everyday life. Incorporating her decades of experience counseling gifted individuals of all ages, Dr. Patty will describe inner experiences of gifted individuals' extensive emotional range from joy, expansive and hopeful, to anxious, withdrawn, irritable and hopeless. From a holistic and developmental perspective, attention will be given to the causes and complexities of stress, anxiety, burn-out and depression. She will also address how to pursue emotional health and well-being and define when it is time to contact a counselor for support. For those who wish to stay an additional 15 minutes, she will lead an "emotional cleansing" exercise to help participants learn how to release emotional debris.

WHO:  Guest Speaker Dr. Patty Gatto-Walden
WHEN:  Wednesday, November 18, 7:00-8:30 p.m.
WHERE: Location TBA
RSVP:  RSVP to programming@bvgt.org
no charge (donations encouraged)

Read more about Dr. Patty Gatto-Walden

CAGT Conference

2009 Colorado Association for Gifted and Talented (CAGT) 33rd Annual Conference
"Embracing Diversity, Growing Potential"

Monday and Tuesday, October 5 and 6, 2009
Marriott Denver Tech Center, 4900 S. Syracuse St., Denver

Guest Speakers:
Rick Olenchak
Dennis Higgins & Elizabeth Nielsen
Jaime Castellano

Register now! Early-bird special (save $10) by registering by September 15. Remember that the conference registration fee includes your annual membership to CAGT/BVGT!

Register online for CAGT Conference

CAGT Parent Institute

Parents may find it more affordable and relevant to attend CAGT Parent Institute on Monday evening, October 5, rather than the full two-day CAGT conference, which is primarily geared for educators and administrators. The Parent Institute Evening Session is held at the conference hotel and will include the same keynote speakers who are featured during the daytime sessions. This is a great opportunity for parents to hear from experts in the field in a small group setting and interact with them in round table chats. Dinner is included in the registration fee. You must register for this evening session on the CAGT website (see link below).

Thank you to those who responded with interest in riding a bus to the Parent Institute. Unfortunately, the number of responses we received was too low and we will be unable to offer bus transportation from Boulder this year. We hope that many of you will still make an effort to attend this worthwhile event!

Register online for CAGT Parent Institute

SENG

SENG (Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted) Parent Discussion Groups help parents gain a better understanding of their gifted children and provide tools to work with them more effectively. SENG gives parents the opportunity to look at their child from new perspectives and helps them gain insight into their child's motivations. SENG also provides a forum for sharing experiences with other parents of gifted children. The result is more confidence and responsiveness for parents, validation and support for children, and a happier and better connected family!

SENG groups for this fall are forming now, including a Lafayette Area SENG Group and a SENG Group for Parents of Twice-Exceptional Students. Check the BVSD TAG website periodically for new group announcements.

Find out more about locally-forming SENG groups starting soon! (Scroll down to SENG heading)

Family Game Night by BoulderGPS

BoulderGPS (Gifted Parent Support) is a local group of parents who would like to facilitate connections, communication and support among gifted families by creating opportunities for gifted children and their parents to socialize and discuss common issues. BVGT is advertising this upcoming BoulderGPS event for your information.

BoulderGPS invites you to attend their 4th BoulderGPS Family Game Night. They have been excited to see the growing interest in this group and are always glad to meet new faces!

WHEN:  Monday, September 14
TIME:  5:30-7:30 p.m.
LOCATION:  Boulder Library Main Branch (Boulder Creek meeting room)

Please RSVP with tentative number in group to bouldergps@yahoo.com

Families of gifted kids are welcome to attend, including siblings. (Children need not be formally identified as gifted.) Please bring a snack to share and some favorite games. Optional donations will be accepted to cover ongoing costs for group supplies and fees.  

Learn more about joining BoulderGPS (via Yahoo! Groups)

WOW! Webinars on Wednesdays

The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) is pleased to present an exciting new opportunity to the gifted education community. Designed for classroom teachers, counselors, graduate students, parents, g/t coordinators, and administrators, NAGC's Webinars on Wednesdays will bring top-notch educational content direct to you. In the convenience of your home or office you will be virtually connected to experts in the field who will share practical advice, as well as updates on the latest issues in gifted education.

Best of all, the WOW Series is FREE through 2009!

Tune in the 2nd and 4th Wednesday (plus a monthly "Parent Night"). WOW is FREE for a limited time!

In order to have active participation between the WOW presenter/s and the audience, a limited number of "seats" are available. Registration opens two weeks before the event and closes when capacity is reached.

View computer requirements, how to register, and schedule of upcoming webinar topics

BVGT on Facebook

Are you on Facebook? So is BVGT! Become a BVGT fan and stay on top of the latest BVGT news!

Visit BVGT on Facebook