February 2021
Greetings! JAGC is hosting a virtual Town Hall, “A Conversation About GT,” on Feb. 18 and we want to know your questions and concerns for your GT students. Send us your questions by completing this form by Feb. 12.
JAGC will open nominations for elections to our board on Feb. 18. Nominations are due by March 4. Here’s your opportunity to help advocate for Jeffco GT kids!
Do you know a Jeffco GT Champion? Nominate your GT hero by March 31.
From the Jeffco GT Dept.: SPARKS summer enrichment program registration opens March 1 and Early Access portfolios for ages 4-5 are due March 24.
Jeffco writers, remember to submit your work to the Jeffco Writing Challenge by Feb. 22 and the Sources of Strength poetry contest by Feb. 26.
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Join us for "A Conversation About GT” on Thursday, Feb. 18 from 6:30-7:30 PM via Zoom. Topics will include:
- GT during hybrid/remote
- Advanced Learning Plans - how they’re developed and used
- Social-emotional concerns
- Complete this form to submit questions for our panel by Friday, Feb. 12
JAGC newsletter subscribers will receive an email Zoom invitation the day prior to the event.
If you are not a newsletter subscriber, please complete this form to register and submit questions by Friday, Feb. 12.
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We are starting the election process for next year’s JAGC Board of Directors. Terms run for two years from July 1 to June 30. Nominations for open positions will be accepted from Feb. 18 through March 4.
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Look for an email from the JAGC Nominating Committee with details on available positions, the nominating procedure and the election process. Information will also be available in our newsletter and on our website.
You must be a CAGT member to vote in the spring JAGC election. Become a member today and help us advocate for Jeffco advanced learners! When you register, select Jeffco as your affiliate.
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The GT Champion Award Is a JAGC award program designed to recognize those in the Jeffco gifted community who are making an exemplary effort for our GT students. If you would like to nominate a person who has shown outstanding performance, please complete this form.
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There will be one winner from each of the following categories:
For more information visit the JAGC website GT Champion page.
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Shop on Amazon through Amazon Smile and a portion of your purchase price will be donated to JAGC. When you shop at Amazon, first go to https://smile.amazon.com/ and select "Jefferson County Association for Gifted Children" before making your purchase. Thank you for supporting GT kids!
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Have Questions or Concerns? Contact JAGC
Hybrid and remote school this year is new for everyone. If you have questions or concerns or need help, email us or post on our Facebook or Instagram pages. We want to hear from you!
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The SPARKS Enrichment Program for Jeffco Gifted & Talented learners will be at Wheat Ridge High School from June 7-11. Registration will be open March 1-14 and enrollment will be by lottery. The Jeffco GT Dept. will send a registration link and course options to families of all students with Advanced Learning Plans or in GT Centers by the end of February.
SPARKS is a summer experience for district GT students entering 1st through 8th grade. Classes provide an engaging learning environment in a variety of topics for Jeffco gifted students. Classes will be limited to 15 students to maximize social distancing and safety procedures will be followed. Limited scholarships are available. See the Jeffco GT website for more information.
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Find articles of interest about GT programming in Jeffco, helpful ideas for parents of gifted learners and information on upcoming GT-related events in the GT Department’s January GT Gazette. [Spanish edition]
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Early Access for Ages 4-5 - Portfolios Due March 24
Early Access to kindergarten is for four-year-olds, as an exception to the normal age requirements per Jeffco Board Policy JEB. This is for children who are highly gifted (97th percentile or higher) and who would benefit from acceleration. Please click here for a link to the early access module. For more information about early access please visit the Early Access website.
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On January 20th the GT Department hosted a virtual Parent/Family Learning Night on a variety of topics related to gifted education. Due to some technical issues, they weren’t able to upload the recordings, but the presentation slides for each of the events are now available to view on the event website.
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In an effort to keep students with ALPs moving forward on their academic and affective (social-emotional or self-management) goals:
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For elementary students, teachers will be updating that progress toward student ALP goals.
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Secondary students should have received an email to their Jeffco email account titled “ALP Progress Monitoring.” There is a link to this survey in that email.
You can find more information on the ALP process here.
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This website lists resources to help kids cope with the return to in-person learning and more. See the website under Monthly Training Events and Seminars and click “See What’s Coming” for upcoming events.
“Smart But Scattered: Helping Children and Teens Strengthen Executive Skills” will be presented on Feb. 25 from 5:30-7 PM. Peg Dawson, Ed.D., school psychologist and author will discuss executive skills which are critical to learning. Sign up on the website to register.
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Additional program dates:
--Feb. 18 - Priority application deadline for first consideration for program openings
--Feb. 18-Aug. 17 - Applications received after Feb. 18 will be placed on the waitlist and considered if space becomes available
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Jeffco Virtual Academy offers two 4-week sessions during the summer for students to take a class they haven't attempted before to get ahead in credits. Courses are entirely online. Students can complete a semester course in just four weeks. The cost is $165 per class.
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Professor Tanja Cuk presents "The Magic of Chemistry" on Saturday, Feb. 20 via Zoom.
Check in advance as activities may be postponed or cancelled.
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Join the Colorado Dept. of Education for a FREE virtual event from 4:45-7 PM with world renowned Dr. Temple Grandin. Temple will share a video of a recent presentation discussing her book, “Calling All Minds” among other thoughts on working with individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Following the video, there will be a Q & A session with Dr. Grandin.
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The Gifted Development Center is offering a virtual Advocacy Course from Feb. 10-April 7. The cost is $200 and includes the award-winning book, “Gifted Minds Empowered: Advocacy to Develop Gifted Children's Strengths.” It's critical that the parents and families of gifted children know their rights and hone their skills in advocating for the unique needs of their children.
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PEP (Parents Encouraging Parents) Conferences are free events designed to promote family and school partnerships that are essential in supporting students with disabilities and their families in schools and the community. PEP brings parents and professionals together by sharing ideas, discussing concerns, celebrating successes and obtaining information related to parenting, educating and partnering to support student learning.
2021 PEP dates:
Friday evening, March 19, 2021 – 6:30 pm-9:30 pm (3 hours)
Saturday, March 20, 2021 – 8:15 am-12:15 pm (4 hours)
Saturday, March 27, 2021 – 9:15 am-11:45 am (2 hours)
Saturday, April 3, 2021 – 8:45 am-12:45 pm (4 hours)
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Ongoing SENG Parent Support Groups
Parents, are you looking for support? Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) online support groups are designed to address the unique issues, needs and challenges faced by gifted families. The website lists upcoming groups.
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The Bright & Quirky IdeaLab is an online learning community to support parents of bright kids with learning, social, emotional and/or behavioral challenges. They provide direct access to leaders in the field of child development, education and psychology, giving you tools, strategies, and community support to help your child thrive.
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2e News is now offering free subscriptions for the website 2enews.com. Each week, 2e News spotlights visionaries in the field, groundbreaking research, and therapies and teaching strategies that make a difference in the lives of our students.
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The Jeffco Writing Challenge is open to all Jefferson County School students in K-12. Poetry, short stories, nonfiction or dramas are all welcome. Winning entries receive cash and gift card prizes, and schools win awards based on student entries. For more information on the prompts, and for submission guidelines and entry form, see the event website.
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This contest is open to Jeffco students in K-12. The contest deadline is Feb. 26 and submissions will be accepted through May 2021 for other sharing opportunities. All contest participants will be invited to a virtual Jeffco - Strengths Slam Event in April.
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History Colorado offers free membership to all fourth grade students in the state. Current fourth grade students for the 2020-2021 school year are eligible to register for their History Buff membership, which will expire May 31, 2020. Students entering fourth grade in the 2021-2022 school year are eligible to register for their History Buff membership beginning June 1, 2021.
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For students in grades 8–12 who have a passion for flight. Aviation Ground School is a five-part workshop created to offer high schoolers the basics of pilot training and to inspire a love of flight.
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The Summer Multicultural Engineering Training (SUMMET) program is an engineering, science and technology program for rising juniors and seniors who are from underrepresented populations, including ethnic/racial minority, women and prospective first-generation college students. Only students from Colorado and Oklahoma are eligible to apply to the program available at no cost to participants, with the exception of a $50 confirmation fee for students accepted into the program. Program dates are June 6-18, June 20-July 2 and July 11-23.
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Data analytics education company Code From Zero is offering a weekend course in coding and data analysis for upper-level high school students. Use this discount code for 30% off: DAVIDSON30.
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STEM at home kits, virtual STEM academies, mountain research experience, school year and summer camps
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The Outdoor Lab Foundation awards scholarships to college-bound high school seniors who have been a high school leader at the Jefferson County Outdoor Lab schools at least twice. Applicants must have successfully completed a week at Mount Evans or Windy Peak Outdoor Lab. Eligible applicants must apply for admission to any private or public vocational training program, college or university. Two scholarships for $2,000 will be awarded to two different students. Each scholarship is $2,000.
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VOC annually offers four $5,000 scholarships to eligible Colorado residents who have demonstrated a commitment to caring for our environment's natural resources and intend to pursue post-secondary education through an accredited environmental, natural resource, climate, or outdoor industry related education program in Colorado.
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Lockheed Martin has a scholarship program to provide opportunities to students. The company awards 200 scholarships of $10,000 per student, renewable each year. Mentoring opportunities are a key component of the program, and recipients will also be eligible for Lockheed Martin internship opportunities following their freshman year in college.
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The Davidson Institute for Talent Development offers high-achieving young people across the country the opportunity to be named a 2021 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.
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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.
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The Davidson Young Scholars program provides free services designed to nurture and support profoundly gifted young people and their families, including talent development, educational advocacy, an online community and the Ambassadors program. Young Scholars can also access annual get-togethers, a summer camp for 8- to 12-year-olds and challenging online middle school courses.
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The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation Young Scholars Program is a selective five-year, pre-college scholarship for high-performing 7th grade students with financial need. It provides academic advising, along with financial support for school, summer programs, internships, and other learning enrichment opportunities.
Eligible applicants should:
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Be entering 8th grade in the fall of 2021.
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Have earned all As and Bs since the beginning of 6th grade.
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Reside in the U.S. and plan to attend high school in the U.S.
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Demonstrate financial need with a maximum adjusted gross income of $95,000.
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For Parents New to GT - Jeffco GT Dept. Info and GT 101 - Parent Info - Student Programs & Enrichment - Homework Help - Scholarships - College Prep - National GT Resources
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