GIFTED IN FRANCE
April 22, 2009
"People think genius a fine thing if it enables a man to write an exciting poem, or paint a picture.
But in its true sense, that of originality in thought and action, though no one
says that it is not a thing to be admired, nearly all, at heart,
think that they can do very well without it."
~J.S. Mill
Dear Friends, Here are the upcoming events in May, which is a good month to learn or relearn a host of topics addressing the emotional, educational and social needs of gifted and talented kids, and twice-exceptional children. Summer is coming up fast so don't miss out on the end of year events and activities.
HIGHLIGHTS:
| FOR CHILDREN |
| 2009 PARIS SPELLING BEE | May 24 and June 7, for finalists | Due to space restrictions, oral finals will be open to family members only. |
| Lights OUT! Living with Science | Saturday May 16, 2009 14h00-17h00
For ages 8-13 | RSVP: May 8th. Subject: Lights OUT! Priority will be given to GiF members. Cost: 5€ for members, 10€ for non-members, limited space. |
| FOR PARENTS |
| GIFTED 101 | Tuesday morning May 5th 09h30-12h00 and | RSVP: By Thursday April 30:. Subject: Gifted 101 indicate the date you prefer.
|
| Wednesday evening May 6th 19h30-22h00 |
| GRADE SKIPPING and ACCELERATION vs. BOREDOM AND FRUSTRATION IN SCHOOL | Tuesday May 12, 2009, 19h30-22h00
| RSVP: By Tuesday May 5: Subject: School Frustration and Acceleration Cost: 5€ for members, 10€ for non-members |
| HOW DOES YOUR ENGINE RUN? SENSORY MOTOR STRATEGIES FOR SELF-REGULATION | Wednesday May 27, 2009, 19h30-22h00- | RSVP: By May 20th, Subject: How Does Your Engine Run?
Cost: 5€ for members, 10€ for non-members |
| GIFTED/ TWICE-EXCEPTIONAL ONLINE CONFERENCE WITH THE EIDES | Possible date: Saturday May 23, 2009 10h00-18h00 | If you are interested, please email me asap so I can proceed with the venue. Subject: Gifted/2E with Drs. Eides. |
| GIF MEMBERSHIP | Registration form attached | 30€ extended until the end of May |
FOR CHILDREN Lights OUT! Living with Science
Saturday May 16, 2009 14h00-17h00
For ages 8-13, St. Germain-en-LayeWhat happens when you suddenly lose electricity and have no power? None! For one day, two days, three days? What will you miss most? What will you need most? Are they the same? Write down and bring with you a list of
electrical things you will miss and/or need during during a blackout. There are no right or wrong answers. We'll compare our lists and then get down to business and build our own electric generator.
Pablo Martinez Diaz, our favorite mad-scientist who has already taught us how to build a telegraph and a radio, is inviting us back again. After building our generators, we will make time for any budding scientist who wants to do a little presentation on a 'scientific' experiment he or she wishes to share with the group. If you have done a project for school, or for fun, we'd love to see it. If you're passionate about an area in science, Pablo wants to know about it. If you need help with your project, need outdoor space or special arrangements, Pablo wants to hear from you. If you don't have a presentation, not to worry. It's not an obligation or a requirement. There are couple of kids who will present their work and the rest of us can watch and listen. The important thing on this day is to learn about electricity, and then get a chance to see more science in action. (Because there are so many holidays in May, we're not sure if we'll have another science activity before the summer break.) Location: Chambourcy. Those of us leaving from Paris will meet at a convenient location, like last time, before getting on the RER A. Then, Pablo will give us a ride from the train station in St Germain-en-Laye to his home in Chambourcy. If you are driving, we will send you directions after your confirmation.
RSVP: May 7th. Subject: Lights OUT! Priority will be given to GiF members. Cost: 5€ for members, 10€ for non-members, limited space.
2009 PARIS SPELLING BEE
There are 34 participants going to the 2nd annual Paris Spelling Bee finals on June 7th at the
American Library in Paris. All contestants braved the written preliminary round on April 4th and are now preparing for the practice session on May 24th. There are 17 kids in each group: the Gazelles (7-9 year-olds) and Cheetahs (10-13 year-olds). We wish each of them lots of fun! And a bit of luck! Due to space limitations, the final event will be open only to the contestants and their family members. We are grateful to the American Library for their support and for making special arrangements to host us.
Check out the new spelling bee blog:
parisfrancespellingbee.wordpress.comFOR PARENTS
Gifted in May:
Make the month of May your Gifted Education Month. Please feel free to join us for a first or repeat viewing of these information rich videos. If you haven't already seen these presentations on the gifted child, we strongly encourage you to attend. If you've seen them before, it's always rewarding to meet new parents and refresh your memory. Everyone is welcome.
GIFTED 101:Tuesday morning: May 5th, 09h30-12h00 Come by for a cup of coffee and croissant!
Wednesday evening May 6th,
19h30-22h00 Bring your snack/sandwich with you if you haven't eaten before the meeting.
Each meeting includes two DVD presentations by
James T. Webb
1. IS MY CHILD GIFTED? IF SO, WHAT CAN I EXPECT? (45 mins)
- Dr.Webb describes the most common basic characteristics of gifted children and shows how/why some of these traits can actually result in underachievement, power struggles and failure to be recognized as bright.
2. DO GIFTED CHILDREN NEED SPECIAL HELP (40 mins)
- As they enter school, gifted children are frequently criticized for the very characteristics that make them who they are. Dr. Webb describes the traits, common behaviors, and challenges for gifted children from preschool through adolescence.
(
Note: a very useful book that is often used as a companion to the DVD's and SENG's parent workshop is called:
A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children, by Webb, Gore, Amend and DeVries.)
RSVP: By Thursday April 30:. Subject: Gifted 101 indicate the date you prefer.
Location: At my place, near Radio France, in the 16th. Cost: 5€ for members, 10€ for non-members
GRADE SKIPPING and ACCELERATION vs. BOREDOM AND FRUSTRATION IN SCHOOL
Guest Speaker: Mr. Daniel Le Roch, Vice-President of AFEP
Tuesday May 12, 2009, 19h30-22h00
Join us for a discussion on common concerns gifted children face in school such as boredom, frustration, underachievement, anxiety and other behavioral issues. We will also review the "typical" French system; what to do when your request for acceleration is turned down and how the French Education Department views gifted children's needs.
"There is a substantial amount of research to indicate that gifted children spend at least one-fourth to one-half of the regular classroom time waiting for others to catch up. Boredom is rampant because of the age tracking in our public schools. Peer relations for gifted children are often difficult, all the more so because of the internal dyssynchrony (asynchronous development) shown by so many gifted children where their development is uneven across various academic, social, and developmental areas, and where their judgment often lags behind their intellect. Clearly, there are possible (or even likely) problems that are associated with the characteristic strengths of gifted children. Some of these typical strengths and related problems are shown in Table 1..." (go to the article to view this useful table) source: http://www.sengifted.org/articles_counseling/Webb_MisdiagnosisAndDualDiagnosisOfGiftedChildren.shtml RSVP: By Tuesday May 5: Subject: School Frustration and Acceleration
Location: Near Radio France, on ave de Versailles, 75016 Cost: 5€ for members, 10€ for non-membersBy Tuesday
HOW DOES YOUR ENGINE RUN? SENSORY MOTOR STRATEGIES FOR SELF-REGULATION
Wednesday May 27, 2009, 19h30-22h00
Guest Speaker: Zara Harris, Occupational Therapist
Experienced Occupational therapist will describe how we can teach children to regulate their activity level by using their own sensory preferences. As adults, we do this on a daily basis, for instance, when we have to sit through long and maybe dull meetings and remain alert. What do we do? Drink coffee? Doodle on paper? Our kids have similar experiences but don't always know what to do. Everyone attending the meeting, will have the opportunity to explore their own "Sensory Diet" in order to understand the concepts that can be used to teach children how to either 'calm' their nervous system down or to 'Jazz' it up. The term " Sensory Diet", was coined by OT Patricia Wilbarger in the USA and is used successfully as part of the
Alert Program (based on
How Does Your Engine Run?) in many American schools.
"If your body is like a car engine, sometimes it runs on high, sometimes it runs on low, and sometimes it runs just right.. Students learn what they can do before a spelling test or homework time to attain an optimal state of alertness for their tasks. Teachers learn what they can do after lunch, when their adult nervous systems are in a low alert state and their students are in a high alert state. Parents learn what they can do to help their toddler's nervous system change from a high alert state to a more appropriate low state at bedtime," source: http://www.alertprogram.com/about.php
RSVP: By May 20th, Subject: How Does Your Engine Run?
Location: Near Radio France, on ave de Versailles, 75016 Cost: 5€ for members, 10€ for non-members. Members have priority.
GIFTED/ TWICE-EXCEPTIONAL ONLINE CONFERENCE WITH THE EIDES
-Part 1: Understanding Gifted Children
-Part 2: Dyslexia and Writing Challenges in Gifted Children
-Part 3: Attention, Sensory Processing, and Social Challenges of Gifted Children
Tentative date: Saturday May 23, 2009 10h00-18h00
Experts: Drs. Brock and Fernette Eide are strong advocates for neurologically-based approaches to learning and learning differences. They are the authors of:
The Mislabeled Child., which is among the books I try to loan out to parents who come to the GiF meetings)
The Eides are doing an online webinar from April 21-23. GiF is a registered participant and we are now trying to figure out a way to make this very informative and much needed information available to GiF members. This is a three-day seminar, with about 2-hours per day (about 6 hours total) of material to be heard and seen in a power point format with the Eides and then a recorded Q and A session with the participants. (you can see some of the questions already posted by
clicking here.)
I have a conference room reserved at the Maison des associations du 16ème arrondissement on Saturday May 23 where we can share this presentation in three parts with short coffee and lunch breaks. (This is pending approval by the authors.) More information about the online conference is at:
http://eideneurolearningblog.blogspot.com and for daily updates
click here:
If you are interested, please email me asap so I can proceed with getting permission and keeping the venue. Subject: Gifted/2E with Drs. Eides. (Special note: This conference is an effort to help Eides' 12-year-old daughter, Karina, who has metastatic cancer.)
GiF MEMBERSHIP FORMS AND DUES:
GiF membership form is attached. Membership dues will remain at 30€ until June. Please take a moment to fill out the form and mail it with your check to the indicated address. If you prefer not to become a member, but wish to make a donation, any contribution would be appreciated.
Membership is good for one year from the payment. Thank you in advance for supporting GiF through your membership. GiF SUPPORTERS/VOLUNTEERS:
Planning Meeting Thursday April 30th
09h30-11h30. Coffee, croissants and fruit will be served.
We are looking for parents who wish to play a key role in helping GiF map out its goals and execute existing projects. We need your help in most aspects of this organization. Even if you can't come to the coffee-hour, could you please email me if you can help with membership data and networking, fund raising, 2009 Paris Spelling Bee, Twice-Exceptional/Learning Differences group, and planning more science and creativity projects for children (4-7 and 8-13+ years-old.)
RSVP for coffee hour by April 28, Subject: GiF Supporters//Volunteers
Kind regards,
Helen Sahin Connelly
GiF
giftedinfrance.blogspot.com
