DCSD Gifted Education News

Equity of Access

Opportunity ~ Agency ~ Empowerment

The Douglas County School District strives to seek out and nurture student potential. We are committed to partnering with families and our community to recognize and support high potential/advanced/gifted and talented learners who require differentiated programming to meet their educational needs and prepare them for their chosen endeavors in society.

Email: heather.groff@dcsdk12.org
Website: dcsdk12.org/gifted-education
Location: 620 Wilcox St, Castle Rock, CO 80104
Phone: 303-387-0191

Happy Fall!

We hope you and your family had an opportunity to rest and rejuvenate over a much needed fall break. We understand continued transition and uncertainty is often difficult for all students - and adults.The mental health and safety of our students and staff remains our top priority and school and district teams continue to partner to provide resources and supports specific to our students’ needs. Gifted Education Facilitators have increased their collaboration with our mental health support teams, including school counselors, to provide support and resources for your children. We have highlighted some of these in the following newsletter, but please reach out to your child’s gifted Education Facilitator with any questions, concerns, or for additional information.

General Updates:

Elementary

Our elementary school staff was thrilled to have all students back in school this week and will continue to partner with district teams to support our students as they transition to a full week in person schedule. General education teachers, gifted educators facilitators, and other staff are collaborating to implement the components of your child’s Advanced Learning Plan and will be communicating progress monitoring information at the end of the semester.

Secondary

Our students in middle and high school serve as examples of innovation, resilience, curiosity, and courage as they continue to navigate this school year. General education teachers, gifted educators facilitators, and other staff are collaborating to implement the components of your child’s Advanced Learning Plan and will be communicating progress monitoring information at the end of the semester.

eLearning

Parent teacher conferences are scheduled for next week (the week of October 26). eLearning teachers have contributed to and reviewed your child’s Advanced Learning Plan and will continue to partner with Gifted Education Facilitators to meet the academic and social emotional needs in our virtual learning environment.

Please review the rest of the newsletter for exciting engagement opportunities for you and your child.

Best regards,

Natasha Langjahr Straayer

Director, Advanced Academics and Gifted Education

by Paula Prober, M.S., from rainforestmind.wordpress.com

Talking about giftedness is tricky. It can sound like discrimination or elitism. And it is discrimination when kids of color are ignored and excluded from gifted programs in schools, which, sadly, they still are in many places. In my mind, it is a no-brainer to understand that giftedness comes in all races, religions, cultures, and ethnic groups. But not everyone agrees.

Continue reading HERE.

Many parents end up focusing more on their child’s academic achievements than they do on their emotional intelligence. Emotional intelligence — or “EQ,” as it’s sometimes called — is made up of five components: self-awareness, self-regulation, empathy, social skills and intrinsic motivation, according to psychologist and journalist Daniel Goleman, who popularized the concept in his 1995 book “Emotional Intelligence: Why It Can Matter More Than IQ.”

Read the rest of the article HERE.

Streaming on Facebook Live every Tuesday, we feature a different expert in gifted education Each week who will speak on a current GT topic in a live video chat on CAGT's Facebook page with time for your questions!

Every Tuesday at 5pm!

Watch the recording of archived webinars here.

Gifted/Talented Initiatives for the Support and Advancement of Gifted Students of Color

Who we are: The Gifted and Talented (GT) Leaders of Color and Allies started in late 2019 with a few educators of Color collaborating with advocates for the support, connection, and empowerment of Gifted Students and Educators of Color.

Follow/Join Us at: Gifted & Talented Leaders of Color and Allies on Facebook

NEW DATE! Join DCAGT on our Facebook page on Monday, November 2, 2020

Douglas County Association for Gifted and Talented (DCAGT) is our district's GT parent advocacy group. We want to reach and connect the gifted community with opportunities to share experiences and exchange information. We hope that you will join us in our community events.

NEW! Facebook Live Sessions in collaboration with DCSD GT Department

Do you want to learn more about Gifted Education in DCSD? Our first session will contain about 30 minutes of information from our district's Advanced Academics and Gifted Education team. We will then follow with about 30 minutes of questions and answers.

NEW DATE! Join DCAGT on our Facebook page on Monday, November 2, 2020

Are you interested in finding out more about DCSD's Discovery Program? Join parents of Discovery students and staff from our district's Advanced Academics and Gifted Education team to learn more about this programming available through Discovery.

Join DCAGT on our Facebook page on Wednesday, November 11 from 6:00 to 7:00pm.

Find our current newsletter here. Subscribe to our newsletter here.

Applications to join the board are due December 1, 2020!

Mission Statement:

The Colorado Gifted and Talented Student Board is committed to obtaining input from gifted students in Colorado to enhance the GT experience.

"At the Colorado Gifted and Talented Student Board, we believe that students, especially GT students, are the very essence of the future. Who they are tomorrow is essentially the outcome of how they are raised and nurtured today. As a leading youth board based in the Denver area, we go above and beyond to provide students an empowering environment where they can fully embrace their identity and gain all the skills they need to be leaders tomorrow.

Our goals are to shape the way they live their lives and teach them the fundamentals of social responsibility, healthy living, and cultural acceptance. Curious to find out more about us and how you can get involved? Browse our website and get in touch with us today."

Applications and more information. on their website, linked HERE

Presenter: Kathryn Fishman-Weaver, Ph.D., Author and Educator

This free webinar focuses on helping families and school communities collaborate to support students who learn differently and/or navigate special education services. Advocating for a child who learns differently can sometimes feel like an isolating and daunting task, but attendees of this webinar will leave equipped with practical suggestions, policy knowledge, and an empowering reminder that they are not alone.

This webinar was recorded on September 29, 2020.

You can access the recording HERE.