GEFN News

The Solar Eclipse on April 8th was nothing short of amazing! Honestly, I thought the hype might be a little overdone, but I could not have been more wrong. The experience was so surreal and I am glad I got to see it and that so many of our families did too! Let us know on our social media channels how you and your children experienced the event.

It is time again for us to be looking for new board members for next school year. If you or someone you know is passionate about gifted education in Texas and believes in excellence and equity in education, we would love to have them work with us! You can fill out our board interest form below.

If you missed our presentation of GT 101 on April 2nd, keep reading to get a link to the recording. Also, have you ever thought about how AI is impacting education in general, and gifted education in particular? Check out our newest blog post below about just that.

We are in the home stretch of the school year, and I hope that you and your family enjoy all that this time of year has to offer!

Kim Farbisz

Gifted Education Family Network

President

On Tuesday, April 2nd, the GEFN Board presented GT 101. This was geared toward people who are just beginning their journey in gifted education and we covered the basics of gifted ed, what you need to know to support and advocate for your students, creativity and social and emotional needs, and helpful resources. If you missed this great presentation, you can view the recording on our website here: https://giftededucationfamilynetwork.org/events.

Our Nominating Committee has been empaneled and we are actively looking for members who are interested in serving on our board next year. If supporting gifted students, families, and educators in the state of Texas is your passion and you believe in excellence and equity in gifted education, then we want you!

Our board meetings are once a month via Zoom and we would love to have you join us. If you are interested, please fill out our application here: https://forms.gle/NyNxTvRqH97H4Rab6

Since the release of ChatGPT and Google Bard (now Gemini), it has become difficult to dismiss the news, debates, and controversies surrounding AI and its significant impact on many aspects of our lives. AI is poised to continue growing in influence as its power and areas of application expand. Gifted education is not exempt from the changes introduced by AI. In this brief commentary, we discuss major areas in gifted education likely to be impacted by greater use of AI. Those two areas are: a) gifted identification, and b) instruction, programming, and development.

To read more, click here: https://giftededucationfamilynetwork.org/2024/04/14/how-will-ai-change-gifted-education.

Baylor TIP is excited to announce that registration for summer courses is open!

• Rising 8th-12th graders: Baylor TIP programs
• Rising 4th-7th graders: DECATS program or Baylor TIP programs
• Rising 1st-3rd grade students: University for Young People

Explore the links and sign up for some great experiences!

There is no doubt that local school boards wield a great deal of influence over how gifted programs are funded and operate. GEFN has created this voter guide to help families as they seek information about the extent to which the candidates running in their districts support gifted education. School board elections can have significant consequences for students in the district, and families of gifted students deserve to know how their local candidates will support their district's current GT programming and teachers - or if they won't.

We're very excited to share a free opportunity for you to receive significant support for your mathematically extraordinary child. National Math Stars is a support program for the nation's top math students. They are a nonprofit organization focused on ensuring that mathematically extraordinary children have the support and resources they need to thrive. They recruit students in 2nd or 3rd grade, and provide them and their families with 10 years of support (through their high school graduation) including math coaching, access to advanced math courses, family advising, and financial assistance in pursuing enrichment opportunities. Over the 10 years, these supports are valued at over $100,000 and are entirely free for families that are accepted! They are currently accepting applications through June 30 for 2nd and 3rd grade students living in Texas. If you're interested, please reach out to them at admissions@nationalmathstars.org or submit an application by June 30 at bit.ly/nmsapplication.

The Parent Leader Resource Group met on April 16th to discuss plans for the summer. They are done meeting for this school year, but will be meeting again on August 6th to prepare for next year. Let us know if you would like to join in at giftededucationfamilynetwork@gmail.com.

“Gifted students represent a vital resource that has unlimited potential. We need to make sure that these exceptional young people have the support and services they need to be successful.”

— Chuck Grassley

GEFN was established to connect, inform, and empower families by partnering with educators and experts in the field of gifted education. In doing so, we strongly believe in making sure there are no financial barriers for our families of Texas. Because of this, our membership is FREE!

Membership benefi­­ts:

· Monthly Newsletter full of valuable GT/2E content

· Free and/or low cost family/parent/student events

· Access to a private Facebook group for an expanded community of other parents and advocates

· Access to free GT/2E resources

· Legislative updates on GT/2E related issues

· A welcoming community

To continue to offer these services and access for free to our members, GEFN needs your support! We appreciate any and all tax-deductible donations. Donations and funds raised by GEFN will be used to continue to support events for GEFN families, outreach communication, scholarships, advocacy, and basic operating expenses. This will allow us to keep our membership and primary events free and financially accessible for families of gifted learners in all populations across Texas. GEFN is run entirely by volunteers and very much needs your donations. Please donate here: https://giftededucationfamilynetwork.org/donate/