Austin ISD Call for GT nominations

The Austin Independent School District’s Department of Advanced Academic Services is pleased to announce that nominations for gifted and talented students are being accepted September 4^th-September 21^st. Interested parents and guardians should contact their school’s GT Advocate for campus deadline and assistance with completing the nomination process. Campus GT Advocates are listed at http://archive.austinisd.org/academics/curriculum/gt/contact.phtml. GT screening and testing requires parent/guardian permission by the campus deadline. A variety of measures are used for screening and testing including assessments for bilingual students. For more information about the AISD gifted program, please visit the AISD web site at http://www.austinisd.org/academics/curriculum/gt/ or call 414-9986.

El Departamento de Servicios Académicos Avanzados del Distrito Escolar Independiente de Austin (AISD) se complace en anunciar que se están aceptando nominaciones de estudiantes de primaria para el Programa de Dotados y Talentosos (GT) y se aceptarán septiembre 4-septiembre 21. Los padres de familia y custodios que estén interesados deben comunicarse con el representante del programa de la escuela para informarse de la fecha límite de entrega de solicitudes o para recibir ayuda con el proceso de nominaciones. Hay una lista de los representantes del Programa GT en http://archive.austinisd.org/academics/curriculum/gt/contact.phtml. Para llevar a cabo las evaluaciones del programa, se exige el permiso de los padres o custodios antes de la fecha límite de la escuela. Se utilizan una variedad de medidas para evaluar a los estudiantes, entre ellas evaluaciones para estudiantes bilingües. Para más información sobre el Programa de Dotados y Talentosos de AISD, visite la página electrónica del distrito en http://www.austinisd.org/academics/curriculum/gt/ o llame al 414-0155.

Back to School Bash

Saturday, August 18th 
9 a.m. to noon
 Austin Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 4
 (500 East Cesar Chavez Street)

The Austin Independent School District invites its students and families to attend the annual Back-to-School Bash.  Families can learn about the district's many programs and services that help students have a great school year, get access to free immunizations from Seton, participate in a safety walk and more.

Free shuttle transportation to the event is available every 30 minutes beginning at 8:30 a.m. from the following locations:

Reagan High School, 7104 Berkman Drive
Austin High School, 1715 W. Cesar Chavez St.
One Texas Center, 505 Barton Springs Road
Mendez Middle School, 5106 Village Square.

This event is a partnership between AISD, The City of Austin, and A + Federal Credit Union

Get Fit with “Exergaming”

Gifted children often experience stress more often and for a longer time than other children because of their intensity and heightened sensitivity to their immediate environment as well as global issues. With increased stress levels come the vulnerability to succumb to illness, depression, and unhealthy sleeping and eating patterns. Unfortunately many of our children are not taking advantages of the benefits ofexercising. Frequent exercise can counteract all of these potential consequences.

According to Dr. Fred Gage of the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, “Everybody knows that exercise is good for your heart, but in recent years we've gathered compelling evidence that exercise is also good for your brain.” Exercise can improve brain health, self-image and self-esteem, as well as mood, memory, and attention.

Yet, how do we get our children to start moving? The Mayo Clinic reported kids spend an average of eight hours a day in front of the TV either watching shows or playing video games. A small study of 25 children showed that any addition to a game that involved significant movement, like adding a treadmill or a dance pad, kicked up the amount of energy they burned by several times.

The best way to motivate someone to exercise is have them doing it and to not know it. That it, the activity they are engaged in is not perceived as exercise, but as entertainment. “Exergaming” is a whole new way to reverse the sedentary behavior encouraged by extensive use of passive engagement with technology. Arcade-style dance pads like Dance Dance Revolution, gaming systems like the Nintendo Wii, and digital pets that require movement to keep the pet healthy like Fizzees are just a sampling of the products that include the body as part of the interactive game.

Fact: gifted children have higher intellectual abilities than other children. However, that does not mean they only need to work their mental muscles; they also need to work out. If that means integrating technology to establish and maintain an exercise routine, then it’s may not be such a bad idea.

50 Essential Links for the Parents of Gifted Children

Check out this great bank of information: "50 Essential Links for the Parents of Gifted Children" http://oedb.org/library/beginning-online-learning/50-essential-links-for-the-parents-of-gifted-children . The links are arranged based on organizations, Twitter groups, blogs, resources, and articles.

Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented Parent Conference in Dallas

Learn to understand your gifted child's unique needs and how to ensure these needs are met, both at home and in the classroom. TAGT invites all parents of gifted youth to join us for a Parent Conference as a part of the 2012 TAGT Annual Conference on Friday, November 30, with a keynote address by Dr. Patricia Gatto-Walden: What Gifted Children Want You to Know. Choose from sessions on the unique nature and needs of gifted children, organizing and advocacy within the community, and parenting/family strategies. The TAGT Parent Conference is presented by the TAGT Parent and Community Advocates Division. Learn more or join today!

Register Online or with the PDF Form