TAGT Hosts Mini-Parent Conference, Round Rock, February 15th

The Texas Association for the Gifted & Talented (TAGT) offers Mini-Parent Conferences throughout the state to bring exceptional information on gifted education to parents. TAGT will hold a conference in Round Rock at Walsh Middle School on Saturday, February 15.

Breakout sessions will focus on parenting strategies, meeting the social and emotional needs of gifted youth, educational enrichment and other relevant topics. Information will also be avail­able on applying for TAGT Summer Program Scholarships. Representatives from camps for all ages will be present.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Walsh Middle School

3850 Walsh Ranch Boulevard

Round Rock, TX 78681

Keynote Speaker:  Lisa Van Gemert, American Mensa: "The Five-Headed Dragon: Threats to Giftedness"

$29 Parent Conference Registration

$49 Parent Conference Registration with Additional Registrant

$10 Child Registration (cost per child)

Students have the opportunity to participate in a variety of activities while parents attend sessions. Pre-registration is required. Only children in Kindergarten - 5th grade will be accepted.

Pre-Registration will close on February 12, 2014 but on-site registrations for the conference are welcomed.

For more information, or to register, visit txgifted.org/parent-conference.

GT Parent Lecture Series

Austin ISD parents and educators are invited to attend this evening lecture.
No registration is required to attend this free event.

The People Puzzle: Building Positive Relationships

  El Rompecabezas de la Persona: Establecer relaciones positivas

Presented by
Debi Torres
Coordinator for Gifted Education
Austin ISD

Thursday, January 30, 2014

6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

Covington Middle School
3700 Convict Hill Road
Austin, TX 78749

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day at UT

Registration is now open for the Women in Engineering Program's Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day.  Also called Girl Day, this free annual event will be held on the UT campus on Saturday, February 22, 2014, from 2 - 5 p.m. 

Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day is an international event celebrated during Engineers Week each year. Students and their parents or educators are invited to UT for an afternoon of engineering fun. Introduce a Girl to Engineering Day gives 2,000 1st - 8th grade girls the opportunity to explore the exciting possibilities of an engineering career through hands-on activities. 

Students will have a chance to:

• have fun doing grade-specific, hands-on engineering activities
• meet students, professors, and engineers 
• see what it's like to be an engineer

Individual and group registration is available online. Spaces are limited for this FREE event. For additional details and to register, visit the Cockrell School of Engineering website.

Faces of Austin 2014 Film Competition

The City of Austin invites Austin-area filmmakers to submit their work to Faces of Austin 2014. The Faces of Austin program showcases short films by local filmmakers, reflecting the diverse faces, voices, and experiences of our city. Submitted films must be under 10 minutes in length and must be filmed in Austin or highlight an Austin topic or organization. Both fiction and nonfiction works are acceptable.

The films selected for Faces of Austin will have a premiere screening during the SXSW Film Conference Community Screenings in March 2014. The films will be shown at Austin City Hall, on Channel 6, on the City website, and at special screenings throughout the year. One film will also receive a “Judge’s Choice” designation from special guest judge Richard Linklater.

The deadline for film submission is January 21, 2014 at 5:00 p.m.

Read the full guidelines and download an application.

Call for GT Nominations in Austin ISD

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 during January. Interested parents and guardians should contact their school’s GT Advocate for campus deadline and assistance with completing the nomination process. 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/advancedacademics/gifted 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 durante enero. 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. 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/advancedacademics/gifted o llame al 414-0155.

National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) 2013 Toy List

Games and toys provide a way for children to explore different ways of thinking, moving, and intereacting with friends and family members. Unfortunately, it can be difficult to find the perfect item for your child because the manufacturers' recommended ages is often not correct for gifted children.  Additionally, games that look exciting from the box, can be repetitive after one playing. That is why NAGC traditionally runs an annual recommended toy article in Parenting for High Potential.  

Here is the most recent NAGC Toy List.

Austin ISD GT Student Workshop

STATUS UPDATE: WORKSHOP IS FULL

Austin Independent School District's Advanced Academic Services in partnership with the Austin Film Society present the

AISD GT Student Workshop

Saturday, January 18, 2014

9:00 a.m. - 11:15 a.m.

Austin Film Society staff will lead the student workshop for Austin ISD GT students, ages 9-12.

Students will learn about Stop-Motion Photography and Film Making by participating in the following 3 sessions:  Claymation, Human Stop-Motion, and Magazine Stop-Motion.

There is no cost to participate!

There is limited space, with only 36 seats available to gifted students ages 9-12.  Register soon to ensure your gifted child is able to participate in this exciting and fun learning opportunity.

Parents: email your child's name, age, school, and contact information (email and phone) to: austinisd.gtevents@gmail.com

Email austinisd.gtevents@gmail.com or call 512-414-0155 for more information.

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Servicios Académicos Avanzados del Distrito Escolar Independiente de Austin en colaboración con la Sociedad de Cine de Austin presentan el

Taller de estudiantes dotados y talentosos de AISD

Sábado, 18 de enero de 2014

9:00 a.m. a 11:15 a.m.

El personal de la Sociedad de Cine de Austin dirigirá el taller para estudiantes dotados y talentosos de AISD de 9 a 12 años.

Los estudiantes aprenderán sobre la animación cuadro por cuadro en el rodaje de películas al participar en las siguientes tres sesiones:

Plastimación, Animación humana cuadro por cuadro, y Animación en revista cuadro por cuadro

¡La participación es gratis!

El cupo es limitado. Solo hay 36 lugares disponibles para estudiantes dotados de 9 a 12 años de edad. Inscríbase pronto para asegurarse de que su hijo participe en esta ocasión de aprendizaje, divertida y emocionante.

Padres de familia, envíen por correo electrónico los datos de su hijo: nombre, edad, escuela e información de contacto (correo electrónico y teléfono) a

austinisd.gtevents@gmail.com.

Para obtener más información, envíe un correo electrónico a austinisd.gtevents@gmail.com o llame al (512) 414-0155.