Friends,

Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) is holding a double session of Presidential Town Hall discussions with thirteen (13) leading Black scholars in gifted education.听 The dates are July 21 and 23 at 7pm EST.

For more information about these sessions see the registration page on the SENG website:

Registration is available for individual sessions or both.听 SENG members are eligible for discounted registration.

All proceeds from this special double session, will be applied to SENG鈥檚 鈥淒r. James Webb Diversity Scholarship Program鈥� toward anti-racism initiatives, including but not limited to sponsoring identified Dr. Martin Jenkins Scholars enrichment program opportunities.

Judy Smith

The Ed Tech Hub, together with UNESCO, has developed a database of educational tools and learning resources. The prototype has just been mounted online a little early because of the COVID-19 crisis. The database is fliterable and emphasizes free resources that can be used with a range of equipment such as a cell phone or offline--it was intended to be helpful in many countries around the globe.

It is worth spending some time to check out the resources in the list and I am adding the OATAG learning resource list.



Margaret

Representatives Alissa Keny Guyer and Barbara Smith Warner and Senator Michael Dembrow, the incoming chair of the Senate Education Committee, will be holding a pre-Special Session Zoom town next Tuesday evening, June 23, 5-6:30 p.m. Register in advance for the meeting. After registering, you抣l receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. If you are a constituent, register here:

Friends:

Below is a link and information concerning LC 76 with the legislative description.听

For those of you who are not familiar with the way the Oregon legislature works; bills that have been proposed first receive an "LC" number.听 That means it has been drafted by the Legislative Counsel's office but has not yet become a bill.听 At this stage, it is still collecting sponsors and co-sponsors.

Once the session begins, the LC draft is reviewed by the leadeship, receives a bill number and is assigned to a committee.听 The chair of that committee decides whether the bill will receive a hearing before the "drop dead" date established for each session.听 If the bill hasn't been heard before then, it dies automatically.

Any amendments to the bill will be posted before the bill receives a committee vote and are described as "dash 1" "dash 2" etc. If a bill is continued in the committee, it may receive further amendments.听 Amendments are supposed to be shown on the committee page for a bill but sometimes the hearing agendas and amendments are published very close to the actual hearing.

Often (as in this case) an LC draft (or bill) takes the form of a change to an existing statute (ORS) .听 In that case (as here) the original bill language is in regular type.听 ONLY NEW LANGUAGE is in BOLD type.听

If you wish to comment, I would contact Senator Dembrow's office as he is the incoming chair of the Senate Education Committee OR your own legislators.听 Once the bill has actually been assigned to a committee, you should go to the committee page for the committee that has been assigned to handle the bill to learn how to comment.

Sen.MichaelDembrow@...

You can find all the other information you might need on the Legislative homepage at



See also
"How ideas becomes laws"
and the Citizen Engagement page:
If this bill should pass, notice that it also sets a timeline for enrollment.听



"Increases for one school year percentage of students in school district
who may enroll in virtual public charter school not sponsored by school
district without first receiving approval from school district.
Removes requirement that school district that does not give approval for
enrollment in virtual public charter schools not sponsored by school district
must provide information about other online options available to students.
Declares emergency, effective on passage."

Margaret

开云体育

听 Friends,

Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) is offering a webinar on Tuesday, June 30.听 The presenter is Dr. Tracy L. Cross, who holds an endowed chair, and is the Executive Director of the Center for Gifted Education and the Institute for Research on the Suicide of Gifted Students at William & Mary.听 His topic is:听 Understanding and Preventing Suicidal Behavior Among Students with Gifts and Talents.听 Some students with gifts and talents (SWGT) are among the thousands of children and adolescents who die by suicide every year. While limited research suggests that they are not necessarily more likely to engage in suicidal behaviors than their nongifted peers, they do have unique risk and protective factors.

To register for this and to see other upcoming and previous webinars see the SENG website

SENG members are eligible for discounted registration.听

Judy Smith

听

Friends,

As a follow up to Judy's last message (below) , the TAGT webinars on racism with Jelani Memory and Colin Seale are still available on the TAGT website at
In addition to the discussion with Colin Seale that Judy has recommended, be sure to catch the webinar about talking to your children about racism with Jelani Memory



During the webinar, he mentioned that his book, Talking to Your Child about Racism听 is out.听 He also reads it on You Tube where you AND your children can listen to it for free!听 Don't miss this if you have young children.



I have also added it to our OATAG听 home learning resources as a highlighted resource with听 the subject label "social studies,"听

I have also added the TAGT webinars.听 They will only be available for a limited period so tune in now.


Judy wrote:

The Texas Association for Talented and Gifted (TAGT) Gifted + Equity Conference concludes today.听 They have made recordings of these sessions on racism from earlier this week available at their website:听

Speaker Colin Seale, has a Blog post on the NAGC website titled: Black Lives Matter. Black Minds Matter, Too: The Case For Prioritizing Equity In Gifted Education As An Urgent Racial Justice Issue.听听

As an advocate for TAG, I am concerned that because of the many financial and logistical challenges facing school districts in the fall they will eliminate TAG programs and advanced instruction in general.听听 In the words of Mr. Seale, "fighting for equity should never result in an outcome where everyone gets nothing, even if the equity issues are not being resolved rapidly enough."

Judy Smith

Friends:

the Fordham Institute has compiled a list of 16 virtual summer camps:



Margaret

Friends:

I am forwarding this message from the 2-E newsletter. As far as I can tell, there is no charge

Margaret

Misdiagnosed? Want Connection?It can be incredibly difficult to be lonely, without any friends to connect with. It can be even more difficult when you have had your giftedness misdiagnosed as a mental disorder.

This is a group for those who have been hurt by the incorrect labels and experiences following those labels to find connection with those who understand that rare kind of trauma. It's not a therapy group, it's simply a place to connect and express yourself. This is a place for you to both find people who understand your struggles, and form friendships to hang out and share your interests with others. It's a place to feel safe while spending time with other people like you.

My name is Kayla, and I am starting this group because I want to find other teens who have been through similar experiences. When I was 7 I was misdiagnosed with Asperger's, and spent my entire life in the wrong environments, traumatized by receiving help I didn't need. More powerful than that was the way the label impacted my entire identity, and made me question everything I know about who I am. I want to find and help people who are struggling to find people who understand what this is like. And I also want to form friendships and connections to share the joys of life with. Both sadness and happiness are important emotions to have people in your life to share them with.

I want to build friendships to bring some light into the life of those of us who are feeling lonely. Date of Meeting TBDOpen to ages 15-19. Parents are welcome to email and ask any questions they have. Parent permission needed for anyone under 18.Meetings will be supervised by Dr. Michael Postma.We will begin with a discussion around misdiagnosis. Activities for later sessions will be determined based on what the group wants!

If you are interested or have questions, please contact Dr. Michael Postma at mpost97@... or Kayla McFalls, wisardstar@...

开云体育

Friends,

The Texas Association for Talented and Gifted (TAGT) Gifted + Equity Conference concludes today.听 They have made recordings of these sessions on racism from earlier this week available at their website:听

Speaker Colin Seale, has a Blog post on the NAGC website titled: Black Lives Matter. Black Minds Matter, Too: The Case For Prioritizing Equity In Gifted Education As An Urgent Racial Justice Issue. 听

As an advocate for TAG, I am concerned that because of the many financial and logistical challenges facing school districts in the fall they will eliminate TAG programs and advanced instruction in general.听听 In the words of Mr. Seale, "fighting for equity should never result in an outcome where everyone gets nothing, even if the equity issues are not being resolved rapidly enough."

Judy Smith

Debbie Reber has organized a timely series of talks, called , which begins this week.

The $29 揺arly bird� pricing is good through the start date of the Series. After June 10, the price will go up to $39

The series features live conversations throughout the summer with a great line up of experts:

• June 10: A Conversation about Summer Without Camp, with Audrey Monke and Katherine Reynolds Lewis
• June 17: A Conversation about Race, with Julie Lythcott-Haims, JD, Nefertiti Austin, Christine Koh and Leslie Priscilla Arreola-Hillenbrand
• June 24: A Conversation About Screen Time, with Devorah Heitner, PhD and Catherine Steiner-Adair, EdD
• July 1: A Conversation about Independence, with Julie Lythcott-Haims, JD, MFA and Catherine Steiner-Adair, EdD
• July 8: A Conversation about Anxiety & Building Resilience, with Madeline Levine, PhD and Michele Borba, EdD
• July 15: A Conversation about Showing Up, with Tina Payne Bryson, Phd, LCSW and Katie Hurley, LCSW
• July 22: A Conversation about Finding Peace, with Debbie Reber, MA and Christine Carter, PhD
• July 28: A Conversation about Motivation, with Katherine Reynolds Lewis, Ned Johnson, and William Stixrud, PhD
• August 5: A Conversation about Back-to-School, with Jessica Lahey and Phyllis Fagell

To learn more and register, click .

Enjoy!

Debbie and the Bright & Quirky Team

---

Debbie Steinberg Kuntz, LMFT
Founder and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
Bright & Quirky, PLLC
Follow us on Facebook:

开云体育

Friends,

Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) is offering a webinar on June 16th.听 The topic is:听 Elevate Critical Creative Thinking via Rigorous and Engaging Tech Integration.听 Presenter Julie Jaeger, veteran elementary and middle school educator, technology integrator and gifted instructor, will encourage pondering, problem solving, and engaging in the rigor and relevance of higher order thinking.听

Registration for this and previous webinars is available at:

SENG members receive discounts on registration.

Judy Smith

Friends:

This is forwarded from the Texas TAG association (TAGT)

This last week has been difficult for our country, state, and communities as we experience sadness and outrage at the injustices that we continue to see across our nation. As we head into a conference focused on equity, access, and serving the underserved, we realized the great opportunity we have as an organization to lean into these difficult conversations about racism, bias, and inequity. To that end we have made a few additions to the program. These two sessions are open to anyone, registration for the conference is not necessary or required. To RSVP, please click here:

听

Monday, 1:00 pm 2:00 pm CT

No More Silence: Tools for White People Who Want to Actively Fight Racism

Speakers: Kelsey Karcher, Allen ISD and Colin Seale, thinkLaw

It is impossible to detach the fight for equity in education, and in gifted education in particular, from the broader struggle for racial justice in this country. At a time when racial tensions are flaring up nationally at a level unseen in generations, one thing is abundantly clear: racism cannot, and will not be wiped out without active involvement from white people committed to the cause. This panel discussion and workshop will give all attendees the practical tools to understand how to not just be "not racist," but become an anti-racist, active participant in ending racism. After this session, you will have the practical tools needed to transform from a mere ally to a true co-conspirator in the fight against racism.

听

Wednesday, 12:30 pm 1:00 pm CT

A Conversation about Difficult Conversations with Jelani Memory, Author of 揂 Kids Book About Racism�

Join Jelani Memory, author of 揂 Kids Book About Racism� and founder of A Kids Book About publishing company, in a conversation about race and how to have conversations about difficult topics with kids. Jelani, a black man married to a white woman, has a blended family of 6 kids and the topic of race comes up often. Jelani wrote a straight-forward book about it called 揂 Kids Book About Racism� that sparked conversation and interest from all of his adult friends because it gave kids and adults permission to talk about such a difficult topic. What started as a small project is now a series of a dozen books around racism, feminism, body image, cancer, belonging, gratitude, and launching 30 new books every year!

听In unity,

Paulina van Eeden Hill, CAE | Executive Director

开云体育

Friends,

At the 2019 OATAG Conference, the Board of Directors announced a new program to award grants of up to $150 to students for original projects.听 In January of 2020 three grants were awarded with results due by May 1^st.听 As reported in the recent Different Drummer newsletter, two students are planning to complete their projects during the summer or next year.听 The other grant was awarded to a group of seniors at McKay HS in Salem.听 These students have submitted a report based on their accomplishments despite the school closure caused by the pandemic.
听
OATAG congratulates the McKay HS seniors on completing their grant funded project and we invite you to on the OATAG website.

Please now to continue the Student Grant Program.

Judy Smith
OATAG Student Grant Committee Chair

Friends:

The National Museum of African American History and Culture (part of the Smithsonian) has launched its new portal "Talking about Race."听 It includes well-researched resources for parents and educators.

Below is a link and excerpt from their website




Since the opening of the museum, the number one question people ask us is how to talk about race. Every year we've refined our signature program, 鈥淟et's Talk! Teaching Race in the Classroom,鈥� and now we want to share what we've learned.

Even prior to opening our museum doors, we envisioned this museum would be welcoming to those of every race, ethnicity, and nationality, and those of every physical and cognitive ability, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs and to all ages. We are proud of the work we鈥檝e accomplished and want to bring our philosophy of inclusion into this exciting new initiative.

Since the opening of the museum, the number one question people ask us is how to talk about race. The NMAAHC education department鈥檚 mission has made deliberate strides toward being a 鈥渂rave space鈥� to discuss race, equity, and inclusion. We explore how these topics relate in both a historical and cultural context. In 2014, we launched our signature program, 鈥淟et鈥檚 Talk! Teaching Race in the Classroom.鈥� Every year we鈥檝e learned, reflected, and refined the program content 鈥� always growing and striving to do better.

The first thing to understand is that it is a process. This process of understanding and talking about race begins by learning where you are on your own journey. The starting point is different for each and every individual. It is informed by how you see yourself and how you鈥檙e seen by others.听 Add in all your unique experiences in addition to factors like place, family history and community, and the starting point will be different for every person. Each of our paths will be different based on who we are and how we got here.

Issues of race are sometimes blatant and obvious, sometimes subtle and nuanced, and often difficult to confront. However, with commitment and caring, we can all play an important role in dismantling racism to create a more inclusive, just, and safe society. By committing to understanding and talking about race, all our lives will be better.

NEW COMMUNITY FEATURES


Each month we'll focus on a new most requested hot topic in 3 ways;

1. Discussions in TAG talk, our new community forum
2. Recommended read - for a more in depth learning experience on the month's topic
3. Webinar - at the end of each month we'll feature expert guest speakers on the month's topic in a one hour webinar


June's topic: Perfectionism, Managing "never Good Enough"

Friends:

Everything Math is offering a few online interative math classes for gifted students starting in June.听 For more information go to



Margaret

Friends:

Below is information about CovEd, and their new Piazza Q and A forum.听 They have told me they will be running all summer.


CovEd is a community of undergraduates, postgraduates, students, and educators from colleges/universities across the U.S. who are interested in supporting K-12 students in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our goal is to create a free virtual platform for pairing mentors from higher education institutions with K-12 students affected by school closures. We hope that this platform and our resources page will help students who are currently struggling with classes during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Aboout Piazza:
CovEd is launching an additional avenue to provide 24/7 academic support. Piazza is an online forum in which students can ask questions and have undergraduates answer them, any day of the week. Students can ask questions in regards to a variety of academic subjects and the college application process/college life. Instructions to sign up and use the Coved Piazza include this guideline () as well as a (). Please read at least the before using. Note that students under 13 years of age must create an account with their parents.


This free program is designed for students in underserved communities and seems to focus on social/emotional support:听 It provides a "portal" that organizations can use for matching mentors with mentees.


Margaret

开云体育

Fifty-eight percent of the teachers surveyed said they would be in favor of grouping students by competency, rather than age.听

Survey of America抯 Educators on Teaching During and After the COVID-19 Outbreak

"Voices from the (Virtual) Classroom is a nationally representative survey of public school teachers exploring education during this crisis -- what is working, what isn抰, what is needed now -- and what teachers think the priorities should be when we return to the classroom.
The pandemic has taken an immense human and economic toll on our education system. These survey results outline what teachers and their students need now and in the future, providing valuable guidance for decision-makers making hard choices in the months ahead as they reopen schools amidst budget shortfalls."

Friends:

Sorry--I was trying to do too many things at once.

The social will officially begin at 5:00.

Margaret