EPCGT President's Letter
Fall 2009
Welcome to the 2009-2010 school year!For those of you who may not know me, my name is Joe Wenc and I am the new chapter President. My wife Kate and I have lived in Eden Prairie for 14 years and have two sons, one attending Oak Point and the other at Eden Lake. Last year I participated in EPCGT as the chapter Secretary. It has been more than five years since my wife and I started our journey exploring gifted issues. We've read countless articles, attended conferences, and met many other families of gifted children. Each time we learn something new, we realize there is so much more to learn. EPCGT has been a great resource for us on this journey. In addition to learning about different traits of gifted children through the monthly meetings and newsletters, we have had the pleasure of getting feedback and support from other parents who have traveled the road we are traveling. There is nothing more comforting than knowing someone else has faced what you are facing and EPCGT offers that comfort. I am passionate about gifted education (the "Is it a Cheetah?" article by Stephanie S. Tolan helped ignite this passion) and I hope that passion translates into a successful year for EPCGT. In my role as President this year, I plan to continue to focus on the core activities this group is known for and let our mission statement, "to promote awareness of the unique needs of gifted children and support educational and social opportunities to meet those needs", be the guide for those activities.
The four main areas of focus will continue to be: monthly meetings, our newsletter, continued discussions with the EP school district, and the always successful Science Night.
Our monthly meetings are a great opportunity to meet with other parents who may be facing issues similar to your family. Meetings will continue to have a guest speaker or a topic of focus for the first hour. Following this will be a newly added 30 minutes of support time. If parents have an issue they need feedback on, this time will provide the opportunity to bring that up (not unlike "joys and concerns" at ECFE). The last part of our meeting will be the business agenda which contains membership decisions on administrative matters as well as updates on meetings between EPCGT leadership and district staff. The newsletter will keep on offering timely updates on upcoming activities, articles on relevant subject matter, and ideas and resources for your child(ren) and family. EPCGT leadership will continue to meet with Eden Prairie school district officials to express concerns, ask questions, and receive updates on the delivery of gifted services. This is a pivotal year in the future of EPCGT. Many of the other district level chapters of MCGT have recently struggled with fewer volunteers and have converted from a chapter to a less active and less structured parent group. EPCGT is experiencing a similar decrease in volunteerism and unless more members (new and existing) are able to volunteer, we will have to begin discussions of which activities to scale back or eliminate. Please remember that every little bit of time contributed, whether one hour a week or one hour a month, allows our group to continue to offer the support, services, and information the families of gifted children need. I'd like to thank the past Presidents and Board Members who have built an organization that is highly regarded by the school district and the state gifted community.I'd also like to thank current members and Board Members who have and will continue to help out during the upcoming school year. I look forward to a successful year, meeting new faces, and continuing the relationships with those I have already worked with. As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me. Respectfully,Joe Wenc