EPCGT Co-President's Letter

Fall 2008

Early fall is such a busy time!  With the start up of school, sports, music lessons, dance, scouts, confirmation and a myriad of other after-school activities, it’s enough to leave a harried parent longing for a lounge chair on a tropical beach somewhere!  Thank goodness for EPCGT, the one stop shopping place for addressing almost all of the needs of your gifted child.  Unsure of how to challenge your precocious pre-schooler?  EPCGT can help.  Wondering how to determine your child’s true intellectual ability level?  EPCGT can help you navigate the maze of testing and direct you to qualified professionals for evaluation.   Has your child recently been identified as “gifted” and you’re wondering what this means and how the school gifted program works?  EPCGT can provide those answers.  What are AP classes, IB programs, CIS and PSEO?  EPCGT can help you sort through the alphabet soup and pick the option that is best for your child.   Wondering how to deal with your child’s over-excitability, perfectionism, or dual diagnosis (i.e., gifted plus ADHD, Asperger’s, or learning disabled)?  EPCGT can provide support both from parents whose children share these issues as well as resources at the local, state and national level.  And the list goes on and on…

In an effort to be even more responsive to the needs of our membership, EPCGT will be making some changes this year.  First, the social time at our monthly board meetings will be lengthened to one hour to give parents of G/T kids more time to get to know one another, share their concerns, and brainstorm solutions.  Parents curious about EPCGT will find this to be a comfortable way to learn what value we can provide to families with high potential kids.  The actual business meeting (following social time) will be shortened to no more than 90 minutes so more people can fit this into their schedules.  Following the meeting, we invite you to join us for some parent to parent connections over lunch at a local restaurant.  Hopefully this casual time will help everyone get to know each other.

 Second, EPCGT will be bringing in more speakers on topics of concern to G/T parents.  Be sure to attend our first evening event of the season, a free seminar and workshop on Respectful and Effective Advocacy by Kathy Geary, to learn how best to advocate for the needs of your child (See the front page for all the details!).  Dana Koletar will speak on the topic “Is Your Child Gifted?” during the social hour preceding the October 10^th board meeting.  We hope to bring in knowledgeable speakers for meetings and special events through out the year.

 Third, EPCGT will make a concerted effort to reach out to gifted populations which are under-represented in our organization including families with young children, families with diverse ethnic backgrounds and families with students who attend other schools in Eden Prairie.  We will encourage these families to get to know our group and learn more about the resources we offer.

 Fourth, both the district and the state are predicting funding shortfalls in the near future.   G/T services are NOT mandated in Minnesota and are likely to suffer budget cuts as a result of these shortfalls.  EPCGT will strive to keep you informed about G/T funding at the state and local level, how this may affect your child, and what needs to be done to advocate for sustainable and adequate funding. 

 Finally, due to the natural attrition of committed EPCGT volunteers as their children grow and graduate from high school, our organization is facing the challenge of providing quality, sustainable leadership in the years to come.  To ensure the future viability of this organization, we are working to encourage members (experienced and new) to stretch themselves and take on leadership roles in the organization.  Volunteer organizations cannot survive without committed leadership; EPCGT is no different in that respect.  As adults, we need to model “using our gifts” for our children.  So if you’re looking for a way to become more involved in issues of gifted education, we have a place for you to share your talents!

Although several things are changing, please rest assured that items our members hold most dear will remain unchanged. As always, our monthly newsletter and website will provide you with the latest information, and we will continue to sponsor LEAP social events, grants for Eden Prairie teachers, Family Science Nights and financial support for Young Scientist Roundtable.

We thank you for your continued support of EPCGT. We are excited and honored to share in your journey to help your child reach the pinnacle of his or her potential.

Respectfully,
Karilyn Jons & Jennifer Urbanski
EPCGT 2008-09 co-presidents