Association for Bright Children
APRIL - MAY 2017
TOGETHER, WE ARE A STRONG COMMUNITY!
MEETING AND EVENT INFO
Details of events can be found on our website - visit to read more or REGISTER NOW
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
Parent meetings: Saturday, April 29, Tuesday, May 23, and Thursday, June 15 *free*
Events for kids 6-9:
Saturday, April 29: Cooking Party for kids 6-11 *subsidized*Wednesday, May 31: All-day engineering workshops (flight & chain reactions)
Monday, June 5: All-day engineering workshops (maker workshop and chain reactions)
Events for kids 9+:
Saturday, April 29: Cooking Party for kids 6-11 *subsidized*
Wednesday, May 24 & Thursday, May 25: 2 day Lego robotics workshop for ages 9+
Friday, May 26: All-day engineering event (maker workshop and roller coasters)
Tuesday, June 6: DNA workshop and maker workshop for ages 10+
Wednesday, June 7 & Thursday, June 8: 2 day Lego robotics workshop for ages 9+ (this is a repeat of the workshops in May - register for one only)
*NOTE: The Lego programming workshops can go beyond what children may have accessed in a gifted cluster session. SOME SPACES IN WORKSHOPS HAVE BEEN RESERVED FOR GIRLS*
Dates that school boards meet to discuss and plan for children with special needs (meetings open to the public):
TVDSB: April 4, May 1, May 30, June 5
LCDSB: April 18, April 24, May 16, June 20
WHO ADVOCATES FOR GIFTED CHILDREN? YOU DO.
The second largest group of children with special needs is gifted children. With such a huge number of children in need of a different approach to education, one would think that there would be a widespread acceptance and understanding of gifted children.
Sadly, the needs of gifted individuals are often misunderstood, sometimes misdiagnosed, and too often ignored.
As parents, we need to be aware that the long-standing and widely accepted research into giftedness and gifted education practice DOES NOT MATCH what is happening in many of our schools.
A parent is the single most important advocate for the needs of their child. This means we need to inform ourselves of the research, the law, and the reality of the daily experiences of our children. Where there are discrepancies, we need to SPEAK OUT.
Advocacy works best when we work together. Come to a parent meeting and learn what you need to know to advocate successfully for the needs of YOUR child.
Meetings are Saturday, April 29, Tuesday May 23, and Thursday, June 15. RSVP.
UNDERSTANDING GIFTEDNESS
TVDSB SPECIAL EDUCATION PLAN - SURVEY
Thames Valley District School Board is asking for feedback from the community on its special education plan. In the next week, we will be sending a separate email about this survey, explaining some key aspects of the special education plan and how it may impact not only gifted children, but all children who fall under the special education portfolio in TVDSB.
From TVDSB:
"The Special Education Advisory Committee (SEAC) of the Thames Valley District School Board (TVDSB) wants to hear from you. This survey gives you a chance to give us ideas on how the TVDSB can improve the education it offers to students with special education needs.
We want to hear from all of our stakeholders (parents, students, teachers, community partners, etc.) regardless if you have a child or family member with special needs. The questionnaire will take approximately 10 minutes to complete."
We look forward to sharing more with you in the coming week.
ABC London
TOGETHER, WE CREATE A STRONG GROUP OF COMMITTED PARENT ADVOCATES.
Join us in our online discussion group for information and advice about raising and advocating for your gifted child: abc-london.slack.com.
We are also very active on Facebook!
Email: abclondon@abcontario.ca
Website: abclondon.ca
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Association-for-Bright-Children-of-Ontario-London-Chapter-460077914015270/