President's Report

Happy New Year!

The start of the second semester of school is always the hardest since we don’t have
any more significant breaks until March. Thankfully, we have the AGATE 2022
Conference in in NW Arkansas in just under 50 days!

My favorite part of the AGATE Conference is learning from YOU! I love attending
sessions by expert teachers in the field, meeting new vendors, hearing the acceptance
speeches by our award winners, and seeing so many new G/T educators win the
$1,000 reimbursement scholarships joining our profession.

As you know by now, this year’s AGATE Keynote Speaker is a gifted young adult and
student inventor – Ann Makosinski – who was featured in Goodnight Stories for Rebel
Girls, Volume 1. I know my kids are excited to meet Ann and hear from her live.

The AGATE Conference has always been student-focused, family friendly, and full of
teacher resources to engage and challenge our gifted young minds, so don’t forget to
register to attend the Family Engagement Day at the Rogers Center for Non-Profits on
Saturday, February 26th . Monica Springfield has designed a hands-on (rather than a sit
& get for parents to learn with their kids.  

We also have a full slate of candidates running to join the AGATE Board of Directors. I
encourage you to research them or seek them out at the AGATE Conference to hear
their ideas for moving AGATE forward. Even though I will be shifting to past-president
come July, I will still be very active in supporting President-elect Jennifer Park and her
vision for where AGATE needs to go next.

Again, the annual AGATE Conference has always been the perfect time of year for me
to recharge my batteries and refill my cup to finish out the school year strong. I
sincerely hope you will join me and other colleagues from around the state and region
for the best gifted professional development you’ll receive. Bring your family and make
an extended weekend to enjoy Northwest Arkansas too; I promise you won’t regret it!

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Calendar of Events

UPCOMING WEBINARS & PD

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AGATE Advocacy

AGATE Advocacy

Winter Newsletter

Davis Hendricks

AGATE Legislative Advocate

The AGATE Legislative Advocate and the AGATE Legislative Committee continue to monitor the activities of the 93^rd General Assembly. After the pause of the General extended session on August 6, the 1st Extraordinary Session convened on September 29 and ran through October 15 to consider and approve new district lines. Another Extraordinary Session was called by the Governor on December 7 and adjourned sine die on December 9 after passing several bills that adjusted tax rates and other tax and funding related legislation. The Legislative Advocate and the committee monitored both special sessions and even though there was no GT related legislation to be considered, provided the membership links to redistricting data during the first special session as well as links to the final versions of district lines.

Now the legislature shifts focus to prepare for the 93^rd General Assembly Fiscal Session, which is scheduled to convene on February 14. Here is a link to important dates for this upcoming session: https://www.arkleg.state.ar.us/Bureau/Document?type=pdf&source=assembly%2F2021%2F2021R%2FDocuments&filename=BLR-JBC+2022+Important+Dates

On January 3 and 4 the Adequacy Oversight Committee, which is actually the Joint Interim Education Committee, (JEC) met to begin the process of updating the 2022 Adequacy Report. The Advocate watched the livestream of the meetings as the Bureau of Legislative Research (BLR) and legal advisors from the Arkansas Department of Education presented the basic rationale for the study and the responsibilities of the JEC in preparing the report every biennium. This process will continue with the JEC meeting monthly for two days per month to review data prepared by the BLR, and make any recommendations for changes in the process, the funding matrix and whether to consider and include recommendations from the consulting group, Augenblich, Palaich and Associates, who were hired last year to gather data in a wide range of topics related to Adequacy. The AGATE Advocate will continue to monitor all Adequacy meetings, either in person or real-time observation of livestreaming, depending on Covid protocols, and report to the AGATE Legislative Committee.

As legislators begin to file bills for the upcoming session, the Advocate will read them daily for any relationship to GT education and will keep the membership aware of any important legislative developments. He will also continue to meet with legislators, developing positive relationships and sharing AGATE information as the session approaches. AGATE members should be consulting the information about legislators that is provided on the Advocacy page of the AGATE Website in preparation for the upcoming Fiscal Session. The Advocate and Legislative Committee will be closely monitoring legislative activity but AGATE members who know their district legislators and develop positive, trusting relationships with them are the most effective legislative advocates for the mission of AGATE. Invite your legislators to visit your classes and make sure they are aware of the dynamic learning opportunities your program is providing, as well as the positive role it serves in the overall school improvement efforts of your district. Remember that the AGATE Legislative Advocate and the Legislative Committee are available to provide information and support to your advocacy efforts in your community. Don’t hesitate to call on Davis Hendricks [email protected], or any member of the AGATE Legislative Committee for assistance as you do your part to spread the good news about Gifted and Talented Education in Arkansas.

We hope you are planning to attend the AGATE State Conference, February 23-25 in Rogers at the Rogers Convention Center. If you are interested in learning how you can become a more effective advocate for Gifted Education in Arkansas, attend Davis’ session on Thursday entitled, AGATE Advocacy: A Moral Imperative. Davis and the Legislative Committee wish you and yours a safe, healthy and productive 2022!

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District Representative Reports

District II Update from Marcia Smith

Picture Caption:
Anne Watson Elementary 4th-6th Grade GT students at their

13th annual
“Trick-or-Treat History Cemetery”

From left to right; Mikey Johnson, Brandon Teas, Alexea Allgood, Benjamin Elliott, Makynzi Elliott, Isabella Corballis, Drake Glenn, Bradley Griffis, Zayden Grider, Bruce Pattillo, John Gunther, Miller Starr, Lea Olles, Braylon Doss, Lorena Sellers, Clara Gunther, Ana Garcia, Gavin Black, Timothy Chiaro, Bentley Ferguson, Julie Browning, Daniel Davis, Brylee Appleberry, Wyatt Pattillo, Evelyn Hernandez, Jr. Mojica, and Madison Nix. (This is in Bigelow.)

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Affiliate's Edge

Affiliate’s Edge
CALLING ALL PARENTS…Let’s Affiliate!
Monica Meadows, Ed.D.
December 2021

As a parent of a gifted child you can sometimes feel like you are all alone. That’s why it’s important to reach out to others who have experienced, or are facing, similar situations. In addition to support, parent affiliate groups can provide parents with information, tools, and tips for navigating the world of giftedness and help them become advocates in their child’s life.

So how do I start an Affiliate group?

1. GET ORGANIZED - GT FAMILIES NEED SUPPORT
○ Parents or educators can start an Affiliate group!! All you need is a desire
to support GT parents, educators, and students; and have a common
interest and purpose with AGATE: the development of the potential of gifted
and talented youth.
○ As few as 3 - 5 supporters can start a group.

2. Join AGATE
○ The local organization must have voted to affiliate with AGATE and must
renew annually by payment of membership fees to AGATE.
○ Complete the Affiliate membership application.
○ Pay annual affiliate dues of $60. Fee includes annual AGATE membership
for all of the organization’s parent members.

3. Set Initial Group Goals
○ Start simple! Ask GT parents, students, and educators about local GT
needs. Thinking about current needs of families within your community can
inspire parents to get involved.

4. Publicize
○ Create a flyer, brochure, or social media page that can be shared with
others. This lets others know about the group’s goals and gets them
involved!

5. Collaborate & Grow
○ Parent Groups do more as they grow! Affiliate groups can provide parent
education, student enrichment, supplies, scholarships, teacher
appreciation, positive advocacy, and much more. An Affiliate group can
help GT students and communities achieve their potential!

Each parent group will vary, in part because of the different needs of the schools and the students involved. Parent Affiliate groups have had a positive impact on their local districts due to their existence, their programming, and their advocacy. For every member that joins, more information on the unique characteristics of gifted children, their strengths, and their vulnerabilities can be disseminated. For every member that joins, more information on teaching methods that work with the gifted and publicize opportunities that are available for gifted students can be shared.

AGATE is always excited to have groups working toward the goal of meeting the needs of gifted and talented youth in Arkansas.

The Affiliate registration form can be found on the AGATE website,
https://giftedarkansas.org/. Then click Join; Parent Affiliate; Join Now
Please contact Dr. Monica Meadows with any questions, [email protected].

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AGATE Conference

AGATE Conference Information

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MAP Winners 2022

The Member Assistance Program (MAP) Committee would like to congratulate Julie Gingras and Joshua Duggins from Trumann School District as the winners of a free AGATE spring conference registration. We know they will learn a lot and take that information back to their district to enrich students. 

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AGATE Ballot

AGATE Board of Directors
2022 Elections

President-Elect (vote for one)

Karen Grady (Guy Fenter ESC)

Tim Smithey (Rogers School District)

Vice-President of Membership (vote for one)

Regina (Alex) Bates (Jessieville Public Schools)

Brenda Rush (Malvern Public Schools)

Monica Springfield (Ozarks Unlimited Resource ESC)

Secretary (vote for one)

Jill Henley (Harmony Grove School District)

Ginger Willis (Newport Special School District)

Treasurer (vote for one)

Kelly Clark (Rose Bud School District)

District I (vote for one)

Dr. Julie Lamb Milligan (Arkansas State University, Jonesboro)

Jennifer Thomas (Cabot Public Schools)

District III (vote for one)

Stephanie Harper (Siloam Springs Public Schools)

Delene McCoy (Berryville Public Schools)

Karm Prock (Fayetteville Public Schools)

Ashley Rieske (Rogers Public Schools)

Nominations Committee (vote for two)

Kristi Cox (Nashville School District)

Karen Millsap (Vilonia School District)

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