AGATE Fall 2022 Newsletter 
President's Report
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Happy Fall! It’s the time of year when the leaves start to change colors and eventually fall when we are reminded to let go of what is weighing us down. We all know there is never enough time in the day, so it’s important to prioritize and focus on what matters most. Over the summer, the AGATE Board of Directors held our retreat where we had the opportunity to come together onsite at the Winthrop Rockefeller Institute. We had the chance to get to know each other, learn about each other’s personality type, collaborate, and plan for the future of AGATE. I feel very fortunate to work with such an amazing group of friends and advocates for gifted education. |
Our AGATE conference is scheduled for February 22-24, 2023 at the Doubletree Hotel & Robinson Center in Little Rock. This year, our Conference Chair Dustin Seaton, co-chair Kelly Clark, and our conference committee have an amazing conference planned featuring keynote speakers, Dr. Karen Rambo-Hernandez from Texas A&M along with a member of the Governor’s Advisory Council, Dr. Curtis Cunningham of John Brown University.
Registration is now open for our conference! It’s time to register and make reservations! In addition to that, we would love for you to submit a proposal to be a presenter at our conference. If selected, you will receive discounted conference registration.
In addition to submitting a proposal, it’s also time to nominate for AGATE awards! Do you know someone who goes above and beyond for gifted education? Do you have a parent in your community who has supported the development of gifted students in Arkansas? Have you created a curriculum unit that includes differentiation as well as opportunities for talent development? If so, you should check out our awards page and apply for an AGATE award!
I hope this fall you will make it a priority to focus on what matters most and let go of the things that weigh you down!
Welcome New Members
Happy Fall Everyone! We are excited to see how many membership renewals and new memberships we have received already. We look forward to continued growth this year and the exciting AGATE Conference planned for February 2023! Wait till you hear our inspiring keynotes! Please take a few minutes and visit the AGATE website and renew your membership or join us by becoming a member.
AGATE Advocacy
Throughout the summer and the first months of this school year, the AGATE Legislative Committee and the AGATE Advocate have been closely monitoring the monthly meetings of the Adequacy Oversight Committee, which is also the Joint Interim Education Committee (JEC.) The JEC is the combined Senate and House
Education Committees, and they have the responsibility for reviewing the Adequacy Report, which is due every biennium. In 2021, the JEC employed the consulting firm of Augenblich, Palaich and Associates to review and collect new data on adequacy that was used for the reports provided by the Bureau of Legislative Research for the 2022 Adequacy Study and Report. For those who may not know, the initial Adequacy Study and Report was commissioned in 2003 and became the resolution of the litigation known as the Lakeview Case, which challenged the state education funding formula as being inequitable across districts. When that report was created in 2003, the initial consultants, Odden and Picus, included significant research rationale for the inclusion of Gifted and Talented Education in the report. Since 2003, GT data was omitted in each subsequent report except for 2014, when it reappeared in a bench audit, once again by Odden and Picus, commissioned
by the Adequacy Oversight Committee in 2013. Since 2018, AGATE has been requesting that the Adequacy Report include mention of GT Education as a significant aspect of adequacy in education in Arkansas, as well as an analysis of how GT funds are being spent by districts in Arkansas. In February, during one of the monthly reports provided by the Bureau of Legislative Research, an analysis of
GT expenditures was included as well as general summary text about GT Education and adequacy for the first time since 2014. Numerous discussions about the need for this analysis over the past four years with different legislators finally yielded the inclusion of a table which provided the requested data. When the draft of the final
Adequacy Report was provided at the September Adequacy Oversight (JEC) meeting, the AGATE Advocate studied it closely and determined that the table was not included. Phone calls and emails to the AGATE Legislative Committee chairs, Aaron Randolph and Sandra Johnson, as well as AGATE President, Jennifer Park, resulted in a letter being drafted to Senator Elliott, as well as several other legislators who were enlisted to support its inclusion in the final report. Senator Elliott was glad to include AGATE’s request for inclusion of this table in the final Adequacy Report of 2022:
As of the AOC meeting on October 3, Senator Elliott requested the inclusion of this table, in addition to the already existing references to Gifted and Talented and Advanced Placement in the report. All recommendations were voted on by the AOC and we assume that this will be included in the final Adequacy Report of 2022. If so, it will be the culmination of extensive work by the AGATE Legislative Committee and the AGATE Advocate over the past four years. The committee and the Advocate will follow up by reviewing the final draft of the 2022 Adequacy Report to determine if the table was included. The AGATE Advocate will continue to closely monitor legislative activity as bills are being prepared for the 94th General Assembly in January. All AGATE members are encouraged to exercise their right to vote in the upcoming elections and participate in the process. As candidates become legislators, AGATE’s Legislative Committee will continue to develop positive relationships with policymakers to ensure that Arkansas’ GT students, teachers and programs are represented in the legislative arena. Remember that Davis Hendricks, the AGATE Legislative Advocate, is available to come to your district and meet with your teachers, students, and parents to expand their awareness of the role of GT Education in Arkansas at no charge. Also, do not hesitate to contact him at [email protected] or members of the AGATE Legislative Committee if you have questions about legislation or advocacy.
District IV Happenings
About 100 fifth grade gifted and talented students from Dawson co-op schools participated in Optimum STEM day on Friday at Arkansas State University Three Rivers campus. Students worked on building roller coasters in cooperative teams. Teams were composed of students from other schools rather than from their home district. This gave students the opportunity to work on both “soft skills” and STEM skills. Optimum awarded a $500 grant to pay for all the supplies, snacks, and prizes for the day.
After several fun icebreakers to help everyone get to know each other better, each team received a bag of identical supplies and about 90 minutes to build their best roller coaster. Roller coasters had to be freestanding and fully functioning. Supplies included foam pipe insulation, popsicle sticks, straws, paper plates, colored paper, cardboard tubes, and tape. Students could also choose colored streamers and duct tape to enhance their chosen theme.
Judges from Optimum and ASU Three Rivers visited each team to hear students explain the engineering design process they used while building their roller coasters. Prizes were awarded in five categories: Brightest Theme, Problem Solving Ninjas, Trailblazing Transformers, Team Spirit, and the Judge’s Spotlight.
Each student on the winning teams received a bag full of fun prizes including Rubik’s cubes, emoji beach balls, pompoms, headlamps, spy pens, s’mores ingredients and a marshmallow roasting stick, and more! The finished roller coasters were amazing and included a wide range of themes including cookie monster, outer space, girls trip, rock and roll land and many more.
Even though they were given the same supplies, each team created not only a unique theme, but also designed a one-of-a-kind roller coaster. Eleven schools attended the event included Malvern, Hot Springs, Fountain Lake, Bauxite, Gurdon, Benton, Mountain Pine, Arkadelphia, Harmony Grove, Lake Hamilton, and Cutter-Morningstar.
Affiliate's Edge
Affiliate’s Edge
Why Affiliate?
Monica Meadows, Ed.D.
Have you ever found yourself on the front lines of the advocacy effort on behalf of your child or others, but you felt like you were navigating the waters all alone? As parents of gifted children, many of us may have had similar experiences. Often, we are amazed at what our bright children are doing, we get frustrated when barriers are put in their way, and we desire todo something to help them. This is where an Affiliate group can help. When parent groups are involved in advocacy and support for their gifted children, change happens. It may not be all at once, but parents can make a difference. Each parent group will vary, in part because of the different needs of the schools and the students involved. However, there are several needs that parent groups commonly address:
- Parent groups can celebrate giftedness. A parent group meeting is a place where you and others involved with the day-to-day support of gifted children can discuss the wonders and pleasures that come from listening, talking, and dealing with extraordinary children.
- Parent groups can teach parents, educators, and the public about what giftedness means and how it is best served.
- Parent groups can provide social and cultural interaction.
- Parent groups develop effective advocates. As a support group grows in membership and/or influence, its members can become local and even state advocates for the rights and needs of gifted youth in our society. Frankly, advocacy in all of its forms (from writing a letter to a principal about an issue, to testifying before the local school board) is a primary area of activism for most parent support groups. Parent support groups are powerful change agents for gifted children and their families.
What is an AGATE affiliate? An AGATE affiliate chapter is an organized group of people interested in promoting appropriate educational opportunities for gifted and talented children and youth. These are parent groups, local community, school, or school district groups which have formally joined with AGATE to support its efforts and share in the benefits of statewide networking.
If you do not have an affiliate program in your district yet, this is the perfect time to start one. AGATE is always excited to have groups working toward the goal of meeting the needs of gifted and talented youth in Arkansas. It is a great way for parents and grandparents of GT students to get to know each other and it is surprisingly inexpensive, the dues are only $60 per group per year. Fee includes annual AGATE membership for all of the organization’s parent members.
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]
Awards
The AGATE Board would like to recognize those who nurture and support the development of gifted children and gifted education in Arkansas. The award honorees will be recognized at the annual AGATE Spring Conference. As an individual or affiliate group, we invite you to pursue the awards and nominate someone deserving of AGATE recognition for a job well done.
Links to all awards and grants are below:
https://giftedarkansas.org/
All 2023 applications are due no later than November 11, 2022
Email questions to AGATE Awards Chair April Blackburn at [email protected]
Nominations
We are looking for anyone who is interested to nominate themselves to be on the AGATE Board of Directors for the following positions:
- District Director - 2 (Central Arkansas)
- District Director - 4 (South Arkansas)
- Affiliate Director
If you are interested, please let the Nominating Chair - Dustin Seaton - know by Friday, Nov. 11th. [email protected]
Board Spotlight
Spotlight: Jennifer Park
Position on Board: President
Current position: GT Specialist at Wilbur Mills Co-op. This is my 2nd year.
Education Stats: 17 years, BS in Public Relations, got a non-traditional licensure and taught 2nd grade at Romine in LRSD for 5 years, then went into GT 12 years ago as the GT Coordinator at Carlisle.
What do you never leave home without? My cell phone
What is something people would never guess about you? Fonts are my love language!
What is your favorite dessert? Cookies with royal icing
Tell us about your family: Married my High School sweetheart, Dusty. We will celebrate our 20 year Wedding Anniversary in January. We have one daughter Morgan. She is a senior this year. We have a sweet 4 year old German shorthaired point named Greta who is our 70 lb. lap dog!
Three traits that describe me: Welcoming, Considerate, and of course as an enneagram 6….Loyal.
Hobbies: Hanging out with my friends and family, reading, crafting, hand lettering, and making jewelry.
You may not know: I’m an artist with Mamie’s Poppy Plates and I delivery kid directories to NLR & Sherwood.
Sponsorship Opportunities
To become a Vendor, Please visit our registration page by scanning/clicking the above QR Code or by contacting Melanie Nations @ [email protected]
Student Video Contest
Click HERE for the AGATE 2023 Video Contest - The Joy of Learning
Rubric for contest - Click HERE
Webinar
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Arkansans for Gifted and Talented Education (AGATE)
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Save the date for you and your students to join us for a 1 hour AGATE webinar discussing the "2023 Arkansas Governor’s School (AGS)" on Tuesday, November 1st at 7:00-8:00 pm. Click here to register. (Description: Dr. Robin Lasey, Director of Arkansas Governor’s School, will offer this FREE AGATE webinar about the curriculum and components of Arkansas Governor’s School. AGS is a free, state-funded, four-week summer residential program for upcoming high school seniors. Details about the steps involved in applying for AGS will also be shared. Parents, students, and teachers can attend and get all of their questions answered about this unique experience for Arkansas students.) |
Scholarship
As one of the membership benefits, AGATE provides funding for graduate study in gifted education. Up to five scholarships not to exceed $1,000.00 will be awarded for use during the 2022-23 school year or summer of 2023.
AGATE Reimbursement Scholarship for Graduate Study
If you are an individual member of AGATE, apply today! If not, join AGATE today and then apply for the scholarship! You can join AGATE online: Join now
Deadline for submission of applications: Friday, November 11th, 2022
If you have any questions, contact Susan Gooch, AGATE Scholarship Chair: Susan Gooch
Mail to:
Susan Gooch, Searcy School District
801 North Elm
Searcy, AR 72143