Los Penasquitos Elementary G.A.T.E.

1. Los Penasquitos ElementaryG.A.T.E.

2. Introductions • Coordinator - Anthony Bayro • School counselor - Fran Hjalmarson

3. Agenda • Welcome new families • Update of G.A.T.E. Clubs • Social emotional needs of the gifted

4. Welcome

5. Los Pen G.A.T.E. Differentiation- • “integrated learning experience within the regular school day” • Some assignments for gifted students are modified to meet their needs. • Focus is encouragement of deeper and more complex thought processes, problem solving, critical thinking, research and independent study

6. G.A.T.E. Clubs • Art • Math • Environmental Studies • Yearbook

7. Emotional Needs of the Gifted Child

8. Challenges • Perfectionism • Feelings of isolation and loneliness • Unrealistic expectations and pressures on oneself • Adult expectation of emotional maturity • Inability to cope with perceived failures

9. Problems from Outside Sources Lack of Understanding & Support creates significant problems. • “Many people have unfair expectations of us. They even say, ‘If you’re gifted you should know this, or you should have gotten an A.” (11 year old girl) • “How can parents help gifted students? By lowering their expectations. That way they are always surprised.” (12 year old boy)

10. Stress Management • When students can learn to manage their stress, they actually perform at a higher level academically

11. Stress Unique to Gifted Children • Feeling out of place with family and friends • Learning to tolerate frustration • Social consciousness • Emotional verses intellectual maturity • Negative Self talk • Others not identifying the child’s need for help

12. Calming Techniques • Count to 10 • Exercise • Humor • Active Ignoring

13. Stress and the “gifted child” Unique ways of relieving stress

14. Teach your child decision making skills Define the problem List all possible solutions Evaluate the solutions • Is it safe? • How will people feel? • Is it fair? • Will it work? Make a decision

15. Perfectionism

16. Negative Affects of Perfectionism • Failing grades • Depression • Anxiety

17. How to Help Your Child Cope With Perfectionism • Appreciate their desire for excellence • Make sure their desire for excellence doesn’t invade all aspects of their life • Help them understand that failure can be used to achieve success in the future

18. Examples • John Grisham’s first novel, A Time To Kill was rejected by 28 publishers. • Jack Canfields’s, Chicken Soup for the Soul was rejected by 36 publishers.

19. Perfectionism “The ability to control perfectionist tendencies is what separates the person who enjoys and cherishes their gifts from the one who feels burdened or cursed by them” Mark Vellucci author of The Emotional Needs of the Gifted Child

20. Friendship Peer Acceptance Is Important in Developing a Healthy Self Image. Children Want to Feel Included, Respected, and Cared About by Friends

21. Friendship The gifted child’s interests, intellectual maturity and play activities are in some ways more sophisticated than those of other children

22. Peer Difficulties • Lack of common interests • Highly focus in one area • Jump around from interest to interest

23. Peer Relations • Gifted kids need several peer groups. • Often thought of as “loners”. • The conflict between fitting in and being an individual may be quite stressful.

24. Allow Your Child to Have a Variety of Friends

25. Anticipation Through FantasyTeaching by asking questions • What do you think would happen if you…? • And then what might happen? • What do you suppose he/she would do (think, feel)etc.) then? • How could you respond to that? • What else might you try?

26. Using PraiseversusEncouragement

27. GATE Club…

28. Great Internet Resources for Parents • Hoagies’ Gifted Education Page: great site which even includes contests and resources: http://www.hoagiesgifted.org • Gifted and Talented World Page: Links to hundreds of helpful resources: http://www.gtworld.org/links.html • California Association for the Gifted: http://cagifted.org • Supporting Emotional Needs of Gifted (SENG): http://www.sengifted.org/ SENG is dedicated to fostering environments in which gifted adults and children, in all their diversity, understand and accept themselves and are understood, valued, nurtured, and supported by their families, schools, workplaces and communities.

29. Great Book/Periodical Resources for Children and Parents Adderholt-Elliot, M. (1989). Perfectionism: What’s So Bad About Being Good? Minneapolis: Free Spirit Cohen, L.M. (1996). Coping for Capable Kids. Waco, TX: Prufrock Press. Galbraith, J. (1984). The Gifted Kids Survival Guide: For Ages 10 & Under. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Galbraith, J. (1996). The Gifted Kids Survival Guide: A Teen Handbook. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Halsted, J.W. (1994). Some of My Best Friends are Books: Guiding gifted readers. Dayton, OH: Gifted Psychology Press

30. More Great Book/Periodical Resources for Children and Parents Smutny, J.F. (2001). Stand Up for Your Gifted Child. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Streznewski, M. (1999) Gifted GrownUps. New York: John Wiley & Sons Webb, J.T. (1994). Guiding the Gifted Child. Scottsdale, AZ: Gifted Psychology Press Walker, S.Y. (1991). The Survival Guide for Parents of Gifted Kids. Minneapolis: Free Spirit Parenting for High Potential (a publication of the National Association for Gifted Children. For information, contact them at http://www.nagc.org)

31. Thank you!http://powayusd.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/PUSDLPES/GATE/gate.htmlG.A.T.E. Coordinator- Anthony Bayro abayro@powayusd.com