Welcome!

Hello everyone!

If you are receiving this email, you have been a part of the gifted program last year or have applied and have been accepted to take part in it this year. I am so excited to be working with each of you and I am looking forward to emailing and chatting with - perhaps even meeting - each of you during the course of the year.

The Gifted program is continually growing and being shaped to meet the needs of the families and students of HCOS. After a year of being taken care of by a very capable but busy volunteer gifted committee, this year the Gifted Program was put under the Special Education departments' governance and budget and I have been hired (part-time) as an advocate & consultant for the Gifted, as part a of a larger Learning Services team.

The "Gifted Program" has developed into LifeLearners: Gifted and Creative Enrichment Services. I will be working with your individual teachers, and sometimes with you as families directly, to help support your gifted students. Some of this will be by being an advocate for you with your on-line or individual teachers, to encourage them to reduce or alter your workload in order to allow you pursue your gifting without hindrance or perhaps to challenge you to test and use and explore your gifting. Sometimes teachers will approach me to see if I can suggest a mentor for your child in a certain subject area or interest, or to recommend curriculum that will meet your needs. In this way I will be a consultant and advocate for your child.

I will also be the person to talk to if you are requesting additional funding for your child for an item/service that is related to their gifting. I'll send along more info about that as we go along.

One of the ways in which we are hoping to provide support is by creating an online blog called LifeLearners: Gifted & Creative, where students, parents and teachers can all access information about resources for the gifted, good books to read about giftedness, good books your kids might enjoy, website or challenges, contests and opportunities that would be of interest, along with a space for discussion about common questions or concerns around giftedness. This website would be open to any student, because one of the things we are finding is that, working with home learners, the school likely has more than our fair share of gifting. Many parents, who may not have signed up for the gifted program, would benefit from access to these additional ideas and resources. We want to make this support available to all who need and would benefit from it.

Before I go further, (I could go on and on with ideas and plans) I would ask two things:

1) Please talk to your individual teacher about creating an updated IEP (individualized education plan) for your gifted child and have them email this to me, along with any testing your child may have had done. This may not happen right away, I understand we are all very busy, but this is a place for us to start formally helping your child. If your student is in grades 10 - 12, I will be the one creating the IEP and working with you to select courses.

2) If you have ideas or suggestions you would like to see happen as part of the LifeLearners Services this year, please email me, we want this to be as useful as possible in meeting your needs and supporting your roles as teachers and parents.

My prayer for all of us is that God will make our paths straight as we seek seek his face and entrust our selves to him. This is perhaps the most important and joy-filled part of my role; to pray for you and your children as we journey together.

With Thanks,

Carmen

Advocate & Consultant for the Gifted

HCOS SE Learning Services Team