March 29, 2012 - LAC Meeting
Minutes
Change to LAC Requirement:
Susan Fream shared an important update regarding the status of GATE
local advisory committees in Virginia. The state passed a bill that "removes the
requirement for establishing local advisory committees on gifted education and
the annual reporting by such committees." The bill is expected to go into effect
July 2012. As such, there was discussion on the best way to move forward in
serving our county's gifted children. The idea of Fall and Spring parent forums
was discussed as outreach opportunities to parents as well as an venue to gain
parent feedback. Potential topics for small break out groups included:
* gifted identification - now what? (for parents of newly
identified students)
* high school class selection (applicable for middle schoolers,
too)
* asynchronous development
* planning for college
Also discussed were various communication avenues to reach the
maximum number of parents possible including a letter sent to parents from their
child's school.
Draft LAC Letter for 2011-2012:
A draft letter will be sent to you later this month for your review
and comment. The new Local Plan addresses many areas of the letter which is very
similar to the letter sent for 2010-2011. The needs and concerns of the LAC
remain consistent with those of the gifted children and the staff who serve
them. December 9, 2011 The LAC has the opportunity to submit a budget request to the School Board. We will be submitting one to fund a week long summer program for approximately 70 children in grades 3-8. While it may not be approved, this is a request we made in last year's letter to the school board and it sets a precedent for future requests. Historically, the summer program has been well received and attended as a valuable resource to SCPS gifted children. Parent involvement continues to be a challenge. Several ideas were discussed and a closed Facebook page has been created to encourage parent-to-parent support and resource sharing. In order to join, parents need to have a child already identified and in GATE. Resource specialists are also welcome. If you are interested in joining, please let me know or friend me on FB so I can add you. It is not an official SCPS group, rather an informal meeting place for parents of gifted children. It was a pleasure to meet our new members last night and I look forward to seeing everyone in February. We need your voice and missed you last night. Thank you for supporting the GATE children, |