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Greetings!
Heard
any good news lately? It seems the papers and the Internet are full of bad
news, with oil spills, floods, record heat waves and economic woes. Now, more
than ever, we need people who can think deeper, think wider and think faster.
It is our gifted children who will be solving these worldwide problems. And it
is Educational Options' goal to help these gifted children and their parents
make the most of their natural abilities. Sincerely, Kathy Hara, Editor
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TalentIgniter
We
launched our new website on July 21. We expected a few bugs, and we got them, but
the TalentIgniter team has been able to solve every problem. We are now running
smoothly and are concentrating on adding more valuable content.
Starting
out with The Ruf Estimates™ of Levels of Gifted Online Assessment, we now are
about to add our first PDF downloadable book, Dr. Ruf's Keys to Successfully Parenting
the Gifted Child.
We invite
you to follow us on our TalentIgniter page on Facebook, as well as on Twitter.
All TalentIgniter updates will be posted there, as well as in our Educational
Options newsletter. You may also sign up for the TalentIgniter newsletter at
www.TalentIgniter.com.
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Encouraging Entrepreneurs
Dr. Ruf was
recently invited by Mitch Pearlstein to submit an essay for a symposium with
the Center of the American Experiment in Minnesota. The Center is a nonpartisan, tax-exempt, public policy and
educational institution that brings conservative and free market ideas to bear
on the hardest problems facing Minnesota
and the nation.
Dr. Ruf's essay, The Other Achievement Gap, is now posted on the Center's website, along with the essays of 21
other Minnesotans. The topic of the symposium is How Can We Better Encourage and Reinforce the Most Entrepreneurial and Talented Among Us?
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Grant for SENG
SENG
(Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted) is in the running this month for a
huge grant ($250,000!) from Pepsi to train people to facilitate parent groups
all over the country and abroad. In a time of so many funding cutbacks, this
grant is a great way to maintain - and grow - support for families of the gifted. SENG needs
your vote every day in August. If you go to Pepsi's website,
register, and vote, you can see in people's comments at the bottom of the site
just what kind of a difference SENG can make for families. There is
more information about this promotion on SENG's Facebook page, or you can also
vote from SENG's website. This is a
pretty exciting opportunity, and SENG could use your help. |
Seeking Gifted Scientists and Mathematicians
As of
April 30 of this year, aspiring young scientists and mathematicians nationwide
are invited to register for the 2010 Siemens Competition in Math, Science &
Technology. This is the nation's premiere original research competition for
high school students, with college scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $100,000
awarded to the winners. The deadline for entries is October 1.
More
information, online registration and instructions for the 2010 Siemens
Competition are posted on the Siemens Foundation website, or at www.collegeboard.com/siemens. |
Free Admission Days at National Parks
America's Best Idea - the national parks
- gets even better this year with several fee-free days at more than 100 national parks that usually charge entrance fees. Some sites administered by
the Bureau of Land Management will also be included. The next two
scheduled dates are September 25 (Public Lands Day) and November 11 (Veterans
Day). For
information, go to www.nps.gov/findapark/feefreeparks.htm, www.fws.gov/refuges, or www.blm.gov/wo/st/en/prog/Recreation/BLM_Fee_Free_Days.html. |
. . . and Free Day at Museums
Smithsonian Magazine Museum Day is
Saturday, September 25. Hundreds of museums across the United States will offer free admission to
people who go to the Smithsonian Magazine's website and download a free
admission pass. There is more information about this program on the website, or read the September edition of the Smithsonian Magazine.
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In Minnesota (or Online): Parent Focus Group for NAGC:
As a
means of identifying current parent needs, both the Parent and Community
Network and the Parent Advisory Committee of NAGC has sent out surveys to
current and past parent members of NAGC. In addition, they are asking Dr. Ruf,
among others, to host a focus group of nonmember parents of gifted children.
Accordingly,
Dr. Ruf is asking if you would be interested in participating in one of the
following ways: Answer
questions via email Attend a focus group meeting at Dr. Ruf's home office in Golden Valley on Thursday, August 19, at 9:30
a.m. Attend
a focus group meeting at Dr. Ruf's home office in Golden Valley on Tuesday, August 24, at 7:30
p.m.
Please
contact us immediately by sending an email to [email protected] as soon as possible.
The deadline for sending the results to NAGC is September 10. |
In Minnesota: List of Gifted Schools:
We are very pleased to note in Minnesota the surge of new programs, schools within schools and magnet schools that are focused on
meeting the needs of gifted students. (See the Star Tribune article about the Lakeville
School District's plans.)
At Educational Options, we are now compiling a list of
schools for families who are looking for the right academic fit for
their gifted children. We would love to hear from families enrolled in
these schools. What is the name of your
school, and how is it meeting the needs of your child? Please let us know what
you think!
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5 Levels of Gifted: School Issues and Educational Options
Dr. Ruf's book, 5 Levels of Gifted: School Issues and Educational Options (2005) (formerly published as Losing Our Minds: Gifted Children Left Behind), is available through Great PotentialPress.
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Deborah Ruf
Educational Options www.EducationalOptions.com [email protected] 763-521-4565
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Changing your email address? Please let us know, so we can continue to send you our newsletter. Simply send us a note at [email protected]. Thanks!
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