On March 16 at 6.30pm there will be a start up meeting for a gifted association with a mission to have appropriate education for all students. We will be helping to secure funding for Gifted Education to continue. I also hope to be an association that is a resource for parents and can advocate for gifted/talented students. Juneau's funding for gifted eduction has been cut..... Our funding has not been cut but nor has it been increased with an expected increase of 200 students next year. I am requesting that anyone who is interested please come to the first meeting being held at the Starbucks conference room on Dimond across from Borders Books near the New Seward Highway. The conference room is free to use but we all should buy a drink.

Grinity-You've definitely helped inspire this!

Yippee! Go Loosemoose! Go Anchorage Gifties! Yippee!

Thanks Grinity,

This is just a reminder about the upcoming Meeting (see the first post of this thread for more information.) Also Peter Ljubicich, the head of the Gifted Dept. for ASD is planning to attend our second or third meeting and talk with us! Please pass the word to anyone you may know who would be interested.

Another reminder about tomorrow's meeting. I also have noticed that there are people on the board from Bethel and Unalaska. As usual the meeting is originating in Anchorage. I did try and get APU to host the meeting but they wanted me to pay money, which at this point I can not afford to do. I am hoping at some point down the line we can get accommodations somewhere that would have teleconferencing or videoconferencing available that could help with the outlying areas. I have heard of successful experiences in the younger grades in the villages due to the fewer students it becomes more of a "one room schoolhouse" Although I doubt that is the case in either Bethel or Unalaska. I am also offering that if you come to Anchorage to let me know and maybe we can arrange a meeting when you are in town!

Wish us luck tomorrow. I have had a few inquiries from the various places I have posted and am expecting some people to show up!

Anyone have advice for a new group? I have the download from NAGC but personal experience is always welcome.

Well our first meeting was a first meeting! Nothing grand but it did happen. Our next meeting will be April 7 at 6.30 pm in the conference room at Starbucks on Dimond near Old Seward and across from Borders. We are trying to get the networking aspect of the association running. If you can not attend but know someone who might want to please pass the information on! Thank-you.

Yippee!
here's hoping you find some like-minded parents to share the work and the fun soon!
Grinity

Congrats loosemoose!

Just a thought about connecting downstate - since most have internet connections - how about skype? And there are online conference call makers. I don't know how much they cost to do I had to call into an 800 number and I got connected to a conference call. Just some thoughts, please ignore if you have already considered them!

DeHe

Hello everyone, we had a great meeting in April. Peter Ljubicich (the supervisor of the gifted department of ASD) came to the meeting and discussed the program including some basics of the funding. After he left, we spent some time discussing various ways to deal with issues and just plain got some support for the challenges and blessings of raising gifted kids. Our next meeting will be May 5th at 6.30 pm in the Starbucks conference room off of Dimond and the New Seward Highway, across from the old Borders Book store. Funding is an issue and we need to create a group that can help safeguard funding for Gifted Programming. Our next meeting will focus on creating this kind of group, plans for get togethers over the summer holiday, and of course support.

Thanks DeHe for the suggestion - right now we do not even have a place to meet that has phone connection. I would love to see this association that desperately needs a name reach statewide. I also know how hard it is in this huge state to have anything be a statewide association. I almost think we need a main central one with off branches. The issues in the bush will be very different than those here in the huge metropolis of Anchorage. (population 300,000 or so)

Hello and welcome back to school. I have just found out that there is a Parent Forum meeting tonight at the ASD (Anchorage School Department) building being put on by ASD. Sounds good with an overview of what the ASD gifted programs are and also something to do with Brain Science of Boys and Girls http://www.asdk12.org/depts/gifted/Parent_Forum.html.

As for a parent run organization our next meeting will be Thursday, Oct. 13 at 6.30pm in the conference room of the Starbucks on Dimond near the New Seward across from what use to be Borders Books.

Thanks everyone!

Hello everyone, please join me for a meeting on January 26th at 7pm at the Starbucks Coffee shop on Dimond between the New Seward and the Old Seward Highway. Peter Ljubicich the head of the ASD gifted program will be joining us. This meeting is important as there are projected budget cuts amounting to almost twenty million dollars affecting all ASD programs. The gifted programs which include the ignite program have 98% of their funding directed towards personnel which means any cuts to the program affect quickly how many teachers are available for the program. I am no expert in budget issues. There will be opportunity for public hearing regarding the proposed budget cuts early in February. It is important for us to come up with a strategy and voice our concerns efficiently. Please join us and be active in this aspect of gifted programming for the ASD.

Since that blurb went out, I know a bit more which you may already know. The gifted/ignite programs lost three teachers. Those teachers will be taken from Rogers Park and the Ignite program. Some of the impact will be to those waiting to be tested, although the testing is trying to be more streamlined and hopefully the increase in wait time will not be to much. I do not know what teachers at Rogers Park will be cut. I think the new budget eliminates 90 teachers district wide. It does not seem that gifted has been discriminated against in any manner. I do think we lack a cheering squad. Many of the team sports and clubs etc. already have contact with one another and so can rally around and go and testify etc. We need a parent group to support the gifted programs. I think we need to be a voice at the upcoming budget readings to make sure that they know we care. Peter Ljubicich can not attend our meeting due to the rescheduled middle school gifted program meeting. That meeting got snowed out a couple of weeks ago. If we are still meeting after his meeting he will join us or skype with us. I do not have the ability to skype. So if anyone planning to attend and can skype at Starbucks let me know and I will pass that info on and try to set it up with Peter. Hopefully this is informative and thanks for letting others know.

Update... We have done a wonderful job. We had about twenty-five testimonies on the reasons why they should not cut the gifted program and we have prevailed. All three positions have been reinstated and the busing that was being questioned is not at jeopardy at this moment. The second budget meeting was awesome to be part of. There were actual students of the gifted programs as well as parents testifying. The Anchorage School Board got an education in Gifted. It was pretty powerful!!! PHEW and YIPPPEEE

WONDERFUL!!!

Way to go, loosemoose! Congratulations, and thanks for the lift!

Thanks for reading and cheering!

Hello, I should have let everyone know that we had people including myself who testified at the two hearings. We were slated for cuts of over $300,000. From the hard work of the group and others we suffered no cuts!!

Our next meeting will be April 5th at the Kaladi Brothers on the frontage road between Dimond and Dowling at 6pm in their free conference room!!!

Hey we are making progress!!! We have the making for a board. We are looking for names for the Alaska statewide association for gifted/ignite and bright… Our next meeting will be May 8, 6.30pm at the Kaladi Brothers on the Frontage Road between Dimond and Dowling. Please come and discuss your ideas for a name. We are also discussing trying to put on a statewide conference….