Kudos to the students who were honored at the AGATE Awards Ceremony Friday night for either winning one of the AGATE student scholarships or for their success in our SAT Challenge.   What an outstanding bunch of young people!

You can see the list of SAT Challenge winners here and the scholarship winners here. 

One of the scholarship winners, Milou de Meij, presented her insights on "What Works and What Doesn't:  A Student's Perspective on Gifted Education" during the AGATE conference.  Her spellbound audience of teachers and counselors was grateful for the opportunity to hear a student's take on the myths and realities of gifted education.

Check out the schedule of presentations at our spring conference!   We've just posted the final schedule.   We hope you'll find lots of presentations of interest to you.

In addition to the 2 keynote presentations and the 2 evening events, you'll have 30 breakout sessions from which to choose! 

There will be presentations on all sorts of topics:

• identification of the gifted
  
• math
  
• writing and critical thinking
• robotics and chess
• technology in the classroom
• differentiation
  
• acceleration
  
• social & emotional needs
  
• writing a GT Program Plan
  

The last two pages of the document show a day-at-a-glance view, which you can use to keep track of the sessions you plan to attend.

In November, Montana AGATE trained 10 people from across the state to be facilitators of SENG Model Parent Groups. That effort has now spawned a second parent group, this time in Columbia Falls. 

The parent groups meet for 8 to 10 weeks to discuss the book, A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children. It's a great opportunity to bond with other parents of gifted kids, who may have the solution to the challenges you are facing.

Get more details and info on how to register here.

Share your expertise and experience!

We're looking for presenters to speak at the Montana AGATE conference, April 11-12 in Missoula.    So think about what insights you can share. 

Is there something new your school has tried?  A technique that gets your gifted kids excited about learning?  Some success with differentiating?  We want other teachers, administrators and parents of gifted kids to hear about it.

Presenters receive a $25 stipend (paltry, we know, but hopefully it covers your materials costs), the joy of seeing other attendees' light bulbs go off, and the thrill of knowing you made a difference for gifted kids in Montana.  Plus, it's a nice addition to your resume.

So submit your proposal for a presentation.

Kudos to our 10 new AGATE mini-grant winners.   We can't wait to hear about the results you achieve with your $500 grants.

(If you weren't a winner or didn't apply this year, take a peek at what they are doing with the money.   It may inspire you to write a winning grant application next fall.)

We're thinking about asking some past winners to present the results of their mini-grant projects at the AGATE conference this spring.   Would you be interested in hearing what they achieved, and how you can replicate it?

In November, Montana AGATE trained 10 people from across the state to be facilitators of SENG Model Parent Groups.   That investment is already paying off.  Two of the trainees are now starting a new parent group in Bozeman in mid-January 2013.  So tell the parents of your gifted kids to consider joining the group.   It's a great way to gain knowledge and skills about how to raise gifted kids.

Details can be found on the Gallatin Gifted Group website.

(And watch this page for more info about groups forming elsewhere in the state.)

Each year, we award cash scholarships to 10 to 12 gifted kids to explore their passions.   The money can be used for summer camps, enrichment materials, opportunities to attend events with other gifted kids, college savings...you name it.

How can one of your students win $200 or $400?  APPLY HERE by March 1st, 2013.

Our annual mini-grant competition is now open.  How could you enrich the lives of gifted kids with $500?  

Applying is easy....answer three questions...but you have to do it by November 16.   See our mini-grants page for details.

Yippee!  We're actually going to offer facilitator training in Montana for SENG Model Parent Groups!   AGATE has been trying to get this effort off the ground for several years, so we're thrilled to announce that you can become trained as a facilitator on November 2 & 3, 2012 in Bozeman.

What's a "SENG Model Parent Group" (SMPG)?  Well, SENG is a national organization, Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted, founded by psychologists, that has developed a structured approach to bring together 10 to 20 interested parents of gifted and talented children to discuss such topics as motivation, discipline, stress management, and peer relationships in a non-judgmental atmosphere.

Generally, we find that towns with strong parent groups also tend to have strong gifted programs, so AGATE would love to have trained facilitators all over Montana starting up new SMPGs.

So join us!   There's even a $50 discount for the first 20 people who sign up.

Get details and register here.

Do you have creative writers or talented artists in your classroom or family?  Tell them how they can get their work published in Signatures from Big Sky. 

AGATE started this contest 23 years ago and it's still going strong.

Submissions are due February 15th, 2013, so start thinking now about which pieces of creative work would be best to submit, and familiarize yourself with the submission process. 


< The cover art for the 2012 Signatures from Big Sky was designed by Tara Gardner, a 9th grader in Belgrade High School.