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News From the Board – Calls to Action
How many times have I said to myself “I wish I could do something to help…” or “I wish I could do more…” I can’t be the only one. Maybe you have been there too? I have a couple of calls to action for you. These are a few easy things you could do to help WATG. I know you are passionate about gifted and talented education just as we are. If you are struggling with what to do to help, I have a couple of ideas for you.
Roxane Hagedorn, Executive Director Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted WATG extends a huge thank you to Dr. German Diaz of Milwaukee Public Schools for translating this article into Spanish for our families and educators who speak Spanish. The translation can be found on our website.
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For this month’s News From The Board, I’m going to spotlight the Membership Committee. Now you might be thinking that all they do is recruit folks to become members of WATG, but there is so much more than that to this group.
Many of you reading this are members of WATG, and of course, that was spearheaded by the Membership Committee. However, in addition to recruiting members, this committee also works closely with the Programming Committee and other groups to promote opportunities for our members. This committee is always looking for ways to engage with our membership, including providing resources and referrals to our constituents. The Membership Committee also is out in our communities looking for partners. Partnerships are designed for Wisconsin and national education, extracurricular and parental organizations, independent consultants, UW Schools, CESA’s etc. These partnerships are an important foundation for WATG. Partnerships allow us to share valuable resources with our members and expand our reach across the state and country. You can view our current partners on our website. If you are interested in becoming a partner, feel free to fill out the Partner Application Form. This busy committee is also involved in board recruitment. In fact, some of you, our members who expressed interest in learning about being on our board probably received an email not long ago about joining our board or joining a committee. If you didn’t get an email from us and you are interested in joining the board, please visit our Meet the Board webpage and fill out an application. Something the Membership Committee is busy with at the moment is reviewing summer scholarship applications from Wisconsin students. Each year, the Membership Committee’s Scholarship and Awards team awards scholarships to summer camps and summer learning programs for area students. If your child applied, the committee will have official decisions around the beginning of May. As you can see, this is a very active committee. This short article really doesn’t do them justice. They are an outstanding group of volunteers. If you are interested in being a part of this committee (you don’t need to be a board member), contact me at rhagedorn@watg.org. We would love to have you join us! Roxane Hagedorn, Executive Director WI Association for Talented and Gifted WATG extends a huge thank you to Dr. German Diaz of Milwaukee Public Schools for translating this article into Spanish for our families and educators who speak Spanish. The translation can also be found on our website. The past few months have been quite busy as we begin preparations for our fall conference. Though it seems like a long way off, time flies. To help us plan for the conference, and publicize some of our initiatives, I have a couple of action items to talk to you about this month. I hope you will take the time to consider each one and see if you can be a part of any of them.
1. We are still looking for exhibitors and sponsors for our conference in October entitled Launching Gifted Learners: All Systems Go, which will have teachers, parents, administrators, counselors, coordinators, and college students in attendance. Best of all, this year we are going to be in person at the Wilderness Resort in the Wisconsin DellsI It’s sure to be a hit, with two outstanding keynotes from Colin Seale and Dr. Matt Zakreski. It will also be fabulous to network in person again, to renew old acquaintances and to make new ones. Could your company or organization use some exposure? This will be a perfect opportunity! Check out our exhibitor/sponsor proposal packet to learn more, including the steps to sign up at https://midd.me/t7rw 2. Additionally, we need more presenters for our conference. Do you have classroom strategies or resources that will benefit advanced learners? Do you have parenting tips to share? Are you passionate about the social and emotional needs of gifted kids? Share your knowledge with others and submit a proposal to present at the conference. If you can work this year’s theme of Launching Gifted Learners: All Systems Go into your presentation…even better! We’ve extended our deadline to April 15, 2022. Here is the link for proposal submission: https://forms.gle/bQz8PrfSE77yK6Mw9 3. There is still time to apply for a summer student scholarship. Each year, WATG awards scholarships to students across the state of Wisconsin to attend summer enrichment opportunities. Awards are based on MERIT, the strength of applications, and scholarship need. The deadline to apply is April 15, 2022, and the application is here: https://www.watg.org/awards--scholarships.html 4. WATG is looking for nominees for our outstanding contribution in gifted and talented awards. Individuals who have made significant contributions to the cause of Wisconsin’s gifted and talented children should be considered. Visit our website to see all the potential categories.The nomination deadline is September 1, 2022, and awards will be presented at our conference in October. The nomination form can be found at: https://www.watg.org/awards--scholarships.html 5. And finally, EVERYONE should SAVE THE DATE for our Launching Gifted Learners: All Systems Go conference. The parent and teen portion of the conference is Sunday, October 2, 2022, and the main conference will take place Monday and Tuesday, October 3-4, 2022. The Wilderness Resort in the Wisconsin Dells will serve as host for all three days. Fasten your seatbelts; this is going to be a stellar opportunity! The countdown is beginning! Roxane Hagedorn, Executive Director Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted WATG extends a huge thank you to Dr. German Diaz of Milwaukee Public Schools for translating this article into Spanish for our families and educators who speak Spanish. The translation can be found on our website. Wow, for a short month, February has been busy for the WATG Board! We are already very busy with our Annual Conference planning. At this time, we are hoping/planning for a face-to-face conference in October. Let’s keep our fingers crossed! Be sure you mark your calendars for October 2-4, 2022 at the Wilderness Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells. We plan on having our Parent and Teen Conference on Sunday, October 2. We have secured two well-known and AMAZING Keynote speakers, Dr. Matthew Zakreski speaking on Monday, and Colin Seale, speaking on Tuesday. Dr. Matt is co-founder and lead clinician at The Neurodiversity Collective and is also an official WATG Partner. Colin Seale is the founder of thinkLaw. Both speakers are sure to be dynamic and “can’t miss”.
The Board also continues to recruit new board members. If this is something you think you might be interested in, please reach out to me for more details. I’d love to speak further with you. Our Board is also looking at expanding our Committees. We currently have three committees – Government Action, Membership, and Programming. If you are a parent member who indicated an interest in working with our Board when you joined, please watch your email’s inbox. We’ll be sending out a brief survey gauging your interest in joining one of our Committees. WATG understands that joining a board can seem daunting. That’s why we want to give you the opportunity to join one of our excellent working Committees; the time commitment is less, but the work is immeasurably important. This opportunity is not just available to parent members, but is open to anyone passionate about gifted education. This is a great way to learn more about gifted education, and to use your gifts and talents to serve children, families, and educators. If you are interested, let me know. As always, I’m happy to help. Roxane Hagedorn, Executive Director WI Association for Talented and Gifted WATG extends a huge thank you to Dr. German Diaz of Milwaukee Public Schools for translating this article into Spanish for our families and educators who speak Spanish. The translation can also be found on our website. If you subscribe to this newsletter, then I know you are passionate about gifted and talented education. I am hoping you will take that passion and consider applying to our Board of Directors.
We are going to have several openings on our Board. Though we are sad to see these dedicated volunteers move on, it opens the door for new members with new skills and new ideas. Maybe that is you? One of our most pressing needs is someone who can serve as treasurer. Our current treasurer is moving on to other opportunities and we really need someone who has some accounting experience. As an organization, we use Quickbooks. Please keep in mind we are a lean, nonprofit organization, so you aren’t dealing with Fortune 500 financials! If you think you could fill that niche, please reach out to me. I’d be happy to discuss the opportunity with you. To help widen the talent of our current board, we are seeking individuals who have expertise in a few other areas. These include:
We are looking for a diverse group of people because we are such a small organization. An important thing to know about our Board of Directors is that they are a “working board,” so we need many skills and points of view. Our Board is active in all facets of the organization. Board members are involved in fundraising, conference planning, budgeting, membership and partnership development, and so much more. Serving on our Board is more than just showing up for an occasional virtual meeting; members do actual work for the organization and that investment makes their time special. It is a volunteer opportunity in which you can actually see the difference you are making. Our Board members are passionate, curious, hard-working, and fun-loving. I encourage you to visit our website www.watg.org. Also, check out our “Meet the Board” page. You can fill out an application there if you want to be a part of something big and important. If you still need a bit more information, let me know. I’m happy to help. Roxane Hagedorn, Executive Director Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted WATG extends a huge thank you to Dr. German Diaz of Milwaukee Public Schools for translating this article into Spanish for our families and educators who speak Spanish. The translation can also be found on our website. There are two things I’d like to draw your attention to this month. One is an update and the other is a call to action. First, here is an update on #GivingTuesday. Despite the fact we’d never participated in the yearly event, we managed to raise $3,045! We are so grateful for those individuals that shared and supported us.Thank you for helping us continue our important mission. And remember, you can always donate throughout the year on our website or our Facebook page. Second, here is a call to action. Our Board Member, Cory Jennerjohn, has been putting out excellent podcasts that you really need to listen to. He’s had a wide range of guests, including Dr. Donna Ford, WATG Board Members, and Alonzo Kelly. These podcasts really are a hidden gem; we recommend you discover them. They are great while traveling or just relaxing with a cup of coffee. After you listen, we ask that you do one (or all) of the following things:
With your help, we can get a broader viewing audience for this outstanding series. You can find the WATG Podcast on Spotify or Apple Podcasts. Links to all episodes can also be found on the WATG Website.  Roxane Hagedorn, Executive Director
WI Association for Talented and Gifted WATG extends a huge thank you to Dr. German Diaz of Milwaukee Public Schools for translating this article into Spanish for our families and educators who speak Spanish. The translation can be found on our website. It’s been a busy month for WATG! You’ve probably received emails and noticed our socials were filled with #GivingTuesday information. At the time of this publication, we don’t know how much money we raised, but whatever we raised, THANK YOU, to everyone who showed their support through donations, their own fundraisers, or just sharing our posts with others in your network. We couldn’t have done it without you. Your contributions help further our mission “to educate about and advocate for the needs of gifted in Wisconsin.”
Even though it’s only a few months after this year’s fall conference, we are looking ahead to next year’s conference. Currently, the Board is discussing possible themes, so be on the lookout for the 2022 Annual Conference theme shortly. At this point in time, we are planning to be face-to-face and are looking forward to reuniting with all of you at the Wilderness Conference Center in Wisconsin Dells. And finally, we added three new Board Members -- Isabelle Kruger, Amanda Norin, and Jennifer Neuman. They bring new perspectives and fresh ideas to our Board, and we welcome them. They will be introduced in this month’s newsletter, so be sure to check out their information. We hope you all have a happy holiday season! Roxane Hagedorn, Executive Director WI Association for Talented and Gifted WATG extends a huge thank you to Dr. German Diaz of Milwaukee Public Schools for translating this article into Spanish for our families and educators who speak Spanish. The translation can be found on our website. I think it’s safe to say that most people think of spring as a time of renewal. However, at WATG, it feels like fall is the time to refresh and renew.
After the completion of another successful annual conference last month, the Board takes on a different look. Because we vote on our Board of Directors at the conference each year, we have members coming and going. It’s always an exciting time to meet new people and hear different perspectives. It really can rejuvenate everyone for the upcoming year. This is also a time that our standing committee members change. There are some new Chairs. We have new Board Members joining committees that they feel comfortable with. Returning Board Members, looking for a new challenge, might switch to a different committee. The Programming Committee turns their focus to quarterly town halls, webinars, and of course, the next annual conference. The Membership Committee continues its push to increase parent participation through our free membership initiative. They also continue reaching out to potential partners in the business, education and non-profit worlds. Government Action will continue their hard work, working with the state legislators to improve gifted and talented funding and advocate for strong legislation in Wisconsin. Of course, being hired only recently by WATG, everything is still relatively new to me. It’s like a daily breath of spring air as I learn and grow. It turns out that fresh starts and renewal are good any time of year. Roxane Hagedorn, Executive Director of WATG (WATG would like to extend its deep appreciation to Esther Vazquez Guendulain of Appleton Bilingual School for translating this article into Spanish for our Spanish-speaking families and educators. The translation can be found on our website blog.) |
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