WATG NEWS
WATG’s Annual Conference is Going Virtual for 2021!
Thank you to everyone who provided their input on comfort levels with an in-person conference this fall. As we continue with the unknowns of this pandemic, we solicited feedback in a survey and debated the pros and cons of in-person and virtual formats. Our final decision is that the 2021 Wisconsin Association for Gifted and Talented annual conference October 4-5 will be held virtually, with high hopes that we will present an in-person conference in 2022.
This fall’s conference, Leading the World Into the Future, promises to be an outstanding event. We are delighted to present two dynamic keynote speakers, Dr. Jonathan Plucker and Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings. They will be joined by a special guest speaker, Alonzo Kelly, a national expert on leadership development. Our conference breakout sessions will be rich and varied, and our parent workshops and teen conference, Pathways to Problem Solving, will round out this year’s offerings. Join us to learn and grow as we move together into the future!
This fall’s conference, Leading the World Into the Future, promises to be an outstanding event. We are delighted to present two dynamic keynote speakers, Dr. Jonathan Plucker and Dr. Gloria Ladson-Billings. They will be joined by a special guest speaker, Alonzo Kelly, a national expert on leadership development. Our conference breakout sessions will be rich and varied, and our parent workshops and teen conference, Pathways to Problem Solving, will round out this year’s offerings. Join us to learn and grow as we move together into the future!
Did you know?
Did you know that WATG has a huge list of resources for educators, parents, and students? If you go to www.watg.org and click on the resources tab, this will drop down to multiple categories of resources. These categories include: Advocacy, Artistic Domain, Assessment & Identification, Creativity Domain, Coordination, Program Development & Evaluation, Curriculum & Instruction, Equity, Homeschooling, Intellectual Domain, Leadership Domain, Parenting, Parent-School Partnerships, Specific Academic Domain, Social-Emotional Wellness, Summer Opportunities, and Wisconsin Gifted 101. We invite you to peruse these resources, use them often, and to send great resource ideas to us at watg@watg.org so that we can add them to this database. This way we can help each other build great programming for gifted students, and provide ideas for parents and caregivers.
Want to help make a difference while you shop in the Amazon app, at no extra cost to you? Simply follow the instructions below to select "Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted" as your charity and activate AmazonSmile in the app. They'll donate a portion of your eligible mobile app purchases to us.
How it works:
1. Open the Amazon app on your phone
2. Select the main menu (=) & tap on "AmazonSmile" within Programs & Features
3. Select "Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted" as your charity
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to activate AmazonSmile in the mobile app
How it works:
1. Open the Amazon app on your phone
2. Select the main menu (=) & tap on "AmazonSmile" within Programs & Features
3. Select "Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted" as your charity
4. Follow the on-screen instructions to activate AmazonSmile in the mobile app
Welcome to the WATG Board!
Dr. Sharon Alexander currently serves as the new Director of Advanced Learning in the Madison Metropolitan School District; she began that position in June of 2020. Sharon formerly served as a middle school principal and an Assistant Director of Assessment and Accountability in Illinois for the past twenty years. Sharon is also the mother of two gifted students, a freshman and a 7th grader. With a passion for social justice and multicultural education for all, Sharon joins the WATG Board to discuss diversity issues and equity concerns for marginalized and underrepresented learners. She credits her experience and insight to her parents, who also served as school administrators of color. WATG is grateful for the skill set and passion that Sharon will bring to our Board of Directors.
April Town Hall
Join us on Wednesday, April 28 from 3:30-4:30 for our monthly virtual Town Hall conversation. The theme for April is “All About Acceleration.” Join us as we discuss the WHATs, the WHYs, and the HOWs of acceleration as a tool for meeting the needs of gifted learners. Parents, teachers, administrators...we encourage all stakeholders to participate in this important conversation. Come and share your experiences and insight, and learn from others from around the state. Zoom link
Remembering Donna Rae Clasen
A pioneer in gifted education in Wisconsin passed away in mid-March. Prof. Donna Rae Clasen was active for decades at UW-Whitewater supporting programming for gifted children and providing professional development for educators. She also brought the first federal Javits grants to Wisconsin: Project STREAM worked with underrepresented gifted youth in several Wisconsin cities and also brought students to the UW-Whitewater campus for challenging summer programs. Donna Rae's late husband Bob (Prof. Robert E. Clasen) was similarly active in gifted education at UW-Madison. More information is available at Donna Rae Clasen Obituary.
Meet our Newest Board Member!
Dennetra Williams, a California native, was an identified talented and gifted student, and is currently raising a TAG daughter in Appleton, Wisconsin. She earned her psychology degree from California State University - Hayward (now CSU- East Bay). When she is not spending time with her husband and their daughter, you can find her working full-time to close the opportunity gap in her school district, and sitting on various boards and committees centered around diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Welcome to the WATG Board!
Christine Wyatt is the gifted and talented coordinator for the School District of Brown Deer in Brown Deer, Wisconsin. This is her third year in this position. Christine has over 15 years of experience in education and has taught in a variety of teaching positions including primary gifted teacher at Scholaris Gifted Academy, second grade classroom teacher, first grade gifted classroom teacher, and kindergarten classroom teacher. Christine received her bachelor’s of science in Human Development and Family Studies from Colorado State University. She holds multiple Wisconsin teaching licenses including Early Childhood, Middle Childhood, Gifted and Talented Middle Childhood through Early Adolescence, and Gifted and Talented Coordinator. She is working on completing her Master’s degree at Concordia University, Wisconsin. Christine enjoys working with gifted children and their parents, and brings knowledge as both an educator and parent of gifted children to her position. In her free time, Christine enjoys cycling, working out, reading, spending time with her family at their cottage, volunteering as an Assistant Scoutmaster for Scouts BSA, hiking, traveling, and spending time adventuring outdoors. She is delighted to join the Wisconsin Association for Talented & Gifted, and looks forward to learning and growing professionally and personally.
WATG is excited to welcome our Spring 2021 Interns!
Camryn Ballweg is from Sauk Prairie, Wisconsin, and is currently a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She is majoring in Marketing, with minors in Graphic Design and Digital Studies. Outside of class, you can find her cheering on the Badgers, spending time with her friends and family, playing unified sports as a member of Badgers for Special Olympics, or spending time outdoors. As a prior Gifted and Talented student, Camryn is excited to now be a part of the WATG team and to help other students, their families, and educators receive the same great educational experiences that she did.
Everett Harmelink is from Hartland, Wisconsin, and is a recent graduate of the University of Wisconsin - La Crosse. He obtained two Bachelor of Science degrees, in Business Management and Marketing. When he's not working on projects for the WATG Board, you can catch him teaching and caring for children at Richmond Elementary School, and working for his cousin’s start-up company, Rownd. Everett loves socializing with friends (when COVID-19 lets him), cheering on the Packers and Bucks, and traveling (when COIVD-19 lets him). Everett is ready to roll with the WATG Board to help children reach their potential and succeed in life!
Welcome to our Newest Board Member - Cory Jennerjohn
The WATG Board extends a warm welcome to our newest board member, Cory Jennerjohn, from Waunakee, WI. Cory is often described as a versatile storyteller. He has worked in radio, TV, online, and with magazines and newspapers. Cory believes that though technology has changed many things, the fact remains that people will always have a thirst for stories, and that storytelling is a fantastic way to share messages.
As a writer and storyteller, Cory has covered everything from Little League baseball games to stories about the National Football League. He believes that telling the human-interest stories behind the emotional tidal wave of both winning and losing in life is something that cannot be duplicated. He even offered a personal memory to illustrate this: “One of my favorite memories was being offered a mincemeat pie (a gift) from Peyton Manning after he threw six touchdown passes during the Thanksgiving weekend.” (This was clearly an incredible human interest story).
Currently, Cory is a stay-at-home dad, and he leads, coaches and teaches his three sons. He says that, “Obviously, every day isn't a bowl of rainbows, but my goal is to be the best version of myself each and every day.”
We look forward to sharing Cory’s gifts as a storyteller to help further our message at the WI Association for Talented and Gifted. Welcome “aboard,” Cory!
As a writer and storyteller, Cory has covered everything from Little League baseball games to stories about the National Football League. He believes that telling the human-interest stories behind the emotional tidal wave of both winning and losing in life is something that cannot be duplicated. He even offered a personal memory to illustrate this: “One of my favorite memories was being offered a mincemeat pie (a gift) from Peyton Manning after he threw six touchdown passes during the Thanksgiving weekend.” (This was clearly an incredible human interest story).
Currently, Cory is a stay-at-home dad, and he leads, coaches and teaches his three sons. He says that, “Obviously, every day isn't a bowl of rainbows, but my goal is to be the best version of myself each and every day.”
We look forward to sharing Cory’s gifts as a storyteller to help further our message at the WI Association for Talented and Gifted. Welcome “aboard,” Cory!
Read the WATG 2019-2020 Year End Report.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” ~Maya Angelou
As our nation faces the grave consequences of long standing and systemic racism, the Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted remains committed to equity and justice for all. As an organization, we are cognizant of the inequities in identification and educational programming for gifted students of color. As always, we are devoted to examining and rectifying these disparities. We pledge to do our part to dismantle structural and institutional racism. We invite partnerships with other institutions, groups, and individuals to share conversations about the impacts of race, and will work to listen, learn, and support each other in this critical process of changing our world.
Board of Directors, Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted
As our nation faces the grave consequences of long standing and systemic racism, the Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted remains committed to equity and justice for all. As an organization, we are cognizant of the inequities in identification and educational programming for gifted students of color. As always, we are devoted to examining and rectifying these disparities. We pledge to do our part to dismantle structural and institutional racism. We invite partnerships with other institutions, groups, and individuals to share conversations about the impacts of race, and will work to listen, learn, and support each other in this critical process of changing our world.
Board of Directors, Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted
Gifted and Talented License Updates
UW-Whitewater has made some revisions to its programs leading to the Gifted and Talented Supplementary add-on Teaching (1013) and Instructional Program Coordinator (5013) Licenses. We did this to try and make the program less expensive as well as easier to complete for people all over the state as well as in Minnesota! Click on the link below where we describe those changes as well as information about course rotation, cost, and what you need to do to register. What’s especially important is that we cannot run the program with fewer than 15 students in each class. This means if you are interested in this program / either license, please see the last section of the document for information on registering.
Read more information here.
Read more information here.
Help Wanted
HELP WANTED: WATG BOARD MEMBERS SOUGHT- The Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted is actively searching for board members to represent the following: South-western and Northern-eastern Wisconsin regions especially, rural regions, healthcare, business, parents and gifted children of all ages. We are a working board of directors who would welcome applications from folks with a passion for gifted children and would roll up their sleeves for them! If interested, please follow this link. Board of Directors If If you have questions please feel free to email WATG president Cathy Schmit at president@watg.org
