WATG NEWS
***NEW***Welcome New Board Members!
Amanda Norin is an experienced nurse who holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She recently embraced a new career as a nurse case manager with the largest Third Party Administrator company in the United States. Amanda lives in Brooklyn, WI with her husband, Zane and their two children, Avery and Lane. They also have 3 very interesting cats and a new puppy. Amanda understands firsthand that raising a gifted child is both challenging and rewarding. Besides being an advocate for gifted children, Amanda enjoys reading, crocheting and gardening. As a member of the WATG Board, Amanda hopes to expand her knowledge in gifted education and help others in our state.
Amanda Norin is an experienced nurse who holds a Bachelor of Science in Nursing. She recently embraced a new career as a nurse case manager with the largest Third Party Administrator company in the United States. Amanda lives in Brooklyn, WI with her husband, Zane and their two children, Avery and Lane. They also have 3 very interesting cats and a new puppy. Amanda understands firsthand that raising a gifted child is both challenging and rewarding. Besides being an advocate for gifted children, Amanda enjoys reading, crocheting and gardening. As a member of the WATG Board, Amanda hopes to expand her knowledge in gifted education and help others in our state.
The WATG Board also welcomes Isabelle Kruger. Isabelle is a student at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point, majoring in special education. She intends to get an additional certificate in gifted and talented education after graduation. Currently she enjoys being a resident assistant at her college, hanging out with her wonderful dog, and volunteering in as many activities as she possibly can. She submitted her application to the WATG board after volunteering at the SOAR summer camp this past summer, and describes it as an amazing experience that really motivated her into finding ways to help the gifted community. She is very excited to have this opportunity to be on the WATG board and to learn more about how to advocate and provide resources for her future gifted and talented students! Welcome, Isabelle! It will be great to have a student on our board!
WATG extends a warm welcome to another new director to the WATG board. Jennifer Neuman is an educator who has taught in both high school and middle school settings. She has experience teaching both AP Government and Politics and AP Microeconomics, along with various other Social Studies classes. Jennifer has a Bachelor of Arts in Social Relations and Policy, a Masters in Human Resources/Labor Relations, and a Post Baccalaureate Certification in Secondary Social Studies Education. After stepping back from her teaching job last year, she has taken a part time job as a Special Education Instruction Assistant in her home district and is returning to school in January to begin working on her Masters of Science in Special Education. Jennifer lives in Merton, WI with her husband and their two children. She has advocated for her own children and her students to make sure they are receiving the support they need as gifted individuals. In addition to teaching, Jennifer spends time, gardening, home canning, and volunteering with local political organizations. She hopes to grow her knowledge of gifted education and work towards growing the knowledge of others. Welcome, Jennifer!
Don't miss Cory's new podcast with Dr. Donna Ford as they discuss NYC's elimination of gifted and talented programs.
Leading the World Into the Future: A Word from Our Conference Chair
Stacy Novak, President-Elect and 2021 Conference Co-Chair
Holding a conference almost feels like having a wedding. You spend months working on getting everything ready so it will be perfect for the big day, and then the days of the conference fly by quicker than you can imagine! In the end, though, it is all worth it!!
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Stacy Novak, President-Elect and 2021 Conference Co-Chair
Holding a conference almost feels like having a wedding. You spend months working on getting everything ready so it will be perfect for the big day, and then the days of the conference fly by quicker than you can imagine! In the end, though, it is all worth it!!
Read More
Just One Thing: One Step Forward Toward Promoting Justice for All
How is your school or your district promoting justice for all students? How are you prospecting for gifts and talents in diverse students? How are you serving and supporting these students and their families? What things are happening in your school or district?
Sometimes we think that efforts must be huge to make a difference, but every effort, no matter how small, counts. Every step is progress.
The Justice for All Task Force of WATG invites you to share your stories. Parents, educators, students, school board members, community members – we are counting on you. It is our hope that by sharing your stories, other schools and districts will be inspired to take small and large steps toward justice for all.
To share your story, please contact us at www.watg.org. Together we grow.
How is your school or your district promoting justice for all students? How are you prospecting for gifts and talents in diverse students? How are you serving and supporting these students and their families? What things are happening in your school or district?
Sometimes we think that efforts must be huge to make a difference, but every effort, no matter how small, counts. Every step is progress.
The Justice for All Task Force of WATG invites you to share your stories. Parents, educators, students, school board members, community members – we are counting on you. It is our hope that by sharing your stories, other schools and districts will be inspired to take small and large steps toward justice for all.
To share your story, please contact us at www.watg.org. Together we grow.
Read the WATG 2020-21 Year End Report.
Free Parent Memberships to WATG!
Parenting gifted children can be an exciting, yet challenging journey, and WATG is committed to providing information, resources, and networking opportunities for parents and caregivers of gifted children.
As a service to gifted children and their families, WATG is offering FREE memberships to all parents/caregivers beginning now and extending through September of 2022. Benefits of WATG membership include:
Parenting gifted children can be an exciting, yet challenging journey, and WATG is committed to providing information, resources, and networking opportunities for parents and caregivers of gifted children.
As a service to gifted children and their families, WATG is offering FREE memberships to all parents/caregivers beginning now and extending through September of 2022. Benefits of WATG membership include:
- Support for educational outreach
- Support for parents/caregivers and advocates
- Voting privileges
- Consultation and coaching
- And so much more!
A Few Words from Our New Executive Director
Hello, my name is Roxane Hagedorn and I’m excited to be the new Executive Director for WATG! A little about me...I’m married to Dave, who is a 4th-grade teacher in the Wausau School District. We have one son who was identified as GT in elementary school, and is now a junior at UW-Madison, majoring in History and Philosophy. We recently adopted a rescue dog named Rivers who is almost 8 months old. She takes up most of my free time with her endless energy!
For the past 11 years, I have worked in the Wausau School District as the Volunteer and Community Involvement Coordinator, and have learned much about working with volunteers, parents, and educators.
I’m looking forward to using my background in communications, my personal experience as a GT parent, and my general school district knowledge to advance the mission of WATG.
(WATG desea extender un enorme agradecimiento a la Dra. Martha Aracely Lopez de las Escuelas Públicas de Milwaukee por traducir este artículo al español para nuestras familias y educadores hispanohablantes. La traducción)
Hello, my name is Roxane Hagedorn and I’m excited to be the new Executive Director for WATG! A little about me...I’m married to Dave, who is a 4th-grade teacher in the Wausau School District. We have one son who was identified as GT in elementary school, and is now a junior at UW-Madison, majoring in History and Philosophy. We recently adopted a rescue dog named Rivers who is almost 8 months old. She takes up most of my free time with her endless energy!
For the past 11 years, I have worked in the Wausau School District as the Volunteer and Community Involvement Coordinator, and have learned much about working with volunteers, parents, and educators.
I’m looking forward to using my background in communications, my personal experience as a GT parent, and my general school district knowledge to advance the mission of WATG.
(WATG desea extender un enorme agradecimiento a la Dra. Martha Aracely Lopez de las Escuelas Públicas de Milwaukee por traducir este artículo al español para nuestras familias y educadores hispanohablantes. La traducción)
WATG HAS A NEW PARTNER
Did you know that WATG welcomes partnerships with other organizations who serve gifted and talented individuals?
WATG partnerships are designed for Wisconsin and national educational, extracurricular and parental organizations, independent consultants, UW Schools, CESAs, etc., who are reasonably aligned with WATG’s mission to raise public awareness about the unique needs of gifted individuals. These partnerships are not designed for the marketing or promotion of products or services; instead they are designed to more fully meet the needs of gifted individuals, and to collaborate and share resources and ideas.
On August 9, 2021, Partners for the Advancement of Gifted Education (PAGE) became a partner with WATG. PAGE is composed of educators and parents/caregivers united in serving the gifted community. PAGE’s base is located in southeastern Wisconsin, and provides programming for gifted students, their families, and educators. PAGE has been in existence for many decades, and has provided excellent services over the years. Their partnership with WATG will strengthen both organizations.
WATG extends a warm welcome to PAGE! We are delighted to partner with you!
For more information on partnering with WATG, contact us and/or fill out a WATG Partnership Application.
Did you know that WATG welcomes partnerships with other organizations who serve gifted and talented individuals?
WATG partnerships are designed for Wisconsin and national educational, extracurricular and parental organizations, independent consultants, UW Schools, CESAs, etc., who are reasonably aligned with WATG’s mission to raise public awareness about the unique needs of gifted individuals. These partnerships are not designed for the marketing or promotion of products or services; instead they are designed to more fully meet the needs of gifted individuals, and to collaborate and share resources and ideas.
On August 9, 2021, Partners for the Advancement of Gifted Education (PAGE) became a partner with WATG. PAGE is composed of educators and parents/caregivers united in serving the gifted community. PAGE’s base is located in southeastern Wisconsin, and provides programming for gifted students, their families, and educators. PAGE has been in existence for many decades, and has provided excellent services over the years. Their partnership with WATG will strengthen both organizations.
WATG extends a warm welcome to PAGE! We are delighted to partner with you!
For more information on partnering with WATG, contact us and/or fill out a WATG Partnership Application.
The Importance of Equity Based Talent Identification
Unless everyone counts, no one does. The Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted believes all students deserve appropriate and enriching learning opportunities (Advanced and Accelerated Learning in WI - WISCONSIN ASSOCIATION FOR TALENTED & GIFTED). Developing equitable learning environments requires analysis of quantifiable evidence from all students.
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Unless everyone counts, no one does. The Wisconsin Association for Talented and Gifted believes all students deserve appropriate and enriching learning opportunities (Advanced and Accelerated Learning in WI - WISCONSIN ASSOCIATION FOR TALENTED & GIFTED). Developing equitable learning environments requires analysis of quantifiable evidence from all students.
Read More
Support, Training, & Resources for Educating Able Minorities: Project STREAM, 1988-2000
How many Wisconsin school districts would or should be interested in Project STREAM (Support, Training & Resources for Educating Able Minorities)? That was the question proposed when the late Dr. Donna Rae Clasen of the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater authored the first Javits Grant ever awarded to a Wisconsin initiative. The grant was in place from 1989 to 2000 and was a highly progressive initiative. We lost Dr. Clasen in March of this year, and this article and request is crafted in her memory and honor.
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How many Wisconsin school districts would or should be interested in Project STREAM (Support, Training & Resources for Educating Able Minorities)? That was the question proposed when the late Dr. Donna Rae Clasen of the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater authored the first Javits Grant ever awarded to a Wisconsin initiative. The grant was in place from 1989 to 2000 and was a highly progressive initiative. We lost Dr. Clasen in March of this year, and this article and request is crafted in her memory and honor.
Read More
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
“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
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
