Together we can make a difference!
Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed individuals can change the world; indeed it's the only thing that ever has. – Margaret Meade
We are looking for parents, teachers, and students who support advanced and gifted education for Rochester Community Schools in Michigan. Please subscribe to Rochester SAGE to receive updates.
Also, please visit the "How to Help" link in the upper right.
Action Alert – Kindergarten Entry Date
The Michigan legislature is currently considering and leaning toward moving the date for kindergarten entry from December 1 to September 1st. House Bill 4513 would amend the Revised School Code (MCL 380.113) to move up the minimum age requirement for a child enrolling in kindergarten to require the child to be five years of age by September 1, rather than December 1.
The bill includes a waiver provision that parents and guardians may invoke if a child is five by September 1 rather than December 1 but this could be time consuming for families and the waiver request may be rejected.
The obvious implication for a gifted child is putting off entry into school for another year.
The links below provide the text and analysis of the bill.
House Bill 4513
House Bill 4514
Summary as Introduced
Legislative Analysis
Community Conversation on Gifted Education Postponed
The Community Conversation sponsored by The Center for Michigan, Rochester SAGE, Gifted In Michigan, and The Michigan Association for Gifted Children has been postponed as not enough participants were available at this busy time of the year. We will reschedule for late September or early October. We hope everyone who planned to attend tomorrow’s event will participate with us in the fall as we work to advocate for Michigan’s gifted children.
We will send out information on a new date and place shortly. We hope the new date will allow more people to participate.
Joshua Raymond – Rochester SAGE
Melissa Jenkins – Gifted in Michigan
Register today! Teens and youth welcome!
What would you like to tell our legislators about gifted education and other educational topics?
Would you like to participate in a discussion with other parents passionate about education?
Please join us for a Community Conversation about the future of education in our state, co-sponsored by The Center for Michigan, Rochester SAGE, Gifted In Michigan, The Michigan Association for Gifted Children, and the Farmington Community Library.
Community meetings just like this are happening all over Michigan. Make sure your voice is heard. RSVP to the library at 248-553-0300, ext. 220 or online via this link.
Topics to be discussed can be found in the Education Issue Guide and the Community Conversation Issue Points, which offers several suggested talking points about gifted education.. Please preview this guide before the meeting and come prepared to share your views so that our legislators will loudly hear how important education issues are to our communities!
Visit thecenterformichigan.net for more information
WHERE: Farmington Branch Library (map)
23500 Liberty Street
Farmington, MI 48335
WHEN: Wednesday, May 23 – 7:00 to 8:30pm
Register today! We need a minimum of 40 RSVP’s to avoid event cancellation. Right now we only have 18 RSVP’s. Please consider participating! This is your big chance to make an impact on public policy on gifted education!!
Questions about the event? Please leave a comment on Rochester SAGE or email us at RochesterSAGE@live.com.
Community Conversations are presented by The Center for Michigan, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, non-partisan organization working throughout the state to amplify the voices of ordinary citizens and find common ground solutions for a more prosperous future. Please visit www.thecenterformichigan.net for more information.
Thanking Some of My Teachers
The most extraordinary thing about a really good teacher is that he or she transcends accepted educational methods. Such methods are designed to help average teachers approximate the performance of good teachers. – Margaret Mead
Our chief want in life is somebody who will make us do what we can. – Ralph Waldo Emerson
This week is Teacher Appreciation Week. I know I often write a bit harshly about our educational system and sometimes this may be viewed as criticism of teachers themselves. Part of my driving force is having had some excellent teachers and personally seen how a great teacher can impact a life. I desire nothing less than greatness in education for your child and mine, so I speak loudly when I see areas that need improvement. But today’s post is about three of my teachers that went above and beyond and is a post in praise of the excellent teachers that are often unsung.
Dan Jones, Huron Valley School in Ypsilanti
I didn’t like this teacher. I wasn’t sure why he got into teaching if it wasn’t to be able to make many lives miserable at once. He was strict and wasn’t one of the most approachable teachers at my school. And I was stuck with him for two years!
Community Conversation on Gifted Education
What would you like to tell our legislators about gifted education and other educational topics?
Would you like to participate in a discussion with others passionate about education?
Please join us for a Community Conversation about the future of education in our state, co-sponsored by The Center for Michigan, Rochester SAGE, Gifted In Michigan, The Michigan Association for Gifted Children, and the Farmington Community Library.
Community meetings just like this are happening all over Michigan. Make sure your voice is heard. RSVP to the library at 248-553-0300, ext. 220 or online via this link.
Topics to be discussed can be found in the Education Issue Guide. Please preview this guide before the meeting and consider how gifted education factors into each and every topic. Please come prepared to share your views so that our legislators will loudly hear how important gifted education is to our communities!
Visit thecenterformichigan.net for more information
WHERE: Farmington Branch Library (map)
23500 Liberty Street
Farmington, MI 48335
WHEN: Wednesday, May 23 – 7:00 to 8:30pm
Register today! Spots are limited and this event will be announced to the general public on May 11!
Questions about the event? Please post a comment!
Community Conversations are presented by The Center for Michigan, a 501(c)3 nonprofit, non-partisan organization working throughout the state to amplify the voices of ordinary citizens and find common ground solutions for a more prosperous future. Please visit www.thecenterformichigan.net for more information.
They Made a Difference
Many of us have a teacher that impacted our lives or lives of our children. For gifted learners, it is no different. These are teachers who looked beyond the bored or disturbed student to see a child eager to learn more, unfettered chains to let them soar, and truly changed some lives! This week, we especially honor and thank these teachers and all the teachers who have helped gifted learners succeed!
Do you have special teachers who made a difference in the life of a gifted child? Please add a comment honoring them!
Read more…
I highly recommend following this blog! Stephanie Tolan has been on the front lines of advocacy for gifted children for many years and is sharing her wisdom earned during this time. And she’s a really great writer…
Everyone knows the pattern of the knock-knock joke. “Knock, knock,” the first person says. The second says “Who’s there?” and the joke follows. These silly jokes tend to be popular with kids. But hidden in them is is an important philosophical truth. The second person never says “What’s there?” We are all perfectly well aware that it is a being doing the knocking, not an object. We know the difference between who and what.
But all too often we lose that awareness in our interactions with each other. It can be especially hard to keep track of it when we deal with our highly to profoundly gifted kids. The HG/PG label has a meaning that can and does help us to see the child’s particular beingness. But if we aren’t careful, the label may end up obscuring it instead.
Before my son was tested I knew rather a lot about his who-ness. One of his most obvious…
View original post 1,784 more words
They Made a Difference for Gifted Children
Please add your story! It can be about how a teacher or program made a difference for you or your kids.
Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up in May and I wanted to give readers a chance to honor individuals or programs that made a difference for gifted children. Many honorees will be teachers, but I wanted to leave it open to submit other individuals as mentors, parent volunteers, administrators, home-schooling parents, and many others make a huge difference too! Please fill out the form on Rochester SAGE to honor someone who made a difference in recognizing and supporting the giftedness of a child – whether it was you, your children, or someone else.
I will compile the responses and share them during Teacher Appreciation Week. Readers or honorees local to the Rochester, MI area may also be posted on my Rochester Patch blog.
Let’s show our gratitude for those who made a difference!
Read more…
Southeast Michigan Mensa Regional Gathering
From my friends at Gifted In Michigan:
Get to Know Mensa a Little Better… Register for the Southeast Michigan Mensa Regional Gathering May 4th-6th!
Here are some of the highlights of the great speakers/events that will be featured at the Southeast Michigan Mensa Regional Gathering, May 4th-6th. The bulk of speakers/events of interest to families with children will be featured on Saturday, so a Saturday-only ticket would be a great value!
***Bonus: Every family with kids registered will be automatically entered in a drawing to win two free passes to The Henry Ford/Greenfield Village. You need not be present to win.***
If You See Something, Say Something: Gifted Education
I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do. What I can do, I should do. And what I should do, by the grace of God, I will do. – Edward Everett Hale
You must be the change you wish to see in the world. – Mahatma Gandhi
I didn’t plan on advocating for gifted kids. I wanted to be the kind of parent who lets the schools run as they deem best and volunteers to help with after-school activities and field trips. I would support the teachers by backing them on their decisions and helping my kids with homework. Heck, I didn’t even plan on having gifted kids.
Rochester SAGE - Supporting Advanced & Gifted Education 