The Texas Book Festival in conjunction with the University Interscholastic League is sponsoring the annual Texas Book Festival’s Statewide Fiction Contest

which is open to all Texas middle and high school students.

Texas students in grades 7-12 are invited to submit a piece of original fiction, no more than 2,000 words in length on the 2010 theme “Goodbye to All That.” Cash prizes will be awarded to the first, second, and third place winners in each division. First place winners will be honored at the 2010 Texas Book Festival, where they will read their compositions in a public Festival session at the Texas State Capitol. The winning entries will also be published on the Texas Book Festival web site.

The information on the contest is here:

http://www.texasbookfestival.org/Fiction_Contest.php

An Evening with Sir Ken Robinson

An Evening with Sir Ken Robinson

April 7, 2010

8:00 p.m.

Evans Auditorium

Robinson, author of The Element, is an international leader in the development of creativity and innovation.  His talk will discuss How Finding Your Passion Changes Everything as part of this year’s Common Experience theme, The Whole Mind: Crossing Boundaries of Disciplines.  He is the latest in a series of distinguished Common Experience speakers that have included Andrew Young, Edward James Olmos, Maya Angelou, Spike Lee, Isabel Allende, Erin Brockovich, Luci Baines Johnson and Lynda Johnson Robb; and most recently, Daniel Pink.

Admission is free and open to the public. Seating is limited and doors open at 7:30 p.m.

For more information about this event and other Common Experience events, visit http://www.txstate.edu/commonexperience or contact the co-chairs of Texas State’s Common Experience, Pam Wuestenberg at 245-7952 (pw05@txstate.edu) or Nico Schuler at 245-3395 (nico.schuler@txstate.edu). Or you may contact Diann McCabe in the University Honors Program at 245-2209 (dm14@txstate.edu).

Community Forum Scheduled for February 23

Pflugerville ISD invites district parents, students and community members to a community forum, scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. on Feb. 23 at the PISD administration building. Superintendent of Schools Charles Dupre will discuss the state of Pflugerville ISD, including new demographic projections and budget information. Dupre and other District leaders will also take questions from the audience. To submit your question in advance, visit the District’s Solution Seeking Feedback Form. The Pflugerville ISD administration building is located at 1401 West Pecan Street, Pflugerville.  Click here for more information.

PFLEX–January 2010

PFLEX classes will resume the week of January 4.

For Parents

FREE Webinar- Five Levels of Gifted

Dr. Deborah Ruf will present “Five Levels of Gifted: School Issues and Educational Options,” based on her award-winning book. Register today for this educational experience with Dr. Ruf–it’s FREE!

Webinar Details

• Date: Oct. 8, 2009
• Time: 6pm-8pm (CDT)
• Cost: FREE

New Release!

In her new book, Gifted at Risk: Poetic Portraits (to be released Oct. 15th), Dr. Peterson shares 62 brief and intense poems about gifted individuals. Each portrait offers an intimate view into the inner world of gifted teens, and an accompanying narrative provides background and counseling perspectives. Teachers, parents, counselors, and health care professionals will find these portraits moving, insightful, and enlightening, as well as useful for teacher training.

Around Austin:

October 2 – 11, 2009 – The University of Texas Department of Theatre & Dance presents THERE’S A BOY IN THE GIRLS’ BATHROOM at the Oscar G. Brockett Theatre (300 E. 23rd St.), located in the F. Loren Winship Drama Building. A map of the campus: http://texasperformingarts.org/visit/maps_directions. Show times are October 2, 3, 7, 8 & 9 at 8:00p.m, and October 3, 4 & 11 at 2:00 p.m. Tickets ($20 adults, $17 UT faculty & staff, $15 student) are now on sale at the following authorized ticket outlets, which include the Bass Concert Hall Box Office, most H-E-B stores and all Texas Box Office outlets, online at www.TexasPerformingArts.org, or by calling (512) 477-6060 or (800) 982-BEVO.

Families are encouraged to attend a free Family Day workshop on October 11th, 12:30 -1:30 pm in the Winship Drama Building. Family Day includes a pre-performance workshop, discounted tickets to see THERE’S A BOY IN THE GIRLS’ BATHROOM, and the opportunity to meet members of the cast after the show. Space is limited, so please register early. Contact Anne McNamee at annemcnamee@gmail.com to reserve space for you and your family!

Texas Association of the Gifted and Talented (TAGT) Conference coming in December!  Register now to attend parent sessions!  http://www.txgifted.org/

October Calendar

Download the PFLEX newsletter:   October 2009 newsletter.

October 5-9

4^th/5^th graders will learn to play Math Pentathlon (MP) game Contig 60; 2^nd/3^rd graders will learn to play Sum Dominoes & Dice; 1^st graders will learn to play Calla.  Unit task(s):  SHES/CES students will evaluate purposes for moving from agrarian to urban environments.  TES students will design, build, and test a wheelchair to be operated by a person’s breath.

October 12-16

All students will develop strategies for talking to teachers about learning needs.   Unit task(s):  SHES/CES students will explore the lasting impact of various Renaissance-era inventions, inventors, and begin a personal invention study.  TES students will create a piece of art that reflects the point of view of an individual with disabilities; continue to test wheelchair.

October 19-23

4^th/5^th graders will learn to play Stars & Bars; 2^nd/3^rd graders will learn to play FIAR; 1^st graders will learn to play Hex-A-Gone.  Unit task(s):  SHES/CES students will explore inventions devised by Leonardo da Vinci and continue personal invention studies.  TES students will design, build, and test a robotic hand.

October 26-30

All students will develop goal setting strategies and set goals for the school year.  SHES/CES students will examine Renaissance-era art forms and begin a series of self-selected art investigations.  TES students will continue to test robotic hand; begin planning group robotics study.

Note:  There will be no PFLEX classes on early release dates because of the significant changes to class schedules.

National Award Honors Excellence in Publishing for the Gifted and Talented

The Texas Association for the Gifted and Talented (TAGT) is pleased to announce the 2009 Legacy Book™ Awards, nationally recognized awards that honor outstanding literature related to gifted children and their education. TAGT distributes nominated books to a nationwide panel of reviewers who evaluate the books according to their long-term potential for improving the lives of gifted youth, categorized by audience:

For Educators – Strategies for Differentiating Instruction: Best Practices for the Classroom, by Julia L. Roberts and Tracy F. Inman (Prufrock Press)

For Parents – Raising a Gifted Child: A Parenting Success Handbook, by Carol Fertig (Prufrock Press)

For Scholars – Social-Emotional Curriculum with Gifted and Talented Students, edited by Joyce VanTassel-Baska, Ed.D., Tracy L. Cross, Ph.D., and F. Richard Olenchak, Ph.D. (Prufrock Press)

Education in Action’s 2009-2010 Call for Outstanding Student Nominations

Nominate your outstanding 5^th-8^th graders to join delegations of distinguished students from across the state of Texas at the Lone Star Leadership Academy, a weeklong, TEKS-based, experiential leadership development program to Dallas/Fort Worth, Austin or Houston/Galveston during spring break* and summer.  The Lone Star Leadership Academy provides opportunities for students to experience grade level curriculum during visits to historically, politically, scientifically and environmentally significant sites with a focus on leadership throughout.  Participants must be in 5^th-8^th grade, maintain an 85 or higher average, be active in school and/or community activities and receive an educator recommendation (your nomination) based on demonstrated leadership ability.  There is no limit to the number of students you may nominate as long as they meet the eligibility requirements.  For more information visit www.educationinaction.org or call 817-562-4957.

Nominations may be made online at http://www.educationinaction.org/~eiatx84/educators/nominations.php.

FALL NOMINATION DEADLINE:  FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 6, 2009.

Resource for Parents

Parents can visit https://natureneedsofgtstudents.wikispaces.com/ to learn more about learners with gifts and talents.