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 | An inclusive community advocating for learners with gifted education needs, their families, and educators |
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Dear GiftedNYS Community,
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We hope this edition of our newsletter finds you well as we welcome the Spring season. Our March newsletter highlights the importance of the arts as an avenue for creative thought and expression, including a piece written by Gifted NYS Member Tami Williams, and a featured arts resource from the National Gallery of Art for educators and students.
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| | Advocacy Corner | Membership Matters! |
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Are you a current GiftedNYS member? If so, thank you. Your membership helps strengthen a statewide community dedicated to gifted and 2e students and their families. Through your support, GiftedNYS can continue to share resources, foster connection and learning, build community, and amplify a collective voice across New York State.
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GiftedNYS is powered by dedicated members and volunteers who give their time, energy, and expertise to a student population whose strengths, needs, and experiences are not always fully recognized. Together, we can do more, and your membership is what makes that possible.
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Not a member yet? We’d love to have you. By joining, you ensure that you are counted among New Yorkers who care about the needs of gifted and 2e students.
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GiftedNYS welcomes everyone who cares about gifted and 2e students. Whether you are a parent, caregiver, educator, school leader, professional, or student, your membership makes a difference. |
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As a member, you have access to supportive and welcoming meetups, educational webinars, impactful advocacy opportunities, our newsletter, a members-only Facebook group, and a wealth of online resources.
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This is an exciting time for GiftedNYS, with new initiatives and events underway. Your membership helps sustain this growing community and advance GiftedNYS’s mission across New York State. Thank you. |
| | NY State of the State in Gifted Education 2026 |
Join our Advocacy Chair and President on April 29, 2026 to learn about the current gifted education landscape in New York State, and recent activities impacting students with gifted education needs. Topics include:
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Explore key aspects, challenges, and opportunities, and learn actionable steps you can take to advocate for quality, inclusive gifted education throughout New York State. This is a free event. Registration is Required. |
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| | | Featured Events | The Empowerment Project
Thinking Outside the Box: Identifying, Supporting, and Advocating for the Unique Needs of the Gifted & Twice Exceptional
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Saturday, March 21st, 10:30AM - 5:00PM |
502 Union St, Hudson, NY 12534
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This event is a full-day learning experience for parents, educators, caregivers, and advocates who want to better understand and support gifted and twice exceptional (2e) learners. Featuring filmmaker Tom Ropelewski, clinical psychologist Dr Matthew Zakreski, education advocate Dr. Austina De Bonte, Kathryn Cohen of GiftedNYS, and Jacqui Byrne, founder of FlexSchool, the day brings together voices working at the intersection of education, neurodiversity, and advocacy. |
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Through a documentary screening, live Q&A, hands-on workshops, and a closing panel discussion, the program explores how giftedness and learning differences intersect, why so many 2e students are misunderstood or underserved in traditional systems, and what it looks like to move beyond deficit-based models toward strengths-based, affirming approaches.
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This event is free, but participants must register for tickets. |
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| | Perspectives Corner | Art in the Home
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By Tami Williams, GiftedNYS member |
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There are many advantages of creative writing and art, particularly with gifted children. Gifted children tend to be imaginative because of their increased ability for sophisticated thought and they exhibit a heightened capacity for sensitivity (Drake & Winner, 2021). Incorporating creative writing and/or art can serve as an antidote to the traditional confines of school.
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Creative writing and art are vehicles for divergent thinking because the student (s) can learn the process of language and art at their own pace simultaneously and that's one of the beauties of it. Also, the student (s) can get lost inside their own world and not be judged for doing so.
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Here are some suggestions that worked for me, for parents/guardians to get started. These can all be done at home on a low cost budget as ways to support your gifted child in exploring art and creative writing:
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1. Buy a few sketch and tell notebooks. Sketchpads that can be used for visual, verbal and creative ideas.
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2. Set up a 3D "still life" which would be anything interesting to their child (s) such as pets, stuff animals, dolls, legos, wooden blocks and etc. Also, nature can be used to make things even more interesting ( alive or dead!!!!). Tell an amazing short story utilizing the still life artifacts.
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3. Set up a 2D " still life" which would be anything(images) interesting to their child (s) from magazines, coloring books, calendars, newspapers, or any other print. Additionally, your child can take photos inside and outside their house. Tell an amazing short story about the pictures or words they cut out.
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4. Your child can create a storybook such as cutting out character (s) from coloring books and gluing them onto a mat board, poster board, or cardboard. Tell an amazing short story about what's listed above.
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5. The student (s) can use crayons and paint to create anything they want by using primary and secondary colors. Have them explain what primary and secondary colors are and how they are used to make other colors.
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There are many ways gifted children can express themselves through pictures, clay, painting, and writing. Encourage your child to "play" in these mediums. Establish a dedicated space for them to do this work and be messy. Then sit back and watch the imagination come to life!
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Drake, J.E. & Winner, E. (2021). What Is Distinctive About Artistically Gifted Children?. In: Sternberg, R.J., Ambrose, D. (eds) Conceptions of Giftedness and Talent. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-56869-6_8 |
| | Volunteers Needed! |
GiftedNYS is seeking a few volunteers who would be interested in helping us plan and deliver a high-quality Fall Conference. This is a short term, specific volunteer opportunity for the next 6 months. We need a few interested people who can:
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- Meet 2x per month (virtually) with commitment to do work in between the meetings
- Have experience planning conferences or large meetings
- Have experience in any of the following areas: speaker outreach, vendor or sponsor outreach, technology platform support, program or session planning, marketing/communications, registration, and "day of" support.
- Roll up your sleeve and pitch in and assist where needed
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If you're interested, email giftednys@gmail.com and in the subject line put: Fall conference volunteer. The deadline for your response March 25, 2026. Thank you! |
| | The Pulse |
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| National Gallery of Art
Did you know that the National Gallery of art offers free learning resources and programs for teachers and students? Lesson plans, films and a wide variety of activities were created to support art exploration for students of all ages.
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What do we love about it? |
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They offer a variety of free interactive in person and virtual field trips designed to spark curiosity, as well as lessons ranging from hands on activities and childrens book recommendations for our pre-K -Kindergarten students, to teaching resources that deeply explore artworks, artists, artistic media and artistic styles. Many of these resources also make interdisciplinary connections to history and society. We highly recommend this fantastic art resource! |
| | Save The Date! May Virtual Meetup |
Join us to connect with other families and educators throughout NYS who know learners with gifted education needs deserve equitable opportunities to excel.
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May 12, 2026|
Registration info coming soon! |
| | Youth Opportunities |
NAGC Student Scholarships
High School
Nominations for the Dr. Martin D. Jenkins Scholarship and La Excelencia Latina Scholarship
open on April 1, 2026.
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For high achieving 7th graders with financial need. Funds for academic and extracurricular
activities, personalized educational advising, and the opportunity to join a community of
motivated peers. Deadline to apply is April 29, 2026.
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Pick your region, click “Summer Camps 2026: Master Guide” then sort by area of interest, age,
or date. (Sometimes the sort includes camps that are not actually in your region...keep scrolling
to find the ones that are!)
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Adults attending the annual Creative Problem Solving Institute in Buffalo can bring youth age
8-17 to learn creative process, skills and tools. Early Bird rates end March 31.
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A summer day camp filled with fun, hands-on STEM adventures led by qualified local educators.Locations all across New York State.
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Summer technology camps on college campuses or online.
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The 2027 application will open on June 1, 2026 for this annual science research competition
with a $250,000 top prize. |
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We are always seeking dedicated volunteers to help advance GiftedNYS's mission. Even 2-3 hours a month will have a meaningful and positive impact on our community.
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If this newsletter was forwarded to you and you'd like to receive future GiftedNYS newsletters, advocacy updates, and information about interesting events, subscribe to our mailing list by visiting https://giftednys.org/about-us/newsletter/. It's quick and free to subscribe! |
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| | About GiftedNYS | |
Gifted New York State, Inc. (GiftedNYS), is a 501 (c) 3 not-for-profit organization of parents, educators, and professionals who have come together to support the needs of New York’s gifted and twice-exceptional (2E) student population and their families. To learn more about our work, visit us online at www.giftednys.org. |
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At GiftedNYS, the information we share is guided solely by our mission to support gifted and twice-exceptional learners—not by outside interests. If we mention resources, tools, or strategies, it's because we believe they may be helpful for families and educators. We do not receive compensation for these mentions and we do not endorse specific companies or products. |
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