CALLING ALL GATE FAMILIES!
All parents and guardians of GATE students are automatically members of the GATE Parent Association. The GPA is a great way to stay connected to the GATE community and receive updates on GATE-specific matters.
The GPA is looking for volunteers! In particular, we are looking for a new Social Media Coordinator and Parent Education Chair. Potentially, these could be combined into one position, or combined with the Fundraising Chair position. Attend the Annual General Meeting or email us at info@gatecalgary.ca for more information.
If you know of a new GATE family, they can sign up for the newsletter here.
Reminder: AGM – Monday September 23, 2024
The Annual General Meeting for the GATE Parent Association will be held on Monday September 23, 2024 starting at 7:00 pm. We will be discussing the work of the GPA in prior years, discussing goals for the upcoming year, and presenting our audited financials for the previous year. As two of our board members are unable to continue on in their roles due to their children leaving GATE, we will also be appointing a new Vice President and Treasurer to take over for the second year of the two year term. The appointees are GATE parents who answered our call in the Spring and have been shadowing current Executive members since then.
Our bylaws require that you provide the following information in order to vote at the meeting:
- Full legal name
- Name of your student(s) attending the GATE program
- Name of the school your student is attending
- Grade of the student
- Home Address
You will be asked to provide this information during registration for the meeting, as well as your email address so we can send you the meeting link. It will be held online via Zoom and a link will be sent to all registered attendees prior to the meeting.
Register HERE for the Meeting
Minutes from the last AGM will be approved at the start of the meeting. You can review our last AGM minutes here.
StarGATE Mentorship Program
Stars For Scholarly Youth are very excited to share that they will once again be offering their mentorship program to GATE students.
Students can be overwhelmed by the future of their academic career. The Stars for Scholarly Youth mentorship program hopes to support students for better integration into postsecondary life in the future.
The Program
- Each mentor/mentee pair will meet for ~30 mins a minimum of once a month (though you are welcome to meet more) over Zoom or in-person; to discuss University, career aspirations, useful resources, and purpose.
- The mentor is responsible for engaging the mentee in these conversations (mentees are likely to be shy), but conversation topics and some resources will be provided.
Events
- 1 mentor in-person social per semester
- 1 mentor-mentee in-person larger event at the end of each semester which will be mandatory to attend (there will be free food and lots of games!)
- 1 fundraiser per semester
This is SSY’s fourth year running this program with GATE students. We have received great feedback from our previous mentees and many have had the chance to make informed decisions about their post-secondary careers. The organizers would like to expand their program and organize more events for the members; However, as a university club, their resources for raising funds are limited. If any GATE parents would like to contribute, you can e-transfer a donation to starsfsy@gmail.com and note it is for StarGATE.
Students can apply for the program here: StarGATE Mentee Registration Form (2024-2025)
UPCOMING PARENT EDUCATION SESSIONS
The Community Education Service (CES) is offering the following sessions for parents and families. Sessions are offered at no cost but registration is required. *Click on the Poster/PDF icon below the correct session to register*
September 23, 2024: Cross Cultural Parenting Program – Session 1
10:00 AM – Noon, provided by Calgary Immigrant Women’s Association (CIWA)
Participants will learn:
• Challenges of parenting in a new country and culture
• Social and institutional pressures
• Norms, values and laws in Canada with a focus on supervision and child abuse laws
September 24, 2024: ADHD Essentials for Parents
Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders in children. It is usually first diagnosed in childhood and often lasts into adulthood. Children with ADHD may have trouble paying attention, controlling impulsive behaviours, or over-activity. There are three different types of ADHD, depending on which symptoms are strongest in the individual, and each of these subtypes may impact children differently. Neurological deficits, not unwillingness, keep kids with attention deficit disorder from learning and behaving in expected ways. Adults are key in setting these students on a path to success! In this session, we will discuss ADHD diagnosis, the ADHD brain, ADHD as a disorder of Executive Functioning, treatment, and setting kids up for success.
September 26, 2024: Navigating Technology with our Youth
The message of this presentation is not only based on technology, but also about a child’s healthy brain development and the necessary parenting/caregiver role in creating healthy, emotional, regulated, and integrated brains. This presentation will address the underpinning of a child’s emotional brain development and how to grow it, as well as how technology can dangerously hijack this.
We believe that talking does not grow neurons; experience grows neurons. This workshop is designed to give attendees the skills to become their child’s emotional coach. The workshop will provide participants with:
• An understanding of the basic neuroscience behind healthy brain development,
• The dangers of technology for healthy brain development,
• Technology use rules that will help your child
• When building healthy brains, how to identify emotions in your child/student, and
• How to become your child’s/student’s emotional coach in only five steps and in that, build a resilient child.
The presentation is facilitated by a therapist from Juno House who has years of both clinical and facilitating experience. Juno House was founded in 2008 as a Centre of Excellence for adolescent girls and young women who are experiencing anxiety-based mental health issues of self harm, obsessive compulsive disorders, depression and eating disorders.
DID YOU KNOW you can access pre-recorded sessions for free HERE.
ALSO CHECK OUT resources available through Mental Health Literacy HERE.