Parent Education Session – Thursday May 22 at 7:00pm

Supporting the Social & Emotional Health of Gifted Students

Gifted students often face unique emotional and social challenges, such as heightened sensitivity, perfectionism, and isolation. In this presentation, Ley-Anne Folks and Heather Lai from Westmount Charter School will discuss ways to support their well-being, which involves creating a safe, understanding environment, promoting peer connections, and providing access to mental health resources. 
 
General Meeting
Immediately following the presentation, we will hold a short GATE Parent Association General Meeting. If you have a student registered in GATE for this current school year, you are a member of the GPA.
 
Date: Thursday May 22, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm
Venue: Virtual meeting (Zoom)
 
REGISTER by May 20, 2025.
Non-GATE parents are welcome to attend this session.

VOLUNTEER WITH THE GPA

Do you take an active role in your gifted child’s learning? Are you interested in supporting the GATE program and advocating for gifted learning? 

The GPA offers a chance to connect with other GATE parents and make an impact in the lives of GATE students. Consider taking on a role in the fall!

You can learn more about the different roles on the GATE Parent Association website or email us at info@gatecalgary.ca for more information.

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* You can access pre-recorded sessions for free HERE.

May 5, 2025: How does Puberty Affect the Brain
This presentation will address: 
• Changes in thoughts and feelings that occur at puberty.
• How these changes are triggered in the brain.
• Implications of these changes on children’s public and private behavior.

May 6, 2025: 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. The presentation is facilitated by a therapist from Juno House who has years of both clinical and facilitating experience. 

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.

May 14, 2025: Stress Management for Children and Youth
This presentation will address: 
– Signs of stress and how to recognize them
– Support for kids and teens in stress management
– Stress sources and levels
– How stress affects our body and mental health

Parent Education Session – Monday March 3 at 7:00pm

Goals of Gifted Education
There can be many goals of gifted education. In this talk, Dr. Matthew Makel will provide example goals that have been established by the gifted education field, while also providing context for how parents can assess whether their own goals are being met by the services that their children receive. Dr. Makel is Professor and Chair in High Ability Studies at the Werklund School of Education, University of Calgary, and a Child Health & Wellness Researcher at the Alberta Children’s Hospital Research Institute.  
 
General Meeting
Immediately following the presentation, we will hold a short GATE Parent Association General Meeting. If you have a student registered in GATE for this current school year, you are a member of the GPA.
 
Date: Monday March 3, 2025
Time: 7:00 pm
Venue: Virtual meeting (Zoom)
 
REGISTER HERE by February 28, 2025.
Non-GATE parents are welcome to attend this session.

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* You can access pre-recorded sessions for free HERE.

February 24, 2025: Managing Challenging Behaviours
Everyone has intense emotions, the trick is being able to navigate them.
Through this presentation you will learn about the crisis cycle and how to intervene at a different moment to reduce the risk of an intense emotional outburst. You can use these strategies with anyone in your life, despite their age.

March 4, 2025: 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. The presentation is facilitated by a therapist from Juno House who has years of both clinical and facilitating experience. 

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 Arnica Foundation is offering the following sessions for parents and families:

April 8 and 9, 2025: The Power of Showing Up: Clinical Application of Interpersonal Neurobiology, and
Supporting Parents of Teens with the Brain in Mind

In this two day workshop, Tina Payne Bryson and Daniel Siegel will look at what the science says about the best predictors for how kids and teens develop, and how clinicians can work with parents in to cultivate secure attachment, and responding to challenges.

Date: Tuesday April 30, 2024
Time: 6:30pm
Venue: Virtual meeting (Zoom)

This session is for students and families supporting a high school student who experiences a disability related barrier in the learning environment. GATE and non-GATE families are welcome to attend.

Dr. Ana Pardo will be addressing the transition from high-school to post-secondary for learners with disability related barriers. Dr. Pardo has spent thirty-five years examining disability, diversity and equity issues, teaching at both the undergraduate and graduate levels in the areas of equity and disability and holds a Ph.D. in Educational Psychology with a specialization in Disability and Multi-Cultural Organizational Change. Dr. Pardo has worked as the Director of Access and Inclusion Services at Mount Royal University and the Director of Accessibility Services at the University of Calgary.

Session topics will include:

• The differences between high school and post-secondary institutions regarding accessing and using academic accommodations;
• Transition challenges for grade twelve students;
• Resources to help students navigate the academic accommodation process at the post-secondary level.

General Meeting

A short GATE Parent Association General Meeting will follow the presentation.  If you have a student registered in the GATE program for this current school year, you are a member of the GPA. If you want to attend the meeting but not the education session, please still register below.

Meeting link will be sent to all registered participants prior to the meeting. REGISTER HERE

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 HERE TO REGISTER: Click on the Poster/PDF icon below the correct session to register**

May 4: Promoting Resilience and Self-Regulation  

Will discuss tools & stress management strategies to help children learn to recognize and manage their stress and emotions. Will also speak to how to help children learn to cope with stress and to better express their feelings & emotions while promoting social-emotional development & self-regulation. Learn about stress from a child’s point of view as well as your own stress response, coping skills & the positive effect of taking time for self-care.

May 5: Helping your Child Foster a Positive Relationship with Food

This presentation will look at the following:
1. What does having a healthy relationship with food look like?
2. What are warning signs for disordered eating?
3. What can families do to promote a healthy relationship with food?
4. Resource sharing & supports

May 5: From Finsta to FOMO: Understanding Social Media Use in Teens 

The world of social media is constantly changing, and it can be hard to keep up. This session will look at some of the most popular platforms among Canadian youth and how to protect privacy and keep everyone safe. We will also discuss the effects of social media use on teen mental health and how to promote healthy social media habits in a digital world.

May 5: Making Learning to Read/Write/Spell Easier 

For some students, learning to read, spell and write is easy. They need little assistance. However, many children and adults encounter difficulty with these tasks. This webinar will look at a number of specific things our presenter Sylvia Hannah Sinclaire has learned, during her fifty years of helping students learn to become effective readers, spellers and writers. 

May 9: Brain Science: Sciences of Hope and Resilience

This session exists to support caregivers with the fundamental elements of brain science with a focus on the strengths of knowing how this can positively impact children and youth development. The interactive session will provide insight into brain structure and the stress response. In addition, we will explore adverse childhood experiences and Covid-19 as they relate to brain development, while providing information and strategies to build resilience.

May 10: Easier Than You Think – Sexuality, Love, and Relationships (ages 0-11)

Research shows that kids want to hear from their parents about not just sexual activity, but also about love, values, and relationships. This program will provide you with tools to have those important and meaningful conversations with your kids throughout their childhood and teen years.

In this workshop we will reflect, explore, and gain tools to build, grow and maintain your family’s conversations on topics of sexuality, sexual health, and relationships. Topics include language, boundaries, consent and answering questions. 

After participating in this program, parents can expect:
• To feel more comfortable & confident talking with their children about sexuality and relationships.
• To practice basic strategies to effectively communicate with children about sexuality and relationships.

**This session will be best suited for parents of children aged 0-11 years old. A session for  parents of older kids will be held on May 17. 

May 16: The Growing Brain: Impact on Mental Health 

Participants will learn:

• The four basic principles of brain development
• About the brain and depression in youth
• A sequence of engagement when working with youth
• Six principles for engaging with youth
 

May 17: Easier Than You Think – Sexuality, Love, and Relationships (parents of teens aged 12-18)

Research shows that kids want to hear from their parents about not just sexual activity, but also about love, values, and relationships. This program will provide you with tools to have those important and meaningful conversations with your kids throughout their childhood and teen years.

In this workshop we will reflect, explore, and gain tools to build, grow and maintain your family’s conversations on topics of sexuality, sexual health, and relationships. Topics include language, boundaries, consent and answering questions. 

After participating in this program, parents can expect:
• To feel more comfortable & confident talking with their children about sexuality and relationships.
• To practice basic strategies to effectively communicate with children about sexuality and relationships.

Indigo Gift Cards

Support GATE by buying books! This ongoing fundraiser allows members to support the GPA, the GATE program, their students, and our GATE teachers. Shop for things you buy anyway, and earn funds to help enhance the GATE program. 

Click below to buy a gift card, and 15% of the purchase price goes to support the work that we do, including funding for teacher professional development and public information seminars and events. Gift cards may be used at all Chapters, Indigo, and Coles stores, and online.

Click on the image below to purchase.

Advance registration is required. Register online at gatecalgary.ca or Click HERE.

NOTE: You can now view previous meeting minutes online. 

An agenda for this meeting will be sent to all registrants along with a link to attend the Zoom meeting. 

Do you have questions or concerns about what the 2020-2021 school year will look like for GATE students? Forward them to us and we will do our best to address them at this meeting. 

Notice of General Meeting

Date: Tuesday, June 9th
Time: 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm
Place: Online via Zoom

Advance registration is required. Register online at gatecalgary.ca or Click HERE.

NOTE: You can now view previous meeting minutes online. 

An agenda for this meeting will be sent to all registrants along with a link to attend the Zoom meeting. 

Do you have questions or concerns about what the 2020-2021 school year will look like for GATE students? Forward them to us and we will do our best to address them at this meeting. 

Purdys Spring Fundraiser

The world changed dramatically just as our Purdys spring fundraiser was getting under way, but thanks to you we we were still able to raise a few hundred dollars for GATE students and bring some chocolate smiles to our families. Thank-you for your support!

Thank-you to our fundraising chair, Stefanie, and volunteers Traci and Nancy, for making sure everyone got their chocolate safely. 
 

Casino Update

The GATE Parent Association (GPA) was scheduled to have its next Casino in Q4 of this year. We have received notice from the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission (AGLC) that Q4 casino scheduling has been postponed until further notice. How long we will have to wait for a new casino fundraiser date will depend on when Casinos reopen. The administration staff of our four schools have been notified of the postponement of future casinos.

There are still funds remaining from our previous casino fundraiser. Schools may not be able to spend these funds by the deadline (Q1 2021, 2 years from the date of the casino fundraiser), or may wish to extend the deadline not knowing when they may receive additional casino funds. We have confirmed with the AGLC that extension requests will be honoured during the COVID-19 crisis.

For additional information and updates, be sure to attend our upcoming general meeting.
 

General Fundraising Notes

As you can see, fundraising is going to be a challenge during the COVID-19 crisis, yet our schools need our help now more than ever. If you have an idea for a fundraiser that may work under these extraordinary circumstances, please contact us. We are looking at new ways to raise funds in lieu of a casino, such as online fundraisers. 

In the meantime, you can always support GATE students through our ongoing Indigo fundraiser. Buy a gift card, and 15% of the purchase price goes to support the work that we do, including funding for teacher professional development and public information seminars and events. Gift cards may be used at all Chapters, Indigo, and Coles stores, and online.

Use your gift card to purchase items through our link, and earn an additional 3%. 

Through these ‘unrestricted’ (non-Casino) funds, we were recently able to provide professional development opportunities for teaching and administration staff from all four of our schools. Thank-you for your continued support!
 

Prefer to make a direct donation?

We couldn’t do the work we do for our GATE students, parents, and teachers without your generous donations. If you prefer to donate directly, cheques can be mailed to:

GATE Parent Association
c/o Louis Riel School
9632 Oakfield Dr SW
Calgary, AB
T2V 0L1

Charitable Registration # 875716417 RR 0001

We also accept donations via PayPal.Visit our website for more ways to give.

Summer Break Ideas?

Summer break is just around the corner. Have an idea for an educational or entertaining activity our families might like? Share it with us and we’ll include your idea in our upcoming newsletter!

Email * Facebook * Instagram

Alberta Health Community Education Services Classes

Alberta Health Services is offering online sessions which may be of interest to our members, such as:

• May 27 or May 28 – Kids Have Stress Too
• June 4 – Emotional Regulation Using Mindfulness
• June 9 – Mental health for highly sensitive teens; unique struggles for these emotional feelers
• June 11 – Taming Anxiety Gremlins: Avoiding anxiety traps while promoting resilience
• June 15 – Supporting a Smooth Transition into the 2020-2021 School Year
• June 22 – Fostering Hope and Resilience in Times of Uncertainty – Hold on to Your Teen

Register online at http://community.hmhc.ca/sessions/?p=online

For additional details and full calendar, visit http://community.hmhc.ca/

Werklund School of Education 

The Integrated Services in Education (ISE) Clinic at Werklund School of Education is now accepting applications for Psychoeducational Assessment Services to be completed in the Spring Term (May & June) of 2020. Apply today at: 
https://werklund.ucalgary.ca/integrated-services

Volunteer opportunities for children:
https://live-werklund.ucalgary.ca/integrated-services/about-us/child-and-youth-volunteers

Links to Helpful Articles

Are your kids struggling right now? While anxiety and acting out are normal responses to the crisis we are all facing, there are some ways you can help your child cope. Check out this great article on supporting your child during COVID-19. 

Follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more articles on parenting gifted children and current gifted education news.

Parent Education Sessions

As a result of COVID-19 and restrictions on gatherings, we have no parent education sessions scheduled at this time. We will be looking into the possibility of online information sessions for 2020-2021 school year. 

If you are interested in volunteering your time, or have questions or suggestions for future information sessions, please contact us. Information about our executive and board member roles can be found here: Our Roles

What we do

Fundraising – With your help, we raise funds through our Casinos, Purdys, and Indigo fundraisers. Some ways that schools have used these funds are: 

• artists in residence • writers in residence • drama workshops • Wordfest 
• field trips • computing competitions • math competitions • math resources
• microphones • robotics equipment • cameras • smart boards
• scientists in residence • science kits • Beakerhead • Professional Development 

Education – We support GATE families through education sessions on topics like:

• growth mindset • executive functioning • anxiety, perfectionism, and depression 
• study skills • resilience • underachievement • social dynamics • mindful parenting 
• the high school experience
 
Communication – Through our newsletters and social media accounts, we provide information about upcoming events at schools and other organizations of interest to our members, links to resources of interest to gifted students and their families, and other gifted education news. You can find us on Facebook and Instagram!

Advocacy – The GATE Parent Association executive meets with the CBE, school administrations, and other stakeholders to stay informed about current research and updates and to advocate for gifted education.