Evening Events

Join us for two evening events at the Sheraton Hotel!  Both of these events are open to all and are not exclusively for conference registrants.

On Thursday, April 22nd, join us for the President's Reception from 7:30-8:30 in the Exhibit Hall and adjacent ballroom.  Take time to do some shopping in the Exhibit Hall and to visit with PAGE members, including the organization's Board of Directors, while enjoying music by the jazz ensemble of Shady Side Academy.

On Friday, April 23rd, the North Allegheny PAGE affiliate will host the first annual Networking Night in the ballroom from 7:30-9:00.  Join teachers and parents of gifted children from throughout the Pennsylvania to hear stories, share experiences, and discuss strategies for advocating, teaching, and parenting.

If you have any questions about these events or are interested in sponsoring either night's activity, contact the PAGE Conference Committee at PAGEgoes2Mars@gmail.com.

Featured Speaker: Dr. Victoria Damiani

Dr. Victoria Damiani is professor of educational and school psychology at Indiana University of Pennsylvania and former director of the IUP Center for Gifted Education. She holds a doctoral degree in school psychology from the College of William and Mary and is a nationally certified school psychologist. Her research interests include gifted education, counseling/crisis intervention, and families of exceptional children. Dr. Damiani is author of Crisis prevention and intervention in the classroom: What teachers should know (2006). She has done numerous presentations in gifted education with special emphasis on social/emotional issues, underachievement, and improvement of family-school relations. She was cited by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in 2004 as an educator making a significant impact in Western Pennsylvania and is a past president of the Association of School Psychologists of Pennsylvania.

Join Dr. Damiani on Friday, April 23rd, for the panel session Questions and Answers about Gifted Programs (also featuring Dr. Karen Rogers and Dr. Ann Lupkowski Shoplik) and on Saturday, April 24th, for the concurrent session Understanding Your Child's Assessment: What Those Tests Really Tell You.

Featured Speaker: Linda Deal

Linda Deal has been an advocate for gifted students in a variety of formats for almost 30 years.  As an educator, she earned her masters in Gifted Education from Millersville University in 1991 and is currently a part-time instructor in that program.  She also works with elementary gifted students and accelerated math students in the Penn Manor District.  In 2005, she received the Educator of the Year Award from PAGE and currently serves on the PAGE Board and the Pennsylvania Office of Dispute Resolution Stakeholders Panel. In addition, Linda is the author of the book The Boredom Solution: Understanding and Dealing with Boredom (Dandy Lion Publications).  Her greatest joy, however, has come from parenting two gifted sons and spending time with her gifted grandchildren.

Join Linda at the PAGE conference where she will present the breakout sessions Perfectionism in Gifted Students: Bonus or Burden?, Creativity: A Gift to Be Fostered, and Due Process: Views from the Sides.

Become a Friend of PAGE!

Have your name or the name of someone you’d like honor featured both in the PAGE conference program at on this blog!  For only $50, you or your organization can be listed as a friend of PAGE both in the program and on the blog.  All proceeds go toward funding the awards PAGE presents annually.  These include the Nicholas Green Distinguished Student Award for children in grades 3-6 and the Service and Scholarship honor for students in grades 10-12.

Please make your check out to PAGE, Inc. and mail the check in the amount of $50 to:
Barb Penrod
290 Greenich Street
Johnstown, PA 15902

Names will be posted on the blog upon receipt of payment.  Payment must be received by March 1st in order to be included in the conference program.  Please be sure to include the name of the individual or organization you would like listed with your payment.

Help Wanted

Calling all volunteers!  The PAGE conference committee is looking for help.  At present, we need particular assistance in identifying and contacting potential sponsors, donors and exhibitors and in publicizing the conference.  In addition, we will soon need help in all aspects of the conference, including hospitality, technology, and logistics.  If you are interested in volunteering or if you have any suggestions of funding sources, please call the PAGE Helpline toll free at 888-736-6443 and leave a message with any of the affiliate coordinators or (preferably) email the conference committee directly at PAGEgoes2Mars@gmail.com.
 

Featured Speaker: Dr. Ann Lupkowski Shoplik

Dr. Ann Lupkowski Shoplik is the Director of the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Talented Elementary and Secondary Students (C-MITES) at Carnegie Mellon University, a position she has held since 1992.  She conducts the annual Elementary Student Talent Search in Pennsylvania and oversees the C-MITES summer program and Weekend Workshops for academically talented students in kindergarten through 9th grade.  Her research interests include identifying mathematically talented elementary and middle school students and studying their characteristics and academic needs.  She co-authored Developing Math Talent (Prufrock Press) with Susan Assouline and is also a co-author of the Iowa Acceleration Scale (Great Potential Press) with Susan Assouline, Nicholas Colangelo, Jonathan Lipscomb, and Leslie Forstadt.

Join Dr. Shoplik on Thursday, April 22nd, and Friday, April 23rd.  She will be presenting the 3-hour session Developing Mathematical Talent and will also be part of two panels: Questions and Answers about Gifted Programs (also featuring Dr. Karen Rogers and Dr. Victoria Damiani) and Collected Wisdom: Reflections of Three Neuber-Pregler Award Winners (also featuring Dr. David Mason and Ted Davis).

Featured Speaker: Andy Mahoney

Andy Mahoney earned his bachelor's degree at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, his master's at Western Illinois University and completed postgraduate work in counselor education, supervision and family therapy at Virginia Polytechnic Institute. He has taught at George Mason University. Mahoney was a long-standing executive board member and the past chair of the Counseling and Guidance Division of the National Association of Gifted Children. He also is a trainer and supervisor of counselors. For more than 20 years, Mahoney, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist, has explored and developed frameworks for the counseling and psychotherapy of gifted and talented people. He works with clients individually, in groups and with their families. Nationally, he often presents his work at conferences, symposiums, consultations and training workshops for fellow counselors, educators and parents. His focus on identity offers a new and original perspective.  You can learn more about Mr. Mahoney by visiting his website, http://www.counselingthegifted.com.

Join Mr. Mahoney on both Thursday, April 22nd, and Friday, April 23rd, as he presents three different sessions: The Challenges of Parenting and Teaching Gifted Children, The Price of Achievement, and Early Indicators: Revealing Learning Problems for the Twice Exceptional.

Featured Speaker: Dr. Kim Maguire

Dr. Kim Maguire has been involved in gifted education for more than fifteen years, as a parent, teacher, and school district Director of Gifted Education. She earned her doctorate in Gifted Education, Curriculum and Teaching at Columbia University, and is currently the Director of Curriculum and Instruction at the Delaware County Intermediate Unit. She has presented on topics in gifted education at numerous conferences and workshops, and created and leads an annual Gifted Education Regional Conference in southeastern Pennsylvania. Dr. Maguire believes that equity in education demands that we challenge all learners to reach their full potential, including high-ability or gifted students.

Join Dr. Maguire on Thursday, April 22nd, for her full-day session GIEPs: New Forms, Enhanced Functions.

The Art of Learning

Courtesy of the JW Foundation, the first 600 conference registrants will receive a complimentary copy of the book The Art of Learning, written by Josh Waitzkin.  Josh was the subject of the book and movie Searching for Bobby Fischer and was the keynote speaker at this year's NAGC convention.

Conference Schedule

Wednesday, April 21st

• Registration -- 7:30 P.M.–9 P.M.

Thursday, April 22nd

• Breakfast for Hotel Guests -- Beginning at 6 A.M.
• Exhibit Hall Open -- 11 A.M.-9 P.M.
• Registration -- 7 A.M.–8:15 A.M.
• Graduate Students’ Meeting -- 8 A.M.
• Full-Day Sessions -- 8:30 A.M.–3:30 P.M. (includes one hour for lunch on your own)
• Half-Day Sessions -- 8:30 A.M.-11:30 A.M. and 12:30 P.M.-3:30 P.M.
• President's Reception -- 7:30 P.M.-8:30 P.M.
  
• Registration -- 7:30 P.M.-9 P.M.

Friday, April 23rd

• Breakfast for Hotel Guests -- Beginning at 6 A.M.
• Exhibit Hall Open -- 7 A.M.-6 P.M.
• Registration -- 7 A.M.–8 A.M.
• Graduate Students’ Meeting -- 7:30 A.M.
• Opening Remarks and Keynote Address -- 8:00 A.M.-9:45 A.M.
• Breakout Session A -- 10 A.M.-11 A.M.
• Breakout Session B -- 11:15 A.M.-12:15 P.M.
• Lunch (included with registration) -- 12:15 P.M.-1:45 P.M. 
• Lunch consists of chicken Dijon served with pasta Primavera.  Please email PAGEgoes2Mars@gmail.com if you require a vegetarian meal.
• Breakout Session C -- 1:45 P.M.-2:45 P.M.
• Breakout Session D -- 3 P.M.-4 P.M.
• PAGE Business Meeting -- 4:15-5 P.M.
• Networking Night (open to all PAGE members, regardless of conference registration) -- 7:30 P.M.-9 P.M.

Saturday, April 24th

• Breakfast for Hotel Guests -- Beginning at 6 A.M.
• Exhibit Hall Open -- 7 A.M.-3:30 P.M.
• Registration -- 7 A.M.–8 A.M.
• Children’s Program (for students in grades 3-8; sponsored by Commonwealth Connections Academy) -- 8 A.M.-3 P.M.
• Opening Remarks and Keynote Address -- 8:00 A.M.-9:45 A.M.
• Breakout Session A -- 10 A.M.-11 A.M.
• Breakout Session B -- 11:15 A.M.-12:15 P.M.
• Boxed Lunch Available (included with registration) -- 11:30 P.M.-1 P.M.  
• Lunch consists of a smoked turkey croissant served with pasta salad.  Please email PAGEgoes2Mars@gmail.com if you require a vegetarian meal.
• Breakout Session C --12:45 P.M.-1:45 P.M.
• Breakout Session D -- 2 P.M.-3 P.M.

What's New at This Year's Conference

PAGE is headed to Mars!  Join us for our next conference from April 22nd through April 24th at the Four Points North by Sheraton Hotel in Mars, PA.  In keeping with the theme of Exploring New Worlds in Gifted Education, this year’s conference will include many new and exciting features.

New Location.  This year’s conference will be at the Sheraton Hotel in Mars, about 30 miles north of Pittsburgh.  Located near the intersection of Interstate 79 and the Pennsylvania turnpike, the hotel is easily accessible from the major highways.  Parking is free, and there are many attractions within a 30-minute drive, including the Carnegie Museums of Pittsburgh, Hartwood Acres, and the Grove City Outlets.  Rooms are available for $120 per night and include a full breakfast.  To reserve your room, call the toll-free reservation line, (888) 627-8175, making sure to mention the PAGE conference to get this special rate, or visit www.starwoodmeeting.com/book/PAGE2010.

New Technology.  Keep up with the latest conference news on this blog.  In addition, you can also network with parents and teachers of gifted children throughout Pennsylvania and talk about the conference at the PAGE Goes to Mars site on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=139031349787.

New Session Strands.  In order to assist in planning your schedule, each breakout session will be classified in one of ten strands.  These strands are:
•    Assessment and Identification
•    Computers and Technology
•    Counseling and Guidance
•    Creativity and the Arts
•    Curriculum and Instruction
•    Foundations of Gifted Education
•    Math and Science
•    Parent and Community
•    Programming and Services
•    Special Populations

Expanded Keynotes.  Friday will feature Dr. Karen Rogers of The University of St. Thomas providing and update on the latest research in gifted education, while Saturday will begin with Dr. Jean Peterson of Purdue University discussing the importance of social and emotional issues when advocating for gifted learners.  Both women will speak for 75 minutes, providing conference attendees with more in-depth information about these important topics.

More Invited Presenters.  In order to offer a wide range of sessions, we have developed a schedule consisting of more invited presenters than ever before.  On Thursday, a mix of full- and half-day sessions will be offered by Dr. Mary Slade of James Madison University (“Best Practices for Meeting the Needs of All Gifted Learners”); Dr. Ann Shoplik of C-MITES (“Developing Mathematical Talent”); Andy Mahoney, counselor of the gifted (“The Challenges of Parenting and Teaching Gifted Children”); and Dr. Kim Maguire of the Delaware County Intermediate Unit (“GIEPs: New Forms, Enhanced Functions”).  To lead breakout sessions on Friday and Saturday, we have:

• Dr. Karen Rogers (“Do Australians Do It Better? An Outsider’s Perspective of Education Down Under” and “Teachers Who Make a Difference in Gifted Children’s Lives”)
• Dr. Jean Peterson (“Bullying of and by Gifted Students” and “Parenting Gifted Kids: A Counselor’s Perspective”)
• Andy Mahoney (“The Price of Achievement” and “Early Indicators: Revealing Learning Problems for the Twice Exceptional”)
• Dr. Victoria Damiani of Indiana University of Pennsylvania (“Understanding Your Child’s Assessment: What Do Those Tests Really Tell You?” and "Resources for Gifted Preschoolers")
• Linda Deal of Millersville University (“Perfectionism in Gifted Students: Burden or Bonus?” “Creativity: A Gift to Be Fostered,” and “Due Process: Views from the Sides”)
• Dr. Carol Frieze of Carnegie Mellon University (“Encouraging the Participation of Girls and Women in Computer Science: Research and Action”)
• Dr. Jennifer Rotigel of Indiana University of Pennsylvania (“What Do Colleges and Universities Teach Their Students about Gifted Education”)
• Dr. Mary Ann Swiatek, psychologist and researcher (“Ability Grouping: Helpful or Harmful?” “Gender and Giftedness,” and “Questions and Answers about Academic Acceleration”)
• Charles Jelley, attorney ("Legal Issues in Gifted Education")  
• Dr. Diane Williams of The University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (“Challenges to Learning: Gifted Children and the Autism Spectrum”)
  

First Annual President’s Panel.  Led by PAGE President Dr. Judith Mosse, this year’s panel will consist of Drs. Karen Rogers, Ann Shoplik, and Victoria Damiani.  These leaders in gifted education will be available to answer any questions you may have.

Networking Night.  On the evening of Friday, April 23rd, we will host a networking night at the hotel that will be open to all PAGE members.  Conference registration is not required to attend this event, which is sponsored by the North Allegheny PAGE Affiliate.  Join fellow parents and teachers from across the state to discuss what is happening in your district and hear what others are doing and experiencing throughout the state.

New Award.  PAGE has established a Service and Scholarship Award exclusively for children of our members.  This award, which will be presented for the first time at this year’s conference, honors 10th, 11th and 12th graders who have demonstrated leadership and excellence in both academics and community service.  This year’s honoree will receive a $500 award to apply toward an academic or service endeavor of his or her choosing.

More Prizes.  We are currently exploring various opportunities for sponsors and vendors.  As such, we will be offering more prizes.  In addition to our traditional raffle (used to support the new Scholarship and Service Award), we will be featuring an Exhibit Hall stamp card program.  By visiting selected vendors, all participants can be entered in a drawing for a number of prizes, including a free three-day registration to the 2011 PAGE conference in Harrisburg.  No purchase is necessary in order to participate in this raffle.

The registration form for the conference will be published in the December issue of the PAGE newsletter UPDATE and can also be found online at www.giftedPAGE.org.  You can also receive a copy of the registration form by emailing PAGEgoes2Mars@gmail.com or by calling the toll-free PAGE Helpline at (888) 736-6443.

Invitation for Exhibitors

Dear Exhibitor:

The 2010 Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education (PAGE) State Conference will be held at the Four Points North by Sheraton Hotel from April 22nd through 24th in Mars, Pennsylvania, located approximately 30 minutes north of Pittsburgh.  Approximately 500 educators and parents are expected to attend the conference.  The conference will also include a one-day student program.

This year’s featured speakers include:
•    Dr. Karen Rogers of The University of St. Thomas, the author of Re-Forming Gifted Education: Matching the Program to the Child
•    Dr. Mary Slade of James Madison University, an editor of Aiming for Excellence: Annotations to the NAGC PK-12 Gifted Program Standards
•    Dr. Jean Peterson of Purdue University, the author of The Essential Guide to Talking with Gifted Teens
•    Dr. Ann Lupkowski Shoplik of Carnegie Mellon University, the co-author of Developing Mathematical Talent: A Guide for Challenging and Educating Gifted Students.

This is an excellent opportunity for your company to exhibit and sell your products and services. Many of the conference attendees look forward to viewing and purchasing materials for their classrooms and children.  To encourage participants to visit the Exhibit Hall, each conference attendee will receive a stamp card.  After visiting eight different exhibitors, each participant may enter a drawing for a variety of prizes, including a free registration for the 2011 PAGE conference.  While all exhibitors will be part of this stamp card program at no additional charge, you do have the option of being a mandatory stop.  For an additional fee, all participants would be required to visit your booth in order to be entered in the drawing.  A limited number of these opportunities is available; see the post below or contact me for all pricing information.

Various opportunities for sponsorship are also available.  Please see the post below for more information.

Please let me know as soon as possible if you intend to be a part of the 2010 PAGE Conference.  As soon as payment is received, your company will be listed on our website with a link to your website.  You will be listed in the program as well as the spring issue of our quarterly newsletter if we have your paid application no later than March 1, 2010.

Please contact me if you have any questions or need additional information.

Sincerely,
Amy Villa
Pittsburgh Gifted Center, Room C-12
1400 Crucible Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15205
(412) 323-3966
avilla1@pghboe.net

Exhibitor Registration Form

The Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education
Annual State Conference -- April 22-24, 2010 -- Mars, PA

EXHIBITOR’S REGISTRATION

Note: This form will also be available on the PAGE website (www.giftedPAGE.org) beginning in November.  You can also receive the form by email by contacting either Amy Villa at avilla1@pghboe.net or Dan Rosenberg at PAGEgoes2Mars@gmail.com.


Please type or print the following information as it should appear in the Official Program.

Exhibit Representative:

Company/Organization:

Street Address:

City, State, Zip:

Contact Person:

Phone Number:

Fax:

Email Address:

Type of Material Being Displayed:

Website:

Authorized Signature:

Date:


Electrical Outlet Required?  YES     NO

The cost for a full table (6’ x 30”, with skirt and 2 chairs) is $250.  Each additional table costs $225.  Please send payment along with this application.  Make check payable to: PAGE, Inc.  Please respond promptly, as table space is limited.  Refunds for cancellations will be made only if notice is received by March 1, 2009, and if another exhibitor can use the space reserved by the canceling exhibitor.  Exhibitors may set up as early as 3 P.M. on Wednesday, April 21, 2010.  The exhibit area will be open from 11 A.M.-9 P.M. on April 22nd, from 7 A.M.-6 P.M. on April 23rd, and from 7 A.M.-3:30 P.M. on April 24th.  Lunch is included on both April 23rd and April 24th.

_____Table exhibit: $250
_____Additional tables: $225 each
_____Display space (flyers only): $50
_____Flyers included in the folders of all participants: $100
_____Mandatory stop in the Exhibit Hall stamp card incentive program: $200
_____Provide Door Prizes
_____Present workshop at one of our sessions   
_____Ad in Program (camera-ready ad must accompany payment and be received no later than March 1, 2010)

• 1/6 page: $75 if exhibit table purchased; $100 otherwise
  
• 1/3 page: $130 if exhibit table purchased; $175 otherwise
  
• ½ page: $205 if exhibit table purchased; $275 otherwise
• full page: $395 if exhibit table purchased; $525 otherwise 

Total Amount Enclosed  $_______________

Check #____________________   

Mail payment and completed form to:  
Amy Villa
Pittsburgh Gifted Center, Room C-12
1400 Crucible Street
Pittsburgh, PA 15205

Call for Sponsors

The 2010 conference of the Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education will occur on Thursday, April 22nd through Saturday April, 24th at the Four Points North by Sheraton in Mars.  I hope that you will consider one of the following sponsorship opportunities.

Platinum Sponsor: $5,000
•    Name and logo noted with all mentions of the conference
•    Logo in all advertising and on front cover of the conference program
•    Prominent position on the conference page of our website
•    Signage at the event
•    Full-page advertisement in conference program
•    Year-long promotion on both the PAGE website (with link) and quarterly PAGE newsletter
•    Recognition at general sessions on both Friday, April 23rd and Saturday, April 24th
•    Exhibitor’s booth
•    Inclusion as a mandatory stop on our exhibit hall stamp card incentive program
•    Opportunity to address all conference attendees and to introduce a keynote speaker (either Dr. Karen Rogers or Dr. Jean Peterson)

Gold Sponsor: $2,500
•    Name and logo noted with all mentions of the conference
•    Logo in all advertising, in the conference program, and on the conference page of our website
•    Signage at the event
•    Half-page advertisement in conference program
•    Recognition at general sessions on both Friday, April 23rd and Saturday, April 24th
•    Exhibitor’s booth
•    Year-long promotion on both the PAGE website (with link) and quarterly PAGE newsletter

Event Sponsor: $1,000
•    Name noted with all mentions of the conference, including on the conference page of our website
•    Signage at the event
•    Quarter-page advertisement in conference program
•    Recognition at event sponsored (e.g., President’s reception, featured presentation, networking night)
•    Exhibitor’s booth
•    Year-long promotion on both the PAGE website (with link) and quarterly PAGE newsletter

Thank you again for your consideration and support of PAGE.  I look forward to hearing from you regarding this sponsorship opportunity.

Sincerely yours,
Daniel M. Rosenberg
Second Vice President
2010 Conference Co-Chair
PAGEgoes2Mars@gmail.com

Join Us on Facebook!

Join the PAGE Goes to Mars group on Facebook!  Ask questions, share ideas and network.

New Location!

This year's PAGE conference will be held at the Four Points North by Sheraton Hotel in Mars, a suburb of Pittsburgh. Ample free parking is available, and the hotel is within a 30-minute drive to various attractions, including downtown Pittsburgh, the Carnegie Museums, Hartwood Acres, and the Grove City Outlet Mall. In addition, numerous shops and restaurants are within a one mile radius.

Room rates are $120 per night, with breakfast included for hotel guests. Contact the hotel at (724) 776-6900 or visit http://www.starwoodmeeting.com/Book/PAGE2010 to make your reservation. You must mention the PAGE conference in order to qualify for this discounted rate.

Flying In?

Super Shuttle has offered a special promotion for PAGE conference attendees. Round trip transportation from the airport to the Sheraton is $34. Book online at www.supershuttle.com, making sure to indicate promotion code QKC3V.

Children's Program

Commonwealth Connections Academy is sponsoring this year's Children's Program. It will occur on the last day of the conference (April 24th). More details to follow.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Jean Peterson

Dr. Jean Sunde Peterson, professor and coordinator of school counselor preparation at Purdue University, was a classroom teacher for many years and was involved in teacher education prior to graduate work in counseling at The University of Iowa. A licensed mental health counselor with considerable experience counseling gifted youth and their families, she conducts school-based workshops on academic underachievement, cultural values as related to identification for special programs, prevention-oriented school counseling, listening skills for teachers, and social and emotional development of high-ability students-all of these related to her practitioner-oriented research. She is author of The Essential Guide to Talking with Gifted Teens and co-editor of Models of Counseling Gifted Children, Adolescents, and Young Adults, among over 80 publications. She is currently a member of NAGC’s Board of Directors and formerly was chair of the organization’s Counseling and Guidance Division.

Join us on Saturday, April 24, 2010, to hear Dr. Peterson's keynote address, Social and Emotional Concerns: Essential for Advocacy. Dr. Peterson will then present two additional sessions: Bullying of and by Gifted Students and Parenting Gifted Kids: A Counselor's Perspective.

Look for Dr. Peterson's recent article, "The Role of Teachers When Gifted Students Experience Negative Life Events," in the next issue of UPDATE, PAGE's quarterly newsletter.

Keynote Speaker: Dr. Karen Rogers

Dr. Karen Rogers is Professor of Gifted Studies at The University of St. Thomas in Minnesota. She began teaching gifted children in 1967 and has been involved with them ever since, receiving two Master’s degrees in gifted education and a doctorate in Gifted Curriculum and Instructional Systems. Dr. Rogers spent three years as Director of Research for GERRIC at the University of New South Wales. She has served on the Board of Directors for NAGC and is a Past President of The Council for Exceptional Children. Dr. Rogers is on the editorial boards of most of the major journals in the field, including Journal for Advanced Academics, Roeper Review, Gifted Child Quarterly, and Gifted and Talented International. She has written more than 100 journal articles, a similar number of magazine articles, three books (include Re-Forming Gifted Education: Matching the Program to the Child), and 20 book chapters. She also wrote and co-produced a ten-part television series called One Step Ahead. In addition, she has evaluated numerous schools, gifted programs, gifted curricula, and gifted research projects.

Join us on Friday, April 23, 2010, to hear Dr. Rogers's keynote address, An Update on the Latest Research in Gifted Education. You can also hear two additional breakout sessions led by Dr. Rogers on that day: Do Australians Do It Better? An Outsider's Perspective of Education "Down Under" and Teachers Who Make a Difference in Gifted Children's Lives. Then, join an interactive panel of Dr. Rogers along with Dr. Ann Lupkowski Shoplik of C-MITES and Dr. Victoria Damiani of Indiana University of Pennsylvania. These three leaders in the field of gifted education will be on hand to answer your questions.

Take a "sneak peek" at Dr. Rogers's session Teachers Who Make a Difference in Gifted Children's Lives by accessing a PowerPoint of that presentation at www.scgifted.org/Keynote.ppt. (Note: After clicking this link, you may need to manually change the URL so that the "K" in keynote is capitalized in order to access this presentation.)

Featured Speaker: Dr. Mary Slade

Dr. Mary Slade is an Associate Professor in the Department of Exceptional Education at James Madison University. She received her B.S. in Elementary Education with an emphasis in secondary English from Longwood College, and her Master’s and Doctorate from the University of Virginia. Dr. Slade has taught in higher education for 20 years and currently serves primarily as an instructor in the area of gifted education. Previously she taught in elementary, middle, and high schools as a fourth-grade, gifted education, and English teacher. She is a member of the Board of Directors of NAGC, and won the Early Leader Award from that organization in 1997. Over the past 15 years Dr. Slade has presented over 200 in-service sessions to educators in pre-K-12 education, and has written more than 175 professional papers, several articles, book chapters, and reports as well as three books. She is also one of the editors of Aiming for Excellence: Annotations to the NAGC PK-12 Gifted Program Standards.

Join us on Thursday, April 22, 2010, for Dr. Slade's full-day session Best Practices for Meeting the Needs of All Gifted Learners.

Visit http://www.softconference.com/nagc/sessionDetail.asp?SID=178291 to hear Dr. Slade's recent webinar entitled Classroom Indicators of Giftedness. The session is free for members of NAGC.

PAGE Is Going to Mars!

Come to the 2010 Conference of the Pennsylvania Association for Gifted Education (PAGE) in Mars, PA!

April 22nd through 24th at the Four Points by Sheraton North.