February | J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation

Welcome to the second edition of the J.A. and Kathryn Albertson Foundation's online Idaho Parent Resource guide. Each issue features news, tips, tools and resources of interest to Idaho parents for the purpose of the benefiting their children's education. This newsletter can also be viewed online by clicking here.

In this issue:

DO YOU HAVE A GIFTED CHILD?
FREE CHARTER SCHOOL WORKSHOP
STATEWIDE MUSIC COMPETITION
SPECIAL OLYMPICS ANNOUNCEMENT
COLLEGE READINESS QUIZ
IDAHO COLLEGE SAVINGS PLAN
SPORTS PRIMES PUMP FOR LEARNING
LINKS

DO YOU HAVE A GIFTED CHILD? --There's a scale that psychologists and schools can use to screen students for entrance into gifted programs. Called the Scales for Rating the Behavioral Characteristics of Superior Students, this tool lists dozens of characteristics of gifted children under categories that range from leadership and community to math to art and music. Read the Forbes.com article by clicking here. To contact the Idaho association for gifted education, click here.

FREE CHARTER SCHOOL WORKSHOP -- The Department of Education invites parents, charter school developers and interested individuals to attend an introductory Charter Start! 101 Workshop. For details, click here.

STATEWIDE MUSIC COMPETITION -- Attention student musicians! Idaho students interested in music composition now have the opportunity to enter an original composition into a statewide contest sponsored by the Idaho State Department of Education. Idaho college and high school students are eligible to enter. The winning composition will receive $500. Learn more about the contest rules by clicking here, or if you have any questions, contact Dr. Peggy Wenner at (208) 332-6949 or pjwenner@sde.idaho.gov.

SPECIAL OLYMPICS ANNOUNCEMENT --

2009 Special Olympics World Games is launching a K-12 education initiative with tools and resources to teach students about compassion, diversity and respect, as exemplified through the Special Olympics movement and athletes. Read the attached Be a Fan of Community letter, and visit the initiative's web site.

COLLEGE READINESS QUIZ -- For the teen who needs to answer the question, "Are You Ready for College?" point them to this quick and easy online quiz by clicking here. The KnowHow2Go web site is chock-full of free college-related information and tips for parents and teens.

IDAHO COLLEGE SAVINGS PLAN -- A newly formed Idaho College Savings Network and enhanced savings program is available for Idaho parents who want a cost-effective way to put money aside for their children's future college education.Click here for details about the tax-advantaged plan, or visit www.idsaves.org.

SPORTS PRIMES PUMP FOR LEARNING? -- Exercise seen as priming pump for academic strides. A small but growing number of experts and educators suggest that exercise primes the brain for learning at the same time the exerciser is sculpting his or her biceps. Read more of the Education Week (Feb.12.08) article by clicking here.

LINKS

ENGINEER YOUR LIFE -- Funded by the National Science Foundation and Northrop Grumman Foundation, http://www.engineeryourlife.org/ encourages high school girls to take a new look at the field of engineering. The site includes easy-to-read stories of women with engineering degrees who are creating Star Wars videos for George Lucas, designing cool toys for kids and pets, designing life-saving medical supplies, helping expand renewable energy sources, and more.

PUBLIC LIBRARY ONLINE PARENT RESOURCES -- This kid and parent friendly site with a host of links to material on animals, arts, current events, geography, government, history, Idaho, math, native Americans, Science and the weather, may be worth a bookmark.
http://www.boisepubliclibrary.org/Kids_and_Parents/Recommended_Websites/

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