Gifted and Talented Advisory Council (GTAC) Minutes February 3, 2015 APPROVED 4/21/2015 Present: Kimberly Bernstein, Tom Idstrom, Cathy Kindem, Pam McDonald, Noel Mehus, Janet Rohlf, Steve Troen, Sophia Troutman, Nidhi Sen 
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The council was welcomed by Pam McDonald, K‐8 Gifted and Talented /Young Scholars Lead Teacher. The November minutes were approved. The minutes will now be posted on the district website. Additionally, the minutes will be on the new GTAC Sharing Site on Googledocs. Council members can comment on minutes as well as the GTYS updates prior to the meeting. Members were reminded to review the elementary and middle school Update on the Sharing Site. Pam reviewed the agenda. Due to the weather, the meeting started 10 minutes late. The table talk article and the business partnerships discussion was postponed. Steve’s Facilities Presentation will take place after the meeting for those council members who have not received this information. Jenny Parker and Bryan Smith, both FRMS Social Studies teachers, presented information about the advanced on‐line social studies class for 7th and 8th graders. A history of how the classes came about, what the classes cover, and how it the courses are different from current 7th and 8th grade social studies offerings was outlined. Additionally, Bryan shared his first trimester class website with the council. The presentation was well received and prompted discussion amongst the group about the possibilities of continued offerings of this nature at the 9th grade level and if the current offerings might change in light of the 1::1 device initiative in coming years. After Jenny and Bryan’s presentation, Steve Troen asked what kind of presentation council members might want at the April meeting. The council previously had elementary science fair presentations. The group felt knowing what GT looks like at the HS level might make sense. Over the years, there have been presentations done for GTAC by high school teachers and assistant principals. Pam suggested a short question and answer panel with counselors or APs from the high school sites to review how GT transitions at this level. Pam will contact the high schools to put something together for the April meeting. Pam reviewed the new GTAC Sharing Site. This site was outlined as one of the possibilities that the group hoped to accomplish this year. All group members were able to access and comment on the November minutes, the GTYS Updates, the agenda, and current meeting work items via the site. MacAirs were available at the meeting so that council members could continue their work during the meeting in a digital manner. The Sharing Site should also allow the council to continue their work in between the four 
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scheduled yearly meetings. An example was given regarding the comments council member, Jason Elias, was able to make concerning the GTYS Update. GTAC member, Heidi Hegenbarth, was also able to respond to the Update prior to the meeting and Pam was able to act on her suggestion in her pursuit of funds for Young Scholars Day Camp. Steve Troen mentioned that this type of a Googledocs sharing site might also work well for other advisory councils like CIAC. The Possibilities Poster presented at the November meeting was reviewed. The possibility that received the most immediate support of the members was to gather information regarding the priorities of district GTYS parents and students K‐12. Pam shared with the group what the last GTYS survey (2009), asked parents, students and teachers. As Tom Idstrom pointed out, the last survey centered on satisfaction levels of services GT/YS parents and students received at the elementary and middle levels. This time we are seeking different information. Knowledge of both satisfaction and priorities can help us impact programming and opportunities for GT students and families. Pam presented a “brainstorming” document on the Sharing site. She asked that table groups begin to work through the areas listed in an effort to begin to fashion how we might get this information regarding priorities from GTYS parents and students. As the meeting ended, Pam asked that members continue to share their thoughts on this document and that she would be responding to council members over the next weeks in an effort to have information and next steps in this process ready for the April meeting. April is in no way, “the end of the school year”. It should be possible to get some information via a survey or a focus group yet this year if we continue to communicate and refine our information over the next weeks. The meeting was adjourned at 6:20p.m. to provide an earlier start to Steve’s Facilities Presentation. Future Meeting: April 21