The SAGT Grants Committee is pleased to announce that we presented a check to the CISD School Board in the amount of $11,575- $9,380 for teacher grants and $2,195 for the teacher sponsorship to the TAGT Conference. These funds will be utilized directly to the enrichment of the CISD GT community, and your kids will benefit directly from supplies and equipment in their GT and Quest classrooms! 

SAGT was thrilled to sponsor the registration of seven CISD GT teachers for the TAGT 2024 giftED Conference, held December 4-6 in San Antonio. Teachers were able to attend sessions such as “Distracted! Why GT Students Can’t Concentrate (And What We Can Do About It)” and “Enhancing Differentiation with Technology for Gifted Students.”

Some faculty feedback:

• "The TAGT presenters provide us with tips and tricks, technology resources, and research-based curriculum ideas that we’re able to implement as soon as we get back to our classrooms.” Colleen Aldridge, EIS

• “Above all, I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the amazing opportunity to attend. Thank you SAGT for supporting teachers and actively endeavoring to improve educators.” Wendy Oliver, DIS

On Tuesday, November 12th, Parent Programs hosted a Brown Bag Event: Leveraging AI for Education at the CISD Administration Building.  The event featured Dr. Suzanne Newell, Ed.D., Chief Education Strategist for GTS Technology Solutions.  Dr. Newell, a longtime educator in Texas, works alongside K12 institutions with her deep commitment to understanding Generative AI in order to be a knowledgeable and supportive guide for educators as the use of AI grows at a rapid pace.  

Dr. Newell started the presentation promising the attendees plenty of "ah ha!" and "oh no!" moments and she delivered on the promise.  A key takeaway from the event was focusing on learning what skills kids need in order to be resilient in this new world while also being cautious of becoming the product of AI tools.  Students, and parents alike, should focus on expanding the questions asked of AI tools, breaking down the answers and reworking the questions to set themselves apart from the crowd.  Dr. Newell's complete presentation is available here: Leveraging AI for Education Presentation

Dr. Christina Sherrod, MD, Pediatrician at Cook Children's and Dr. Zui Pan, PhD, Professor of Graduate Nursing and Kinesiology at UT-Arlington, shared some of the impacts of our environment and how they can affect a child's ability to focus.  They provided suggested nutrition, supplements, sleep schedules and addressed signs of concern in our children.  The event was well attended by approximately 55 SAGT members.  If you were unable to attend the event, the presentations are available here and here