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<\/p>\nMore than 40 parents in room C9 at Landstown Middle School sat, stood and leaned for one of the first breakout sessions of the morning.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many of you have gifted students?\u201d asked Dornswalo Wilkins-McCorey, instructional specialist in the school division\u2019s Office of Gifted Education.<\/p>\n
Most attendees raised their hands.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t know yet,\u201d responded one parent, prompting smiles and laughter in the crowded room.<\/p>\n
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The parent\u2019s response was one reason administrators in the Office of Gifted Education organized the\u00a0free summer\u00a0workshop\u00a0for\u00a0parents. Wilkins-McCorey\u2019s session regarding the characteristics of gifted learners would provide insight\u00a0and information as would the other\u00a0workshop sessions featuring gifted identification, gifted services, growth mindset, socialization, advocacy for gifted education and the role of gifted cluster teachers and gifted resource teachers.<\/p>\n
Workshop organizers added new parent sessions to the Aug. 10 event when they saw their registration numbers increase to 220 parents and 160 teachers.<\/p>\n
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According to Barbara Kennedy, coordinator in the Office of Gifted Education, it was a good problem to have.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very happy to see you here,\u201d Kennedy told workshop attendees at the opening session. \u201cWe really value what you contribute.\u201d<\/p>\n
She also explained the premise of the free workshop for parents.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe titled it \u2018Gifted Students, Who They Are and What We Do\u2019 because we wanted you to understand the foundations of the program and we want you to understand some of the things we do within the classroom,\u201d said Kennedy.<\/p>\n
Dr. Veleka Gatling, executive director of the Office of Programs for Exceptional Children, reinforced that sentiment in her welcoming remarks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s our intent today and tomorrow, to sharpen your saw,\u201d said Gatling. \u201cToday and tomorrow are about tools you can utilize to gain additional understanding about the gifted learner and about the programs and services in Virginia Beach City Public Schools.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Seeking more ways to make connections for parents and providing access to resources are what prompted gifted education administrators to plan a parent workshop.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s important to have parents involved to continue to build trust, to build their knowledge base and just be transparent,\u201d said Gatling after the opening session. \u201cI think for a lot of parents, they think that sometimes things are kind of a secret within schools. We just want to give them the resources and tools they need to help their children.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIn VBCPS we have a referral process that is a portfolio approach,\u201d added Gatling, \u201cand often times a deterrent to some parents is filling it out and not knowing how to give examples of my student using vocabulary or my student thinking analytically. So, I\u2019m hoping that if their student was not identified gifted and they\u2019re thinking about having them go through the process, they will get some nuggets that can help them facilitate a good referral.\u201d<\/p>\n
Continuing to build relationships after the summer workshop is also important to Gatling.<\/p>\n
She said, \u201cI\u2019m hoping another takeaway is that it will help them have conversations with gifted resources teachers and gifted cluster teachers about how their student is progressing.\u201d<\/p>\n