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Brisbane West

Welcome to the Brisbane West Branch of QAGTC. 

You are invited to become involved in supporting Gifted Children by attending, participating or volunteering at our meetings and events.

Support Group Meetings:

Brisbane West Support Group welcomes Parents, Carers and Teachers of gifted children.  Meetings will be held on selected Monday evenings (7:30 – 9:00pm).

These meetings provide an opportunity to discuss the needs of our gifted children by sharing of knowledge and experiences.  We hold these meetings in one of the following formats:  Support Group (sharing & resourcing), Focus Topic(s) or Guest Speaker(s).

We can also identify topics of interest for future West Branch Events, eg: Children’s Activities, Gifted Family Networking Events, Guest Speakers or Support Group Meetings.

Please be aware that our Support Group meetings are purposed for Parents, Carers & Teachers, do not bring children to these meetings.

Parent Information Nights (PINs):

Our PINs are suitable for interested Parents, Carers & Teachers.  Please note that children cannot be accommodated for at these evenings.

We will be providing an information night each term.

West Branch Committee Meetings:

Our Branch Committee meets once per month immediately before our Support Group meeting.  If you would like to help, join the committee, contribute to or facilitate activities for Parents and Children in the local area please contact us via:  west [at] qagtc [dot] org [dot] au

Attending our Events

Note:  For Registration & the latest details, please check the Events menu to access all events, or scroll down to the News Items at the bottom section of this page to access West Branch events.

Please regard instructions for child free events (ie: Parents, Carers & Teachers only) versus Children's Activities or Gifted Family Networking Events.  At this stage for Children's Activities purposed events our Branch will not be having any 'drop & go'  arrangements.

Please email our West Branch if you need to clarify any instructions.

Email: west [at] qagtc [dot] org [dot] au

Office bearers

President - Leisa Taylor 

Treasurer - Sue Stevens

Secretary - Melissa Dornhart

 

Branch events

West Branch AGM

Event start
Join us via ZOOM on the 7th of October for our Annual General Meeting. We are always keen to welcome new members and hear what you have to contribute.

ZOOM - Conference debrief followed by article discussion

Event start
Join us for a debrief of the 2024 QAGTC state conference. Melissa (branch secretary) and Sue (branch treasurer) will provide a run down of key concepts and insights regarding critical thinking for gifted students. This will be followed by an article review regarding the topic of growth mindset.

Growth mindset theory has become popular in the education vernacular. The article below considers the evidence for this theory and presents some alternative ways to view the idea of 'growth'. The author, Dr Scott Barry Kaufman, is a prominent psychologist in the field of human intelligence, creativity and human potential. The questions posed at the end of this article are useful in helping students to consider and develop their own personal growth mindset. Please acccess the article via the link below in preparation for our evening of discussion. We welcome questions and comments from you regarding the content.

https://www.beautifulminds-newsletter.com/p/growth-mindset-theory-whats-the-actual?publication_id=25822&utm_campaign=email-post-title&r=b3djc

2024 initial Parent Support Group Meeting - Mt Ommaney Library

Cup of tea and chat
Event start
The start of a new school year can present certain challenges for parents of gifted and GLD students. Join us on the 4th of March to share how the year has started for you and let us know what you want to know more about in upcoming sessions. Please note the new location for our meetings this year - Mt Ommaney Library.

Annual Dinner

general Meeting
Event start
Somehow it is the end of another year! Please join us for our annual dinner to share the highs and lows of 2023, and just enjoy the company of other parents with gifted/GLD students.

Gagne's Model of Giftedness and Talent Development - links to advocacy

Event start
We will explore Gagne's Model of Giftedness and Talent Development Model and discuss how this can be used to support advocacy for gifted children. Articles will be provided, however we suggest that you access the model at the following link in preparation:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/j7gly4c3p2lxv4j/Gagn%C3%A9%2004%20HAS.pdf?dl=0

QAGTC West Branch Annual General Meeting

AGM
Event start
Please join us for our Annual General Meeting on the 9th of October.
This is a great opportunity to have your voice into the activities of the branch and to find out what is planned for the future. We welcome any financial members to nominate for the committee as this is by far the best way to expand your knowledge of gifted provisioning and supporting your own gifted child.

Understanding Underachievement - Journal deconstruction

Event start
Join us to delve into some of the research regarding perfectionism, underachievement and mindset with regards to gifted students. We will be looking at two articles with sound methodology and relevant findings. The abstracts and references for the resources are below - if you are able to access them prior to the event, please do. We hope to engage with you in a discussion around the importance of these concepts for gifted children, as we explore the academic literature.

Perfectionism

Event start
Join us in learning about perfectionism and gifted students from Michele Juratowitch, Director of Clearing Skies. This is an online event . ZOOM, link to be sent on the day of event.

There are differing views on perfectionism, ranging from a belief espoused by Anna Quindlen that perfectionism is "inevitable for people who are smart and ambitious", through to Tal Ben-Shahar's statement that "failure is a critically important part of any successful life". Parents and Educators tend to see perfectionism as a negative characteristic that must be addressed. Because perfectionism is usually underpinned by anxiety, it can be problematic and restrictive for the gifted. Understanding the forces involved in perfectionism, appreciating the difference between healthy and unhealthy forms and knowing how to support a gifted person develop skills and become talented can be extremely helpful.

Parent Support Group

Event start
Welcome to 2023! We would like to invite you to an informal parent night to meet our committee members and share experiences of parenting and/or teaching gifted or GLD students. All welcome - a light supper will be provided.

Guiding gifted adolescents

Panel discussion
Event start
QAGTC West Committee Members (Michele Juratowitch, Leisa Taylor, Susan Stevens and Melissa Dornhart) will form a panel to share information about supporting gifted adolescents with differing needs, within various contexts. Please register and come along to the QAGTC West meeting to listen to those who have varied experience supporting gifted adolescence.