GEARS

Geneva's Enrichment and Acceleration Resource & Support Group
Home
Calendar
Links
Resources
Contact Us
Elementary School Parents
Middle School Parents
High School Parents
Advocacy
Expanding Your Horizons
College Prep
Message Board

Welcome to the GEARS website

GEARS was formed to communicate vital information to parents, educate parents about available resources, support parents who have issues and concerns and prepare parents to advocate on behalf of their children.


We are looking forward to a productive and informative 2011-12 school year and you can be a part of it, here's how:

 

***Our next small group meeting date is Monday, January 9***
Middle School Parents at 9:30am 
High School and College Admissions Networking at 10:00am
Elementary School Parents at 10:30am
Meeting at Panera Bread, 145 West Wilson, Batavia
What's new for the 2011-2012 school year.
 
 We plan to hold two meetings, one in October and one in March for all members of GEARS and others who are interested in the state of the Acceleration and Enrichment Program in District 304.

The first meeting was held:
 Thursday, October 27, 2011

Thank you to all who attended the meeting on October 27.  Patty O'Neill updated the group on the status of the program and the new Common Core Standards for the State of Illinois (available at www.isbe.net/common_core/default.htm).  A Parent Guide to the Common Core Standards is available here.  A discussion of the middle school curriculum, the recent changes to the elementary program and other relevant issues was productive. 

In addition to our two large group meetings, we will hold small group networking and Q&A meetings the first Monday of each month at Panera in Batavia (145 W. Wilson)

We plan to hold additional educational presentations throughout the year.  To receive information about upcoming programs and meetings, please send an email to GenevaGEARS@live.com and ask to be added to the GEARS distribution list.
 
 
  GEARS is on Facebook, click the logo and join the group GEARS!

 

 Contact us via email at:  GenevaGEARS@live.com
 
 
 
 
 
Prior Meeting Notes
 
Our January, 2011 speaker, Denise Lash, licensed clinical social worker and mediator presented a program entitled "KIDS BOUNCE BETTER ON SOLID GROUND--

Parenting with Structure." Kids Bounce Better on Solid Ground covered topics applicable to all families wanting to provide a healthy balance of structure in their family life. The presentation addressed why structure is helpful; the four components needed to create structure to help your kids succeed in their family life and in their development; limit setting and appropriate consequences when limits are violated; and the importance of routines.

 
Our May speaker, Patty O'Neil discussed the AE program in Geneva, responding to concerns about how the AE program will proceed after the elimination of the AE Coordinator position.  A powerpoint of her presentation should be available on the District 304 website.
 
Our April speaker, Karen Morse, from the Fox River Country Day School, gave an enlightening talk on the levels of giftedness and why it matters.  If you want more information on this topic, you can contact GEARS via our Contact Us page and let us know what information you are looking for.
 
Our March meeting included a presentation by Shelly Rolf, Guidance Counselor at Geneva Middle School South, on Perfectionism.  The talk included many practical tools parents can use to assist students with perfectionistic tendencies.  You can view the PowerPoint presentation here.
 
Our February Meeting was well attended, Cathy and Carl Risberg presented The Highly-Sensitive Child
Some children experience life on a level of intensity we find difficult to understand and frequently mislabel as something else. Cathy Risberg, a noted educational consultant who heads her own consulting company Minds That Soar, LLC (www.mindsthatsoar.com), shared about Dabrowski’s research on the five “supersensitivities or “overexciteabilities” he identified: psychomotor, sensual, emotional, intellectual and imaginational.  Those who attended left with some practical strategies to help effectively deal with the intensities and challenges that are often present with a highly-sensitive child.  I have requested permission to post her slides on the web site.
  
Our December meeting was a fun evening of mind-stretching "Brain Games" presented by The Scholarship in Geneva.  Over 30 games were available for demonstration and purchase throughout the evening.  Thank you to The Scholarship and a Geneva GEARS parent for donations of our Door Prizes.  And a special thank you to all of our student volunteers who demonstrated many of the games.
 
Our November meeting featured a wonderful presentation by Dr. Sally Thomson on Perfectionism, Procrastination and Under-achieving.  Look for additional speakers on Perfectionism in 2010.
 
Our October meeting featured Dr. Ann Butcher, the Director of the Scholars Program that offers enrichment classes for students from Pre-K though 8th grade at Aurora University and Fearn Elementary in North Aurora.  Dr. Butcher presented topics on gifted education and led a discussion about popular misconceptions relating to gifted education.  See our "Links" page for information on the Scholars Program offered at Aurora University and Fearn Elementary School in Aurora.
 
Our September meeting featured at presentation by Dr. Ann Ramsey explaining the findings of the A/E Committee that was presented to the Board of Education on August 10.  Dr. Ramsey's presentation of the committee findings is available in PDF format by clicking here.