Upcoming Events
Our 2019 HSGS Parent Support meetings are finished for this school year. Let us know what topics you are interested in for next year as we will be coordinating next year's meetings over the summer.
The Chicago Gifted Community Center which co-sponsors our meetings is having a picnic this summer where you can meet other HSGS members.
June 02, 2019,12:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Merkle Cabin, Spring Valley - 1111 E Schaumburg Rd, Schaumburg, IL 60194
https://chicagogiftedcommunity.org/event-3329141
We welcome you to contact us and tell us a little bit about your homeschooling goals and your family and join our group. We look forward to hearing from you.
Past Meetings
2019
College Admissions for Homeschoolers
Monday, May 20, 2019 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Skokie, IL
Please register so that you get a handout
How can homeschoolers document their gifted teens' accomplishments so that colleges and universities fairly evaluate these unusual students? What do homeschoolers need to know about the college search process that is unique to their under-served population? When should homeschoolers start the college search? What does a college search look like? How can homeschoolers evaluate whether a college is the right fit for their unique student? Join Lisa Gurrola and Maria Galo in this presentation that will help homeschool families prepare to homeschool their teens to college. Lisa Gurrola is a professional college admissions counselor who helps homeschooled and traditional students prepare college applications. Maria Galo is president of Teen Learning Lab of Greater Chicago, which offers interesting and challenging courses for homeschooled high school students. Both Lisa and Maria have homeschooled their own children to selective, prestigious colleges.
Introduction to Gifted Homeschooling
Tuesday, April 9, 2019 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Skokie, IL
Are you considering homeschooling your gifted child, but you don't know how to start? Are you worried about how to provide enough intellectual stimulation and social opportunities? Perhaps you are already homeschooling and you are looking for community with other gifted homeschoolers and opportunities for social interaction with intellectual peers. Whether your child has been tested for giftedness or not, bring your questions and concerns! Meet friendly, helpful and experienced homeschoolers who are deep in the trenches of homeschooling their K-8 children and are more than willing to share their insights, advice and company. These passionate, interesting women will challenge your ideas about homeschooling, giftedness, and parenting.
Nuts & Bolts of Homeschooling to College
Monday, March 4, 2019 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Skokie, IL
Lab internships. Writing a novel. Collaborations with working artists. Screening own films at professional film fests. Independent research. Building and developing new tech. Producing student-run Shakespeare plays. All these activities and more have been completed by local teens who chose to homeschool through high school. These teens used their time to pursue deep interests. How does it work? How do families find classes and curriculum for their teen? How do you make the transcript? What about college? What do colleges want from homeschoolers? How soon should homeschoolers start planning for college? Maria Galo and Lisa Gurrola will explain how to help teens organize their studies, build their transcript for college, and create for themselves fabulous opportunities to explore their passions-- all the while developing into the kind of intellectually curious person that colleges really, really want. Lisa Gurrola is a professional college admissions counselor who helps homeschooled and traditional students prepare college applications. Maria Galo is president of Teen Learning Lab of Greater Chicago, which offers interesting and challenging courses for homeschooled high school students. Both Lisa and Maria have homeschooled their own children to selective, prestigious colleges.
College Talk Back: Owning Your Education
Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2019 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Skokie, IL
Homeschooling through high school allows teens to take charge of their education, right? What does this look like from the student’s perspective? These college students, all homeschooled through high school, share their unvarnished experiences as teenagers who chose to homeschool high school. When did they start to feel that they were in charge of their education? What kind of support and strategies helped them gain autonomy? What decisions were shared with their parents, and which were solely their own? How different was the homeschooling experience at 14/15 years old (roughly a freshman) and at 17/18 years old (senior)? What experiences helped them stand out to college admissions’ officers? Join us, with your teens, for a different look at homeschooling.
2018
Gifted Homeschooling 101 and 201: Introduction to Homeschooling and Reinvigorating Your Homeschool
October 16, 2018, 7:30 to 9:30 p.m., Skokie, IL.
A chance to celebrate the past school year and look ahead! Reconnect with HSGS homeschool parents or make new acquaintances. Join the discussion and planning for meaningful, useful topics that you propose for HSGS parent support meetings in 2018-19. Think warm, sunny June! Relaxing and chatting with other homeschool parents in a lovely backyard garden. More information to come.
HSGS Summer Planning Meeting
Early June, 2018, date and time tbd. Palatine, IL.
A chance to celebrate the past school year and look ahead! Reconnect with HSGS homeschool parents or make new acquaintances. Join the discussion and planning for meaningful, useful topics that you propose for HSGS parent support meetings in 2018-19. Think warm, sunny June! Relaxing and chatting with other homeschool parents in a lovely backyard garden. More information to come.
Secrets of Homeschooling to College: Beyond the Transcript
Monday, April 16, 2018 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Skokie, IL
What are the secrets to successfully homeschooling for college? How do you find programs, mentors, personal projects that help your child take their deep interest to the nth degree? What programs are out there that will help your student? This panel discussion will address when, why and how to take standardized tests (and which standardized tests); how to find specialized summer programs that match your child's interests; when and how to take community college courses while a high school student, and how to develop interesting extra-curricular activities. Hear how HSGS families helped their teens get accepted into competitive programs, develop unique projects, and pursue personally meaningful extra-curriculars which-- most importantly -- fed their souls and ---coincidentally -- impressed college admissions officers.
Project-Based Learning for High School Students Workshop
Saturday, April 14, 2018 1:30 to 4 p.m., Skokie, IL
Presenter: Beth Beyer
This workshop is ideal for teens and parents to attend together.
High school is an ideal time for a self-starting student to initiate and develop a multi-year project. Homeschooling allows teens to channel their passions or deep interests into multi-disciplinary, in-depth, long-term projects that satisfy their intellectual curiosity and their growing need for independence while helping them stand out to college admissions officials. How can parents best help teens set up and manage these sometimes-sprawling projects? This workshop will teach parents of teenage homeschoolers how to use the principles of Project Based Learning (PBL). Beth Beyer will share examples of how she and other HSGS families scaffolded the growth of their teens' interests into meaningful projects in high school. The benefits of this approach are phenomenal: The struggle of homework is no longer an issue because skills such as writing and subjects such as science and history all intermingle in ways that fit more naturally with our children’s cognitive processes. The teens acquire knowledge and practice academic and practical skills through a variety of media, which affords them the ability to further develop their understandings of the world. Cultural and scientific institutions/communities in and around Chicago are rich with resources that can help further develop these questions into deeper understanding and a growing love of learning.
The second part of the workshop allows time for the parent and teen to reflect and process, and start to lay the foundation for the teen’s own project, with Beth’s guidance. Beth will customize the experience to the needs of the participants and allow for individual and group time to process and create. She will share with you a packet of materials to help guide your process and spark ideas for what you can continue at home.
HSGS Grads: Life after Homeschooling
Tuesday, Jan. 9, 2018 7:30 to 9:30 p.m. Skokie, IL
Come hear HSGS grads talk about Life After Homeschooling. As homeschoolers, did they feel prepared for college? What were some of the adjustments they had to make? In what ways did homeschooling prepare them, and in what other ways did they have to learn new skills or strategies? What would they have done differently in their homeschool? For those who chose a different path, how did homeschooling prepare them for life outside of college? What advice do they have for the next cohorts of homeschoolers?
2017
Planting Seeds of Mindfulness: Effective Tools for Coping with Life in Uncertain Times
Wednesday, Oct 25, 2017 from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm at the Ethical Humanist Society, Skokie, IL
(This is a joint CGCC and HSGS presentation by Dr. Michele Kane)
Stressors in the life of a gifted people abound. Some stressors are directly related to being gifted such as feelings of being different,
understanding the nature of giftedness, and psycho-social intensities. Mindfulness and mindful strategies are effective, evidence-based
tools that are helpful in the reduction of the physical and emotional consequences of stressful living. and counselors that assist with
calming, developing resilience, and enhancing well-being. Mindfulness, therefore, is a cost-effective and time-saving approach that
yields valuable results. This session will demonstrate simple mindful activities that can be implemented successfully by parents,
teachers as well as a plethora of resources. Leave with some new tips or revisit some that you already know.
Homeschool Project-Based Learning Workshop: How to Grow Your Child's Passion/Interest .....and not Burn Out
Saturday, Oct. 14, 2017, 10:30 am - 1:00 PM at the Ethical Humanist Society, Skokie, IL
(A joint CGCC and HSGS presentation led by Beth Beyer)
How can you channel your child’s passion or interests into a meaningful, interesting, and challenging project that fulfills several
academic subjects? This workshop will teach parents of homeschoolers in grades K-8 to use the principles of Project Based
Learning (PBL). Beth Beyer will share examples of how she and other HSGS families scaffolded the growth of their children’s interests
or passions into meaningful projects. She will share ideas you can use at home to construct classes and other learning experiences
in a process of shared discovery. (Please note that there is a fee of $20.00 for this workshop.)
May 2017: You, Too, Can Homeschool Your Gifted Child
Join a panel of “reluctant” homeschoolers who found that homeschooling was not just the only option but also turned out to be
the best option to educate their gifted child. Learn strategies and techniques for transitioning into homeschooling. Discover ways
to improve your homeschool as you plan for the next year. If you know someone who is considering homeschooling, this is the
meeting for them. Friday Coop and Teen Learning Lab organizers have been invited to present their fall plans.
April 2017: Homeschooling through High School & Dual-Enrollment at Community College
Learn how veterans have successfully homeschooled their gifted teens into selective/highly selective schools and programs.
What are the benefits and challenges for gifted teens who homeschool their way into college? We’ll walk you through a sample
transcript and share resources and tips from veteran HSGS families—including early dual-enrollment at community colleges.
We’ll talk about how to help your teen become irresistible to any of their college choices.
March 2017: Specific Needs of Gifted Kids
Dr. Michele Kane is a professor of Special Education specializing in gifted education at Northeastern Illinois University. She is a renowned speaker on the needs of gifted children and has mentored several HSGS parents in their own pursuit of a
Masters in Gifted Education.
February 2017: Assessments for Gifted Kids
Michelle Navarro is a psychologist in Long Grove specializing in counseling for gifted kids, including IQ testing
and other kinds of assessments. She is a long-time presenter on topics for gifted families. If you think your child
could benefit from specialized testing, come learn about the options.
January 2017: Adult Hot Chocolate at the Four Seasons
Join us for our third annual Adult Hot Chocolate! We will gather to enjoy chocolate, adult beverages, and adult conversation. Meet
at the bar of the Four Seasons, 120 E. Delaware Place, Chicago.
November 2016: Family Mission Statements/Homeschool Discussions at the Holidays
Join us for a guided discussion to examine our visions and purposes of homeschooling through the creation or revision of
homeschooling mission statements. Such statements can be useful for a variety of reasons such as to help us focus, motivate us,
or to check-in and notice if we are on-track or if our needs have changed. They can also serve as brief "elevator speeches" to
communicate to others about why we homeschool during the holiday gathering season.
October 2016: "Chat in the Hat" - What's on Your Mind?
"Chat in the Hat" is an opportunity to bring questions and issues about homeschooling--we'll put them in the hat
and draw out the questions for discussion. Most likely, others have worked through similar issues. It's a
great opportunity to build community and learn from others!
September 2016: Learning Foreign Languages
We will discuss different methods of foreign language acquisition and strategies available to homeschoolers We will talk about
learning Spanish, as well as other popular, critical, and rare languages, and cover whenand how to start, how to find out what works best for your child, and information on classes, programs, textbooks, online sources, study abroad programs, competitions, and scholarships.