Parents and guardians are always welcome and encouraged to attend classes with their child/children to make the most of this wonderful experience. Alternately, join other grown-ups for Gifted Community Enrichment (GCE). Each Saturday through our GCE sessions, The Super Saturday Program offers knowledgeable presenters, Q&A, and facilitated discussion to provide you with insights into life with gifted children, resources, and contacts.
- Anyone with an interest in gifted education is welcome to come attend GCE, including parents, guardians, teachers, counselors…
- There is no cost and no registration required to attend.
- GCE is provided as a service to the community.
- Sessions will begin at 9:45 a.m. and 12:45 p.m., 15 minutes after students begin morning and afternoon classes.
TSSP is a rare haven for parents and guardians of gifted children where we can talk with one another to compare notes about joys and challenges, make connections, learn what other schools are doing regarding gifted services, and simply relate in ways that others cannot. Through GCE, we actively foster this supportive communication.
For parents and guardians with a student attending class, we require attendance for the first 15 minutes of the morning or afternoon session the first week. We need this time to communicate key information about the term.
For questions on GCE, please contact messagecenter@supersaturday.org.
We look forward to collaborating with you to help our community face the challenges of educating our children.
2024-2025 Schedule
Spring Term
2) Ann Anzalone
Thinking about Thinking:
Metacognition and the Gifted Child
Ann Anzalone is a nationally known dynamic speaker and experienced trainer. For the past 30 years she has conducted workshops for K-12 teachers, administrators, and parents, as well as for businesses and corporations. She teaches graduate classes at Wright State University and has taught at Antioch Midwest University. She serves as a consultant for adult students, parents, and their children regarding learning styles, educational plans, and academic performance.
Ms. Anzalone taught special needs middle and junior high school students, was honored as an Outstanding Elementary Teacher of America, and listed in the Who’s Who in American Education. Ann specializes in communication skills, community building, learning styles, cooperative learning, study skills, and stress management. She models what she teaches in her sessions.
Ms. Anzalone will join us and take questions via Zoom for the morning GCE. A one-time-use recording will be replayed at the afternoon GCE.
Week 3, March 22nd
Renee Groenemann, L.P.C.C., L.M.H.C.
& Laurie Jahnke, D.C.
Mindfulness, Movement, & Interoception
Renee Groenemann is a licensed mental health professional in the states of Ohio, Indiana and Kentucky through her private practice, Spirit(ed) Growth. Renee specializes in the body’s response to stress, using a nervous system/somatic lens. As a certified yoga teacher and yoga therapist, Renee has taught children and adults mindfulness- and body-based coping skills for stress since 1998. She has also recently started a coaching practice where she helps parents of children with support and advocacy needs (or what she calls “gifted and anxious youth”) chase their passions outside of the home without fear of overwhelm or burnout.
Laurie Jahnke practices with Apex Chiropractic & Wellness Center, near Winton Road and Ronald Reagan Highway. She has been using chiropractic, and neurointegration work along with functional nutrition, to help kids and adults balance their nervous system, and support learning and behavior for 16 years. Dr. Jahnke is an active member of the International Chiropractic Pediatric Association.
Renee and Laurie will speak with us in person at the morning GCE. A one-time-use recording will be played at the afternoon GCE.
Week 4, March 29th
Heidi Yocum, M.S.
Unlocking Potential:
Elevating Gifted Services in Public Schools
Heidi Yocum is a passionate educator with over 20 years of experience teaching and shaping young minds, currently in Cincinnati Public Schools, specializing in science, mathematics, and career technical education. She is credentialed in Curriculum & Instruction and Educational Leadership, with the past five years dedicated to serving as a Test Coordinator for state, national, and CTE assessments, including Advanced Placement and College Credit Plus. Beyond the classroom, she enjoys embracing the profound journey of parenthood to a bright and uniquely gifted six-year-old, gaining new perspectives on education through the dual lens of educator and mother. As a lifelong learner, she is committed to continuous growth, balancing the responsibilities of guiding students and a child of her own, while deepening her understanding of how learning, development, and advocacy of the “whole child” intertwine in professional and personal spaces.
Heidi will speak with us in person at the morning GCE. Afternoon TBD.
Referenced in Dr. Amend’s presentation: Timely Information for Parents (TIP) Sheets from NAGC
When Lizzy Was Afraid of Trying New Things
Dr. Amend is a longstanding and generous supporter of The Super Saturday Program and a licensed clinical psychologist at The Amend Group, a comprehensive center for psychological, educational, and gifted services (including ability testing). His practice focuses on the social, emotional, and educational needs of gifted, twice-exceptional, and neurodivergent youth, adults, and their families. He is co-author of the award-winning books A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children: A Resource for Caregivers and Advocates and Misdiagnosis and Dual Diagnoses of Gifted Children and Adults: ADHD, Bipolar, OCD, Asperger’s, Depression, and Other Disorders. Dr. Amend has authored or co-authored a number of articles, book chapters, and columns about gifted children. As a strong advocate for the gifted population, Dr. Amend’s years of service have included the Board of Directors of Supporting Emotional Needs of Gifted (SENG), President of the Kentucky Association for Gifted Education (KAGE), Chair for the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) Counseling and Guidance Network, and The G WORD film’s Advisory Board. He presents locally and nationally on topics related to the needs of gifted children.
Dr. Amend will be traveling from Lexington, Kentucky to speak with us in person at the morning and afternoon GCE.
This presentation may be accepted by school districts for HQPD hours for Gifted Service in General Education Settings. Certificates of completion will be available after the presentation.
Dr. Amend’s books will be available for purchase on-site. Orders can be placed directly with the publisher, Gifted Unlimited LLC, through the links above.
PM Session – Amy Darpel
Covington Latin School, Where Grade Acceleration is Embraced
Dr. Ann Lupkowski-Shoplik is the Administrator of the Acceleration Institute and Research at the University of Iowa Belin-Blank Center. The center conducts leading research in the fields of gifted education and talent development and offers programs for gifted and talented students and teachers. Previously, she founded and directed the Carnegie Mellon Institute for Talented Elementary Students (C-MITES) at Carnegie Mellon University. She co-authored Developing Math Talent (2nd ed.), Developing Academic Acceleration Policies, and the Iowa Acceleration Scale, and co-edited A Nation Empowered: Evidence Trumps the Excuses Holding Back America’s Brightest Students. She is also co-developer of the online Integrated Acceleration System, which guides educators and families through the decision-making process about grade-skipping.
Covington Latin School is unique in our Cincinnati tri-state area for its commitment to grade acceleration. It is a co-educational, Catholic, college preparatory middle and high school offering a classical education for gifted and talented students. The School’s commitment to acceleration allows advanced fifth, sixth and seventh-grade students the opportunity to learn in a safe environment with like-minded peers.
Amy Darpel is the Assistant Vice President of Institutional Advancement at Covington Latin School. She graduated from Villa Madonna Academy and then pursued degrees at Thomas More College. Prior to working in administration, Amy was a teacher focused on giftedness and twice-exceptional education; an educational consultant working with families and their children on educational issues such as executive functioning skills, special education modification plans, giftedness and basic skills instruction; and a home schooler. Amy has had various roles at Covington Latin School including Director of Advancement, Dean of Studies, admissions, marketing, Executive Director of ExploreMore!, and has run the Academic Success Program. Amy has presented at the Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG) Conference and National Association for Gifted Children. She has spent her entire teaching career advocating for gifted students and working with students who struggle with Executive Functioning Disorder. Her children, Jake and Samantha, were alums of The Super Saturday Program.
Dr. Shoplik will join us and take questions via Zoom for the morning GCE. Mrs. Darpel will be on-site for the afternoon GCE.
See other books from our volunteers’ recommended reading list at supersaturday.org/reading-list
In the Lobby:
Hillsboro High School
“Chicken Tender Defenders” VEX Robotics Team
Also in the Lobby:
Book* Swap
A table will be set up near the doors to the cafe.
During Lunch:
The Super Saturday Program
Annual Parent-Board Meeting
Note: On the last day of the term, some classes invite parents and guardians to view students’ work or a presentation.
In addition to being posted above, dates and speakers are also posted as Facebook events and are posted to a Google Calendar.
Instructions for subscribing to the Google Calendar »