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Here is this week's PACE Weekly update. We have 9 items for you this week -

1) UPCOMING PRESENTATION ON ACADEMICALLY TALENTED (AT) & ADVANCED PLACEMENT (AP) PROGRAMS Grades 3 - 12 - Join us on Tuesday, October 23, 7pm, Churchill Elementary Community Room, 520 Secretariat Lane, Oswego (Wolf Crossing & Secretariat Rds.), for the Presentation on the whole AT Program / AP Program covering grades 3 through 12. Mrs. Cathi Mundsinger, Director of Teaching & Learning - Elementary, and Dr. Carla Johnson, Director of Teaching & Learning - Jr. High & High School, will be our featured speakers along with the coordinators for the AT elementary and AT junior high programs and the AP high school program. Come learn about the AT elementary program from 7-7:45 PM, and the AT secondary/AP program from 7:45 -8:30 PM. This program is open to ALL families in the district interested in learning about the AT/AP program in District 308. Question & answer time will follow each part of the presentation.

2) ALL District 6th - 11th grade students invited/encouraged to take PSAT Test on Saturday, October 20; Register by Friday, October 12 - OEHS & OHS are offering the PSAT (easier version of SAT test) to all interested students in 6th through 11th grade. 6th - 10th graders will take it as a practice exam, and test scores will not be shared with any outside organization; 11th graders will take it to qualify for the MANY scholarships available through National Merit Scholarship Competition(NMSC). For more information, go to www.collegeboard.com/parents/tests/meet-tests/21296.html and http://www.nationalmerit.org/Student%20Guide-NMSC%20section.pdf or call the College Board at (212) 373-8810. To register, contact Fran Sylvester at OEHS at 636-2245 and Dr. Patti Marcinko at OHS at 636-2064. Cost is only $15.

One type of scholarship available through NMSC is corporate scholarships. Children of employees of participating companies (companies with over 2000 employees usually) can apply. To see if your company participates, go to http://www.nationalmerit.org/NMSC_corporate_brochure.pdf. If your company does not participate and you would like more information on how your company can participate, contact Jeff Little, Executive Director of Sponsor Services at NMSC, at (847) 866-5118.

3) District Home Access Sign up for Parents - Home Access is an invaluable tool for Junior High and High Schoool parents who want to stay in touch with their children's schoolwork and progress. Parents will be able to view all grades on assignments / quizzes / tests / projects. If you did not get the Login and Password at Registration, parents should contact their child's school to see if parents should sign up over the phone or in person. Once you have the Login and Password, go to http://www.oswego308.org/parentsandstudents/homeaccesscenter.htm to start viewing the information.

4) Advanced Placement (AP) Website - AP Central is the official College Board's website on AP exams. Go to AP Central website, http://apcentral.collegeboard.com/apc/public/courses/descriptions/index.html, to see previous exam questions, exam tips, course descriptions and syllabi, exam calendar, and more.

5) K-12 TLC Educational resource for Parents and Teachers - K-12 TLC contains thousands of resources and ideas with personalized support at home and in the classroom. For a Free Day Pass that will give you unlimited access to the K-12 TLC, please go to www.k12tlc.net, and click Free Day Pass in the bottom right corner. This will give you immediate access for at least 24 hours. If you decide to subscribe, parent and teacher subscriptions are only $2/ month; District wide unlimited access for teachers and families is $12 per month. Most recent addition to this site is: "Today in History for all 50 States and 100 Different Curriculum Areas"

6) New Website on Private Colleges - Last week's Chicago Tribune article unveiled a new website on private colleges, www.ucan-network.org This new site "fills a need by putting information that can be cumbersome or difficult to find, such as net tuition or the average loan amount of graduates, in one location. This site comes after pressure from Congress and Education Secretary Margaret Spellings' higher education commission to provide more consumer-friendly tools for students and families weighing their college choices." Education Department also updated its website, www.nces.ed.gov/collegenavigator/, to make it easier to evaluate and compare colleges.

7) October 11, Thursday - National Expert Andy Mahoney to speak at nearby district - GECO, parent organization in Hinsdale, has invited PACE parents to hear Mr. Andy Mahoney speak on "Teaching Self-Discipline to the Gifted Child." It will be at Hinsdale Middle School, 100 S Garfield Ave., from 7pm - 8:30pm. "For more than 20 years, Mr. Mahoney, a Licensed Professional Counselor and Marriage and Family Therapist, has explored and developed frameworks for the counseling and psychotherapy of gifted and talented people. He is a frequent speaker at conferences, symposiums, consultations and training workshops for fellow counselors, educators and parents. This year, he is leading a training session for District 181 social workers to discuss the social and emotional needs of gifted children." For more information, contact Susan Portland with GECO at (630) 920-1027.

8) Parents can sign up their child for Future Problem Solvers Program (FPSP) - Recommended by parents and teachers, FPSP teaches students critical thinking and experience in solving real problems that affect the world. FPSP is for students 4th-12th grade. Check out their websites http://www.fpsp.org/ and http://www.illinois-fpsb.com/ For more information, contact Dr. Trevor Steinbach, coordinator of Illinois FPSP, at (630) 768-2705.

9) October 16, Tuesday - PACE Planning Meeting - Join us for our next planning meeting at 7pm at Churchill Elementary Community Room.