Hello families –

As we wrap up the first marking period of the 2017-2018 school year, let’s take a moment to recap what has been happening during our gifted “pull-out” time.  Remember parents – students are participating in a class with other gifted peers once per five day cycle for 40 minutes.  This occurs during our entire school “WIN” (What I Need) time.  So, your students are never missing a core class when they receive these supports.  According to the National Standards in Gifted & Talented Education, Programming Standard #4,  our gifted students benefit from a common time of interaction with like-abled peers.  During this time, while we are supporting skills and competencies in the Common Core, we are also able to address topics and approach strategies that deal specifically with the strengths and needs of gifted learners.

All students have been exploring a theme of “Bridges” as we began the year.  3rd & 4th graders got to experiment with making their own index card bridges while 5th & 6th grades spent some time building more complex popsicle stick bridges.  We’ve learned about different type of bridge structures as well as the shapes/properties that best support each type.  Everyone is also enjoying our “Puzzler Challenges” — allowing us time for problem-solving and little friendly competition between our elementary buildings. I love the enthusiasm of my students!

3rd & 4th graders also spent some time learning about the science behind their learning.  We became neurons and made connections (bridges, if you will) to other neurons when we learned something new.  We even watched some reall footage of neural pathways forming.  When we have new thoughts, we literally make little bridges in our brains.  Wow!

5th & 6th graders are also now “seeing” me a bit more frequently as we connect once a week through Google Hangouts.  In this way, all of our older gifted students (across the elementary buildings) get the chance to interact with one another.  Currently, we are reading “Bridge to Terabithia” by Katherine Paterson and preparing for our first WordMasters™ Challenge Analogy Competition.  Encourage your 5th & 6th graders to study those words!

Be on the lookout for your first marking period Goal Achievement Update in the mail. As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to email or call.  Also, if you’ve not done so, please subscribe to this blog so you can catch updates and pictures as I post.  Thank you for your constant support of your child’s education!