Gifted Jaguars and Eagles

On February 17th I'm hosting a career conversation with Tsione Wolde-Michael about her work as a professional historian. Tsione is a curator of African American Social Justice History at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, where she also serves as director for the Center for Restorative History. Her work focuses on redress and restorative justice in museums through innovative approaches to community engagement, collections management, cultural heritage, and exhibitions. Her international work in Ethiopia, Mozambique, South Africa, and the United Kingdom has focused on collaborating with local art and public history institutions to reinterpret colonial collections. She holds a bachelor's degree in Women and Gender Studies from Macalester College and her MA in History from Harvard University.

In my department we have frequent conversations about how to attract a more representative population to our gifted programs and how to retain them afterwards. This article gives us more food for thought. https://www.the74million.org/article/an-educators-view-getting-more-diverse-kids-into-gifted-talented-programs-is-only-half-the-story-schools-must-help-them-stay-and-succeed/

Today we had Bloomington graduates speak to our DA STEM students via Zoom: Jordan Thomson Washington University, St. Louis Kennedy grad - class of 2020 electric engineering & computer science major Jillayne Clarke Johns Hopkins University Jefferson grad - class of 2020 applied math & computer science major with a minor in linguistics They spoke to our students about: · what types of activities they were involved with in high school · what they were looking for in a college & why they chose the one they are at · whether they like the college they go to & why · what they are majoring in & if they've changed majors · what advice you have have for these DA students This panel is a part of a college planning series I do with students. The day before we talked through the roadmap to highly selective colleges and we discussed an article titled "9 ways to show college admissions you're a winner" to get them thinking about what they'd want ...

Today in AP Physics we had a great conversation with about STEM careers and her path in Physics. Dr. Peterson is a former student of mine and graduated from Jefferson in 2005.  She is a science policy reporter for the American Institute of Physics. Previously, she was a AAAS Science and Technology Policy Fellow in the Department of Energy’s Office of High Energy Physics, where she worked on science writing and advocacy projects. She holds a Ph.D. in theoretical particle physics from the University of Wisconsin–Madison and an A.B. in physics and mathematics from Harvard University. She lives near Washington, DC.  Here is the slideshow she used.  I encourage you to ask your student about class today!   11/19/2021

Congratulations to Snezhanna Medvedovski and Elias Caspari for being named Bloomington Jefferson High School's 2021-2022 ExCEL nominees! They are both DAHS graduates! One female and one male student from Bloomington Jefferson High School can be nominated for this award yearly. Criteria for the ExCEL Award includes: JR in high school, participation in Minnesota State High School League sponsored fine arts and/or athletic activities, demonstration of leadership qualities, volunteerism and academic excellence. Snezhanna Medvedovski participates in gymnastics (captain), track and orchestra at Jefferson. She is also on the “A” honor roll, a member of Pathfinders, student council, and NHS. Snezhanna also spends a great deal of time volunteering at her church. Elias Caspari participates in soccer, show choir, and theater at Jefferson. He is on the “A” honor roll and spends time volunteering at both his church and community theater. We are proud to have both represent Jeffers...

Dear DA 10 STEM cohort and their parents, Mr. Kersten is going to have surgery next week so I will be subbing in for him for period 2 from Nov 18-23. One day I will administer a test for him. However, the other days I am organizing some speakers for our students. On 11/19 we will Zoom in Andrea Peterson who graduated from Jefferson and works at the Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory . She went to the U of W Madison and Harvard and will talk about her process of choosing her STEM career path. On 11/23 we will do a college panel with: -Jordan Thomson, Washington University, St. Louis - Kennedy grad -Tuan Dinh, Princeton University -Kennedy grad -Jillayne Clarke, Johns Hopkins University -Jefferson grad All the speakers will be on Zoom so students will need to bring their Chromebooks and headphones those days. Sincerely, Meredith

November 4, 2021 Dear Parents and Guardians of DA 10 cohort, We have noticed that this semester is significantly more difficult for some of our DAHS students than previous years. We appreciate that many of you answered the survey the GT department sent out. The data demonstrated what we are seeing in class - we have a wide range of experiences right now in the DA STEM program and some of our students are very stressed. What we are seeing in Bloomington is similar to the experiences of educators (including other AP teachers and gifted advocates) across the country. Many of our students are struggling in ways which hadn’t manifested in pre-pandemic times. We are now seeing many members of our cohort struggle with self-regulation, the ability to focus on their work, their ability to ask questions, their ability to work with peers on an academic task, and are struggling with issues of depression and anxiety. We want to be responsive and support our gifted learners. I have met wit...

Join the Jefferson High School Math Team! Everyone is welcome, freshmen/sophomores/juniors/seniors at any math level. Everyone participates in practices and meets. Practices are on Mondays and Tuesdays 2:40-3:40 after school in room C123, starting November 1st. Feel free to drop in to see what it’s like! You can join the team at any time during the season! Contact Coach Rafferty (Liam.Rafferty@normandale.edu) with any questions.

MCGT Bloomington Chapter Coffee Talk Join the Bloomington Chapter of the Minnesota Council for the Gifted & Talented via Zoom on Tuesday, October 5 at 7:00pm for the first Virtual Coffee Talk of the new school year. This will be an opportunity to connect with other GT Parents, discuss issues/questions/concerns and discuss programming that you would like to see from the Bloomington Chapter this year. Hope to see you there! Click here to join via Zoom at 7pm on Tues, Oct 5. You do not need to be an MCGT member to attend, but membership does provide benefits, including reduced fees for MCGT events such as this year's MCGT 2021 Virtual Annual Conference that will be held Saturday, Nov 6, 2021 from 9am - 12:30pm via Zoom. If you become an MCGT Member, please designate Bloomington as your Chapter. Let the MCGT Bloomington Chapter know if you have any questions. CONTACT THE MCGT BLOOMINGTON CHAPTER: bloomington@mcgt.net https://www.facebook.com/MCGTBloomington Join u...

Dimensions Academy (STEM and Humanities) Outreach Meeting 12/9 Nobel High School Outreach Meeting 12/14 Dimensions Academy (STEM and Humanities) Outreach Meeting 1/11 All meetings will start at 7pm and be online. Zoom links are below: Dimensions Academy High School (STEM & Humanities) Outreach Meeting Time: Dec 9, 2021 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/97172811340?pwd=MTBMRjFPdmxUQ0t0dVhBeE5GanZNQT09 Meeting ID: 971 7281 1340 Passcode: 2iz1sb Nobel High School Creativity Outreach Meeting Time: Dec 14, 2021 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/97616148795?pwd=NDBjaXVtN21VNjgrVXNyVTVBNUluZz09 Meeting ID: 976 1614 8795 Passcode: P1hWq0 Dimensions Academy High School (STEM & Humanities) Outreach Meeting Time: Jan 11, 2022 07:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://zoom.us/j/95179900672?pwd=amk2eHRWeGl1TXJtNUdpRjVRcCtpZz09 Meeting ID: 951 7990 0672 Passcode: pq1Ktx

Congratulations to three of our Dimensions Academy alumni who have been selected as National Merit Semifinalists: Alexander Kiner Jamie Melville Joseph Shetaye All of them attend Jefferson and will graduate in 2021. We are very proud of their hard work!

Dear Jaguars, I want to update you on Homecoming and MAP testing. Homecoming: Next Monday Jefferson will run a special schedule and will have a Homecoming pep fest after period 2. Unfortunately you will need to be at Kennedy for period 3. ;( It will be broadcast via video to the 9th and 10th graders and I can try to get you the recording. On the bright side you won't need to leave class early or get to class late that day. JHS Homecoming Schedule for Monday, 9/27 PERIOD 1 7:50 – 8:42 PERIOD 2 8:48 – 9:40 Get on the bus at JHS to come to KHS at 9:45 am. Pep Fest (Turf Field) 9:50 – 10:16 PERIOD 3 10:22 – 11:14 PERIOD 4 11:20 – 12:12 Get on the bus at KHS @ 12 to come to come back to JHS for lunch. 3rd Lunch/Passing Time 12:12 – 12:42 MAP testing for 9th graders: We are not allowed to test you at Kennedy even if you're classmates are taking the MAP tests during the DA class. So Mrs. Jarvis, the Assistant Principal, will invite you to take...

The gifted department offers a vareity of ways that we support teachers. Below is what I shared with teachers at KHS and JHS today.

Dear DA Sophomores, The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a program co-sponsored by the College Board and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC). It's a standardized test that provides first hand practice for the SAT®. It also gives juniors a chance to enter NMSC scholarship programs and gain access to college and career planning tools. The Gifted and Talented Dept will pay for you to take the PSAT to help you practice your test taking skills as a part of the DA program. If you are interested in taking the test it will be offered IN PERSON and there is not an online version. Jefferson is holding the PSAT on Wednesday, October 13th. Students will need to be at JHS by 7:50 am and will need to wear masks. Kennedy is holding the PSAT on Tuesday, October 26th. Students will need to be at KHS by 7:50 am and will need to wear masks. I have already reserved an exam for you. If you do not wish to take the PSAT that is fine. Pleas...

Welcome to Dimensions Academy High School! We are excited to work with you in our program. Throughout the year if you have any questions about the DA program feel free to reach out. This email will have a lot of information about the 2021-22 school year. Feel free to email me with any questions you have. ;) Sincerely, Meredith Aby-Keirstead Gifted and Talented Coordinator maby@isd271.org 952-806-7811 Schedules for Week 1 The two high schools have different schedules for the first day of school. The good thing is that this will allow us to be able to make sure the DA kids have a smooth transition back and forth between the schools. The bad thing is the KHS STEM students will miss meeting their advisory teacher and the JHS Humanities students will miss their Pep Fest. KHS First Week Schedule DA STEM students will miss their advisory time the first 2 days. I believe I am the advisor at KHS for all the DA students. ;) I will email them any information they will miss...

I had a great time today presenting with the other members of the gifted and talented department as a part of 271Learns. We did a 3 hour workshop with teachers to teach them how to increase their teaching of creative thinking skills. It was fun to work with teachers on creativity and to help them start thinking about their fall!

Dear Future Student, Welcome to DA 9! Congratulations on entering the Dimensions Academy High School Humanities program. I am excited to work with you, both as your social studies teacher and as the high school gifted and talented coordinator. I think we are going to have a lot of fun digging deep into AP Human Geography and AP Comparative Politics together. To prepare for our coursework together next fall I am asking you to read The Girl Who Smiled Beads: A Story of War and What Comes After by Clemantine Wamariya this summer. The book is a memoir written by a woman who survived the Rwandan genocide. This is my first time using this text so I’m really interested in hearing what you think of it. I picked this book because it introduces you to a lot of Human Geography terminology through her story which I think will make these terms more accessible for you as we work with them this fall. Please read the book this summer and come prepared to discuss it on our second day of ...

Dimensions Academy High School Graduation This year we have two cohorts completing our program for the first time! Congratulations to our DA STEM graduates who completed 34 college credits during a global pandemic! These students have been doing online learning since last March and continued to complete their program at Normandale Community College. Kennedy: Ahmed Dualeh Malachi Martichuski Jefferson: Elias Caspari Isabelle Janey Olivia Knight Amelia Lodwick Ben Lodwick Adam Lueth Snezhanna Medvedovski Abigail Pearson Arielle Swanson Tiffany Tian Abigail Valladolid Thy Bao Vu Congratulations to our DA Humanities graduates who completed 3 college writing and literature classes and 4 AP classes during a global pandemic. This was our first cohort to go through our program and we are very proud of what these students were able to accomplish! Jefferson: Olivia Busch Autumn Fuller Isabelle Janey Olivia Knight Abigail Pearson Arielle Swanson Tiffany Tian Abigail Valladolid Thy ...

Dear DA students, I hope your finals week at NCC is going well.  You have successfully completed two years of calculus this year.  Congrats!  If you are taking the AP Calc BC exam I recommend getting some tutoring so that you can be ready for the exam.  While you have learned a lot of content you haven't learned the nuances of the exam and what the College Board is looking for.  Therefore I have recruited Ben Harste to help get you ready for the AP Calc BC exam.   The exam is on Monday, May 24th.   Mr. Harste will tutor you from 7:50 - 9am on Tuesday 5/18 and Thursday 5/20 on Zoom.   On Monday 5/17 I will give some example Free Response Questions for you to work on so that you can practice with the College Board  format and have that experience when you meet with Ben.  On Wednesday 5/19 I will give you a previously released multiple choice exam.  I have reserved the red flex space at Jefferson for us each morning.  You can participate in the tutoring and FRQ practice online or in ...

Digital Exam readiness steps: Log out of your chromebook. Access the chromebook apps in the bottom left hand corner of the screen. Click on the digital testing app and log in using your My AP Classroom username and password. Try the practice exam to study for your exam (optional) 1-3 days before your digital exams, complete the exam set up: For each digital AP Exam, students must complete the exam setup step in the digital testing app. This step loads their exam onto the computer they’re going to test with. Completing this step is required 1–3 days before each exam. Without taking this step for each exam, students will not be able to test. Exam setup opens 3 calendar days before the exam date and must be completed no later than the day before the exam. Exam setup must be done on the computer the student will use for testing. Once setup is completed, the computer can’t be shared with another student until the exam is over and responses have been submitted to th...

I love learning! Today I went to a great training at Ridgeview about Visual Thinking Strategies. I think this will be a really engaging technique to use with my AP History class and my Nobel advisory. I really appreciate how my dept shares new ways of teaching with each other!

We learned recently that covid contact tracings have identified several of our students who need to be put on quarantine. Because of this, these students will be missing this Saturday’s PreACT testing. We do have a virtual back up plan. If your child is feeling sick or suspects contact with someone who is positive for Covid, please do not send them for the testing this Saturday. Contact us for an alternative testing plan. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

Ms Brown (kbrown@isd271.org) is our AP Coordinator. If you have follow up questions be sure to email her. You can CC me so I can learn the answer too. DA STEM students will take their tests through KHS even though you take your class at JHS. The plan for testing is: AP Human Geography (May 4th) - in person AP Computer Science (May 17th) - in person AP Environmental Science (May 27th) - in person or at home if you are DL AP Comparative Politics (May 28th) - in person or at home if you are DL If you are a DL and don’t want to come into school on May 4th or May 17th then you need to communicate with Mr. Lang. The digital exam for AP Human Geography will be on June 8th and the digital exam for AP Computer Science will be on Wednesday May 26th. If you are absent or unable to take an exam during our scheduled time, you can sign up to test in the next testing window. You will need to let Ms. Brown know as soon as possible if this happens. She can only sign you up for the next ...

February 23, 2021 Dear DA HS parents/guardians and students, Thank you for your patience as we figure out how to adapt our DA programming for this latest learning model change. I know you need to tell BPS by Friday whether you plan to return for in-person learning and I hope this information will be helpful to you in your family discussions. The new schedule will offer in-person learning at both high schools from 7:50 am to 1:37 pm with time in the afternoon for academic support. These are the daily schedules for tri 3. Page one is the in-person schedule and page two is the distance learning one. I met with Jaysen Anderson, Justin Hall, Akram Osman, Kris Krenz and Erin Boltik today and this is our tentative plan for DA for tri 3: Kennedy STEM students will be bussed to Jefferson for their STEM classes. Similarly, Jefferson Humanities students will be bussed to Kennedy for their Humanities classes. We are still finalizing the bus schedule with transportation but my hope is ...

Dear DA families - I am meeting with the principals and Director Boltik on Monday afternoon to talk about the recent Tri 3 announcement. My goal is to be able to answer your questions about how these changes affect DA by Tuesday. Thanks for your patience as we navigate this change in our planning. Sincerely, Meredith

Dear parents, I am getting a lot of emails from you about what the recent school board decision means for the DA HS program. I am meeting with the principals of both high schools and Erin Boltik, the GT director, tomorrow. I hope to have the ability to answer your questions at that time. Thanks for your patience. ;) Sincerely, Meredith

Congrats to Jefferson's National Merit finalists! Alexander Carpenter Benjamin Carpenter Joseph Carpenter Amy Wang Xiaoxin Zeng

This is a video I made to replace the meeting we normally have in January. We can't meet this year because of the Corona virus so I'm hoping this can help parents and student who are trying to figure out which classes to register for. Feel free to email me any questions at maby@isd271.org. https://youtu.be/MEqx8jF1JN0

Join the GT Department and Erin Walsh, of Spark and Stitch Institute, for our second session in the "Parenting in a Pandemic" series. Wednesday, January 13 at 7:00p.m. Topic: The Many Faces of Stress Zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84006576556?pwd=UjQ2ZElIYmlpWTlZbDdPeGhpM2hkUT09 Passcode is SPARK We hope to see you there!

Thank you to everyone who came to the DA College Panel on Thursday. I'm sharing it below in case you didn't get to come and want the info. Meredith https://youtu.be/nz9FTQ9L5LM

In February students will be asked to register for next year. If you were not able to come to this morning's meeting I encourage you to watch the video. I'm including links to the resources I used: Video from today's Post DA Planning Meeting - https://youtu.be/2FmnXmsSvXg My PSEO planning guide document - https://docs.google.com/document/d/1YkEVqdHSB_JR_2Z1ofjscKp7VGv6-xQ1mGmWnyKItkg/edit?usp=sharing The slideshow I used - https://tinyurl.com/yd9epeuu After the meeting Carl Pearson and I found this list: https://www.mnmsa.org/files/8013/1723/8071/PSEO_College_List.pdf Take care, Meredith

On Thursday, January 11th @ 1 pm I'm hosting a college panel on Zoom for DA students.  I normally offer this in person during the school day but this year I'm doing it on line.  The speakers are all Bloomington grads who attended college in person (this was a little trickier this year) and who will speak to the following topics:-PSEO v. high school-how they choose their college-what they think/thought about their college-how they selected a major-advice they have for you I have asked the following students because they represent a rage of types of schools and experiences:Harry Fronk - U of M Henry Weisman - CarletonAlexa Groenke - U of C Berkeley Jess Wachtler - Wesleyan Connor Meany - Stanford  Topic: College Panel with BPS Graduates Time: Jan 7, 2021 01:00 PM Central Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87976416010?pwd=SGVFcHpVVDF2eFJySmtzZVJ1azJZUT09 Meeting ID: 879 7641 6010 Passcode: Yi35n6