Gifted Jaguars and Eagles

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...

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 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 ...

The Bloomington Public Schools gifted/talented department is proud to sponsor Erin Walsh from the Spark & Stitch Institute. Erin will lead three virtual sessions that are guaranteed to be engaging, helpful and relevant. Each will last one hour. All sessions will be held via Zoom. No need to RSVP. Join for one session or, hopefully, attend them all! Wednesday, December 9 7PM “Staying Engaged in Learning: The Science of Motivation” Wednesday, January 13 7PM “Parenting in a Pandemic: The Many Faces of Stress” Wednesday, February 10 7PM “Parenting in a Pandemic: Setting Limits and Avoiding Power Struggles” Zoom link for all three webinars; passcode is SPARK: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84006576556?pwd=UjQ2ZElIYmlpWTlZbDdPeGhpM2hkUT09 Or Telephone: Dial(for higher quality, dial a number based on your current location): US: +1 646 558 8656 or +1 301 715 8592 or +1 312 626 6799 or +1 669 900 9128 or +1 253 215 8782 or +1 346 248 7799 Webinar ID: 840 0657 6556 ...

Dear DA 9 parents, Your student is now a month into DA! Some students are doing a great job of developing their self advocacy skills and are checking in with their teachers via email when they are absent or have questions.  Please encourage your student to work on this skill.  It is probably the most important college skill they will learn all year!  Also please check in with your student to see how often they are checking Canvas, the Hub and their school email account.  Please sit down with them and look at Infinite Campus to have them show you their grade. We are approaching mid tri and patterns are starting to develop. I met with Ms. Woods last week and am meeting with Mr. Carufel this week so I will soon be following up with parents if we see concerning patterns developing. If students need help studying for their DA classes please encourage them to talk to me about getting an appropriate tutor.  Additionally, as I said in our intro meeting this fall, please keep an eye on your ...

  What Now?  Supporting your Gifted Child’s Education  during COVID-19 MCGT Virtual Mini Conference – September 12, 9:00 am – 12:00 noon Join us as Dr. Richard Cash and Dr. Diane Heacox help us navigate the challenging new world of changing educational experiences. Dr. Cash will be talking about Assisting your Child in Trying Times and Dr. Heacox will present on Tips on Supporting and Enhancing Distance Learning. MCGT Members $10  (MCGT Membership includes access to the presentations for 4 months) Non Members $20 More Information and Registration ONLINE CHAT NIGHTS FOR MCGT MEMBERS ONLY CHAT (Connect Help Advocate Talk) Zoom Discussions will be available to Members Only on a monthly (or more) basis. CHATs are informal discussions on specific topics facilitated by experts September 2: Dr Teresa Boatman,  Supporting Your Child's Mental Health September 29: Dr. Liz Adams,  Gifted Dyslexia from a Neuropsychologist's Perspective October 12: Dr. Mary Wa...

This is a great article for all the parents of DAHS students to read. Why Getting 100% on Everything is Setting Gifted Students Up to Fail MARCH 6, 2019  by Jennifer Greene There’s something we’re not teaching our most talented students. If you’re the parent of an advanced student, you’re probably well aware that your child actively searches out more and more things to learn. It’s probably a struggle to keep providing them with new material they find interesting  and  challenging. Or maybe your student is a perfectionist. They study diligently, learning everything by heart to make sure they score 100% on every test. Anything less may even bring tears. All through school, these students—both the ones who focus on perfect scores, and the rarer ones who seem to achieve those scores without effort—earn excellent grades. They look at their report cards, and see nothing but top marks. But then they land in college, and face their first truly challenging class. Co...

Today Ms. Cruz and I finished up AP Boot Camp at Kennedy.  We had over 40 students work with us for 4 days on study skills, time management, note taking, and pre-reading strategies.  Some of these students I'll be teaching in the fall!  I'm excited to see what these students can do this year! 

I'm gearing up for the fall and for working with students the next couple of weeks on study skills both at KHS' upcoming AP Boot Camp and DAHS orientation.  https://www.edutopia.org/article/study-strategies-beyond-memorization?utm_source=Edutopia+Newsletter&utm_campaign=177ffcde0c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_080719_enews_whyattendance&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_f72e8cc8c4-177ffcde0c-83435023

On  Saturday, May 4th  the GT dept will offer an opportunity to practice taking the multiple choice section of the AP Calc BC exam  starting at 11am in the JHS media center .   Roger will administer a released exam from the college board so that students can have a test like experience before the exam to practice.  Students will not be able to take the exam with them but they will have the opportunity to see the answers afterwards and to take notes on what types of problems they struggled with.  Students will get 1 hour and 45 minutes to take the 45 question exam and then they can take up to an hour to correct it and take notes.  Students should bring whatever calculator they plan to use on the exam to the practice exam so that they are practicing using it under test like conditions.   Please RSVP to Roger Skophammer <rskophammer@isd271.org> by Wednesday, May 1st so that we have enough copies of the exam for the s...

I read this article recently and it really connected with me as we are currently doing MCA/MAP testing and preparing for the AP exams in May.  https://www.edutopia.org/artic le/building-metacognition- test-prep

5 Research-Backed Studying Techniques Teachers can guide students to avoid ineffective studying habits in favor of ones that will increase their learning outcomes. By Edward Kang, April 4, 2019 https://www.edutopia.org/article/5-research-backed-studying-techniques Too often people imagine that long hours of studying are the best path to being a model, straight-A student. Yet research shows that highly successful students actually spend less time studying than their peers do—they just study more effectively. Teachers can help all students learn to more effectively use the time they spend studying by sharing research-proven techniques. STUDY LESS, WITH GREATER INTENSITY In this era of social media and digital distractions, many students—and adults—do a lot of multitasking. But there is no such thing as successful multitasking, because much of the time spent is wasted on context switching, where the brain has to restart and refocus. Consider the formula “work accomplished...

Do you want some extra help with your DA homework?  Ryan Martz  is a senior and a graduate of our program.  Tutoring is open to both 9th and 10th graders in both math and science.  Ryan  is willing to do tutoring for DA students after school on Wednesdays in the Yellow Flex Space.  You don't need to RSVP but you should go there right away after school if you want Ryan's help and bring all the materials you will need for tutoring (your assignment, your textbook, your notes, etc.)  Please come with specific questions for Ryan or with something to work on (like how do I prepare for the next test, etc.)   Thank you to Ryan for giving back to the DA program!

ACT Practice at KHS Published on October 1, 2018 What:  ACT Practice Test When:  Saturday, November 3rd at 7:30am Where :  Cafeteria - Kennedy High School Why:  We encourage all juniors to take this practice exam as the results will give them tips on how to do their best when they take the exam for real in the spring. Students who take this practice will also have the opportunity to sign up for ACT prep classes in the Spring   How much:  Students must pay $5 to confirm their registration. Scholarships are available for students on Free or Reduced Lunch. Students must stop by the Career & College Center to pick up their test tickets   How do I sign up:   here  or  www.tinyurl.com/khsact2018

US News and World Report recently published an article explaining that practice tests can elevate ACT/SAT results.   I wanted to let you know about some opportunities for your student to take the the Practice  ACT  at Jefferson.  The test is $15.  The 2 hour and 30 minute Review Session is an additional $35.  This test is put on by Breakaway Test prep.   During the review session, they will go over the test results, but also give test-taking tips as well.  They also offer longer classes that students could take after the review session if they find it valuable and want more prep. The school sends out a Blackboard Connect email (about the 1st of October) to Sophomore and Junior parents but many of my 9th grade gifted students have also asked about this.  Payments can be dropped of to Mrs. Becky Wallerick in the Career Center at JHS. Bloomington Public Schools pays for all juniors to take the  ACT ...

Almost 40 students completed Kennedy's AP boot camp this week.  These students took time out of their summer to get ready for a higher academic challenge this coming school year. I really enjoyed working with them and look forward to seeing them in the fall at KHS!  Congrats and good luck this year!   Here are some resources for you to look at if you couldn't come!  http://www.hercampus.com/high-school/6-tips-rocking-your-ap-classes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m1zr3dGjrww

For our 9th graders they are finishing their first week of high school finals and then in 2 weeks they will wrap up their first college semester!  I have been looking for articles to help them improve their metacognition and study skills and found this one: https://ww2.kqed.org/mindshift/2017/11/22/a-better-way-to-study-through-self-testing-and-distributed-practice/

Metacognition is the #1 thing I work on with the DAHS students.  What I have learned from four years of working with Dimensions Academy is that gifted students struggle with studying and figuring out whether they have mastered material before the test. Our program is one of the first times these students have had to study.  This article has some great study strategies but it is not just for gifted learners.  These strategies work for all kids to improve their studying. https://www.edutopia.org/article/how-metacognition-boosts-learning?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=socialflow