Gifted Jaguars and Eagles

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

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 ...

Hi all, I'm very pleased that EF has finalized the dates of our China trip and will be booking our flights very soon.   We will leave for China on Thursday, July 9 and return on Monday, July 20. In addition, we will have 2 meetings that are required for students to attend with their parents. Our required meetings will be on Friday, April 10 and Monday, June 15. Time and location TBD but will likely be in the early evening like last time. Sincerely, Sarah and Meredith

Soon we will host presenters from Camp Rising Sun on Tuesday, December 17th at 6:30 p.m. at Kennedy High School in the Media Center . Over the past several years, a number of students from the Bloomington Public Schools have been awarded this prestigious scholarship including Tuan Dinh (KHS), Ebba Wako (JHS) and Isabella Marker (JHS).   Go to this website ( http://www.lajf.org/ ) for information on this extraordinary camp. The camp boasts an international flavor combined with personal development experience.  In addition, there is NO COST to attend this camp for those students who are selected. Camp Rising Sun is well established, and has been around for over 70 years. Many of the people who have attended the camp have become leaders in their communities and their countries. Camp Rising Sun is looking for students who are intelligent, well-rounded, with outstanding moral character, an appreciation of diversity and individual abilities, a leader amongst their peers, and wi...

I received this info from Stanford this week: Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes   (Grades 8–11) A three-week summer residential program where students engage in single-subject intensive study and benefit from small class sizes and academically-themed residences. Stanford Summer Arts Institute   ( Grades 8–11) Students come together for a three-week intensive arts program offering academically challenging, interdisciplinary courses in art, music, architecture, and film. Stanford Summer Humanities Institute   (Grades 10–11) A three-week residential program where students explore the big questions at the heart of the humanities in seminars led by distinguished Stanford professors. Stanford AI4ALL   (Grade 9) Each summer, we partner with the Stanford Artificial Intelligence Laboratory and the non-profit, AI4ALL, to offer a summer program aimed at increasing diversity and inclusion in the field of AI. Stanford University Mathematics Camp (SUMaC)   (Grade...

I co-lead this trip 2 years ago and I loved it!  I highly recommend seeing their presentations!   From Cory Elsmore - Hello! This summer, 7 Bloomington students (2 from Jefferson, 5 from Kennedy), travelled to Costa Rica to conduct research. This trip was facilitated by the organization Seeds of Change. Our students worked in partnership with Dr. Adrian Pinto of the University of Costa Rica, and performed research on leaf cutter ants. I could not be prouder of these students. Students had to create their own unique research proposal. Their proposals were vetted by Dr. Pinto and his team with all the very direct criticism that is expected in university level research. They were expected to document their work using the same standards expected at the University level. Finally, they needed to analyze and present their findings as any research major would be expected to do. The students rolled with all of this and performed admirably. You are invited to come an...

Hello Again! We’re up to  40 families  who have expressed interest in the  2020 China trip  and 80 people attending our two meetings collectively next week!   If you haven’t already, please be sure to RSVP so we can plan accordingly for next week. Kennedy 9/17 meeting RSVP :  https://rsvp.eftours.com/ 6ek444u Jefferson 9/19 meeting RSVP :  https://rsvp.eftours.com/ t5efygm See you in China!   Meredith

I am really excited to announce that Sara Dahl-Wyland and I are recruiting students to go to China with us the summer of 2020.  We think this trip will be a great opportunity for our AP Human Geography, AP World History, and AP Comparative Politics students to apply what they have learned to modern China!  The trip will be 12 days and we would go to Bejing, Xi'an, Chengdu, Dujiangyan, and Shanghai.  The trip has some cool features like a visit to a panda research center and getting to see the Great Wall of China.  Sara and I will be hosting info sessions at both high schools to talk about the trip.  Feel free to come to either one.  Tuesday Sept 17th @ 6:30 pm @ KHS Media Center Thursday Sept 19th @ 6:30 pm @ JHS Media Center

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! 

November 5, 2018 Dear BPS families, An opportunity awaits you! Kennedy science teacher Cory Elsmore, in partnership with an organization called Seeds for Change ( http://www.seedsforeducation.org/ ), is offering a summer enrichment experience to Jefferson and Kennedy science students. This experience is a summer trip to Costa Rica, featuring biology research. I took students on this trip in 2016.  In addition to being FUN, it was amazing to see the research that our students were able to do in such a short period of time.  I am very excited we are able to offer this opportunity again this year to 16 students to conduct their own experiments and do their own research in the rainforest with college professors and field experts.  This summer’s trip will be from July 20-30th, 2019. You are invited to an information meeting on to learn more about this opportunity on Wednesday, November 14th at 5pm in the Jefferson Media Center .   Please email celsmo...

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

Juniors  ULYSES PEREZ PEREZ  and ROCIO LUCIO  have been selected to represent Kennedy at Boys and Girls State. Each year the American Legion Boys and Girls’ States are among the most respected and selective educational programs for government instruction for high school students. Girls and Boys State are participatory programs where each student becomes a part a model government that reflects our federal system of government.  Participants learn about the rights, privileges, duties, and responsibilities that go along with being a citizen. The experience allows students operate city, county and state governments by being elected to the various offices.  Activities include legislative sessions, court proceedings, law-enforcement presentations, assemblies, bands, chorus and recreational programs.  High school juniors are sponsored by local American Legion Posts to attend the programs.  Boys State and Girls State teaches government through firsthand ...

Juniors  Ella Jones,  Abigail Faulk, Charles Maki and    Ryan Martz  have been selected to represent Jefferson at Boys and Girls State. Each year the American Legion Boys and Girls’ States are among the most respected and selective educational programs for government instruction for high school students. Girls and Boys State are participatory programs where each student becomes a part a model government that reflects our federal system of government.  Participants learn about the rights, privileges, duties, and responsibilities that go along with being a citizen. The experience allows students operate city, county and state governments by being elected to the various offices.  Activities include legislative sessions, court proceedings, law-enforcement presentations, assemblies, bands, chorus and recreational programs.  High school juniors are sponsored by local American Legion Posts to attend the programs.  Boys State and Girls State t...

Photo from last year's delegation of JHS and KHS students January 17, 2018 Dear DA students & parents, You have the opportunity to send your student on a summer biology research trip to Costa Rica through Seeds for Change ( http://www.seedsforeducation.org/ ).  The trip will be July 26th - August 4th .  This experience is not a "tourist" trip, as so many high school international trips are. Instead, it is a science trip which provides immense educational and scientific growth. While in Costa Rica, the students design and conduct their own field research project in the rainforest.   Bloomington participated in this program last year for the first time and our students loved it!  I took 16 students last summer and they  loved being able to dive deep into leaf cutter ants and  design their own experiments.  I was so impressed with what they were able to do in only 10 days.  Last year’s students are now using that field experience...

College Admissions: Top Ways to Explore Majors and Careers           Monday, April 24, 2017 Cristiana Quinn, GoLocalProv College Admissions Expert As the end of the school year draws near, many families forget that summer is the perfect time for students to explore career options. Parents want to know that a six-figure college investment will result in their child being able to launch a career when they graduate. The trouble is that high schools rarely provide students with an in-depth opportunity to learn about different professions. And without that insight, few students are able to select the right college and major based on a long-term plan. Here are some suggestions to help students explore different fields. Career testing for teens Career testing has been around for decades. However, many adult-oriented tests ask a lot of questions based on real world experience that teens just don’t have.  This career test from the University of Mi...