Gifted Jaguars and Eagles

The issue of the Excellence Gap is one I feel very passionately about.  I believe that all students deserve to learn every day and that the focus on No Child Left Behind can mean that our diverse students who are GT learners are ignored. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/25/us/schools-excellence-gap.html https://www.nagc.org/blog/access-gifted-education-social-justice-issue

This is the end of the year GT year in review.  Click here for Director Boltik's write up.  Have a great summer! 

Interested in summer ACT prep?  I have heard really good things about Break Away Test Prep.  We are hosting them this summer for ACT prep and it comes highly recommended as a good fit for gifted learners.  The link to register is here:   http://www.breakawaytestprep. com/bloomington/ .  Below is info from their website.  Please check it out! Summer Test Prep! Presented for the first time, Bloomington Public Schools and Breakaway Test Prep are pleased to offer an innovative small group test-prep class exclusively for Bloomington-Jefferson and Bloomington-Kennedy students this summer. Beginning Thursday, August 2nd , Breakaway Test Prep will provide an intensive four-week, 12-hour program designed to help get your student ready to take the ACT.  Breakaway will provide three hours of ACT instruction on four consecutive Thursday mornings in August (August 2nd, August 9th, August 16th, and August 23rd). Each class will be held from 9:00am – 12:0...

Today I had a great meeting with Becky Wallerick ( rwallerick@isd271.org), our new College and Career Counselor, at Jefferson High School.  We are really fortunate to have someone in this position who is focused on post-graduation planning with our students and we are especially lucky to have someone who truly understands gifted teens!  We are in the process of putting together an evening program for gifted jr and sr students and their parents for jump start in the fall to help guide college planning.  In the mean time I think these articles are a great starting point! Have a great summer! Meredith  What most parents of gifted children wish they had known about college planning  - June 1, 2018 Five tips gifted students need to consider when choosing a college  (2015) Ten essential tips to help your gifted teen plan for college  (2014)

I had a great morning at the Optimist Club meeting this morning at Mugshots Coffee in Bloomington.  Three students from Ridgeview Elementary got to talk about their award winning essays on engineering and the stock market.  Erin Boltik, Rick Halley and I also got to talk about the expanding programming we are offering in Bloomington.  It was fun to talk about our great program and to have such amazing students show off their talents with us!  Thanks for inviting us Optimist Club!

There’s more you need to know about letters of recommendation By: LEE SHULMAN BIERER Many students unwittingly treat letters of recommendation as an afterthought. They ask teachers and recommenders late in the process and often fail to provide them with sufficient tools to get the job done right. Big mistake. Letters of recommendation can often play a critical role in admissions, particularly at more elite colleges and universities. There’s no question – a bad letter of recommendation can be a spoiler. Myths and truths about letters of recommendation Myth:  If your neighbor’s great uncle “knows” somebody in the admissions office, an elected official or a celebrity, make sure he writes a letter on your student’s behalf. Truth:  This kind of letter of recommendation can actually hurt a candidate. Colleges want to hear from people who know applicants well and can attest to their character, not their grandfather’s golf game. Myth:  Applicants should only as...

This is a great piece form Byrdseed.com which uses pictures to explain how gifted kids think.  I think it could be really useful for professional development and for parents who are struggling to explain how their kid thinks/learns.  http://www.byrdseed.com/three-images-to-explain-giftedness-to-parents/?mc_cid=a4889881d4&mc_eid=b26527992e