Gifted Jaguars and Eagles

Gifted advocacy is an education 9/9/2019 (to see the original post click the link above) Gifted advocacy is a mixed bag. It is also an education. Advocacy, that unexpected, uninvited guest in the lives of a gifted child's family, is thrust upon them with little warning. Parents of gifted children find that they must educate themselves about giftedness -  and that   it falls upon them  to speak up for their child's needs. They must grasp the enormity of their child's intellectual and social/emotional needs (and sometimes,  twice-exceptional  challenges); assess the local school's limitations, the community's resources, and the state's gifted ed regulations and laws; and decide how to proceed with their child's schooling. Parents of gifted children receive a fast-track education into the world of giftedness and quickly develop a surprising level of expertise. They never bargained for this, yet find that they must assume the role of advocate. Frustrati...

PSAT Registration is now open .  The PSAT will be given during the school day on Wednesday, October 30, 2019. The test will run from approximately 7:50 am-12:00 pm. The cost is $30 and the test is optional.  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 firsthand 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 most common reasons for taking the PSAT/NMSQT are to: Receive feedback on your strengths and weaknesses on skills necessary for college study. You can then focus your preparation on those areas that could most benefit from additional study or practice. See how your performance on an admissions test might compare with that of others applying to college. Enter the competition for scholars...

Congratulations to the following students from Jefferson and Kennedy High Schools for making it to semifinalists in the National Merit Scholarship Competition! Katelynn Brandwick & Jillayne Clark &* Colden Longley &* Christopher Melville* Jordan Thomson* Charles Weismann &* Henry Weismann &* Congrats also to the following students from Jefferson for qualifying as commended scholars. Ingrid Anderson Wyatt Doppmann* Timothy Lueth* Ashley Marker Thomas Quiggle These awards are based on student PSAT scores during their junior year of high school. * - indicates Dimensions Academy High School graduate  & - indicates was in the GT pilot of AP US Government for 9th graders at Jefferson Photo is from Jefferson High School 

This weekend I went to the  2019  Sept   Mini -Conference: GT & 2e Students, Schools, & Advanced Learning co-sponsored by  MCGT, MEGT, and MDE .   I enjoyed hearing about how grade and content acceleration both serve gifted kids!  

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

We are having a great week at NCC!  These 9th graders are already learning in their college classes (College Algebra and Intro to Computer Programming).  Next week they will start 9th grade at KHSand JHS!  We wish them the best of luck as they start this exciting academic year!

Our 10th graders took time today to talk to the incoming 9th graders about how to succeed in this rigorous program.