CFBISD Gifted & Talented Bulletin

Stay up to date with events and important information regarding all things K-12 GT.

The holidays are upon us! We have multiple breaks coming up for you to recharge! It's so important that we use this valuable time to make good choices and lift ourselves up. I encourage you to find your own way to relax and find joy during your upcoming time off.

Sending you well wishes and blessings during this season of love!

Stacy Carroll

Executive Director

Advanced Academics and World Languages

The mission of the C-FB AGT is to advocate for the needs of all advanced learners in the Carrollton-Farmers Branch Independent School District and ensure they receive appropriate educational opportunities.

Your CFBISD GT Team recently spent 3 days at TAGT GiftED learning about the latest best practices in gifted education, including new differentiation strategies, refined assessment and identification procedures, and innovative approaches to supporting the social-emotional needs of gifted students. Our educators had the opportunity to learn alongside some of the brightest minds in the field, observe how gifted learners think, and share ideas with other talented teachers, specialists, and coordinators. This valuable professional development will equip our GT specialists with the knowledge and tools to better serve the unique needs of gifted learners in CFBISD. We are excited to bring these valuable learnings back to CFBISD and continue to provide the best possible education for our gifted students.

Math teachers Ms. Otero and Ms. Tate at Carrollton Elementary School issued an ambitious challenge to primary GT students: Design the Carrollton playground of the future! Ever since CFBISD announced that it will build a new Carrollton Elementary from floor to roof in the coming years, many students have wondered how greenspaces could be integrated.

On Dec. 9, Ms. Tate and Ms. Otero asked first, second and third graders to design the space of their dreams while asking students to:

• use terms of geometry in an accurate way
• use perimeter to draw out a schematic plan
• calculate area of their ideas

Students used their geometry vocabulary to describe, plan, and calculate the area and perimeter of their spaces collaboratively as well as independently. Second grade teacher Ms. Otero, who guided students from start to finish, noted that students revised their ideas through sketching and discussion. "They brought it from the small scale to the large scale," she said.

The lesson was designed by fifth grade teacher Ms. Tate who sees a need across the grades to strengthen kids' knowledge and fluent thinking in geometry. "It isn't just naming shapes," she said. "It's about being able to describe those shapes in real life."

First grade teachers Ms. Govea and Ms. Ibarra were on-hand to support the work. "They were very focused on their creativity," said Ms. Govea. Younger students tackled the project with positive "productive struggle" that comes with abstract thinking.

Brought to you by GT Specialist MaryAnn Condie and GT Liaison Marci Matlock.

As the GT Specialist that supports LEAP students, teachers, and families at both McCoy Elementary and Perry Middle Schools, I love participating in conversations with teachers and math coaches about ways they engage students. I was excited to hear that more teachers across our district are being trained in Building Thinking Classrooms practices and implementing these practices with their students.

What is Building Thinking Classrooms (BTS)?

Building Thinking Classrooms is an educational approach developed by Dr. Peter Liljedahl, professor of mathematics education at Simon Fraser University in Canada. Fourteen practices emerged from his research that foster critical-thinking, collaboration, perseverance, and risk-taking.

What do teachers and students think about BTS?

From the classroom of Courtney Dargaj, 1st Grade LEAP: I have worked BTS into my classroom for Thoughtful Thursdays 3 times so far this year and I plan to continue this practice. I have loved implementing BTS into my classroom as I have seen it push and challenge my students who are used to there being only one, concrete, correct answer in math. They have extended their thinking and have become more creative and collaborative in finding possible solutions to difficult tasks.

Here are some quotes from students when asked how they felt about “Thoughtful Thursdays”:

“I get super excited for it every week because it gets your brain working!” -RS

“I like it because I get to feel like the teacher when I teach my friends new things!” -HH

“It is good for your brain and every time we get better. It makes me feel excited!” -SS

“It gives me more knowledge and understanding of problems that feel impossible at first!” -DT

From the classroom of Melynda McMillin, 6th & 8th Grade LEAP: As a teacher, my favorite part about them is the fact that students are so focused on the task at hand, they talk with their group members that are always changing with each task because they all want to find the answer. They have also learned that they may not always get the answer, but they have fun trying to figure it out.

Ms. McMillin’s students stated:

“I like doing these a lot. It makes me think in a different way.”

“These [problems] are hard, but it is fun to try and figure it out.”

Students in LEAP often have so much background knowledge that learning seems to come easily for many of them. I’m looking forward to seeing how using BTS really challenges our LEAP learners to help them become better problem solvers and critical thinkers!

Brought to you by GT Specialist Niccole Dassow.

AP Exams will be administered in May 2025. Here are the 2025 AP Exam Dates.

• All AP Exams in 2025 will be administered in a digital or hybrid format. Please follow this link for more information: Digital AP Exams
• Are you enrolled in AP Classroom? If not, be sure to ask your teacher for the join code, and enroll ASAP!

Once you have access to AP Classroom, be sure to check out the AP Daily Videos, as well as AP Daily Practice Sessions, and AP Daily Reviews. If you have any questions about AP Testing, check with your teacher or the Associate Principal on your campus.

Brought to you by GT Specialist Michelle Wilson.

Parents of 7th grade CFB students:

Advanced Academics is excited to announce that CFBISD has partnered with the Baylor Talent Identification Program (TIP) to offer exceptional learning opportunities for our 7th-grade students.

This partnership will provide our students with access to:

• Summer enrichment programs
• Online courses
• Contests, competitions, and clubs
• Super Saturday events at Baylor University

To facilitate participation in this program, CFBISD is hosting the CFB Brainiac Showdown on February 8, 2025.

By participating in the CFB Brainiac Showdown, your child will be eligible for:

• A discounted rate of $55 for the IAR online test ($75 is the standard fee)
• A student strategy session before taking the test
• A dedicated place to take the test
• Medals and recognition at a district-wide celebration
• Scholarships to join an online Baylor TIP student club or society

Please see the attached flyer for more detailed information about the CFB Brainiac Showdown and the link to register and pay. Registration is due by December 20, 2024.

We encourage all 7th-grade CFB students to participate in this exciting opportunity to challenge themselves academically and explore their potential.

*** Please note that families can participate in the Baylor TIP program independent of CFB district event.

If you have any questions, please contact Michelle Wilson at wilsonm@cfbisd.edu.

The hustle and bustle of December has arrived. The weather is finally colder. Lights sparkle more intensely. Many are filled with good cheer and children exuberantly anticipate a vacation from school. A vacation from school? YIKES!! It is not uncommon for parents to worry about learning loss during breaks from school. More so during the summer months, but many parents also experience twinges of worry when their children are not involved in structured learning activities each day.

Many years ago, a good friend, who is the parent of a gifted child, shared her concerns that her daughter still spent a good deal of time playing rather than pursuing more academic goals. Her child was eight years old at the time. My response was, “Great! That is exactly what she needs to be doing!”

There is an abundance of research that supports the importance of play and we, as parents and educators, need to make time for our children to do just that. We often involve our children in numerous structured activities outside of school: sports, music lessons, additional academic tutoring, art lessons, etc. Hear me say, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that! However, while we pursue additional endeavors for our young charges, let’s make sure we also incorporate free time for spontaneous play.

Did you know that play promotes all of the following?

• Cognitive Development—critical thinking, problem-solving, planning. Exploring and experimenting through play promotes all of these skills.
• Physical Development—active bodies are healthy bodies!
• Language Development—Children practice language skills through conversation, role play, story-telling and pretend play.
• Social-Emotional Development—Children learn how to interact with their peers through play. Taking turns, negotiating, learning to take another’s perspective, collaboration, team building, team spirit, and sharing are all skills that develop and grow because of play.
• Creativity—imaginative play increases a child’s ability to create and pursue artistic endeavors, as well as take risks with new ways of doing things.
• Play enhances the ability to entertain oneself, to pursue activities that bring about enjoyment and interest, and also fosters independence and reliance on self.
• Executive functioning—the development of impulse control, sustained attention, flexibility, and organization can also be linked to play.

As clinical psychologist, Kay Redfield Jamison, notes in her book, Exuberance: The Passion for Life, “Children need the time and freedom to play. Play is not a luxury. Play is a necessity.” If your elementary age child appears more passionate about their play time than their academic goals, worry less and engage more, especially if they invite you to join in. Play can easily be incorporated into family time and the making of those cherished memories helps our children to develop into confident, secure, happy individuals.

So, the next time you witness your child intensely focused on “playing” with blocks, racing Hot Wheels, or creating an entire adventure for their most loved stuffies, remind yourself, they are constructing a world far beyond what you can see or imagine. It is the “stuff” that dreams are made of!

As the very wise and beloved Fred Rogers from Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood exclaimed, “When children pretend, they’re using their imaginations to move beyond the bounds of reality. A stick can be a magic wand. A sock can be a puppet. A small child can be a superhero.” And isn’t that what we want for our children…for them to be resilient and Super Hero confident, happy and strong?

Wishing you all a happy winter break spent with family and friends, and if you get the chance, don’t forget to play, play, play!

Brought to you by GT Specialist Renea Yowell.