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Dear Parents,

The purpose of this publication is to tell you a little bit about San Elizario ISD's GT program, whether your child is already GT or you are considering having your child tested for possible entry into the GT program.

I am Lisa Renegar, the District GT Coordinator. I can be reached at LRenegar@seisd.net; or (915) 872-3900 ext. 3564. Please reach out to me or to your Campus GT Coordinator with any questions as you go through this school year.

Thank you and have a wonderful school year!

Ms. Lisa Renegar

Lisa Renegar

@lisarenegar

Email: LRenegar@seisd.net
Website: www.seisd.net
Location: 1050 Chicken Ranch Road
Phone: (915) 872-3900

During the GT Pullout, our GT Teachers use the Texas Performance Standards Projects to teach our GT students via TEKS-aligned, subject-specific and exciting tasks! Feel free to explore these tasks with the link below.

Specifically at GEMS, there is an advisory period in which GT students gather together weekly under the direction of Ms. Borja, the GEMS GT Coordinator. This is a time to share ideas, collaborate, and explore areas of passion.

SEISD's GT program is in alignment with the Texas State Plan for the Education of Gifted and Talented Students.

The State Goal for Gifted Services reads:

"Students who participate in services designed for gifted/talented students will demonstrate skills in self-directed learning, thinking, research, and communication as evidenced by the development of innovative products and performances that reflect individuality and creativity and are advanced in relation to students of similar age, experience, or environment. High School graduates who have participated in services for gifted/talented students will have produced products and performances of professional quality as part of their program services."

All teachers in SEISD are trained with 30 hours of courses on the basics of Gifted and Talented education. For those teachers who have already been trained, they receive an annual "GT 6-hour Update" to keep their knowledge current.

Our GT students are served in a variety of ways, depending on the campus and grade level. Our ultimate goal is to make learning fun and challenging for each of our students, while helping them to grow their critical thinking skills.

Classwork and projects for GT students should never be MORE work, it should be DIFFERENT work! This is the heart of differentiated instruction. Our teachers provide differentiated instruction to our GT students throughout the school day. The information below is a simple introduction to what differentiated instruction is about.

We have GT students in SEISD enrolled in grades 1-12. At the Kindergarten level, students new to the GT program will get started in the spring semester.

At each campus, they are served differently depending on their grade level. Let's explore some of the things our GT students will do this year!

We usually take our GT students on field trips at least once per year. Below are some examples of places we've gone or are planning to go.

San Elizario ISD has partnered with the Creative Learning Collaborative for exciting hands-on activities, competitions and family events where GT students learn together with their families. We are excited to continue this partnership in 2024-2025!

The theme for 2024-2025 is "Rings of Olympus!" Students will learn about Paris history, historical information about the Olympic Games, and the science behind Olympics medals!

Whether their projects come from the Texas Performance Standards Projects or topics explored through Robotics or Genius Hour, the culmination of their learning takes place in a community event called the STEM Expo. We start with a campus-based event, and those students that progress move forward to a district-wide event. Themes from the last several years have focused on inventions, innovations, and all things engineering.

We love getting our GT kids to create and learn as a family. Each campus will host a "GT Family Night" during the school year, in which all GT families from that campus are invited. These events are held during or after school and follow a theme. Below are examples of themes we've had in the past. This year's planning is well underway, so look for your GT child to bring home an invitation.

GT students receive differentiated instruction during the school day. They work on projects and have opportunities for field trips and competitions. In addition to this, there is a wide variety of clubs and organizations that our GT students can choose to belong to.

At the high school level, our GT students have grown into young adults that are well aware of their interests, passions, and plans for the future. Our goal at the high school level is to guide our GT students into courses, pathways of study, clubs, and organizations that relate to their areas of interest and can lead to a meaningful college and career experience post-high school. Below are some of our offerings at San Elizario High School that we want our GT students to consider.

The mission of Career & Technical Education is to promote advanced skills for competitive wages in high-demand careers. All students will be provided the opportunity to participate in a CTE Program of Study which will promote leadership, skills development and a seamless transition to postsecondary education and/or the workforce.

GT students in San Elizario ISD have a wide variety of CTE programs of study that they can pursue beginning in middle school. Since our students at this age are more aware of their passions and college/career goals, there is something to appeal to each of their unique areas of interest.

Our CTE programs include Human Services, Business Management and Administration, Finance, Hospitality and Tourism, Information Technology, Law Enforcement, STEM, Arts, Audio/Video Technology, and Transportation, Distribution, & Logistics.

Thank you for taking the time to look at our GT programs and services in San Elizario ISD. Our goal is to help our GT's grow into young adults who can think critically and solve problems, while learning more about themselves and what their interests are.

Please help us in that mission by encouraging your children to read, read, and READ at home! Reading is the gateway to becoming anything they want to be. The library is key to discovering brand new worlds, one book at a time!

After reading about SEISD's exciting GT program, if you would like to nominate your child to be tested for possible inclusion in the GT program, click on the button below to learn more! Nomination forms will be accepted through September 20, 2024.

To make the process go a little faster, please download and return your signed Parent Permission to Test form along with your GT Nomination Form.