Gifted In Paradise Valley

The school year is well underway in Paradise Valley Unified School District! There have been many opportunities for gifted students, families and staff. Many more are on the horizon!

Scope & Sequence Revision

This fall the Gifted Education Department updated the state mandated Gifted Scope & Sequence. Parents, teachers and principals representing all school levels (preschool, elementary, middle and high school) met several times to review this document that outlines our Gifted Education Services. The newly revised document describes program updates that have taken place the past three years. We thank the parent members on the committee, Marisha Geraghty, Ana Paul, and Melissa Schwartz. The revised Scope & Sequence will be posted to the gifted website following the second reading by the Governing Board. https://goo.gl/Hk7tYc

Self-contained Gifted Program Applications

We begin accepting applications for the Gifted Preschool and the Gifted Kindergarten Programs on Monday, January 9th at 8:00 A.M. Parents will receive notification of acceptance via mail approximately one month upon receipt of application. Please visit our websites at https://goo.gl/UzBdnH and https://goo.gl/4wtqJ5, respectively, for information regarding these exceptional early childhood programs and to determine if they may be suitable for your child.

We began accepted applications for the Elementary Self-contained Program on October 1st. We will continue to accept applications every month. If you are applying for this program be sure to rank order your preference of sites. We will always honor your first request to this district program whenever possible.

Second quarter has drawn to a close and conferences are just around the corner. It may seem that all you need to do to prepare for a parent-teacher conference is to show up at the right time, but to get the most out of the experience there's more for you to do. Even if your child is doing well in school, there are questions to ask and things you can do to prepare ahead of time to ensure a productive conference.

(1) Schedule early

Schedule your conference time early. Many schools use Sign Up Genius to schedule conferences. Log on to the teacher’s site when the notification first comes out to get a time that works for you. If your school sends home conference request forms, be one of the first to return your form.

(2) Show up prepared and with an open mind

Come prepared with a set of questions, a pen and a notebook. There's little more frustrating then walking out the door and remembering all of the things you wanted to ask. Make sure to have those questions with you and write down the answers. That way you can refer to your notes later, either when talking to your child or if there is something you need clarified.

Stay positive and open-minded. You'll get better results asking why the teacher thinks your son is having trouble in math than telling her you think she isn't teaching him the right way. If you're concerned about your child's interactions with other children, it's important not to assume the teacher isn't doing anything to address the concern. Jumping to conclusions or being defensive can put a teacher on the offense, so try to listen and respond respectfully.

(3) Include your child

Ask your child for his/her input. Kids get anxious when they know adults are talking about them. Giving your child an opportunity to tell you if he'd like you to ask certain questions or talk about specific things can ease his mind. Note: After the conference, be sure to debrief so they know what has happened.

(4) Share relevant information about home

Provide relevant information about what's going on at home. Relevant is the key word here. If your child is having trouble sleeping, if your living circumstances have changed or he's taking a new medication, the teacher probably ought to know because it can affect his learning.

Building a partnership with your child’s teacher supports not only your child’s academic well being but their social and emotional health too. Take time to celebrate your child’s success and remember education isn’t a sprint; it’s a marathon.

Paradise Valley School District is excited to participate in this initiative, sponsored by Stanford University. Originally featured in a September issue of Gifted Cluster Teaching in the 602, it is now easier to enroll and participate in this opportunity to use distributed computing to contribute to medical research for diseases like Alzheimer's and cancer. Please consider participating at home!

1. Go to http://folding.stanford.edu/nacl/

2. In the Team slot enter 229710

3. In the 'Folding As' slot enter whatever team name you want. It could be your name, your teacher's name, your school initials, etc.

4. Click Save

5. Leave your computer open and running. We suggest the free Chrome app called "Wake Up" because if the computer goes to sleep, it stops folding.

We hope that you have participated (or will be participating) in some of our outstanding parent seminars we are offering this year. The fall seminars offered through this collaboration between UPC and the Gifted Education Department has included: “They Say My Child is Gifted… How does this impact her education in PVSchools”; “When in Acceleration the Best Decision” and “College and Career Readiness for Parents of Gifted Students.”

Mark your Calendars! Our spring seminars are scheduled beginning in January:

Wed., Jan. 25th at 6:00 PM – “Gifted in the Middle: Exploring the Social and Emotional Needs of Gifted Middle School Students,” with presenter Mr. David Graham, DLC gifted program teacher

Wed., March 29th at 6:00 PM – “Essential Skills of 2e Students,” with presenter Dr. Karen Hudson, Uniquely Gifted MS program teacher.

Wed., April 26th at 6:00 PM - “Striking a Balance: “Teaching Life Lessons for the Real World” with presenter Dr. Laura Wingers from Beljan Psychological Services.

These seminars will be held in the PVSchools Governing Board Room. Please visit: https://goo.gl/trcbEl for detailed descriptions of the seminars.

If you have a child you wish to be tested this year now is the time to prepare! Spring Gifted Testing is scheduled to begin immediately following winter break. You may view the spring testing schedule at https://goo.gl/QQky6t. From this link you can see the specific days when your child’s school is testing. Please download the “Parent Nomination Packet” at https://goo.gl/bwFq7Y. The packet includes a “Permission to Test Form” that must be signed and returned to your classroom teacher at least 2 weeks prior to the test date so that we can make your school’s testing schedule. We appreciate your efforts to submit the testing permission forms within this timeframe. Test results will be sent to parents within three weeks of testing.

I am fortunate to serve as the Gifted Cluster Coach here in Paradise Valley Schools. My intent is to support the talented team of professionals who teach gifted students in cluster classroom settings. In my 23rd year as an educator, I thrive on opportunities to bring meaningful professional learning, resources, and communication tools to the forefront.

Email: cgehres@pvschools.net
Phone: 602-449-4121
Twitter: @CherylGehres

In the spirit of continuing to weave Professional Learning and communication into a strong foundation to foster effective gifted cluster classrooms, I have published fourteen issues (to date) of "Gifted Cluster Teaching in the 602". Feedback from teachers has been very positive!

Topics to date have included:

• Fostering a Growth Mindset
• Teaching and Parenting the Child with Emotional Sensitivities
• Service Learning: how to join Stanford's Protein Folding Project
• Parallel Tasks in Elementary Mathematics
• Digital Literacy
• Differentiation/Equity in Language Arts
• Math Depth of Knowledge Levels
• Effective Parent Teacher Conferences
• Creativity and MakerSpace
• Global Read-Aloud
• Empowering Girls with Strong Female Role Models
• 3 Act Math Tasks
• Math Provocations to Engage Gifted Learners
• MakerSpace Highlight on Copper Canyon

You may have seen these weekly briefs or portions of them in classroom e-blasts or newsletters. You can also find them on Twitter. I tweet them out weekly @CherylGehres

View the most recent issue here.

I also tweet them @CherylGehres

Your feedback is always appreciated.

The video below is from "Curiosities and Puzzlements", curated by Ian Byrd and shared via email subscription. The intent is to pose images, problems, or ideas that foster curiosity.

Follow Ian @ByrdseedGifted

Podcasts such as Self Regulation in the Classroom by Dr. Richard Cash, gifted and talented expert and author of Self Regulation In the Classroom: Helping Children Learn How to Learn are regularly linked.

Follow Education Futures @edfutures

The Davidson Institute, a national non-profit supporting profoundly gifted young people18 and under is a stellar resource for parents and educators.

Follow The Davidson Institute @DavidsonGifted

I am the Gifted Program Mentor for PV Schools. I work extensively with teachers throughout the district to ensure that the instruction and curriculum provides the appropriate challenge and support for all students. I have been teaching for 30+ years and love the opportunity that this position offers me.

Email: karbrown@pvschools.net
Phone: 602-449-4119

Teacher in PV Schools are constantly expanding, refining and honing their skills to meet the needs of our students. Listed below are just a few examples of the workshops available in the coming semester. It is true that learning never stops! To view descriptions of the workshops we offer visit: https://goo.gl/tg7tck.

Step-Up To Writing

Teach a visual structure that enables the student to build a strong paragraph and then STRETCH it. Guide students to enhance their writing with elaborative detail as they add “the reds.” Great strategy for both the young and intermediate writer!

Number Talks K-2

In this differentiated session, participants will choose from hands-on experience with number talks that use dot cards, ten frames, rekenreks and/or equations to build number sense and develop strategic reasoning. Participants will leave with the knowledge and resources to use number talks in classrooms immediately. Primary math picture books that support counting, subitizing, addition and subtraction will be included.

Engaging High Ability Learning through Guided Reading

How do you improve reading achievement when your students read well? Effectively use guided reading in your ELA classroom using methods that both challenge and engage your high ability readers. This class will focus on building students' reading skills using literature circles that connect the principles of guided reading with meaningful interaction that bring life into learning.

Supporting Students' Mathematical Strengths and Stretches through Rich Mathematical Tasks Grades 3-6

As classrooms become more diverse, teachers must find ways to support all students in learning rigorous mathematical content. We will draw upon a variety of print and digital resources to provide tools for improving your students' mathematical learning by differentiating tasks through a focus on your students' mathematical strengths and stretches.

Teaching in the Cluster Classroom: Strategies to Accelerate and Enrich!

Effective teaching in a gifted cluster class requires providing opportunities for all students to work at their challenge levels and then monitoring progress. This workshop provides strategy based tools and guidance for teachers working with gifted learners in a cluster learning environment. Participants in this workshop will learn how to both accelerate and enrich the learners in their classrooms. This is a must for anyone teaching in a cluster classroom.

PVSchools is excited to be able to send teachers from every school!

Several of our own expert educators will be presenting sessions during the two days of learning, networking, and gifted education synergy! Our teachers will have opportunity to learn from state and national experts in the field, network with other Arizona teachers of gifted students, and immerse in a wide range of topics in the field. Sessions on differentiation, technology integration, the common core standards, social/emotional needs of gifted individuals, and much more will be offered.

Our keynote speakers are Brian Housand and Marcia Gentry