2015 Focusing on the Future Conference

The Center for Gifted Education's 2015 Focusing on the Future conference will be held on Saturday, February 7, 2015 from 8:45 a.m.–3:00 p.m. The event will expose high-ability learners in grades 6–12 to career opportunities related to the arts, humanities, and sciences. Separate sessions will be held for parents, guardians, and counselors, and will provide them with strategies and techniques to assist students with academic and career planning.

The event will be held at The College of William & Mary’s School of Education, located at 301 Monticello Avenue, Williamsburg, VA 23188. All students must be accompanied by a parent, guardian, or group chaperone. All participants must register for the event. The deadline to register is January 23, 2015.

Additional information and the registration packet are available on the Center for Gifted Education’s website at cfge.wm.edu.

Hixson GFA Plans International Feast

On November 25, 8th grade GFA presented an International Thanksgiving feast. Evelyn T. came up with the idea and presented it to the class. Students worked in pairs, dressed in costumes, created a dish, and made presentations about their chosen country, including information about the arts and social issues.We shared food with Hixson staff, and had a great learning experience together. 

WG Gifted Team Gratitude List

WG Gifted Team Gratitude List

I am thankful for...

• working with a dedicated team of gifted specialists who truly care about our students.
• my amazing family and having a job that I love.
• the opportunity to be able to teach gifted students and work with an amazing team!
• an incredibly supportive school district that supports all kinds of creativity and circumstances that challenge and inspire students and staff
• working with intelligent, accomplished, thoughtful and caring colleagues
• learning new things from my students, whose knowledge and creativity continue to amaze me
• my wonderful family, for my health and for the opportunity to work in a district that has high expectations for all students!
• that I have a great family, friends, a job and my health
• the chance to grow and learn in our fantastic school district!
• the joy and happiness I get interacting with my students in school and family at home. Life is good!
• my loving family and dear friends. I am grateful to work with the GT specialists. I am thankful for my life.
• my family and my health
• life 

WG Gifted Dance Theater of Harlem Performance

Project Plus students from Clark, Edgar Road and Steger along with Gifted Fine Arts students from Hixson attended a  performance by the Dance Theater of Harlem at the Touhill Performing Arts Center at UMSL.  This performance was noted as the dance company’s celebrated resurgence  after a ten year hiatus.  This field trip experience was selected to extend the  Express Yourself theme. 

  

The following week of the performance, students participated in an Elements of Dance workshop facilitated  by Stacy West of MADCO dance company at Clark Elementary. 

Learn More 

Edgar Road Project Plus Architect Visit

Edgar Road students were visited by Assistant Professor Jessica Senne. Mrs. Senne is a professor of architecture and interior design. She shared with students information about what architects do, and things they consider when designing a building including color, form, line, and patterns.  

Students then had the opportunity to make a floor plan of their Project Plus classroom and had to be creative in their measuring and drawing to scale. They learned a lot from this experience!

 

Reminder / Save the Date WG Gifted Programs

Nomination Deadline for WG Gifted Programs 

 Dec. 15, 2014. 

Nominate Here

Gifted Fine Arts Interview  Day
Saturday, Feb. 28, 2015
WGHS
100 Selma Ave. 

You may nominate your child  in grades 2-7 before the district 

deadline of Dec. 15.  The online forms link will allow you to nominate for the academic or GFA programs. 

SAGE EVENT

SAGE is proud to present:

Dr. Agnes Meyo, Licensed Psychologist

"Bully Prevention and Increasing the 

Self-Confidence of the Gifted Child"

YOU ARE INVITED!

Reception immediately following.

November 14, 2014; 7:00pm

(Doors open at 6:45pm.)

South Technical High School

12721 West Watson Road

Sunset Hills, MO 63127

$10 admission per person/family. FREE to SAGE members.

Ages 5 and up. Childcare not provided.

(Sign up for a yearly SAGE membership for $25, and get in FREE.)

RSVP for this special reception.

Visit our website at www.giftedsage.com.

College For Kids

College for Kids!

The most fun your kids will ever have!

College for Kids, a Summer Exploration, Inc. is a residential summer program for gifted students that places an emphasis on academic subjects to encourage creative, critical thinking skills and addresses the affective and physical needs of the gifted student.

Students live in air-conditioned residence halls that are divided into sections for every 8-12 students with a Residential Advisor.  College for Kids, A Summer Exploration, Inc. 2015 will house their twenty seventh year on the campus of William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri.  The College for Kids staff is delighted William Woods University has opened its doors to us in providing a beautiful and safe environment.

COLLEGE FOR KIDS 2015 DATES:

SESSION I, GRADES 3 & 4 = JUNE 14 – 19

SESSION II, GRADES 5 & 6 = JUNE 21 – 26

SESSION III, GRADES 7, 8 & 9 = JULY 5 – 11

College for Kids

by Jacob Bonner

I would recommend to any gifted kid to go to college for kids. You are around other kids just like you. You even get to live in a college dorm. During the week you will have so much fun at the campus. There are wonderful RA's to help and assist you along the way. You have a morning and afternoon class each day. There are many options for classes for almost any kind of interest or hobby. There are math classes if you like math. There are science classes if you like science. There are even classes for engineering! There are also classes for babysitting, rocket science, illusions, and almost everything. You get to eat  delicious meals and if you have any allergies they will make meals suited to you. You make many friends during your week at CK. Most of the time, have so much fun and make so many friends, you almost forget about homesickness. By the end of the week you will miss CK and can't wait until next year! But hurry up and book fast because spots run out quick.

Please visit the website for more info: collegeforkids.net

PP+ Edger Road Guest Speaker

3^rd-5^th grade Project Plus students at Edgar Road had a guest speaker, Dominique Macaire, who come to their class this week. Students learned about the history of Photography, as well as information on how to take a good picture including lighting, color, contrast, and texture. In addition, students viewed two different types of cameras, as well as a 164 year old Daguerrotype glass image. Students enjoyed the visit and learned a lot!

WG Gifted Specialists Attend the Gifted Association of MO (GAM) Conference- Full Steam Ahead 2014

Kristy Daniels- Jackson (GT Coordinator) co-presented with Amy Stricker (Steger GT Specialist) at this year's GAM conference. Their session Cirque Du Affect  included an overview of affect skills, analysis of the importance of EQ vs IQ through the unlikely lens of Cirque du Soleil and a review of current resources that are useful in developing curriculum.

 

There were a variety of attendees in the session including parents , administrators, and teachers.  Stephanie Gavin (Hixson GT Specialist) and Shayla Pott (Edgar Road GT Specialist) also attended and reported that they were pleased with the sessions that they attended.  

Debbie Green, the former GAM A Director is now the GAM State Conference VP, which left her position open. Kristy Daniels -Jackson was nominated to fill the role and accepted the positon. She is now new GAM A Director for LINCOLN, WASHINGTON, JEFFERSON, WARREN, FRANKLIN, ST. CHARLES, ST. LOUIS, and the  ​CITY OF ST. LOUIS. Tad Droste (Kennard CJA) is the Asst. Director.   

When we have the opportunity to attend conferences, we are always reminded of how greateful we are to serve in a district that supports GT education. We not only do what is necessary to support students, but we are encouraged to go above and beyond to meet our students’ needs. We are so grateful and proud of the work that we do in Webster Groves for all students.

Bristol WINGS Edible Engineering

In Bristol’s WINGS class we have been studying Ancient Rome.  Today we took a closer look at the roads of Ancient Rome.  We researched why they were important, what materials they used, and their building process.  Then after compiling our research, we recreated the building process with edible engineering, yummy!

Bristol Project Plus Team Challange

Team challenges are a great way to teach skills. In order to have successful group collaboration children, need to be able to focus on an activity, take turns, and be fair. 

 The child that is blindfolded and has to come up with a nonverbal way to communicate in order to correctly drop the life savers into color coded bins.

Longest rope ever...create the longest rope they could out of a given set of materials...all groups then discuss cooperation, communication, and creativity used while completing the task

Daniel Boone Heritage Home Field Trip

Steger Gifted Fine Arts recently took a field trip to the Daniel Boone Heritage Home. We had a great field trip and learned a lot about the Scottish and African influences in American folk music and how they were handed down, mixed and moved throughout the country. http://www.danielboonehome.com/

Save the Date for Gifted Info Nights

Gifted Association of MO 2014 Conference

The 33rd Annual GAM Conference will be held October 17th–18th, 2014 on the campus of Drury University, in Springfield, MO. Kristy Jackson, WGSD Coordinator of Gifted Education, has been selected as a conference presenter this year. This conference is open to parents and teachers of gifted children.  Click here for more information

Gifted Resource Council 2015 Academic Challenge Cup

GT / GFA Classes- Welcome Back!!

 Gifted &Talented classes will begin August 18-25. 

We look forward to a great year! 

Gifted Fine Arts classes begin Sept. 5, 2014 at Clark School. 

GFA parents/guardians are invited to stop by at 10:00 am for a short Open House. 

WGHS First Friday Student Breakfast Dates

For those that will continue summer learning, 

click here for a list of options. 

GFA Strega Nona Opera

Please click the link below to see the Strega Nona Opera  that was written and performed by  our Gifted Fine Arts students.

https://www.dropbox.com/s/2qz4vta08kjf6l4/StregaNona2014.mp4

Equations Game Day @ Bristol

On May 14 more than 75 students from various schools within the district participated in several rounds of Equations game challenges. The purpose of this event is to engage students in high-level thinking in a friendly competitive environment. Students who participate in math enrichment, Project Plus and WINGS had the opportunity to collaborate between schools by engaging in problem solving and mathematics with skills involving teamwork, democratic process and decision-making. Thank you to all of the Project Plus and WINGS teachers who made this day possible. 

  

Mysteries of Ancient Egypt

Project Plus students at Avery investigated the mysteries of Ancient Egypt.  After learning about the mummification process and the Ancient Egyptian beliefs and attitudes about the afterlife, 3^rd-5^th grade students made a  sarcophagus cover.  Miss Pey, an Avery Instructional Assistant, volunteered to be the deceased pharaoh.  The students cast her body using linen plaster strips.  3 hour later, she emerged from the sarcophagus intact.

Creative Challenge Day at Hudson

The WG Gifted program sponsored  its 3^rd  Annual Creative Challenge Day at Hudson. 3rd grade gifted students from Kennard Classical  Jr . Academy in the St. Louis Public Schools District joined Project Plus students at Hudson for the first time. 

The purpose of the competition was to engage students in high-level thinking in a friendly competitive spirit. This event  offered the students the opportunity to collaborate between schools by engaging in creative problem solving and mathematics with skills involving teamwork, task organization, idea generation, democratic process and decision-making.