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Recent Posts
- Welcome to Target!!!
- Does my child qualify for the gifted program?
- Batty for 2nd and 3rd graders!
- So you're going to be a 4th or 5th grader in August...?!
- WOW! What smarties!!
- 4/5 Field Trip
- Talents!
- Welcome to ALP, August 2008
- Summer opportunities in Mississippi
- How can I challenge my child at home?
Does my child qualify for the gifted program?
As parents, we often have a good idea if our child displays gifted learner characteristics. He/she doesn't simply just know the answers, he curiously asks the elaborated, detailed questions! He is highly self-critical, thrives on complexity, and does not just absorb information, but manipulates it! So how does a student with such abstract thinking become eligible for Cobb County's Advanced Learning Program? In first, third, and fifth grades, all children take assessments to test their ability and achievement. Those students who score in the re-test range are contacted by the GES (me) to grant parental permission for continued testing. If the student moved here from GEORGIA with a gifted eligibility, he will automatically be included in Bells Ferry's program. But if he has an out of state eligibility, GA. eligibility has to be determined. If your child does not qualify in first grade, he will be reassessed in third. The exciting part of our district's program is that there is a continuum of evaluation which insures that when a child scores at the level of participation with all four measures (Creativity, Motivation, Achievement, Aptitude) opportunities f or advancement are provided.
Until then, our Primary students are taught a weekly TALENTS program which encourages higher level thinking. Additionally, all staff members at Bells Ferry insure that their teaching encompasses material that will help children with advanced thinking skills reach for their own unique, educational stars! To them, and to an exciting, fulfilling, new year of learning!
Batty for 2nd and 3rd graders!
Did you know that bats belong to the order Chiroptera, which means hand-wing? They adhere to the principles of flight, and the science behind the forces of drag, lift, thust, and weight. In our fall study of Bats, or SHADOWS IN THE NIGHT, we will research to discover why bats are beneficial!
For a challenge this summer, can you find a bat photo, and begin thinking of how you could use your imagination to create your own three-dimensional bat? What "found" materials could you use to artistically showcase this flying creature which has over 1000 species that vary by size and shape?
So you're going to be a 4th or 5th grader in August...?!
We will begin the year studying about the rainforest! In this exciting RAINFOREST RESCUE unit, we will learn how biomes are alike, yet different. We will study the separate strata of the rainforest, and create a tropical rainforest mind map. Our higher level thinking activities will engage us as we discover the rainforests' importance.
For a summer challenge, think about what YOU would do if you could to help save our environment?
WOW! What smarties!!
Was Galileo wrong, ALP students asked themselves, swinging varying weights from pendulums, to discover if mass mattered? A marble experiment based on Newton's first law, gave students a hands-on opportunity to learn about inertia, and force. How rewarding is it to watch seven and eight-year-olds learn some of the fundamentals of astronomy?
Another week's highlight was listening to the debate about the court case the 4th/5th graders acted out, pretending they were the jury. I am looking forward to reading the scripts the students are writing themselves about alleged crimes, using characters such as the D.A., Prosecuting Attorney, Defendant, etc!
4/5 Field Trip
Stay tuned for particulars about our exciting out of school adventure where we will see different sides to a story in a play in the morning, and learn about the Superior Court's law library in the afternoon. Our "Nothing But the Truth" unit explores the American democratic system of government. In our ALP explorations, each student will be the judge...and the jury!
Talents!
Dear Parents,
If you have a high achieving first, second, or third grader who is not yet in ALP/Target, your child still will have an opportunity for enrichment. Each classroom teacher identifies students who could benefit from additional higher level thinking activities. In addition to meeting students' needs on an ongoing basis through challenging classroom lessons, these children also meet weekly with me in "TALENTS," where brainstorming, problem solving, and critical thinking skills are presented!
All third and fifth graders will be assessed by district testing this fall, so if your child qualifies for ALP through initial screening, I will contact you. Now IF your student's scores are still not in the qualifying range, and you "know" that he/she has a strong academic aptitude, then "know" in your heart that you are probably correct about that! We parents see more about our children than scores could tell. My advice, as a mom whose son did not qualify then, but is soaring now, is to enrich, encourage, inspire...Our children don't need to have a label to excel. We all have that potential in us. TALENTS is all about encouraging the spark within. To sparks!!
Welcome to ALP, August 2008
Dear Parents,
Bells Ferry’s Advanced Learning Program is kicking off to an exciting start! On Tuesdays, 4th/5th graders will study the American Legal System. Then on Thursdays, the sky’s the limit for 2nd/3rd graders whom will embark on a “Journey Through Space and Time.”
When we convene from 8-2 the week after next, I will send home a “Target Tallies” page for you to sign each week. Parental signatures help ensure a successful participation grade, one of the fourteen components of the annual Continuation Criteria. ALP students are required to maintain a B average, or a Satisfactory, in all core subjects.
Each week, please send your child to class with a water bottle, healthy snack, and the following required supplies:
- Three-ring spiral notebook
- Zippered pouch with colored pencils
-Two sharpened pencils (important, ‘cause sharpeners are scarce!)
-Dividers. Please mark: “Tallies,” “Problem Solving” “Unit.”
- (A box of Kleenex and a bag of pretzels would also be great!)
I am also always thrilled to receive shoeboxes, yarn, pipe cleaners, wrapping paper, index cards, etc! One person’s junk is another’s treasure, right?!
In addition to notes I may write you on the Tally pages, please look for updates on this site. You may also reach me any time at robin.seidman@cobbk12.org LOVE when parents tell us about their professions, or hobbies, and so I invite you in any Tuesday or Thursday to share, if you are able. Also, if you stumble on any resources you think may pertain (constellations or government) we’re always interested in learning more.. Kids
I am so thrilled to be able to have this opportunity to make this year challenging and enriching- full of wonder, research, and fun!
To learn more about our ALP program, please come promptly to Portable #1 at 6:05 pm on Thursday, Sept. 4th, prior to the PTA meeting.
Looking forward to a wonderful year! Thank you, as always, for sharing your child with me. I am so lucky!!
All the best,
Mrs. Robin Seidman :-)
Summer opportunities in Mississippi
There are three residential summer programs offered by The Frances A. Karnes Center for Gifted Studies on the Hattiesburg campus of the University of Southern Mississippi.
Leadership Studies Program - Grades 6-11 June 15-20, 2008 ($475)
Summer Gifted Studies Program - Grades 4-8 June 22-27 ($475)
Summer Program for Academically Talented Youth - Grades 7-10 July 6-25 ($1,500)
The Summer 2008 Program Flyer describes each program. Further information including eligibility requirements and application forms are available at http://www.usm.edu/gifted.
How can I challenge my child at home?
Math games are exciting and fun, and are full of hidden mathematical concepts just waiting to be learned! For grand opportunities, your child may enjoy:
Wikipedia.com satisfies the curiosity for so many of our questioners. Your children do enjoy this site!
Read everything, but especially poetry as found in shelsilverstein.com or poetry.com. There is a world of fables, fairy tales, classic science fiction...just waiting to be explored!
