Dear GT Parent/Guardian, August 24, 2015
Welcome back for the 2015-2016 school year. Our goal is for your child to have a rewarding and successful school experience. To achieve this, we have some new initiatives to share.
• Middle school questioning project – Each spring DCSD submits goals to the state designed to increase student achievement (UIP). This school year, our GT goal is to deepen student thinking and engagement through improved student questioning skills. Teachers will be encouraging students to develop and refine their own questions about the curriculum content, then work toward increasing the depth and complexity of their inquiry.
• Advanced Learning Plans (ALPs) – All identified GT students in the state are required to have an ALP. New rules have been adopted by the legislature requiring “portability” of these plans across districts. Therefore, you will begin seeing explicit bodies of evidence (BOE), SMART learning goals, and more streamlined plans. A portion of each school’s GT funding is tied to serving students’ ALP goals, so these goals are an important component in our decision making.
• Universal Screening – This year, DCSD will be screening all 2nd and 6th graders’ thinking skill levels using the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT). There are three 50-minute subtests, which will take place between October 19th -30th. This process gives us a good picture of all students’ learning strengths and challenges, while helping to identify students who may benefit from GT support. Along with behavioral and academic information, this data is a component of the students’ body of evidence.
The DCSD has provided each school with at least one GT Site Coordinator. These teachers are responsible for:
· Organizing a Back to School Night before the end of September, to inform you of all GT programming options in your building and answer any questions you may have regarding your child’s gifted program.
· Reviewing academic, behavioral and cognitive data to identify gifted students and their learning needs.
· Individual parent meetings to develop and explain your child’s Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) and/or Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP).
· Coordinating the best possible plan for meeting your child’s learning needs.
If you have questions or concerns about your child's learning needs during the school year, please follow these channels to find answers:
1. Contact your school’s GT Site Coordinator.
a. If you are unable to get your questions answered, then
2. Contact your child’s principal
a. If you are still unable to get your questions answered, then
3. Contact Jodeen Stephenson, CDE grant funded District GT Coordinator, at Special Services.
Jodeen began as District GT Coordinator in the spring, after 20 years of experience in Eagle County Schools. She brings a passion for helping gifted students reach their best potential.
Coming Soon! Check out the new and improved GT website to find dates for upcoming meetings, GT events and the quarterly DCSD GT Newsletter. This newly expanded website will provide a rich resource for learning more about giftedness, along with links to useful resources for parents, students and educators. The GT newsletter shares stories from around the district about what is happening with GT students. These newsletters are informative and fun…don’t miss them! The online GT Parent Handbook answers a wide range of questions, as well.
The DCSD GT Parent Council meets three times each school year to facilitate communication between staff and families. Each school in the district asks one parent to serve as their school’s representative for the year. If you are interested in volunteering for this council, please contact your site coordinator. The meetings will be held held at the District Office at 6:00pm on the following dates:
· October 26, January 18, and March 21
Dates of interest:
· Colorado Association for Gift & Talented (CAGT) Conference –October 19 & 20, Loveland, CO
· Beyond Giftedness Conference – February 19th, Arvada, CO
· National Association for Gifted Children – November 12-15, Phoenix, AZ
Each spring, DCSD GT Students present the annual GT Showcase. Throughout the year, students prepare to highlight one or more of their gifts or talents and showcase it in an exhibit or performance. It is important for parents and teachers to help plan for this showcase early in the year, and prepare each student for success. GT Showcase also provides students valuable networking time with like-minded peers, while interacting with a wide range of passion projects. We hope your child is able to participate. Showcase is traditionally in April, and this year there is some discussion to change to a weeknight rather than a Saturday event. If you have a strong opinion about scheduling, please contact .
Your child is extremely important to us. We want this to be a wonderful and successful year for him/her. Check out the GT website each month.
“Your child has gifts to be unwrapped and shared with the world…
we welcome his/her presents (presence), this year…J
Respectfully,
Sandie Jungers, Director of Special Services –
Jodeen Stephenson, District GT Coordinator
School Site Coordinators:
Delta High School -Shawna Magtutu,–
Holly Teyler-Crowder
Delta Middle School –Cindy Hermes
Evan Cummings
James Hughes
Lincoln Elementary School – Elaina Nethington
Staci Lawrence -
Garnet Mesa Elementary School Robin Russell
Alisa Johnson
Delta Opportunity School - Willyn Webb
DAAL School - Wendy Reed
Vision Charter Academy Tami McCay
Cedaredge High School - Dan Anderson
Cedaredge Middle School- Alissa Branson
Cedaredge Elementary School Peggy Lampton
Hotchkiss High School Doug Egging
Hotchkiss K8 School Curtis Hintz
Rhonda Pinckard
Paonia Junior Senion High School - Brandy Sparks
Paonia Elementary School - Anjula Jalan
Montessori at Crawford - Jenny Chavez
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Please fill out the following, and return to your school site coordinator, so that they may have your most current information.
Thank you!
Name-______
Child's Name-______
Email address- ______
Mailing address - ______
Best phone number to reach you-______
I am interested in serving on the GT Parent Council ______