PAMS Gifted Program Update, 6/6/2023
In this PAMS Gifted Program blog entry, please find information on the following: Summer Chess with VBPD; Reality Store Program with Mrs. Zell’s 6th graders; YouTube Gifted Playlist; end-of-the-year reminders; and Gifted Program Amazon Wishlist for 2023-2024.
Blue Knights Chess Club —Please see the attached flier about summer chess with Virginia Beach Police Department!
Parent Volunteers Needed for the Reality Store and Poverty Simulation activities with Mrs. Zell’s sixth-grade students on June 13 and 14! The Reality Store simulation is a fun and effective way for middle school students to learn about personal financial responsibility and life choices. Students are given careers, family situations and a “paycheck.” From there, they visit different booths, such as Transportation and Housing, where they make decisions based on their needs and wants. It’s a great way for students to understand the value of making good choices, the importance of education, and the real-world expenses they will encounter as adults. The Poverty Simulation is designed to create awareness and help participants understand what it is like to struggle to make ends meet. Participants are assigned to families and are faced with real-life scenarios experienced by those living in poverty. It takes many volunteers to run these simulations. If you have questions or would like more information, please do not hesitate to contact me at cheryl.zell@vbschools.com or Amy with Beach Municipal at amallinson@beachmunicipal.org. Thanks in advance! If you would like to assist, please go to this link to sign-up: Reality Store Sign-Up Genius Link
The VBSchools YouTube Gifted Playlist has been updated with our most recent parent webinar. You can view recorded webinars on Gifted 101, Executive Function, and Perfectionism. There is one more scheduled for this evening (June 6) on Self-Advocacy (rescheduled from May). It will be added to the playlist soon.
END OF THE YEAR ACTIVITIES:
PAMS Award Ceremonies: Princess Anne Middle School’s End-Of-Year Award Ceremonies for award recipients will be held as follows. Parents of award winners will be notified via Alert Now by June 6th.
- Friday, June 9th- 6th-grade awards ceremony 1:00-1:45 p.m.
- Monday, June 12th- 7th-grade awards ceremony 10:30-11:15 a.m.
- Tuesday, June 13th- 8th-grade awards ceremony 2:35-3:20 p.m.
Library End of Year: The last date to check out library books is Wednesday, May 31st. All PAMS Library books WERE DUE on Friday, June 2nd. (Do you see some PAMS Library books around the house? PLEASE impress upon your child the importance of returning these resources ASAP!)
8th Grade Spirit Day: ALMOST Anything But a Backpack Day for 8th graders is on Friday, June 9, for “anything but a backpack day.” See classroom flyers for details.
End of Year SPIRIT Week: Celebrate the end of the year with Spirit Week the last week of school!
- Mon. June 12- Country vs. Country Club
- Tues. June 13- Tacky Tourist
- Wed. June 14- Adam Sandler Day
- Thurs. June 15- Hawaiian Day
- Fri. June 16- Panther Pride PAMS Colors Day
It’s not even summer yet, and I’m already constructing instructional materials for teachers for next year! Students have also suggested a couple of fun games they would like to try during Gifted Club next year as well as requests for more art supplies. If you would like to donate any items, you can access the list here: PAMS Gifted Program Wish List 2023-2024 [The items will be sent to my home address so as not to get lost during the summer.]
We are almost there! Please remind your child that school is not over yet! We are still learning! We still have a dress code! We still need to be charging those Chromebooks every night and coming to class prepared! 🙂
🙂 Mrs. Cathy Smith, PAMS Gifted Resource Teacher