In this PAMS Gifted Blog post, please find information regarding Prowling Around the Cluster Classrooms; Gifted Community Advisory Committee; important visitors to see our gifted program in action; Gifted Club for March 11; the St. Baldrick’s Carnival; and opportunities for enrichment outside of VBCPS.

Please check out the Prowling Around the Cluster Classrooms Page to see some of the projects our Panthers are working on in the gifted cluster classrooms!

The Gifted Community Advisory Committee has several openings for community members for the 2024-2025 school year including two At-Large positions and open seats in the Bayside, Princess Anne, First Colonial, Tallwood, or Kellam feeder zones. The application can be found at https://www.vbschools.com/community/calltoaction and is due March 28, 2024. [Note:  When I was on an extended maternity leave when my fourth child was born, I was a member of the G-CAC and found it to be an extremely rewarding experience.  I learned so much about the gifted program in VBCPS–it’s what steered me into being more than a gifted learner’s parent–to be an advocate for all gifted learners.]

IMPORTANT VISITORS!  This past week Mr. Filipowicz and I enjoyed meeting with School Board Vice Chair Jennifer Franklin and Dr. Crystal Lewis-Wilkerson, the Director of K-12 and Gifted Programs for VBCPS and touring them around our campus.  Our visitors were able to observe some gifted cluster classes (Thank you, Mr. Cullen, Mr. Brisar, and Mrs. Marx!) and ask questions about the needs and successes of the gifted program here at PAMS.  We appreciate the time and dedicated attention to our “praises and polishes”.

Gifted Club: I had to change the dates for the Gifted Club in March.  Our next session will be on Monday, March 11–a celebration of Pi Day (a few days early)!  If you would like to sign up for a few supplies (sup-pies?), here is the Sign Up Genius Link!  To sign up your child for Pi Day at Gifted Club, you can access the Gifted Club 3/11/24 RSVP Link here.  I sent a Canvas message to the students after school today (not enough hours of daylight…), so they might not know about it yet!  Please talk with your child and ask them if they want to attend!  If not, more pie for the rest of us!

Right now, I am planning on a STEAM (that’s STEM with art involved) activity for March 25.  🙂

PAMS PTSA and students from the NJHS & SCA are getting ready for the PAMS St. Baldrick’s Carnival!  This will be PAMS’s 5th year hosting this fun event after school on Friday, March 15, to raise money for kids’ cancer research in honor of several PAMS students, past and present, who are fighting or have fought cancer. We have raised over $76,000 in the past 4 years.  Help us reach our goal of an additional $15,000 in 2024!

This event gives students a chance to get involved in many ways. All students, staff, and families are invited to attend the fun!  The NJHS students are planning fun carnival games and activities (face painting, fairy hair, and more) for the event day!  SCA has a great spirit week planned for all. There are even student- and adult-volunteers signed up to get their heads shaved to stand side-by-side with kids fighting cancer! Thanks to community supporters, there will be a fantastic raffle and a grade-level teacher pie-in-the-face contest!!

OPPORTUNITIES:

2024 Virginia Junior Academy of Science Symposium
Students and teachers are invited to this free virtual symposium to hear about STEM research projects by students in grades 7 through 12. This is an excellent opportunity for students who are considering entering into the competition next year with their research. Additionally, VJAS is looking for judges to review student research projects. The 2024 VJAS Symposium will be held on May 4.

Eclipse Guides and Resources from the NSTA
The National Science Teaching Association has a variety of free resources for teachers, administrators, and families for the upcoming solar eclipse. The resources are designed to make learning about solar eclipses both engaging and safe. The next solar eclipse will occur on April 8, 2024, between about 2-4:30 p.m. Virginia will experience a partial eclipse between about 80-90% totality, depending on which part of the state you live.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Mrs. Cathy Smith, PAMS Gifted Resource Teacher

In this blog post, please find information on Gifted Club (2/26), an invitation to a parent meeting for rising 6th-grade gifted students, classroom updates, and Achieve3000.

Gifted Club is next Monday, February 26, from 4:15-5:45 PM.  It’s an open board games/Legos/art/marble chase/etc. afternoon!  Students must be registered ahead of time to attend: Gifted Club RSVP for 2/26.  Please remember that pick-up time is at 5:45 PM–you may either use the regular parent drop-off/pick-up line in the front circle, or you may park in the STAFF parking lot (closest to Seaboard Road off Leroy) and meet your child on the sidewalk to walk them to your car.  If your child is taking an activity bus, please make sure that your child knows which bus to get on before staying after.  Activity Bus Stop Schedule

In March I am going to do another STEM activity at the end of the month and need a couple of cans of good old regular foaming shaving cream (no gels).  If you can supply any, please let me know!  Thank you!

Are you “new” to the Gifted Program in Virginia Beach City Public Schools and PAMS and want to know more about it and about gifted learners?  I am hosting a parent information meeting for the parents of the rising 6th graders (current 5th graders) on February 27 at 7:30 PM.  The evening meeting is a virtual Zoom session, and I am happy to have any interested current middle school parents join in, especially if your child has been identified in the past year or you were not able to attend when your child was a rising sixth grader.  If you would like to tune in, you will need to pre-register here to get the Zoom link:  ZOOM PRE-REGISTRATION LINK

Please check the Prowling Around the Cluster Classrooms page to see what is happening in our cluster classrooms.  Our teachers are working so hard to create fun and engaging lessons for our students. Yesterday, in fact, I spent the whole day with the Science 7 PLC reworking their “Chesapeake Bay” unit, and we came up with some great activities including a scavenger hunt, an engineering design project, a MWEE based on an environmental schoolyard report card, and an investigation into disruptions in ecosystems.  If you think about it, would you please save egg cartons and empty cereal boxes for us for the EDP?  Your child can drop them off with me or any of the Science 7 teachers (Abrams, Cullen, Hansell, Hoey).

Ask your child to show you their Achieve3000 dashboard.  Go through your child’s scores with them and find out WHY they got the scores they got.  Are they just “clicking through” hoping to get the needed 75%?  Or are they actually struggling with some of the questions?  You can see the amount of time your child is spending on each article, too.  If your child is spending only a few minutes per article, their scores may be invalid.  Some of the students go immediately to the multiple choice questions without reading the article, hoping to just hunt and peck to find the answers.  That does absolutely NOTHING for developing their reading comprehension, which is the goal of the program.  (Note:  As soon as your child hits the button to go to the MC questions, the 13-minute timer begins for the eight or so questions.  If they time out, their score could be invalid.)  If you would like to know which skills your child is having difficulty with, please reach out to me and I will let you know which ones they have mastered, which ones they need some practice with to get to mastery, and where your child actually needs aggressive remediation.  It is possible to be gifted and struggle as a reader.  Remember, in elementary school, students learned to read.  In secondary grades, students read to learn…and COVID did a number on our children’s ability to make sense of text in a very real way.

Take care–

Cathy Smith, PAMS Gifted Resource Teacher

Hello!  In this PAMS Gifted Blog post, please find information about the Gifted Club (next meeting is 2/26/24); Gifted Program Application deadline; the Gifted Community Advisory Committee; the Twice-Exceptional (2e) online conference through the College of William and Mary; Physics Olympics!; information about reading skills; an interesting article about Stanley Cups!; and a message about the long “slug” until spring break.

Please visit the Gifted Club Page and the Prowling Around the Classroom Page to see our gifted students in action!

The next Gifted Club meeting will be on Monday, February 26, 2024, in C106 from 4:15-5:45 PM.  It will be board games, open art, LEGOs, etc.  Students must be signed up by their parents.  The Google Form will close when we reach our capacity of 50 students.

RSVP for 2.26.24 Gifted Club HERE!

Gifted Identification Applications:  Online applications for the resource-cluster program for Grades 6-8 are due by 4 p.m. on March 1, 2024.  This is for identification for the gifted cluster resource program only as the deadline for Old Donation School for SY 2024-2025 has expired.  If your child is already identified for intellectually gifted services in Virginia Beach City Public Schools, your child does NOT need to be retested.  The gifted identification holds until graduation.  If your child has NOT been identified in Virginia Beach City Public Schools for gifted services (this is different than being placed in a gifted cluster class), to receive direct gifted services, you will need to complete the application and have your child go through the VBCPS selection process.

If your child was tested for gifted identification and/or Old Donation School in January, as stated in the parent letter that was sent home for the referral, test scores will be available on ParentVue prior to the Gifted Identification and Placement Committee meeting, and Committee decisions will be emailed to the address provided in the application. The Gifted Identification and Placement Committee meeting is on March 7 and 8, so scores will be available on March 6 and 7. Please remember to add ‘DoNotReply@vbschools.com’ to your contact list so you don’t miss committee decisions. If you haven’t received a decision email by March 18, please contact Anita Bernard in the Gifted Testing Office:

Email: Anita.Bernard@vbschools.com

Office Number: 757-263-6870

The Old Donation School Selection Committee will be meeting at the end of March.

The Gifted Community Advisory Committee has several openings for community members for the 2024-2025 school year including two At-Large positions and open seats in the Bayside, Princess Anne, First Colonial, Tallwood, or Kellam feeder zones. The application can be found at https://www.vbschools.com/community/calltoaction and is due March 28, 2024.

2e @ William and Mary: Twice Exceptional Online Conference will be held on February 23 & 24, 2024.  2e @ William & Mary: Twice Exceptional Online Conference –that’s about 2 weeks away. This educator- and parent- conference offers over 50 sessions and brings together classroom teachers, gifted teachers, special education teachers, researchers, parents, counselors, psychologists, therapists, and clinicians to share research-based, best practices for school and home.  Click on the link above for more information and to register.

The Physics Olympics are still coming in March!  The group that creates this wonderful event is meeting next week to finish planning, and then I will be able to distribute permission slips.  Just get those pocket protectors and calculators ready!

I attended a professional development session with the area representative from Achieve Learning–the company that produces the Achieve articles (non-fiction) that we use to help our students practice reading skills such as cause and effect, drawing conclusions, making inferences, summarizing, using evidence, comparing and contrasting, identifying the main idea, etc.  I now have access to how our students are achieving (pun intended) on these skills, as well as other data such as how much time they are taking to complete the assignments.  I am working on a “snapshot” of the data for each gifted student.  If you would like to know the skill areas where your child has shown mastery or needs additional practice, please email me, and I will be happy to share that information with you once I have it compiled.  Ms. Culler and I will meet with the content area teachers to share data and instructional strategies.  Remember, also, that we do have a before- and after-school tutoring program for any students who desire extra help.

Please double-check with your child about necessary school supplies that may need replenishing–especially regular pencils, pens, notebook paper, colored pencils, etc.

And an interesting article about the oh-so-popular-and-required-by-every-tween-in middle-school Stanley Cups! Today.com article about Stanley Cups and lead link

We are entering into the long “slug” until spring break when the content gets harder, patience with peers can be thin, and children delight in stomping on the last nerve of the adults in their lives.  Please remind your student to continue to work hard, have a coachable attitude, and have patience with their peers. Middle school is a difficult age because of the varying levels of maturity and self-control–and for gifted students, add in the intensity and asynchronous development–so we all need to be reminded to maintain and respect others’ boundaries and to watch the tone and the words that are used when addressing others.  Comments about the brand of shoes or socks, acne breakouts, wrong answers in class, family circumstances, and who individuals are friends with might be better left unsaid.  If your child feels that they are being targeted by bullying behavior, make sure that they let a trusted adult know–a teacher, a counselor, a specialist, an administrator.  It will be investigated.  Please note:  Bullies can be gifted students–often gifted students have the intellect to know just how to push someone’s buttons, and an “I was just joking!” probably is not going to be proof of innocence.

Have a Happy Valentine’s Day–and remember we do have a three-day weekend for President’s Day.  No school on February 19!

Mrs. Cathy Smith, PAMS Gifted Resource Teacher

Hello!  In this Gifted Blog post, please find information about the overflowing Lost and Found!; Growth Assessment Testing; Gifted Club; Gifted Community Advisory Committee openings; PAMS Spelling Bee.

Is your laundry basket a little light these days because your child has misplaced a clothing item?  Our Lost and Found (located in the Community Room right next to the Security Desk) is overflowing with clothing, lunch bags, water bottles (but no Stanley cups–how about that!), shoes, and other items.  Please come take a look and claim your child’s belongings.  Believe it or not, students are embarrassed to go to look for their items in the Lost and Found!  Here are some pictures I took this morning of the pile.  See anything that is your family’s?

Please be aware that Growth Assessment Testing will take place from 9:40-11:45 AM on the following dates [these are untimed tests, but most students finish in this time frame]:

• February 2: Reading 8
• February 5:  Math 8
• February 6:  Reading 7
• February 7:  Math 7
• February 8:  Reading 6
• February 9:  Math 6

Please avoid scheduling appointments for your child on their test date where possible.

Gifted Club in February will be held on February 5 and 8–Students who sign up will need to attend both meetings.  We are combining with the Environmental Club for an activity.  I will send the sign-up information via email and will post here on the blog when we have the details finished.  Please see the previous blog post for a description of the STEM activity and check with your child to see if they are interested in attending.

The Gifted Community Advisory Committee has several openings for community members for the 2024-2025 school year including two at-large positions and open seats in the Bayside, Princess Anne, First Colonial, Tallwood, and Kellam feeder zones. The application can be found at https://www.vbschools.com/community/calltoaction.  [When I went on an extended maternity leave when my fourth child was born in 2002, I served on the Gifted CAC and found it to be eye-opening.  The group meets once a month in the evening when school is in session and makes recommendations to the School Board about gifted education in the city.  Please consider this important work!]

Gifted Program Applications:  Online applications for the resource-cluster program for Grades 6-8 are due by 4 p.m. on March 1, 2024. Please note that the deadline for applying to Old Donation School for SY2024-2025 has passed.

 Online applications for gifted visual arts and gifted dance are due by 4 p.m. on February 1, 2024. Students applying for gifted visual arts must complete the online application and have their portfolio submitted by the 4 p.m. deadline.  This is a  video link for the VBMS Gifted Visual Arts Citywide Information Night for 6th- and 7th-grade families.

Congratulations to the following students in the Gifted Program for representing their class in the PAMS Spelling Bee, and an extra BIG congratulations to Damian Sanchez-Mendoza (1st place), Lars Janssen (2nd place), Reed Hudson (3rd place), and Joseph Bailey (4th place)!!!  I am so proud of all of you!

Have a great week!

Mrs. Cathy Smith, PAMS Gifted Resource Teacher

In this PAMS Gifted Progam Blog entry, please find information on:  ODS Applications; Physics Olympics; January Gifted Lunch; February Gifted Club; and Summer Enrichment Programs.

Welcome to 2024–I am excited for the many opportunities that are coming up for the Gifted Program students!

OLD DONATION SCHOOL (Brickell Academy) APPLICATIONS ARE DUE JANUARY 8 BY 4:00 pm!!!

SAVE THE DATE!–The Physics Olympics are on the horizon!  On Saturday, March 23, 2024, at Tidewater Community College, teams from area middle schools and high schools compete in a series of science-related activities to try to bring home tickets to Busch Gardens or Water Country USA!  In the past, PAMS students have done very well, often placing in the top three!  Students compete in teams of four–and I open this up to the entire school.  I do not know yet if we will be limited in the number of teams we can bring.

The Physics Olympics is a series of six fun-but-challenging competitions that involve the use of physical science, exuberance, teamwork, and laughter.  No prior preparation or construction is required.  The activities are designed to be fun and active, include some knowledge of science, and require group participation.  Some competitions from years past include a bowling-balls-and-brooms obstacle course, straw darts, the Slow Bike Race, Constant Velocity Race, Koosh Ball Catapult, Laser Target Shoot, Mirror Maze, and Build-a-Magnet.  Who knew physics could be so much fun?!

Once all the paperwork is completed, I will have permission slips available.  Students will be able to form their own teams of four, or I help students find partners to team up with.  More to come!  Stay tuned!

Gifted Club–There will be no Gifted Club meeting in January, but we will be teaming up with Mr. Cullen and Mrs. Zell with the Environmental Club on (Monday) February 5 and (Thursday) February 8 for a STEM activity “All Strung Up”. Did you know that the seaweed you’ve seen in the ocean or even eaten as a snack is inspiring innovators to imagine new materials? Large brown algae, like kelp, contains polymers—long chains of molecules—that are more environmentally friendly than the ones in most plastics. These natural polymers (alginates) could eventually be used to create sustainable everyday objects. Students will try their hand at using a bit of chemistry to turn biodegradable polymers from algae into their own custom string! Plus, Mr. Cullen will set up the microscopes with slides of algae for students to examine!

In this activity, students will—

• engage in authentic science practices through open-ended exploration;
• create a string using polymers harvested from living algae; and
• manipulate the properties of a polymer using a chemical reaction.

As this will be a two-day activity, students who sign up MUST commit to coming both days.  More information will follow!

There will also be a Gifted Club on Monday, February 26, topic to be determined.

Gifted Lunch:  Gifted Lunch will be held on Friday, January 12 and 26.  Students were notified through a Canvas message and provided with the sign-up link.  Many students have expressed that this half-hour break is welcome–As one sixth-grade student messaged me–“We just get to be kids–silly, funny, playful!  It’s cool to just take a break in the middle of the day and have fun.  I’ve met two new friends this year through Gifted Lunch!”

Summer Enrichment Programs:  Believe it or not, now is the time to start thinking about and planning for summer enrichment programs!  (Inclusion in this list does not imply VBCPS or PAMS endorsement.)  These fill up really fast and can be costly!  Here are a couple of programs to start investigating now so you can see what kinds of programs are “out there”–and so you can be ready when the applications open up:

• National Association for the Gifted Resources Directory (more will be added as information is created):  https://giftedandtalentedresourcesdirectory.com/
• Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth:  https://cty.jhu.edu/
• ID Tech camps:  https://www.idtech.com/
• Camp Launch at the College of William and Mary: https://education.wm.edu/centers/cfge/precollegiate/camp_launch/
• Davidson Institute–list of programs around the country:  https://www.davidsongifted.org/gifted-blog/gifted-summer-programs-listed-by-topics-of-interest/
• Virginia Aquarium: https://www.virginiaaquarium.com/educational-programs/summer-camps
• Camp GONNAWANNAGOAGIN’ (for campers with ASD and student volunteers):  https://camp4autism.com/programs/#camp
• Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center:  https://bayrestoration.org/camps/
• Chesapeake Bay Foundation: https://www.cbf.org/join-us/education-proagram/field-programs/one-day/hampton-roads-environmental-education-program.html
• NASA Space Camp: https://www.rocketcenter.com/SpaceCamp/Camp
• Virginia Space Flight Academy Space Adventure Camp: https://www.vasfa.org/space-adventure-camp
• Virginia Space Flight Academy STEM Academy: https://www.vasfa.org/stem-academy
• Virginia Tech summer camps:  https://www.science.vt.edu/get-involved/camps.html
• Hoagie’s Gifted Page Summer Programs List: https://www.hoagiesgifted.org/summer.htm

As more cross my desk, I will add on!

Don’t forget that the Virginia Association for the Gifted does offer scholarships for summer enrichment programs!  (Due date is on or before April 22, 2024.  I am a member of VAGifted and am happy to sign-off on the scholarship application.)  https://www.vagifted.org/page/StudSummScholarships

Here’s to a fast wintry January!

Mrs. Cathy Smith, PAMS Gifted Resource Teacher

In this PAMS Gifted Blog post, please find information on gifted student underachievement; the NASA BLAST summer program for 8th- and 9th-grade students interested in STEM;  College of William and Mary Focusing on the Future seminar and Saturday Enrichment Program registration; plus, information about what is happening in cluster classes and in Gifted Club/Lunch!

Please check out the Prowling Around the Gifted Cluster Classrooms and the Gifted Club/Gifted Lunch pages to see our students in action!  [Gifted Lunch will be on 12/20–students have been provided the sign-up link.  We are now full for both sixth-grade lunches! Gifted Club will resume in January.]

We are halfway into our second quarter, and most of our gifted students are achieving academically. I am concerned about some underachievement issues I see starting to sprout up–where students are “happy with a C, because C is average” or “school is sooooo boring–we don’t get to do what we want to do” or student behaviors that detract from the learning environment–as well as other contributing factors such as social-emotional issues and true academic struggles (not due to incomplete work/work avoidance or high absenteeism).  I found some posts from the Davidson Institute that may offer some ideas for families who are struggling with a capable gifted student who “just won’t do.”  Let me know your thoughts or questions!

Tips for Parents: Doing Poorly on Purpose: Underachievement and the Quest for Dignity

Tips for Parents: What You Can do to Reverse Underachievement in The Classroom

Avoiding, Reversing & Handling Underachievement in Gifted Students

NASA’s Virginia Space Grant Consortium (VSGC) is excited to share that the application window is now open for Building Leaders for Advancing Science and Technology (BLAST), our FREE summer residential STEM program for 8^th and 9^th grade students in Virginia!

BLAST offers students a unique opportunity to explore their passion for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) fields through immersive experiences and career exploration. This free program allows selected students to spend 3 days and nights at either ODU, RU, UVA, VT, or W&M. Led by university faculty, students engage in hands-on STEM activities, attend demonstrations, tours, and guest speaker sessions. 

The BLAST application window closes Thursday, February 1, 2024.

A short, informational video can be found here: https://youtu.be/wkzGN1PZiNY?si=6KVxD77ZVGZoqK9P

A flyer can be accessed here: BLAST Flyer 2024, and more details and the online application can be found here: https://vsgc.odu.edu/blast/.

The Center for Gifted Education at the College of William & Mary is offering two programs this spring that you might want to explore.  First, Focusing on the Future (FOF) exposes forward-thinking learners to career opportunities related to the arts, humanities, mathematics, and sciences. The program also informs parents of considerations and guidelines for effective career and academic planning.  Students have the opportunity to learn about four career areas. Students are exposed to

• (a) information about work habits and “habits of mind” (e.g., precision and objectivity in math; skepticism and curiosity in science) that lead to successful careers in various fields,
• (b) an interactive discussion about a variety of career opportunities in a particular field, and
• (c) steps to take to prepare for specific careers.

Parents have the opportunity to attend a variety of workshops, which will assist them in guiding their children with academic and career planning.  FOF will be on March 16, 2024, from 8:45 AM -3:30 PM.  See below for the brochure and registration information.

SEPFOF Flyer

Link to Register for FOF at William & Mary

The second program is William and Mary’s Saturday Enrichment Program (SEP). In 2024, CFGE will be offering monthly Saturday Enrichment Programs.  Registration will open no later than 2 months before the program date, so please check the website frequently to ensure you secure a spot in the program and keep up to date with any program adjustments that may occur. For specific monthly class offerings, please click on the dates below.

New Offering for February – SEP PARENT SESSION!  This February we will provide an opportunity for parents of our students to attend a session with Dr. Jennifer Cross about Meeting Your Child’s Emotional Needs.

January 27th – REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!(pdf)
February 24th – REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!(pdf)

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season and an enjoyable break with your children!

🙂 Mrs. Cathy Smith, PAMS Gifted Resource Teacher

In this PAMS Gifted Blog post, please find information about the following topics: Prowling Around the Cluster Classrooms; applications for Old Donation School–Brickell Academy and gifted identification for grades 6 and 7; Gifted Club and Gifted Lunch; conference needed?; VAG Student Summer Scholarships; and information from outside VBCPS.

Please take the opportunity to stop by the Prowling Around the Cluster Classrooms page–the students have been involved in some creative activities!  There is a link on the main page of this blog.  I will continue adding descriptions and pictures as they are shared with me.  I continue to be amazed at the numerous instructional strategies our gifted cluster teachers use to help our diverse learners understand content and make deeper connections.

Click on the link, too, for pictures from Gifted Club/Gifted Lunch 2023-2024–share them with your child, especially if they are nervous about attending either!  Seeing their peers having fun might encourage them to take a step out of their comfort zone and join in the fun!

Online applications for intellectual gifted testing and/or application to Old Donation School for grades 6-7 are due on January 8, 2024, at 4:00 p.m.  The date for gifted screening at Princess Anne Middle School by a gifted testing specialist will be on January 19, 2024.

Last call for Gifted Club Holiday Party sign-up!  Thank you SO MUCH to all of the families who have volunteered and sent in supplies for this extravaganza!  The students will have such a great time!  [Strickland; Stratman; Furco; Yung; Martinette; Foster; Stamm; Stone; Holmes; McMillen; Puvogel; Yannetti; Morris; Oldham; Levitt; Sanson; Kirby; Carlson; Durant; Jordan; Curtis; Farabaugh; Tereshko; Gasche; Chamberlain]

If you have not signed up your child yet, please check with them first, and then go here:  Gifted Club 12-11-23 RSVP/Permission Slip

If you did sign up your child, I have sent them a link to let me know which activities they want to participate in.  Please check with your child to make sure they have completed that!

Gifted Lunch will be on December 20 during all lunches.  The sixth-grade lunches are almost full, so please encourage your child to sign up soon and to retrieve their pass from my door.  It can be a nice break from all of the craziness in the last week of school!

Having a conference with your child’s teacher or updating an IEP or 504?  Please let me know so I can be there to advocate for your child and their gifted education needs.  If I can be there, I will!  Depending on the situation, it may be a good idea to have your child attend the conference, too.  Contact your child’s school counselor to set up a conference if you feel one is necessary because of issues that are causing concern.  Just want to check in to see how your child is doing?  Check out the weekly Friday progress reports that are sent home to you–and if you have questions, contact the teacher directly.

The Virginia Association for the Gifted is proud to offer annual opportunities to award and recognize excellence through Student Summer Scholarships. Please go HERE to find out more!  We have had MANY Princess Anne Middle School students win these scholarships to help defray the cost of summer academic and art/dance intensive programs in the past 15 years.  I am happy to help out in any way that I can!

From outside the school division:

Public Hearings for the 2024 English Standards of Learning
The Virginia Board of Education will hold public hearings on the proposed 2024 English Standards of Learning after first review in January 2024.  The proposed Standards are designed to be aligned to evidence-based literacy instructional practices and the Virginia Literacy Act. Current information (revision process and public hearing) is available on the  Revisions to the 2017 English Standards of Learning webpage. Dates and locations include:

• February 6, 2024: Virtual Public Hearing
• February 12, 2024: Virtual Public Hearing
• February 13, 2024: Christopher Newport University, Newport News, VA
• February 16, 2024: Virtual Public Hearing
• February 21, 2024: Virtual Public Hearing

For older siblings:  Summer Language Institute
The Summer Language Institute at the University of Virginia offers a wide range of options for learners. Students can choose from Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Latin, Spanish, and Russian. The program is open to rising high school juniors and seniors, college/graduate students, and non-traditional students. During the last part of the program, students in Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Russian, and Spanish will take the Oral Proficiency Interview (OPIc) to assess their language proficiency. Students learning Latin will be evaluated through the Avant (1 skill-reading). The deadline for applications is March 28. For more information, please visit the website.

Have a great week!

Mrs. Cathy Smith, PAMS Gifted Resource Teacher

In this PAMS Gifted Program blog post, please find information about December Gifted Club party on 12/11/23.

The Gifted Club Holiday Party will be on December 11, 2023, from 4:15-5:45 in C106.  We will have a wide variety of activities, and I hope to see a full house!  We do need some supplies to keep the shenanigans fun and non-stop!  If you would like to donate anything or volunteer to assist that afternoon, please sign up HERE: Gifted Club Holiday Sign-Up Genius Link.

The activities will include:

1. An ice cream sundae station
2. A trivia contest
3. Team contest:  Santa’s Beard
4. Team contest:  Reindeer Ring Toss
5. Holiday card-making station
6. Holiday baby photo guessing game (if we get enough pictures!)*
7. The ever-popular Weird Candy Cane Reindeer craft
8. Mini-canvas painting ornament craft
9. Holiday Song LEGO contest
10. Gift Exchange game

*We have gotten several holiday baby photos, but can certainly use more!  Feel free to email me a picture of your darling middle schooler as a baby/toddler in their holiday finest!

ALL students who intend to participate must have a parent RSVP for them for each Gifted Club event.  To sign up your child for December 11, you must complete this Google Form:  Gifted Club 12/11/23 RSVP Form.  Once we reach capacity, I will close the sign-up list.  I will send a Canvas message to all students whose parents have RSVPed for them to complete their activity list form so I can make sure there are plenty of supplies (and prizes)!

Information regarding the Salem High School Visual and Performing Arts Program:

In this blog post, please find information about the applications for ODS gifted programs; November and December Gifted Club meetings; Parent Meet and Greet Workshop on executive functioning skills;  William & Mary offerings for enrichment; Attendance Works; and report card reminder.

Applications for Gifted Programs:  For information about the application process for ODS-Brickell Academy, the Gifted Dance Program, and the Gifted Visual Arts Program, please refer to the November 8 PAMS Gifted Blog entry for important deadlines.

The November 27 Gifted Club is a board games/art/LEGOs kind of day to unwind after the Thanksgiving holiday break.  We have just a few spots left, so make sure to sign up your child ASAP.  Thank you to the parents who have volunteered to help monitor the afternoon activity–we have several.

NOVEMBER 27 GIFTED CLUB RSVP

The Holiday Gifted Club Meeting will be on December 11, 2023–and it will be a hilarious time for those who attend!  I will send the RSVP link right after Thanksgiving.  I polled the gifted students for what they would like to have at the party and used their suggestions and preferences to come up with the following:

The activities will include:

1. An ice cream sundae station
2. A trivia contest
3. Team contest:  Santa’s Beard
4. Holiday card-making station
5. Holiday baby photo guessing game (if we get enough pictures!)*
6. The ever-popular Weird Candy Cane Reindeer craft
7. Mini-canvas painting ornament craft
8. Holiday Song LEGO contest
9. Gift Exchange game

I have created a Sign-Up Genius for items that are needed for the afternoon.  Thank you for any donations you can pass along.  Items can be sent in as soon as possible labeled with “Gifted Club, Mrs. C. Smith”–students can bring them to my office (C208), or parents/guardians can drop them at the Security Desk.  Please drop off all items (except ice cream donations) by Friday, December 8.

And yes, I will need several volunteers!!  You can sign up on the Sign-Up Genius link below.

Please click SIGNUP GENIUS LINK FOR GIFTED CLUB DECEMBER HOLIDAY PARTY to sign up for donations.

*If you can send me a baby picture (ages 0-3) of your child from a previous winter holiday, I’d love to surprise them by having their picture on our photo wall for the “Guess the Holiday Baby” contest.  You can send it to me as an attachment to an email–(cue Grinch laugh…).  I will need it electronically by December 8 at the latest.

Executive Functioning Skills Gifted Parent Meet and Greet Workshop:  Goal-directed persistence.  Task initiation. Planning and prioritization.  Emotional control. Working memory. Time management. Shifting. Flexibility. Sustained attention.  Our next Gifted Program Parent Meet and Greet Workshop on Supporting Lifelong Success–Introduction to Executive Function Skills will be held on Tuesday, November 28 at two different times.  For the morning session, we will meet from 10:30-11:30 AM.  For the afternoon repeat session, we will meet at 4:45-5:45 PM.  Both meeting places will be in the STEM Lab (C106).  Please RSVP on the link–I promise to remind you!  Please note:  This workshop will be open to all PAMS parents, with a limit of 50 adults at each session.  Sign up early!

RSVP Link for November 28 Parent Workshop on Executive Functioning Skills

The Center for Gifted Education at the College of William & Mary is offering two programs this spring that you might want to explore.  First, Focusing on the Future (FOF) exposes forward-thinking learners to career opportunities related to the arts, humanities, mathematics, and sciences. The program also informs parents of considerations and guidelines for effective career and academic planning.  Students have the opportunity to learn about four career areas. Students are exposed to

• (a) information about work habits and “habits of mind” (e.g., precision and objectivity in math; skepticism and curiosity in science) that lead to successful careers in various fields,
• (b) an interactive discussion about a variety of career opportunities in a particular field, and
• (c) steps to take to prepare for specific careers.

Parents have the opportunity to attend a variety of workshops, which will assist them in guiding their children with academic and career planning.  FOF will be on March 16, 2024, from 8:45 AM -3:30 PM.  See below for the brochure and registration information.

SEPFOF Flyer

Link to Register for FOF at William & Mary

The second program is William and Mary’s Saturday Enrichment Program (SEP). In 2024, CFGE will be offering monthly Saturday Enrichment Programs.  Registration will open no later than 2 months before the program date, so please check the website frequently to ensure you secure a spot in the program and keep up to date with any program adjustments that may occur. For specific monthly class offerings, please click on the dates below.

New Offering for February – SEP PARENT SESSION!  This February we will provide an opportunity for parents of our students to attend a session with Dr. Jennifer Cross about Meeting Your Child’s Emotional Needs.

January 27th – REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!(pdf)
February 24th – REGISTRATION NOW OPEN!(pdf)

Attendance Matters! Parents want their children to do well in school, but many don’t fully understand the connection between chronic absence and a student’s academic achievement.  The Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) has been supporting schools with an attendance campaign across the Commonwealth knowing that we must ALL work together to ensure students are engaged in school every day  #AttendanceMattersVA.

DID YOU KNOW?
• Students should miss no more than 9 days of school each year to stay engaged, successful, and on-track to graduation.
• Frequent absences can be a sign that a student is losing interest in school, struggling with school work, dealing with a bully or facing some other difficulty.
• By 6th grade, absenteeism is one of three signs that a student may drop out of high school.
• By 9th grade, attendance is a better predictor of graduation rates than 8th-grade test scores.
• Missing 10%, or 2 days a month, over the course of the school year, can affect a student’s academic success.

Click Attendance_Works_Middle_High_family_handout_091623 for more information about Attendance Works!

Report cards for the first quarter can be found in Parent Vue.  If you cannot access your child’s report card, please contact your child’s school counselor or the main office for assistance.  I will be reviewing the grades of the gifted students and will work with the teachers and school counselors for any who are underachieving to see how I can be of assistance to help the students be more successful in their learning.

Please let me know if there is anything I can do for your child in the gifted program!

Mrs. Cathy Smith, PAMS Gifted Resource Teacher