Virtual Field Trips for Gifted Students

1. Luray Caverns – Luray, Virginia

Explore Luray Caverns in Virginia while learning more about stalactites and stalagmites! This 360° virtual reality tour is educational and exciting.

2. Gettysburg Battlefield Virtual Tour – Gettysburg, Pennsylvania

Gifted students interested in history will love touring this famous Civil War battlefield while learning more about key events and people.

3. National Women’s History Museum – Alexandria, Virginia

The National Women’s History Museum’s online exhibits include Women of NASA and Women in STEM, plus many more interesting exhibits!

4. Museum of Natural Sciences – Brussels, Belgium

Virtually explore the exhibits featuring dinosaurs, insects, rocks and minerals, anatomy, and more.

5. Museum of Flight – Seattle, Washington

Take a 3D tour of a dozen rare aircrafts, including Air Force One and the NASA Space Shuttle Trainer!

6. First 3D Virtual Reality Filmed in Space from National Geographic

Virtually tour a real space shuttle among astronauts! Plus, see stunning 3D views of the Earth from space while hearing more about the experience of astronauts.

7. Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History – Washington D.C.

Take a self-guided virtual tour of several current and past exhibits including the FossiLab and Butterfly Pavili

8. Great Wall of China – Huairou District, China

Take a virtual tour of one of the wonders of the world! The Great Wall has a history dating back over 2,000 years and stretches more than 3,000 miles across northern China.

9. Louvre Museum – Paris, France

Explore one of the most famous museums in the world and discover masterpieces by Delacroix, Rembrandt, and Tintoretto. Don’t miss the collections from the Pharaonic period in the Egyptian Antiquities exhibit!

10. Northern Lights Live Stream – Churchill, Manitoba, Canada

Many gifted children (and adults!) will love watching this live stream and capturing stunning screenshots. This live cam is located directly underneath the aurora oval–one of the best places on earth to watch the Aurora Borealis, more commonly known as the Northern Lights.

Finding Calm in Chaos

Social and Emotional 

Written By: Donna Campbell, M.Ed.

Advocacy Chair, Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented
Picture By: Katie Campbell-Grutsch

Gifted students often respond to uncertainty and disruption in their lives with heightened feelings of fear, anxiety, worry, and sadness.  Many are unable to cope with the intensity of their emotions and will withdraw, or act out, or become focused on worst case scenarios of the unknown future.

In effect, their minds and emotions are on overload.  Why are we all at home? Why am I not in school with my friends, or going to after school activities?  Am I going to get sick?  Will someone in my family get sick? Why is everyone afraid? What IS coronavirus?

For adults living with, teaching or loving gifted children from a distance, it is important to remember 3 things:

1. BE PRESENT

• Listen to the concerns of your children and allow them to express their feelings.
• Drawing a self-portrait, sketch journaling, or creating a cartoon will give a platform for expression when words are not sufficient.

2. BE PATIENT

• Stay calm. When “breaking news” about COVID19 shakes up your being, think about how your reaction may or may not add to the confusion and fear for your children.
• Demonstrate and practice deep breathing exercises with your children to calm the stress response. This will enable everyone to think and speak more rationally.

3. BE RESPONSIVE

• Limit television and social media time. Constant updates on COVID19 can increase anxiety for everyone. Find reputable sites on the internet for your source of factual information.  Give no more information than what the child’s age and emotional well-being will allow at that moment.  Often this is determined by the questions they ask.  Simple questions receive simple answers.  Older students can be introduced to the World Health Organization (WHO) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC).  These are two organizations working to respond to reduce the effect of the virus on our country and the world.
• Be truthful and offer reassurance that adults are doing all that can be done to keep everyone safe.
• Empower a sense of control for themselves in their lives. Kids can help by social distancing, handwashing, and sneezing or coughing into their elbows and then washing their hands again.
• Negotiate a schedule that provides flexibility. Some work, some rest, some play and exercise. Maintaining healthy eating and sleeping patterns.

The Belin-Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development reprinted on their website, an article about discussing the coronavirus with kids. In this article is a cartoon version explaining the virus and the directions on how to create a “zine” booklet for the cartoon and a template to create your own cartoon.

https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2020/02/28/809580453/just-for-kids-a-comic-exploring-the-new-coronavirus

Week of the Young Child Fun Activities

The Rio Salado Audubon Center is a wonderful community resource offering free, family-friendly events like the annual fall festival, Enchanted Trail.

Design and Build Challenge

Annual AAGT Parent Institute-Saturday, Sept. 21

Summer Fun Ideas

1. Plan a Picnic
   You don't have to travel far to have a picnic. In fact, you don't have to travel any farther than your own backyard. The fun isn't only in the picnic alone, but in the planning of it. It is a perfect way to create some cheap summer fun.

2. Plant a Garden
   Gardens offer kids a perfect opportunity for learning about plant life. If you start early enough in the season, you can start the garden from seeds. That is the ideal way to start a garden since the kids can watch the garden grow from the very beginning sprouts. However, if you start too late in the season to plant seeds, you can buy a few seedlings from just about anywhere, including many grocery stores. The kids can still watch the plants grow. Have them keep a chart of the growth every day or two. They can even draw pictures of the plants as they grow. And be sure that your child waters the plants and gets rid of the weeds.

3. Visit the Library for Summer Fun
   Libraries are wonderful sources of free fun for gifted kids. For one thing, libraries often have free programs for children. But it's not just the programs that make libraries fun for gifted kids. It's the books the libraries hold that gifted kids will also find fun and exciting.

4. Plan Some Family Fun Nights
   Families don't need to go on vacations or spend lots of money to enjoy some time together. All they need to do is plan some fun activities to share. Among the possibilities are watching movies or playing games together. Family nights can provide summer fun anytime, but especially on those rainy days when the kids can't play outdoors.

5. Camp in the Backyard
   You don't need to travel any farther than your own backyard to plan a camping trip. Part of the fun is in the planning, so take your time to find the right spot to pitch a tent and decide on activities the whole family can enjoy.

6. Create a Backyard Waterpark
   A waterpark in the backyard? Absolutely! If you already have a playset, all you have to do is get a hose (or two) and prop them up to spray water on it. If you don't, this might be the time to get one. You may have to spend money on one, but it will still be cheaper than what you'd pay for a family vacation. If you don't want to go with a playset, get a small backyard pool. Again, all you have to do is set up some hoses to spray either over the pool or around it. You're limited only by your imagination!

7. Plan a Scavenger Hunt
   You can encourage your children to explore nature with a nature scavenger hunt which could include items as simple as different shaped stones and leaves. Or you can hide objects of your own around the yard and give your children clues that will help them find them! Do you really want to make the activity challenging? Draw a map of where you have hidden the clues and let them analyze where the clues are located.

8. Make Music
   You can create music with just about anything that makes a sound. You can buy cheap kazoos or make your own by covering a comb with waxpaper (a clean comb!) Pots can serve as drums and lids can be cymbals. Empty jugs can be used, too, to make "music." It's easy to kids to get carried away with just making noise, so be sure to make this activity a musical one. Help your kids learn about music, while having fun.

9. Have a Yard Sale
   This activity can have several goals. You can get your house cleaned of clutter, give your kids something to do, and make a little money! You can also take the opportunity to teach your children a little about economics!

10. Make a Map of the Neighborhood
    This activity can provide a little exercise, too, since children have to walk around the neighborhood to make notes of what they see and determine what belongs where on a map. You should set boundaries so your children don't go farther than you want them to go. For areas farther from your house than you would like your children to go and for children who are too young to walk around the neighborhood on their own, you can go with them and get a little exercise yourself!

11. Conduct Simple Experiments
    Most of us don't have a handy list of easy experiments to draw from, but libraries have plenty of books with experiments for children. Plan a trip to the library (another great activity) and find a book or two with experiments.

12. Put on a Play
    This activity can be as simple or as complex as your children would like it to be. The simplest way to put on a play is to act out a familiar story (like Little Red Riding Hood), using whatever you can find around the house for costumes. The more complex methods of play production would start with the children making up their own story, writing a script, planning the costumes (that mom and others might help make), rehearsing, creating a flyer, and making tickets.

Camp O'Connor

Camp O’Connor, strives to:

• Empower and increase campers’ understanding of civics, the American government and their important role as citizens
• Fortify the leadership skills and confidence of students
• Encourage camp graduates to become role models and leaders in their schools and communities

Camp Dates: June 10 - 14, 2019

Camp Hours: June 10 - 13:  9am to 4pm | June 14: 9am to 1pm

Camp Location: O'Connor Institute at theSandra Day O'Connor College of Law 

 111 East Taylor Street, Phoenix, 85004

What a great opportunity this summer for our current 6th & 7th grade students.

Contact your ALPS teacher with any questions .



Click Here to  more infomation and Application 

Lowell March Newsletter

Parent Institute-Tuesday, March 5

Please join us for a Meet & Greet at 5:00 PM and stay around to hear Dr. Marcia Gentry.
Light Refreshments will be served.

AAGT Conference 2019

There's still time to register for the upcoming annual gifted educatio conference. Lots of great speaker and presenter to provide a learning opportunity for teachers, parents, and advocates to hear from leading researchers and experts in the field of gifted education. 

Gifted Institute Community Outreach Night-Feb. 6

District Spelling Contest Champ

SUPERCOOL Robt School

Extra! Extra! Read All About It!

Click on picture to read all  about what's happening in gifted education.

AAGT Parent Institute-October 20

Ms. Hecht's Lowell ALPs Students- grades 2-5

Click here to see video

L to R: Yareli, Mayra, Gerado, Nery, & Marrion

PBL  Project : Kindness Rocks

Gifted and Talented Policy IHBB

 It’s time for the district to revisit Policy IHBB and its regulation.  The attached documents are being provided for your review prior to the September 27 Board Meeting.

10th Annual AAGT Parent Institute

“The ABC’s for Parents:  Advocacy Blooms Confidence!”

Saturday, October 20, 2018

Gilbert Classical Academy

1016 N. Burk Street, Gilbert, AZ 85234

Given that an advocate is a person who speaks on behalf of another, as parents, grandparents and educators of gifted children, how often do we find ourselves as the advocate for our gifted child?   How can we develop effective advocacy tools while still cultivating relationships of respect?  Come to this year’s AAGT Parent Institute to glean tips and information that will not only help you better understand your gifted child, but strengthen your confidence in your advocacy abilities.

The AAGT is pleased to announce Deb Douglas of Wisconsin as our keynote speaker.  As a gifted author and consultant, her work includes over a decade of experience not only teaching and advocating for gifted students, but also empowering others to be effective advocates.

IN CELEBRATION OF OUR 10th YEAR:  GT Teen Carpe Diem Workshop on Self-Advocacy!

Led by Deb Douglas,  GT Carpe Diem Workshops empower gifted teens to speak up for themselves through a clearer understanding of their unique needs as outliers and their rights to an appropriately challenging educational experience. Following this day of exploration and reflection they will be better able to take charge of their own educations and lives.

“Self-advocacy is not just students getting what they want: it is students getting what they need in order to develop their potential.”  ~ Deb Douglas

Seating is limited for the GT Teen Carpe Diem Workshop. 

For Gifted Children, Grades K-5

Ø  Enrichment Classes taught by Gifted Endorsed Teachers!

Ø  Bring their own sack lunch and bottled water

Ø  Location and student drop-off at Houston Elementary - 500 E. Houston Ave., Gilbert, AZ

Ø  Pre-registration is required due to limited seating for the Children's Enrichment Classes

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Differentiating for the gifted student

What is different about differentiating  for the gifted? 

The expects say..

1. Extend academic standard into “next level”. Remove the lid off the grade-level box.

2. Incorporate advance, in-depth, novel , complex content and processes.                                            Consider using  the Kaplan Model of Depth and Complexity

3. Accelerate as appropriate based on talent profile

· Learning styles

· Multiple Intelligences

· Interest

4. Provide cognitively complex learning

5. Provide larger blocks of time to pursue interest some of which may be outside the  school curriculum.

Get to know your student

The Secret Code of Business: Saturday, March 24

The Secret Code of Business, what is it?

• This is a full day STEM in business college experience  for 6^th, 7^th and 8^th grade students taking place on Saturday, March 24, 2018 from 8:30 am to 3pm at the Tempe Campus of Arizona State University.
• There is no cost to attend.
• We can support up to 44 students at a time.     
• A morning snack and lunch is provided to all participants. 
• The workshop is facilitated by current ASU college student mentors pursuing undergraduate Bachelor of Science Degrees in Computer Information Systems (CIS) and Business Data Analytics (BDA).

Participants will:

·         experience being in a college classroom on ASU’s campus for the day with college student mentors from the Department of Information Systems in the W. P. Carey School of Business

·         learn about STEM in business and careers in information systems and analytics

·         learn more about computer coding and the importance of the safe use of technology

·         enjoy a campus tour and lunch with the mentors and W. P. Carey School of Business Department of Information Systems staff and faculty

·         receive a certificate of completion and take home materials

Want to read more about these workshops?   

• http://blogs.wpcarey.asu.edu/knowit/middle-schoolers-break-the-secret-code-of-business/
• http://blogs.wpcarey.asu.edu/knowit/middle-schoolers-learn-the-secret-to-business-success/

How do we register?

·        Register here:  http://wpcarey.asu.edu/thesecretcodeofbusiness  (There is no cost to attend, but a parent or guardian must register the student).

2017-2018 ALPs Parent Survey

Self-assessment of the gifted education program (ALPs).   This is a formative process to gather data and review practices.  Your input is needed.  Please go online and complete the survey.  The survey can be completed on your computers as well as all mobile devices (cell phone, tablets, etc.).

Thank you for your participation!

Parent Survey –English: http://bit.ly/2E7Cr5n

Parent Survey –Spanish: http://bit.ly/2EFPZd

2nd Trimester Open House: Thursday, February 8

ASU Night of the Open Door: Friday, February 2

Please join in the fun at ASU Open Door @ Downtown Phoenix on Feb. 2, from 4-8 p.m. on the ASU Downtown Phoenix campus!

ASU Open Door @ Downtown Phoenix offers interactive activities, tours and a behind the scenes look into what powers a world class university. Tour the Cronkite School’s state-of-the-art media complex, check out the College of Health Solutions nutrition kitchen, investigate cadavers, create your own kid-friendly comic strip and get a glimpse of the new Beus Center for Law and Society. Whether your dream is to work in health, be a news reporter or be a future public service leader – ASU Open Door @ Downtown Phoenix is pure family fun.

ASU is a foundational partner of the Arizona SciTech Festival and ASU Open Door @ Downtown Phoenix is a signature event. ASU values interactive learning and the importance of engaging learners; ASU Open Door celebrates that kids today are smart, tech savvy, and more involved in their own educational experiences than ever before!

GCC 5th Annual Evening Skies Event