Gifts for the Gifted

Finding the right gifted for a gifted child, parent or professional can be stressful, and overexcitabilities of the gifted can make stress seem... even more stressful. Modern advertising can be frustrating and misleading to even the strongest individual. And we get caught up in the craziness...

When shopping for gifts for the gifted, think about the unusual. Consider making a donation to a charity instead of another toy, for our globally aware children. Some gifted families boycott "giving" altogether, opting instead to spend extra time with other family members, perhaps cherishing each other's company, or perhaps donating their family time to help those less fortunate.

When gifts are appropriate (even a gift to yourself!), Hoagies' Shopping Guide offers a variety of ideas, from Smart Toys to play with, Software Favorites to play, Nerd Shirts to wear, Kids & Teens Books and Magazines for kids and young adults, Books for Parents & Professionals, Journals, and Educational Products for parents and professionals, Music for the eclectic gifted ear, and Movies Featuring Gifted Characters.
http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/shopping_guide.htm#toys

Early signs of giftedness include:
-unusual alertness in infancy
-less need for sleep in infancy
-long attention span
-high activity level
-smiling or recognizing caretakers early
-intense reactions to noise, pain, frustration
-advanced progression through the developmental milestones
-extraordinary memory
-enjoyment and speed of learning
-early and extensive language development
-fascination with books
-curiosity
-excellent sense of humor
-abstract reasoning and problem-solving skills
-vivid imagination (e.g., imaginary companions)
-sensitivity and compassion
If a child exhibits a majority of these characteristics, parents may wish to have the child assessed by an experienced examiner to find out if the child is gifted. Firstborn children tend to be recognized more often than their siblings. When one child in the family is gifted, it is quite possible that others may also be gifted. Early identification is recommended because it permits early intervention, as important for gifted as for any other children with special needs.

WELCOME BACK

ALPS classes will begin on Monday,August 17

Kevin Meets the President-Wednesday, May 13, 2009

ALPS 4th grader Kevin Goddard recently had an opportunity to meet President Obama. Kevin along with his father Arizona Attorney General Terry Goddard greeted the President at Sky Habor Airport before his commencement speech at Arizona Sate University. Kevin presented the president a gift of poems and stories written by his classmates at Herrera Elementary.

3rd Grade: Grand Canyon Field Trip-May 11, 2009

Students were able to unravel the mystery of how the Grand Canyon was formed. They explored a fossil bed and a hiked along the rim with several stops for engaging activities focusing on the geologic history of Grand Canyon.

Please join us

ALPS will be recognizing the wonderful academic accomplishments of our

2008-2009 8th Grade Class
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
12:15 P.M.

CONGRATULATIONS!

Phoenix College JR. ACE Participants

Congratulations to the following students:

1. Andy Bach-Kenilworth


2. Isaiah Canez-Kenilworth


3. Genesis Erazo-Magnet Traditional


4. Christopher Estrada-Capitol


5. Magdalia Garcia-Capitol


6. Mireya Lopez-Bethune


7. Hely Rodriguez-Heard


8. Jesus Barcelo-Herrera


9. Johnny Cortez, Jr.-Herrera


10. Pedro Eribes-Herrera


11. Zaina Leyva-Capitol


12. Angel Olivas-Heard


13. Michael Perez-Kenilworth


14. Benjamin Alvarado-Lowell


15. Manuel Carreno-Phoenix Prep. Academy


16. Elijah Chambers-Magnet Traditional


17. Clara Flores-Bethune


18. Lassett Hernandez-Magnet Traditional


19. Celemne Mendoza-Bethune


20. Jasmine Mesa-Magnet Traditional


21. Dominique Parker-Dunbar

• Students will participate in a five week program that runs for the first summer session.


• Students will earn three college credits.


• The program will expose students to core areas and develop academic skills needed for college and university success.


• JR.ACE is a pathway to the ACE program.

Field Trip Day with the Arizona Diamondbacks 2009

ALPS students, staff, and parents attended D-Backs Field Trip Day hosted by the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Arizona Science Center on April 20. This educational event included science and character building presentations.

The Arizona Science Center taught students about extreme temperatures and the different states of matter along with liquid nitrogen experiments. Through various experiments, students learned about combustion and discovered the fire triangle.

Following the science presentation, Diamondback Second Baseman Augie Ojeda discussed character education and encourged the students to read, study, and listen their teachers and parents.

Cerreta's Candy Company-4/18/09

Today, really early in the morning my class and I went to Cerreta's Chocolate Factory. We learned that just a certain temperature, 87°F keeps the chocolate just right. I learned that you can recycle chocolate too. The reason we went there was to make chocolate pizza, but I learned a lot, too! I couldn’t wait to go and only now I know how much I wanted to go. This was a learning experience and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Kinsey

Today in ALPS we had a field trip. We went to Cerreta’s Candy Company. It is really fun. I knew exactly what we were going to do because I’ve been there at least 4 times before, but it was still really fun. When I walked into the factory it was like HEAVEN! The smell of sweet melty oozy chocolate! First, the woman there talked about the chocolate and gave us samples. My favorite was the caramel sample with marshmallows in it. Next, we made candy pizza. I used chocolate, M&M’s, peanut butter chips, and a white chocolate swirl on top. I wanted to buy something but I couldn’t find anything for a $1. That was pretty much it!
Jasper

What lingers in my mind about Cerreta’s is the sweet smell from the delicious chocolate. The sweet treat was so sweet that it warmed my tongue. I bought raspberry chocolate! I can wait till I can eat it. I didn’t know that you have to be concerned about the temperature of the chocolate! I hope I can go again it was so cool! I loved it!
Priscilla

Today we went to Cerreta’s Candy Co. for an ALPS field trip. When we got there we walked into a building where the air was filled with smells of chocolate. The woman talked making chocolate, it was very interesting. She showed us various machines and what they did. After she passed out samples of some of the candies and showed us the different kinds of chocolates there was. Then she picked eight volunteers to come up and make chocolate eggs and bacon or sausage. Finally, we made a chocolate pizza. We had a lot of topping choices like marshmallows, M&M’s. I put on all of the toppings. This field trip was really fun I hope to be able to go back again!
Tehya

Today I went to Cerreta’s Chocolate Factory to learn about chocolate. The bus ride took a while, but when we got to the factory it didn’t look like much. When we got inside I saw machines making chocolate. The smell of the chocolate made me want to eat all of the chocolate. A lady talked to us about chocolate. She told us the hotter it is the shinier it gets. She said four people were going to make breakfast. I was one picked. We had pretzels, white chocolate, and M&M’s. After making breakfast I made a chocolate pizza. I really enjoyed it!
Eric

Summer School Opportunities-Phoenix Country Day School

The five-week summer school (June 8-July 10) presents a variety of courses designed especially for our gifted Scholars. Applications deadline is Friday, May 1, 2009.

Please contact Mrs. Harris for additonal information.

http://community.pcds.org/NetCommunity/Page.aspx?pid=183

All ALPS classes will be canceled during AIMS Testing. The ALPS staff will be assisting school sites with test administration. ALPS classes will resume on Monday, April 13.

Ways Parents can help

• Make sure your child is at school everyday unless they're sick.
• To prepare for test day, make sure your child is physically ready. Put them to bed a little early each night during test and serve a healthy breakfast.
• Practice relaxation techniques, such as counting from one to ten on taking deep breaths, if your child thinks he/she may be nervous on test day.
• Encourage reading, particularly non-fiction, which often appears on standardized test. Ask questions to ensure they understand what they are reading: What is the main idea? How was the problem resolved? Ask them to express their own ideas or opinions about what they have read.
• Encourage your child to decipher difficult words their own. Don't just provide the answer.
• Make Math a part of every day, asking what time you should leave school to get to ALPS by 9:20 if it takes 25 minutes to get here.

Chihuly: The Nature of Glass

Modern Art Museum by dumpr.net

Arizona Association for Gifted and Talented: 2009 Parent Institute

Parenting High Ability Children

Who: Parents, Grandparents, & Educators from all over Arizona

What: Seminars on parenting gifted children

Where: Sandra Day O’Connor College of Law at ASU

Date: Saturday, March, 28th, 2009Time: 9:00 AM – 4:00 PM

Price: $25, pre-registration required. Go to http://www.aagtparentday.com/

Expert speakers Parenting tips by age group - preschool/ elementary /MS /HS · Social and emotional development · Intensity · Creativity · Educational alternatives · Underachievement · Town Hall with state gifted director · Gifted with Learning Challenges

Resource fair After-school and summer programs · articles to take home · local gifted programs and educational alternatives · parent groups and experts

Books, games, and more for purchase from invited vendors

Lunch with other parents and educators while you browse

Free parking, easy access from loop 202 at Rural Road

Spanish interpretation on request

Student programs optional: Fine Arts K-5, Jr. Law 6-8, Mock Trial and Winning College Application Essays 9-12

For more info, go to http://www.aagtparentday.com/ or contact the AAGT office at 602.882.1848

ASU-Programs for Talented Youth

Programs for Talented Youth, a component of the Office of Youth Preparation, offers talented third through seventh grade students the opportunity to experience challenging courses from a variety of academic disciplines. The program is designed to provide students with courses that are interdisciplinary, enriching, and stimulating, utilizing the resources of a Research I university.

Click here http://asu.edu/talentedyouth/ for additional information.

ALPS Students-District Spelling Champs!

Congratulation to ALPS students Deja and Alexus.  The girls will represent Phoenix Elementary No. 1 at the Regional Spelling Bee on February 17th.  Good Luck!!

 ALPS students Chris and Angel also participated in the contest. Well Done!

Spelling Bee participants DejaFranks from Magnet Traditional, Alexus Oaxaca from Herrera, Christopher Dendy from Faith North, AngelVilla from the Prep Academy, Tristin Hunter from Capitol and Diana Romero from Shaw.

JR ACE SUMMER PROGRAM

Achieving a College Education Program (ACE) is a nationally recognized program; the program is designed to help students make a smooth transition from high school through community college and on to a university and completion of a bachelor's degree.

Phoenix College JR ACE targets students entering 7th, 8th, 9th, and 10th grade who are interested in taking Math, Science or Technology, Engineeing class and a College Survival course. JR ACE is a five week program that runs for the first summer session. Students can earn 3 college credits. The program is design to expose students to those core areas and devclop academic skils needed for college and university success.

Please encourage and support your student in apply for this awesome educational opportunity.

Applications are due TUESDAY, January 20. Please contact any staff member if assistance is needed in completing applications.

The Great Egg Drop

A two-person team constructed a package to protect an egg (from breaking) that was dropped free fall from roof of cafeteria. The students were responsible for the egg during loading, dropping, and unloading. The package was constructed with the following items:
-2-sheet of 8x11 paper
-1m –masking tape
-50cm –string
-15-straws
-6-rubber bands
Students had 30 minutes to complete task.

Check out the The Great Egg Drop video. http://alpskids.blogspot.com/

3rd Grade 1st Trimester Culminating Activities

Our 3rd grade ALPS students used their research skills to learn all about the Olympic Games and Olympians. On Monday(11/3), they presented their Power Point Presentations and then participated in their own Olympic events. Enjoy the video of their activities below.

Tai Chi

Guest speaker teaches ALPS 6th graders the basic movements of Tai Chi. The students later had an opportunity to make and enjoy some traditional Chinese foods.

Dunbar and ALPS students Taylor Cheatham, Itzany Mendez, Ramon Santos and Brian Varela are both science investigators and podcasters. Thanks to teachers Helen Rentz, Jordan Osinski and Joan Howell, as well as John Kain(Instructor Technology), these student podcasters had the opportunity to work with Dr.Biology in the ASU School of Life Sciences.

The students selected different topics to investigate including farms, desert plants, bird feathers and cancer. These students are winners of the first "Ask a Biologist" podcast contest, and they were chosen based on their vocal skills, curiosity and creativity by the panel of judges.

As director of technology integration and outreach in the ASU School of Life Sciences, Dr. Biology created "Ask a Biologist," the innovative K-12 children's science education Web site, to provide answers to the puzzled, perplexed and just plain curious. As its host Dr. Biology, a Web persona created by Charles Kazilek, he has interpreted more than 20,000 queries in the last 10year. Visit http://www.askabiologist.asu.edu to hear the podcasts.

ALPS Kids Blog

The fifth graders have been researching and studying "Founding Fathers" this trimester. The students used the information they've learned to create an awesome podcast. A big thank-you to John Kain for working with our 5th graders. Checkout our "Future Founding Fathers" here http://alpskids.blogspot.com/2008/09/weird-interview-with-mr-washington.html