The Nina Mason Pulliam Rio Salado Audubon Center provides a gateway into the 600 acre Rio Salado Habitat Restoration Area. A verdant jewel offering great wildlife viewing opportunities just mimutes from downtown Phoenix. During our trip the students enjoyed hands-on exploration of the birds and insects that pollinate our piece of the Sonoran Desert. Photos

Our night camp adventures included up-close interactions with animals, hands-on activities and night hikes, snacks, breakfast and more. Our overnight night camp adventure included a guided trail hike, up-close animal encounters, engaging activities and games, We had an unique opportunity to experience the zoo when the nocturnal animals are waking up at night and the diurnal animals are waking up in the morning.
Click here to see more photo

Water is one of our trimester's unit of study. The students are learning the various sources of water within our environment and the states of water as it moves throught out the cycle.
Students in grades 1-6 recently took a field trip to Arizona Falls. They compared how early pioneers in the Phoenix area made use of the area to how it is presently used. Prior to the field trip students learned that Arizona Falls is considered a renewable energy resource. They also learned the historical significance of canals and how water moves through the turbine to generate electricity. AZ Falls photos

Common Gifted Education Myths
Myth: That student can’t be gifted; he’s receiving poor grades
Truth: Underachievement describes a discrepancy between a student’s performance and his actual ability. The roots of this problem differ, based on each child’s experiences. Gifted students may become bored or frustrated in an unchallenging classroom situation causing them to lose interest, learn bad study habits, or distrust the school environment. Other students may mask their abilities to try to fit in socially with their same-age peers. No matter the cause, it is imperative that a caring and perceptive adult help gifted learners break the cycle of underachievement in order to achieve their full potential. See ERIC digests on underachievement in gifted boys; underachievement of minority students.

Myth: This child can’t be gifted, he/she has a Disability
Truth: Some gifted students also have learning or other disabilities. These “twice-exceptional” students often go undetected in regular classrooms because their disability and gifts mask each other, making them appear “average.” Other twice-exceptional students are identified as having a learning disability and as a result, are not considered for gifted services. In both cases, it is important to focus on the students’ abilities and allow them to have challenging curricula in addition to receiving help for their learning disability.

Myth: Gifted students are happy, popular, and well adjusted in school
Truth: Many gifted students flourish in their community and school environment. However, some gifted children differ in terms of their emotional and moral intensity, sensitivity to expectations and feelings, perfectionism, and deep concerns about societal problems. Others do not share interests with their classmates, resulting in isolation or being labeled unfavorably as a “nerd.” Because of these difficulties, the school experience is one to be endured rather than celebrated. It is estimated that 20 to 25% of gifted children have social and emotional difficulties, about twice as many as in the general population of studen

EXTRA! EXTRA! READ ALL ABOUT IT!
Our neighborhood mural is featured in The F.Q. Story's newsletter.
Thanks Mr. Williams and students for all your hard work and creativity.

1625 N Central Avenue
Phoenix, AZ 85004

Wednesday, May 11
5:00 P.M. -7:00 P.M.

ALPS

Please join all ALPS Families for a Free Fun Family Night at the Phoenix Art Museum.
Let your child give you a guided tour.
Hands-on class will be offering during this event for visitors between the ages 12-21.

Community Mural Project.. (week 1)

Mr. Williams and the ALPS students designed and implemented this mural. The students are enjoying using their gifts and talents to beautify our community .

see more photos.

ALPS studnets at the City of Phoenix's Annual El Dia De Los Ninos Children’s Festival held at Hance Park last Friday. The students were host for our district's booth which highlighted the digital historical timeline the ALPS students have been working on this school year.

Our Garden is beginning to mature. The new sprouting will be a welcome surpise for the students return on Tuesday. Click here fore more photoshttp://alpsmp.tumblr.com/

ALPS students plotting and planting commuity garden. Click on photo to see additional photos.

Thank you to all who visited ALPS during our recent Open House! We enjoyed visiting with all of you.

Please visit us again and we hope you will not hesitate to contact us with any additional questions or concerns you may have.

Thank you for spending your Wednesday evening with us!

Click on picture to see more photos..

Our 7th & 8th graders are participating in a short literacy unit using the book Seedfolks. It introduces students to various elements of narrative writing, including: plot, point of view, first-person narrative, conflict and resolution. The students will engage in issues of diversity, acceptance, and community involvement.
This unit of study will have the ALPS students reviving our gardens beds at Monterey Park. We are in need of the following donations:
• Gardening hand tools
• Seeds(vegetables & flower)
• Garden gloves
• Plastic milk and soda bottles
• Coffee cans
Our students will learn firsthand about plants, planting and harvesting, how to care from plants and more. They will gain pride as they work with their school community to create a place of pride and accomplishment.

Congratulations!

ALPS Students Alex(fourth from left)Capitol School and Chaisty,(second from right) Herrera School recently competed in the District's Annual Spelling Bee.

Ken Robinson: Changing Education Paradigms

Click on this link to view this wonderful animated video which highlight the changes in education.

Smart Boys by Dr. Sanford J. Cohn
Parents of Gifted Middle School Children Seminar Series
Jan. 12, 6-7:30 p.m.
Mary Lou Fulton Teachers College
CLCC 299, ASU West campus

Smart boys are often ignored, as they are already doing above
average work. In the absence of appropriate learning opportunities,
these boys find avenues for learning outside of school; most
often, they retreat to their computers. In this session, Dr. Cohn describes some of the
problems gifted boys face in school and how we might improve
schooling for them.

Sanford J. Cohn, Ph.D., is a professor in ASU’s Mary Lou Fulton
Teachers College. He has co-authored with Barbara A. Kerr,
“Smart Boys: Talent, Manhood, and the Search for Meaning,” coedited
with William C. George and Julian C. Stanley, “Educating
the Gifted: Acceleration and Enrichment,” and written numerous
publications that provide understanding of the needs of intellectual
youths. Dr. Cohn is a psychologist in Arizona with a clinical
practice devoted to highly able youths and their families.

Open to Public
Event contact information:
herbergeracademy@asu.edu
602-543-8274
http://education.asu.edu/content/gary-k-herberger-young-scholars-academy

Valley Dish-Kid Reporter

ALPS student Mark from Faith North is a featured reporter on valley televison show. Great job Mark!

November 30-December 17

Your student has the power to transform his or her community.

We understand that our students will be future leaders of the world. We believe our students need to understand the immediate needs for their commuities. As a members of the community, ALPS students will be participating in a food drive to help community members who are in need this holiday season. Each day students will bring non-perishable food items to school or money to donate to a local food bank.

We are finalizing graphics for our historical timeline. The students have begun incorporating multimedia into final product. We continue to find amazing discoveries.
Did you know that in 1918 ALL the schools were closed for two months due to the Spanish Flu Epidemic?
Look for a sneak preview of our final project in January.

Your assistance is needed in reminding students of their commitment to:
• Attend the ALPS program weekly
• Be responsible for completing the material, homework, and tests covered in the
regular classroom as well as complete all ALPS work and activities

THE OFRENDA
November 1-5
ALPS will be celebrating Dias De Los Muertos (Day of the Dead). As part of this unique learning celebration students will be creating poetry, storytelling, geography, skull mathematics, and designing sugar skulls.
As a school, students will build an Ofrenda.

Students are encouraged to bring a personal item for the Ofrenda. Everyone will be given their mementos back.

Your assistance is need in providing one or more of the following items for this activity:
• Apples
• Bananas
• Chocolate
• Corn
• Oranges
• Pumpkins-Squash
• Toys
• Loteria (Mexican Bingo)
• Nuts
• Photo of a Deceased Relative
• Personal Mementos

Some Signs that Your Student May be Gifted

Gifted children typically like to play with words. They may enjoy creating rhymes or retelling stories. They may begin to create poems and stories at a seemingly very young age.

Many gifted children learn to read on their own. They have a strong imagination and may have imaginary friends.

Gifted children often have a strong sense of humor. They may understand jokes and humor that other children their age do not understand.

Gifted children may have a desire to play with and interact with older children. They get along with adults. However they are also content working alone.

Gifted children often gain a quicker understanding of time than other children. They may become interested in clocks and calendars and other time concepts at an early age.

Gifted children may develop some other concepts quicker than other children. For example they may understand cause and effect at an earlier age than their peers. They also have a stronger grasp on abstract thinking.

OPEN HOUSE
Tuesday, September 7, 2010
5:00 P.M. -7:00 P.M.

Our Open House provides a great opportunity to see the campus,
meet with faculty, and hear about our program.
Teachers, Students, and Parents
are encouraged to attend.

ALPS Classes begin this Week.

SCHOOL - Pickup Time

MONDAY
Lowell 8:40
Garfield 8:50
Shaw 8:40
Faith North 8:50

TUESDAY
Kenilworth 8:50
Capitol 8:40
Bethune 8:50

THURSDAY
Herrera 8:40
Edison 8:50
Whittier 8:40
Emerson 8:50

FRIDAY
Heard 8:40
Magnet 8:50
Dunbar 8:40

1st-4th Grade Field Trip-May 18, 2010
Sea Life Arizona is an awesome place for students to discover, explore, and learn. Students meet creatures of the ocean deep and learned how to maintain this precious world for future generations. The students enjoyed interactive attractions. SEA LIFE Arizona offers a sea of change from the classroom and textbooks.