2016 Parent Institute

Parent Institute 2016 Registration Still Open!

AAGT's Parents Institute is a one day event geared towards the needs of Arizona's parents of gifted and talented children. Our goal is to advocate, educate, and communication on behalf of gifted learners in the state of Arizona!  Our keynote speaker is Paul Beljan of Beljan Psychological Services. Adult Registration: $25 for Members/$35 for Non-Members. Lunch is included for adults. The K-8 Student Enrichment Program is still open for registration as well! $25 per child. Students must bring a bag lunch. Register Here! https://aagt.wildapricot.org/event-2269432 Aviador Español Disponible! Spanish PI flyer.pdf

Welcome Back! Thursday's Group

Welcome Back

ALPS BEGINS TUESDAY, AUGUST 9

Welcome to the start of another great ALPS school year here at Monterey Park. The ALPS Team  is back and ready to challenge, inspire, and motivate our students to make this their best academic year.

Monterey Park Learning Center-2301 N Third Street-Phoenix 85004-(602) 257-6342

Pictorial Review of School Year 2015-2016

Click on picture to view .

Take the 2015-2016 Parent Survey

Each year we ask parents to complete a survey about our gifted and talented program. Your participation is needed with providing  feedback regarding ALPS. Please may time to complete the  survey as soon as possible (click on picture below). 

Thank you in advance for completing.  Your opinions will help our program grow and make the ALPS Program even better for the Phoenix Elementary Community. 

ALPS Cancelled: May 3 & 5

ALPS will be cancelled the week of May 2 due to Galileo Post Benchmark Assessment.
Classes will resume Tuesday,  May 9. 

 We  have field trips planned for April 19(Desert Botanical Gardens)  & April 21 (Mystery Castle).   Permission slips need to be returned on or before field trip date.  We are in need of parent volunteers, please let us know if you can join us! 

Items students need:

1. Sunblock/Hat
2. Water
3. Comfortable Shoes

1-3^rd and 6-7^th grade parents – Ms. Dennis and I are in the midst of the points of pride unit, students are creating poetry and art to reflect some of Phoenix’s many points of pride.  We are encouraging students to visit these locations with their families during their free time.  Some of the locations we are covering are the Japanese Friendship Garden, Botanical Garden, Mystery Castle, and Camelback Mountain. 

4-5^th and 8^th parents – Ms. Hecht and Ms. Baer are also working on the Points of Pride unit.  They are encouraging all students to visit Phoenix’s points of pride locations throughout Phoenix.  Some of the points of pride include South Mountain, Botanical Garden, ASU, Tovrea Castle, Mystery Castle, Phoenix Zoo, Camelback Mountain, plus many others. 

7^th grade parents only – Paper application were given to students interested in applying for the Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship.  Application are due to the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation on or before April 15.  The ALPS Program is not affiliated with this organization, but we feel that many students would benefit from the technology and support it provides through high school. Applications are  also available online.

ALPS Classes Cancelled

ALPS classes are cancelled the week of March 28 due to AzMERIT Testing.  Classes will resume the week of April 4.

Join us for Parent Night/Open House

ALPS Student is 1st Runner Up in District's Annual Spelling Bee

ALPS student Paul Montoya (5th grade) from Magnet Traditional School competed recently in the district's annual spelling  bee in which he was the First Runner-Up in this year's competition.  Paul advances to the Regional Bee March 19.  Congratulations and Best of Wish for the upcoming competition. 

Congratulations to the following ALPS students who also participated in this year's competition:

• Stephany Reyna-Capitol
• Lizabeth Meza Chavez- Heard
• Amelia Reyes-Kenilwoth
• Daisy Ontiveros Carrizal-Magnet Traditional

Paul and Daisy

FREE Technology Workshop

FREE Event Satruday forAdults-Kids-Families

The University of Arizona (UA), in partnership with COX Communications, presents Connect2STEM 2016 — a family friendly event celebrating Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and Medicine. STEM enthusiasts have the opportunity to interact with 100+ tables of hands-on science activities. The first event drew more than 2,000 children and families.

The UA’s second annual Connect2STEM event is free and will take place from   10 a.m. – 3 p.m. on Saturday, January 9, 2016, at the UA College of Medicine – Phoenix, which is located downtown at 550 E. Van Buren Street (5th St. and Van Buren). The event takes place just blocks away from the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship football festivities.

Developing Critical Thinking at Home

Parents can foster critical thinking at home by asking questions that lack a single correct answer.  The questions should be asked casually as part of a conversation, rather than a quizzing manner.
If you child is interested in social issues, then engage him or her in thoughtful discussions about them.  The personality and interests of children are the keys in interacting with them and addressing critical thinking at home. 
Parents can demonstrate critical thinking by pondering aloud the most efficient way to do household chores considering the most economical purchase to make at the grocery store, monitoring your progress toward your personal goals, or approaching social issues in your community.  Describing how you think and solve problems is the best way for you to instill similar thinking patterns in your children.
Children are naturally inquisitive and with encouragement they can develop critical thinking skills that will serve them throughout their lives.  It only takes time and encouragement.

Family event features hands-on exploration activities with Earth and space scientists

WHAT
ASU's School of Earth and Space Exploration's annual Earth and Space Exploration Day - This annual event, hosted by Arizona State University's School of Earth and Space Exploration, has experienced remarkable growth over the past several years. Staffed by the school's faculty, researchers and students, the event is an opportunity for children and the general public to engage with scientists and researchers one-on-one or in small group settings. Earth and Space Exploration Day is one of the school's most visible efforts to increase science literacy in Arizona.

WHEN
Saturday, Nov. 7, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

WHERE
Arizona State University Tempe campus - Interdisciplinary Science and Technology Building IV (ISTB 4) - located on the corner of McAllister Ave. and Terrace Rd.

WEBSITE
http://sese.asu.edu/earth-and-space-exploration-day

DETAILS
Earth and Space Exploration day is a free annual fall event hosted by the School of Earth and Space Exploration (SESE) on ASU's Tempe campus inside/outside ISTB 4. The SESE community offers special science-related activities from 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. for students age five and up, families, educators and anyone interested in exploring Earth and space alongside real scientists. One of the biggest attractions is ISTB 4 with its Gallery of Scientific Exploration offering a variety of interactive exhibits and the Marston Exploration Theater, which will be running 3-D astronomy shows throughout the day. Visitors can see a replica of Curiosity rover, explore Tempe Butte on a guided field trip, pan for gold, watch science demos, dig for meteorites, bring rock samples for Dr. Rock to examine and so much more! Dr. Rock will be available to analyze rock samples and children are encouraged to bring samples from their backyard for analysis.

A list of activities is available on the event's website:
http://sese.asu.edu/earth-and-space-exploration-day.

Pre-registration is encouraged to ensure that visitors are able to secure tickets for the astronomy shows and other ticketed activities. Public parking is free in any ASU lot south of University Avenue on Nov. 10. The most convenient parking is available in the Rural Road parking structure (#4) on Lemon St. and Rural Rd., and the Tyler Street parking structure (#2) on the corner of Tyler Street and McAlister. A parking map is available at: www.asu.edu/map.

Practices for Advance Learning

Classroom Practices for Advancing Learning

 

¨ Create an open environment

¨ Use flexible instructional groups

¨ Include multiple approaches to information

¨ Use multiple learning modes

¨ Be aware of student strengths

¨ Use humor (not sarcasm)

¨ Draw on multiple and varied resources

¨ Build an inquisitive atmosphere

¨ Encourage acceptance of  diversity (in people and ideas)

¨ Provide independent and small group instruction

¨ Teach and use research skills

Higher Level Thinking

· Encourage students to challenge what they read and write about it.

· Ask students if they can think of a “new way” or combine two products to create a “new product”

· Suggest that students self-evaluate what they learned from their project before they turn it in for grading

· Focus on giving students open ended tasks that require them to think about what might come next.

Night at the Museum (Musical Instrument Museum)

 

Celebrate Phoenix Elementary Night at the Musical Instrument Museum!

Click here for additional information.