This Week in Challenge
Week of December 2nd
Hello Cranial Connections!
Metagcognition
How do we think about thinking?
Giftedness
What does it mean to be gifted?
Our Brain
What makes the human brain unique?
This week we are watching the animation that is linked to the above title in class. Younger students sorted growth and fixed mindset statements and older students wrote their own. Growth mindset is a way of teaching our children how to handle challenges we will face in school and in life. In the words of Josh Waitzkin- "The moment we believe that success is determined by ingrained level of ability, we will be brittle in the face of adversity."
Looking for Summer Activities? Check out the summer program expo.
Last year, Challenge students absolutely loved learning about computer programming with code.org. The website has a new "Hour of Code" initiative you can sign up for from home. This week and next week we will explore code using their new Star Wars theme. If your child is new to Challenge this year and is interested in enrolling in the full courses for programming send us an email and we will set up an account for you.
We Are Almost Ready for Cranial Connections!
So many of you have asked if there is anything you could provide to enhance our Challenge day experience! We have listed some items that we will be using during our Unit Two projects. We truly appreciate ANYTHING you donate and please never feel obligated to provide something from the list. If you would like to donate a sheep brain dissection kit, I have included the link to order them below. The sheep brain kits will last up to a year in dry storage so you can order those right away. You are welcome to have them shipped directly to the school in care of my name or you can leave the box with the front office.
"This Week in Challenge"...
Please remember to sign and return your child's "This Week in Challenge" form. Shannon and I grade your child weekly on his or her performance in class. It is important to review this information with your child each week. Your signature lets us know that you've looked at your child's grade. We store these pages in our student data binders and use them to record grades on your child's Challenge report card. Please let us know if you have questions after reviewing your child's weekly grades. Thank you!
Just some early planning...
Special thanks to Laura Kirkham for volunteering to organize a trip to TAMU Sea Camp this summer. If you are interested in having your child attend a Sea Camp experience visit our website www.kdechallenge.org and click the "Sea Camp" tab. This page is password protected. You will need to enter the password "challengeparent" to gain access to the page. There, you can look at the experiences that may be available next summer. Use the contact form on that page to let Laura know that you are interested in having your child attend as part of the Challenge group. Please list your top two choices for a Sea Camp experience under the comments section. This is not a school sanctioned field trip. This will be organized by a private group of Challenge parents (including you, if you so choose). You will be responsible for providing transportation to and from Sea Camp Kids. You also have the option of registering individually to have your child attend Sea Camp Kids.
Reminders:
*If your child does not travel to Challenge with his or her backpack then please have him or her bring a separate small bag. Reusable grocery bags work well for this purpose.
*We will begin using devices weekly in Challenge in October. If your child has a device for his or her use please send it on Challenge day.
Contact Us
Email: sharonlclark@katyisd.org
Website: kdechallenge.org
Location: 26906 Pine Mill Ranch Drive, Katy, TX, United States
Phone: (281) 234-2577