The 4th grade book club read Smile. Then we chose a topic that related to the novel. The main character played the flute. One of the students chose to research playing the flute. She presented her new knowledge to our group by making a sculpture.

We also read Lucky Strike. The secondary character built her own weather station so that she would know when was the best time to help the sea turtle hatchlings. One of our students built her own weather station and shared her research with us.

We also read Fearless. One student designed a game show asking complex questions about the text. We had buzzers and had an electronic scoreboard.

Hip Hip Hooray, 4th grade Book Club!

Four of our 5th grade students took the CogAT Challenge Test in an effort to be accepted into the district Challenge Program. They all did fantastic and best of all — had fun doing it.

Enrichment students were invited to participate in a Limerick Longhaul Challenge. We had to write one limerick for each of these animal groups: mammal, reptile, amphibian, avian, fish.

Here are 3 of the best:

We had our first annual Haiku Diary Challenge for all enrichment Book Club members. We had 13 entries submitted in time. These students range from 3rd-5th grade. Here are some of the highlights:

Changes over Time

As we continue to discuss our universal theme of change, we are noticing that you can make positive changes in your community no matter what your age.

Take Sophie from upstate New York. She sat with her grandfather during his chemotherapy treatments. She noticed how bored everyone was. So she started, Sophie’s Bags. She collects blankets, fuzzy socks, water bottles, crossword puzzles, magazines, and snacks to help the chemo treatments feel shorter for cancer patients.

Nine-year-old Isaac Winfield used his birthday money to start a food bank. His family even built him a greenhouse with lights in order to store items. He has now been distributing food to the needy for two years. Some folks even come to his home to receive a box of food. A YouTuber donated a van so it is easier to deliver the goods. For his 11th birthday he asked only for food donations.

Wow! What can you do to help your community?

Third graders in the Enrichment Book Club created posters to go with presentations about one aspect of the book they read together.

by Christena Nelson

Gifted and Talented Teacher

2nd Grade CogAT is approaching. CogAT stands for Cognitive Abilities Test. The State of Colorado requires all 2nd grade students to take this test. Why? Because it provides excellent data about how each individual learns. On September 27, second grade students were given a practice packet to help them prepare for the test. They do not have to bring the packet back to school.

3rd Grade We have several book groups going all at once. One group finished Hatchet and they are working on a variety of applicable projects from ‘How to make a Hatchet,’ to ‘Heart Attacks.’ Another group read a book about a bilingual cat! They finished their projects on Spanish and Maine Coon Cats. We just started another book club that is reading Gooseberry Park. A Chocolate Lab is the hero of that one.

3rd Grade Math group learned how to solve 3 x 3 KenKens, are working on equivalent fractions, and have solved many riddles using deductive thinking.

4th Grade Our book club is reading Lost Star, The Story of Amelia Earhart. We are researching the language pilots need to use and how someone becomes a pilot. We are now tracking several characters in The Tale of Despereaux.

4th Grade Math group has solved many difficult brainteasers, 4 x 4 KenKens, and Problems of the Week. We had to decipher numbers using clues, and learned a lot about polygons.

For creativity, we created a gross pizza and added a lot of extra information to the nursery rhyme, Old Mother Hubbard.

5th Grade Book Club is just finishing The Westing Game. We loved the twist at the end! We are researching CSI and other crime-solving tactics.

5th Grade Math made puzzles for 4th grade to solve. We worked on finding square roots. But our favorite so far was very complicated order of operations problems.

Parents of students in enrichment- don’t forget to stop by the GT room when you come for conferences. Your child has a portfolio they will explain.

By Christena Nelson

Gifted & Talented Teacher

Our district Gifted and Talented department has a new universal theme this year — Change over Time.

Change over Time focuses students on how an idea, topic, person, or event has changed over time. Was the change good for everyone involved? Did the change hurt individuals, society, or nature?

Consider the changes that came with COVID-19 and the lockdowns. Many families reported that their time with their family was precious and brought them closer together. Other families experienced more grief when they were unable to visit relatives in the hospital.

Ask your children how routines at school have changed this year versus last year. How has their knowledge of a topic changed from this week compared to last?

More importantly – ask them what this quote from Gandhi means to them, “Be the change you wish to see in the world.