Gifted and Talented Newsletter
Welcome to School Year 20/21!
Welcome to a New Year!
Hello Students and Families!
I am excited to continue as your gifted and talented teacher and resource coordinator this school year. This is my third year in this role and eleventh year as a teacher at OVCA and ISOK. I started my career in the high school at OVCA and have taught several courses including: English, PE, history, photography, journalism, and more. I was the English Department Chair for many years and also worked to earn a master's degree in online education and earned a principal/leadership certification beyond my master's degree. In addition to being your teacher, I am currently working as an adjunct professor to support virtual education across America. I love teaching online and love being able to share that passion with others. I also love being able to teach students at OVCA and ISOK and look forward to supporting students and families this school year.
I put together this video to help you get to know me a little better. I have three children that are 10, 15, and 18 this year. I have been married to my husband, Beau, for 20 years. I enjoy creating art, hiking, riding my bike, swimming in the neighborhood pool, walking my dogs, playing the piano, reading, writing, and spending time with my family. I love photography and take lots of pictures of my kids. I also enjoy learning and work towards learning something new every day. I consider myself a minimalist, which helps me stay organized and on task. I have used a lot of my time at home during Covid 19 to clean and organize my home and I'm hoping that it stays fairly uncluttered throughout the school year.
As a gifted teacher, I am a member of the National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) and the Oklahoma Association for the Gifted, Creative, & Talented (OAGCT). I complete regular professional developments geared towards the development of gifted students and have completed regular book studies to support gifted learners and families, including: -Giftedness 101 by Linda Kreger Silverman
-Handbook of Giftedness in Children by Steven I. Pfeiffer
I also completed these professional learning courses offered by The University of Central Oklahoma: "The Principals Role in Gifted Education" and "Issues in Identification."
I have a collection of resources that I share with gifted families regularly that you will find in this newsletter each month. These resources are geared towards helping parents support their gifted learners. I would encourage all parents to become members of the National Association of Gifted Children (NAGC) in order to gain access to their publication "Parenting for High Potential" along with other important resources and information.
Parents, please know that I am here to support your students with their academic development as well as their social/emotional well-being. SENG offers a lot of great resources to help parents support social/emotional health in gifted students. I would encourage you to check this site regularly for articles that might be specific to your student and reach out to me anytime you need support.
As the school year begins, I will be working on individual learning plans for students and will reach out to each family individually to discuss your student's interests and needs. We will work together to create a plan for your student's academic success at OVCA or ISOK.
I look forward to a great school year!
Holly Wyers
August Enrichment Bingo!
Enrichment Bingo provides options for you and your students throughout each month. These activities are designed by grade-level, range across all subject-areas, provide hands-on activities, and support fun/interactive learning at home.
August Enrichment Bingo Links by Grade-Level:
Art in August!
This month, we are celebrating artists in our gifted program! Get your creative juices flowing and create an individual "ANYTHING" masterpiece. Yes, I said, "anything"! You can use any medium and create any piece of art that you choose.
Mediums: paint, pencil, colored pencils, markers, crayons, clay, digital art, etc... You can use any paper, poster, or board.
Create your own theme! Make something that means a lot to you and make a theme to go with it. Art can be an inspiration to yourself and others, so choosing a theme can be a fun part of creating your project. A theme is an overall meaning or universal idea expressed in your art. Learn more about themes in art from the Smithsonian!
You can submit your art project to our OVCA and ISOK art contest form. Entries due by August 31st at midnight. All artwork will be featured in our October newsletter and students will be recognized at each grade-band: K-2, 3-5, 6-8, and 9-12. In addition, certificates will be emailed to students.
Resources to help your student learn and grow in art:
Kennedy Center: Arts Edge Lesson Plans in Art
If you love art and want to start earning scholarships and cash for college, you may want to check out art competitions in 2020.
Prufrock Press - Gifted Eduction Resources
Gifted Kids Book and Resources
Your Gifted Student's Emotional Needs are Important
Kits Delivered to Your Home!
Kits Delivered to Your Home!
There are several programs that send hands-on kits in science, engineering, coding, and art that families can purchase.
KiwiCo: You will receive a $10 discount when you purchase kits through this link: Engineering and Art Kits
Steve Spangler Science: Science Kits
BitBox: This is a great program for purchase that teaches coding in a unique way. For a monthly fee, you can receive a box with instructional resources that guides your child through coding his/her own projects. You can receive your first project through email for free! Check out BitBox
Fun Financial Learning At - Home!
Families now have access to free tools to help their children learn about responsible personal finance.
The Oklahoma Council on Economic Education has produced a variety of learning tools you can download and use with your children, including activities, games, worksheets and recommended reading material.
Financial literacy is an area parents and teachers can begin discussing with their students as early as elementary school, and OCEE has provided materials for every grade group:
You can download the documents on their website and sign up for their newsletter for additional resources.
Write the World Competition
Each month Write the World holds a new competition for writers ages 13-18, developed around a particular idea or genre of writing, such as poetry, fantasy, sports journalism, or flash fiction. Competitions encourage students to dig deeper into the writing process, try out new genres, and share their work with a sea of eager readers.
And because a first draft is never perfect, students have the chance to receive peer and expert feedback before submitting their final piece.
2019-2020 Topics:
- November: Novel
- December: Creative Nonfiction (December Reflection)
- January: Writing for Children
- February: Environmental Journalism
- March: Op-Ed
- April: Poetry & Spoken Word
- May: One-Act Play
- June: Creative Nonfiction (Food)
- July: Sports
- August: Flash Fiction
- PDF of all the topics
What's Different about Write the World Competitions?
- Free Entry and Cash Prizes: The winning entrant receives $100, and the runner-up and best peer-reviewer receive $50.
- Professional Recognition: All three winners will be featured on our blog, with commentary from our guest judge.
John Hopkins Center for Talented Youth
Mensa for Kids
National Association for Gifted Children
K12 Clubs!
K-8 Coding with CSFirst!
Elementary, Middle, and High School Coding!
Enjoy learning all about coding at code.org.
- Elementary Class Code: SKQHSN
- Middle School Class Code: BZXTHM
- High School Class Code: HCPBCR
Scratch Coding!
Get Epic!
This is a free reading site (during school hours only) that will allow your elementary students to have fun with reading. This is a great site that I highly recommend you utilize during school hours: https://www.getepic.com/app/profile-select
Class Code: nnm9448
ACT Prep
There is something for all grade-levels on this ACT Prep Site.
You can also check out the SAT/ACT prep on Khan Academy.
IMPORTANT - Middle and High School Students Start Planning for Your Future and Set Goals!
Duke Talent Search for 4-6th and 7th Grade Students
TIP’s 4th–6th Grade Talent Search
By joining the 4th–6th Grade Talent Search, students gain access to TIP’s support, resources, and community. Enrichment activities, optional testing, and other benefits help participants discover their talents, develop essential skills, and take pride in their accomplishments.
4-6th: https://tip.duke.edu/programs/4th-6th-grade-talent-search
7th Grade: https://tip.duke.edu/programs/7th-grade-talent-search
Applications will open soon and will close by October. Please apply for your students quickly. Please email Mrs. Wyers if you need a form to show that you are reduced lunch eligible, which will qualify your student to be admitted to the program for free.
Please let me know if you have questions or need help with the application process.
CLEP Testing
What is CLEP?
CLEP (the College-Level Examination Program®) offers 34 exams that cover intro-level college course material. With a passing score on one CLEP exam, you could earn three or more college credits at more than 2,900 U.S. colleges and universities.
CLEP was created to help individuals with prior knowledge in a college course subject earn their degree efficiently and inexpensively. That prior learning could have taken place through advanced high school courses, independent reading and study, online courseware or textbooks, noncredit courses, or on-the-job training.
Key CLEP Facts:
- Students take CLEP exams on a computer at official CLEP test centers.
- CLEP exams contain multiple-choice questions.
- CLEP exams take about 90–120 minutes to complete, depending on the exam subject.
- CLEP exams are offered year-round at more than 2,000 CLEP test centers across the country.
- Students receive their CLEP exam scores immediately after completing the exam (except for College Composition and Spanish with Writing).
- More than 2,900 U.S. colleges and universities grant credit for CLEP.
The above information was taken from the CLEP Website
Please visit this site to learn more about CLEP testing and to determine if this is a good option for you.
Holly Wyers, Gifted and Talented Resource Coordinator
Email: hwyers@okvirtual.org
Website: https://hwyers.wixsite.com/ovca-gifted-talented
Phone: 405-259-9478 2076
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1028292917205902/
Additional Resources available to families due to COVID-19 school closures:
There are a lot of resources that are coming available to families due to the switch to online schooling across the nation, this list is geared towards getting these resources in your hands. I will add sites to this list as I learn about them. Please feel free to reach out to me if you need help filling a specific need for your student, but you don't see what you need in this list or newsletter.
Parent Support for Online Learning Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/SupportforOnlineLearning/
All Subjects:
Study Island: https://www.studyisland.com/
Fun at Home: https://www.breakoutedu.com/funathome
Wide Open School: https://wideopenschool.org/
Adventure Academy (not free, but discounted): https://www.adventureacademy.com/reactivation/
Khan Academy (All Subjects and SAT Prep): https://www.khanacademy.org/
Khan Academy for Kids: https://learn.khanacademy.org/khan-academy-kids/
IXL Learning path for Families: https://www.ixl.com/inspiration/family-learning
Games: http://www.sheppardsoftware.com/
KidsDiscover: https://online.kidsdiscover.com/
Math:
Dreambox: https://www.dreambox.com/
Math Prodigy: https://www.prodigygame.com/
K-5 Math Learning: https://www.splashlearn.com/
Reading:
Big Universe: Available in the OLS, but also here for free: https://start.k12.com/national.html?st=big-universe&_ga=2.241358210.143119634.1585197645-947614206.1568660347
ReadWorks: https://www.readworks.org/
Free Reading Support Sites: https://hwyers.wixsite.com/bisonreading/reading
Reading Rockets: https://www.readingrockets.org/teaching/reading-basics/phonics
Reading Comprehension: https://www.raz-plus.com/ Free Trial
Read and Play: https://geronimostilton.com/US-en/home/
Scholastic Learn at Home: https://classroommagazines.scholastic.com/support/learnathome.html
ReadWorks: https://www.readworks.org/
Story Time: https://www.storylineonline.net/
History and Social Studies:
Oklahoma History: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/states/oklahoma/
Virtual Field Trips: https://www.weareteachers.com/best-virtual-field-trips/
Native Americans: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/explore/native-americans/
Science:
Mystery Science: https://mysteryscience.com/school-closure-planning?from=mysterydoug-landing-banner
NASA for Kids: https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/
Exercise:
Activity and Exercise – young kids: https://www.gonoodle.com/
Batman Workout: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1S5ZXCFdbXND48Z0V9KVKgw0oYZW3tw1e2jkFROhQE6Y/present#slide=id.g63e5f90e4_0_0
Fitness Blender: https://www.fitnessblender.com/
Book Corner!
I will be adding great books to read for kids, tweens, teens, and young adults. These are books that I have read and loved. I hope you find something interesting here to read as well!
Do you have a book that you want to share with others? Complete this survey with a review of the book and I will add it to our "book corner."
Happy Reading!