Dogwood Elementary School loves the Gifted and Talented Program! Why? Because all kids need access to a challenging curriculum! They need opportunities for small group instruction and a chance to collaborate and engage with peers that often have similar pursuits!

Of course, what the other staff at Dogwood and I think is not what is important. Instead, let's hear what our students who directly benefit from this program have to say!

Amy: The GT program teaches us new stuff. We learned how to multiply 3-digit by 3-digit problems, which helped me in our math challenges.

James: I learned how to solve my own problems. I can solve things on my own without asking a teacher for help.

Arlo: We completed a computer escape room, and I learned how to be a self-advocate.

Oliver: I learned about engineering.

We appreciate our GT services.

There’s No Owner’s Manual! Best advice would be to let the child be a child. Gifted does not mean being better than anyone else. The ‘gift’ in ‘giftedness’ means the ‘potential.’ These are some points that are addressed in this episode. Want to learn more? Then pull up a comfy seat and listen to this podcast.

This month all grades are reviewing their competencies. The competencies are the social skills we have been working on with your child. The strategies behind the competencies are growth mindset, advocacy, goal setting, and success criteria. We developed the competencies to help our students be lifelong persevering learners. While the bulk of our lessons have focused on problem solving and thinking, these competencies have been embedded in many lessons. Below are the competencies for each grade level:

During TCAP time, GT Coaches will not be pulling students into their groups. However, students will still have access to all our course materials and will be given asynchronous lessons which will continue to push their thinking. Students can communicate with their coach through Canvas, should they have questions. We will be checking in with our kiddos to see how they are doing throughout testing.

A three-act task is a mathematical task consisting of three distinct parts: an engaging and perplexing Act One, an information and solution-seeking Act Two, and a solution discussion and solution-revealing Act Three. Here are some that you could try out with your child.