SCPS Middle School Focus Newsletter
January 2022
From the Desk of Dr. Fellinger - Adaptive Giftedness and the Power of the Mind (a three part video series by Lisa VanGemert, GiftedGuru)
Looking Back
Here & Now
Looking Ahead
Pep Talk on Motivation by Kid President - Published by Kid President February 24, 2014
SCPS Middle School Focus Students Discuss Motivation
Student Voices
Rodney Thompson Middle School
Gayle Middle School
HH Poole Middle School
Stafford Middle School
Shirley Heim Middle School
Drew Middle School
AG Wright Middle School
Dixon-Smith Middle School
Motivational Video on The Gift of Giftedness, published by Kristen Farris, May 18, 2017
Supporting Executive Functioning Skills - published by Edutopia, Dec 3, 2021
EXECUTIVE FUNCTION SKILLS SUPPORT ACADEMIC SUCCESS
Self-management skills are often the secret sauce of school success. Kids who soar at school are often those who have the most honed EF skill sets. Being an excellent writer, for example, isn’t enough. It’s important for students to demonstrate that they can manage time to write, chunk writing tasks into parts, manage attention to see an essay through, remember editing strategies, and more. Empowering students with these skills can boost academic performance since grades and assessments rely on executive function as a baseline for demonstrating mastery. (To continue this article, click on the link below)
Student Motivation - HS Assembly Speaker Jeremy Anderson, published by Next Level Learning May 16, 2018
Ways to Keep Gifted Students Motivated in the Classroom, published by GraduateProgram.org January 14, 2020
Making a Difference: Motivating Gifted Students Who Are Not Achieving, published by UConn Renzulli Center for Creativity, Gifted Education, and Talent Development
25 FAVORITE GIFTED KID MOVIES with Ratings, published by BLOG Gifted Resources, Feb 25, 2017
- August Rush (PG)
- Big Hero 6 (PG)
- Billy Elliot (R)
- Bridge to Terabithia (PG)
- Dead Poets Society (PG)
- Finding Forrester (PG-13)
- Gifted Hands (NR)
- Good Will Hunting (R)
- Goonies (PG)
- Harry Potter series (PG-13)
- The Imitation Game (PG-13)
- The Incredibles (PG)
- Little Man Tate (PG)
- A Little Princess (G)
- Matilda (PG)
- Meet the Robinsons (G)
- Mr. Holland’s Opus (PG)
- October Sky (PG)
- Rain Man (R)
- Real Genius (PG)
- Rushmore (R)
- School of Rock (PG-13)
- Searching for Bobby Fischer (PG)
- Spellbound (G)
- Weird Science (PG-13)
New Years Celebrations and Heritage
The Underground Abductor, by Nathan Hale & Lost in the Pacific, 1492, by Tod Olson - Book Reviews by Nathan Sekinger, Librarian Gayle Middle School
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k2JLulfzh2w&t=0s (Underground Abductor Book Talk)
The Underground Adbuctor
GMS Library
Lost in the Pacific, 1492
GIFTED - 2017 (PG13) published by Vejai, June 18, 2018
Parent Winter Movie Suggestion - Rated PG13
Winners of December SCPS Middle School Focus Trivia - Thanks to ALL who entered! Keep Trying!
Reese, Samuel DSMS 7
Cooper, Cole RTMS 7
Fernandes, Scarlet SHMS 7
The correct answers were as follow:
Bodhi Day- December 8
Saint Nicholas Day/the Feast of Saint Nicholas- December 5-6
Kwanzaa- December 26- January 1
Yule- December 21- January 1
Hanukkah- November 28- December 6
*Festivus- December 23
Click on the Link Below to Enter Our January Trivia Contest - YOU May Be Our Next Winner!
OPPORTUNITIES and EVENTS
SCPS Middle School Model United Nations SPRING 2022 Option - INTEREST FORM (CLICK BELOW) Responses Due by Jan 31, 2022
SCPS Middle Schools are working together to offer an on-site, full-day MUN opportunity in Spring 2022. This is open to all interested middle school students. Initial INTEREST form is available below - please click on the link to respond BY JAN 31, 2022. More information will be shared with interested students in the next few weeks.
Lunabotics Jr - Jan 25, 2022
BLAST - Stem Program Applications Accepted NOW thru Feb 7 - For 8th Graders!
Virginia Space Grant Consortium's FREE summer program will ignite your curiosity and help you discover what a career in STEM is like. BLAST participants are immersed in the college experience for 3 exciting days packed with STEM activities and demonstrations led by university faculty.
- Building Leaders for Advancing Science and Technology offers an exciting way for rising 9th and 10th grade students to spend three days of summer! Participating students get to stay in a college dorm and see what campus life is like on-site at one of our three partner universities: Old Dominion University, Virginia Tech, or the University of Virginia. Each day of BLAST is jam-packed with science, technology, engineering, and math-related (STEM) activities and demonstrations led by faculty of the university. Students come away from BLAST with a greater sense of curiosity, deeper insight about the variety of careers that exist in STEM, and enhanced readiness for advanced STEM programs.
NASA FOR STUDENTS - ONGOING OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 5-8
No application necessary. SEE LINK BELOW
Ayn Rand Essay Writing Contest "Anthem" - Entries due by April 28, 2022
ACCESSING THE BOOK
- Don't have access to Anthem? Request a copy at aynrand.org/freebooks today, and we will send you a FREE digital version within 24 hours.
ELIGIBILITY AND PRIZES
- Open to all 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grade students worldwide. Entrant must be 13 years of age or older.
- Top Prize: $2,000; Second Prizes (3): $500; Third Prizes (5): $100 ; Finalist Prizes (25): $50; Semi-finalist Prizes (50): $25
ESSAY TOPICS
Select one of the following topics:
- In Anthem, Ayn Rand does not indicate the race of any of the characters, nor does she suggest that racial prejudice is present in the story. But are there other forms of prejudice in the society of Anthem? If so, against what or whom are they directed and why? In what ways are these forms of prejudice similar to or different from racial prejudice?
- Do you think that Equality 7-2521 is selfish? In your answer, give examples from the story that support your answer. In what ways is Equality’s approach to life and to the other characters in the story similar to or different from what we normally think of as “selfish”? What lessons do you draw from the story about what it means to pursue your own interests?
- Do you find Liberty 5-3000 to be an admirable character? In your answer, give examples from the story about her actions, attitude, or character that lead you to answer as you do. In what ways is Liberty similar to or different from other women whom we are taught to admire?
RULES AND CRITERIA
- Essays must be 600-1200 words in length and written in English only.
- Essays must be solely the work of the entrant. Plagiarism will result in disqualification.
- Essays will be judged on whether the student is able to argue for and justify his or her view—not on whether the Institute agrees with the view the student expresses. Judges will look for writing that is clear, articulate, and logically organized. Winning essays must demonstrate an outstanding grasp of the philosophical meaning of Anthem.
- For complete rules, click "Apply" or visit aynrand.org/contests.
QUESTIONS?
- Write to us at essays@aynrand.org. We are usually able to respond within one to three business days.
Additional Information, Links, and Sites
CODE NINJAS - After School Program Available for students ages 7-14 - Click on Link Below to Schedule a Tour
Cooke Young Scholars Program - Jack Kent Cooke Foundation
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation's Young Scholars Program application will open on February 7, 2022, and is attached below. The Young Scholars Program is a selective five-year, pre-college scholarship program for high-performing 7th-grade students with financial needs. Along with financial support for the school, summer programs, and other enrichment opportunities, it provides personalized academic advising and connection to the thriving community of Cooke Scholars.
Eligible applicants should:
- Be currently in 7th grade/entering 8th grade in the fall of 2022.
- Have earned all As and Bs since the beginning of 6th grade.
- Reside in the United States and plan to attend high school in the U.S.
- Demonstrate financial need with a maximum adjusted gross income of $95,000.
To register for email updates about the application - Click on this Link - https://www.jkcf.org/notify-me/