KCS AIG 4th Quarter Newsletter
May 5th, 2023
Finishing Strong!
The end of the year is an exciting time for advanced learners in KCS. There is a lot happening in the district at all grade levels, and The KCS AIG department is committed to guiding its gifted and high-ability learners to a strong finish of the 2022-23 school year. This newsletter is intended to keep you informed about what's taking place right now at each level in the district, as well as a few things to keep on your radar for the future.
Steve Fulton, NBCT
Academically/Intellectually Gifted Coordinator
Kannapolis City Schools
Updates
District updates
Spring Research Gala (3rd-8th)
On May 22nd, from 6:00-7:30, AIG/Nurturing students and families in grade 3-8 are invited to our 5th Annual Research Presentation Gala. During this event, students will present researched-based projects they have completed in their AIG/Nurturing (elementary) or Advanced ELA (6-8) class. You can view the flyer here.
Spring NNAT Testing Results (3rd and 5th)
During the week of April 3rd, all 3rd and 5th-grade KCS students took the NNAT test. Results of the test are used with EOG scores to determine AIG identifications. Letters containing test results and information about AIG status will be sent home with 4th quarter report cards.
DEP Parent Comments
All parents of identified AIG students in grades 4-8 will be receiving a form in May to fill out on their child to be included on the child’s DEP (Differentiated Educational Plan). The DEPs outline the AIG services provided for the student and include comments from parents, teachers, and the student themselves. Finalized DEPs will be sent home in the fall.
Rising 6th Parent Meeting
On May 18th at 6:00, KMS will host a rising 6th-grade parent night. At the end of the presentations, there will be a meeting in the cafeteria for any families who would like to learn about AIG and advanced learning services at KMS.
Elementary
All of my students had a wonderful time learning about Rube Goldberg and his chain reaction machines and designing some of their own, as well as participating in two Kahoot quizzes - one about Rube Goldberg and chain reaction machines and one about simple machines. This went right along with our PETS curriculum and learning about inventive thinking skills with Isabel the Inventor. --Ms. Sweatt
1st and 2nd Grades - Next, these students moved on to visual thinking skills with Max the Magician which also included some problem-solving. They have been working on Max’s Magic Tangrams and solving tangram puzzles, and will continue to work on visual and problem-solving skills.
1st-grade activities include: matching, drawing, subtracting shapes, mirror dominoes, and venn diagrams.
2nd-grade activities include: drawing and problem-solving puzzles with manipulatives.
3rd-grade students have begun to learn about Project/Problem-Based Learning and have been brainstorming and planning for their end-of-year project “Backyard Getaway.” All of this information has been sent home and projects are hopefully underway! I can’t wait to see all of the creative backyards, and I hope to see many families at our Research Gala! Third graders will finish up the year with some difficult double-logic elimination grids and analogies.
Upper Elementary-4th and 5th Grade
In the 4th grade AIG/Nurturing group, students are extending research and informational writing skills to develop a new toy. For this Problem-Based Learning Project, students are selecting a popular today from the past to research, then decide on a way to innovate this toy to make it something new and relevant today. Students will create posters of the original toy and their invention, and present this project at the Research Gala on May 22nd.
In 5th grade, AIG/Nurturing students are extending their learning about ecosystems by creating a living museum. In a living museum, the researcher becomes their subject! Students are grouped by NC Ecosystem, and each student picked a producer, consumer, or decomposer to research in that ecosystem. Using the research they gathered, students then write a speech from the perspective of their organism and create a poster background of the ecosystem. For the presentation, students are invited to dress up as their organism. This is the project that students will present at the Research Gala on May 22nd.
Middle
This 4th & final quarter has us completing our novels; The Outsiders (7) & The Giver (6). Through the novels we have reviewed or explored a variety of reading skills to make the students more “technical” readers. Students, in general, don’t enjoy going back into the text to find evidence & prove their answers, but it is a necessary skill from here on out. Inferring answers based on text clues and background knowledge is another important skill students need to develop and apply. This is the “reading between the lines” element and can be challenging. Please encourage your child to read over the summer, so they don’t lose ground.
The reading EOG will take place on Wednesday, May 31. We will start reviewing both testing and reading strategies in May. Please share some motivational & positive encouragement on testing days. A good night sleep & healthy breakfast, really help!
It has been a pleasure watching your children grow as readers, please encourage your child to read over the summer, so they don’t lose ground.
6th and 7th Math
We have entered the last quarter of the 2022 - 20223 school year. During 4th quarter, 6th grade students are finishing up our equations and inequalities unit. We will also finish our last unit, which is Statistics. In this unit, students will learn how to find measures of center and spread. Students will also learn how to display numerical data using dot plots, histograms, and box plots. 7th grade students are getting ready to start our last 7th grade unit, also statistics. In this unit, we will build upon what was learned in 6th grade and use those skills to compare multiple sets of data. 7th graders will finish the year with a unit on Transformations. This unit is an 8th grade math unit that explores translations, reflections, rotations, and dilations.
I have truly enjoyed working with both 6th and 7th grade students this year. Our math EOG will take place on Thursday, June 1st. We will continue to review weekly for our math EOG throughout the remainder of the year. --Ms. Hatley
English 1
We are wrapping up the school year by reading some classics with Romeo and Juliet and the Odyssey. We just finished writing vignettes inspired by The House on Mango Street, which some students shared out during open mic Friday. We are working on our research projects revolving around activism in preparation for the AIG Research Gala. We will continue to study vocabulary and work on some specific reading skills that will help with passing the EOG.
Math 1
This 4th quarter (and the end of 3rd) we have been focusing on our main unit for the year working with Quadratic Functions. The students have been working really hard to grasp concepts and fundamentals that are completely new to them. We are currently moving into our Statistics unit which should finish up about two weeks before the EOC test on May 26th. We will spend the two weeks prior to the EOC reviewing concepts we’ve studied throughout the school year.
High School
It’s hard to believe that the end of this school year is quickly approaching!
Students should continue to work hard and finish strong. As a reminder, for each class that a student passes, they earn one credit. Beginning with the Class of 2024, students must earn a minimum of 25 credits in order to graduate. We work closely with our students to provide them with support to graduate on time. Sometimes things happen, and things go sideways. That’s one reason why we are here to help.
As outlined by NCDPI, each student must pass:
4 English courses
4 Math courses (or 3 math course and a specific replacement course)
4 Social Studies courses to include Economics & Personal Finance
3 Science courses
1 Health & PE course
And Electives
NOTE: *2 courses of the same foreign language are needed if seeking to attend a 4 year college
Students who are looking to attend a 4 year college should strive to earn between 28-31 credits and have a 3.0 gpa and above. This is a guideline, not a requirement as many colleges are now looking at students holistically and want a well-rounded student who will contribute to their college community. Standardized testing (ACT / SAT) is beginning to become a requirement for some colleges. Double check if the college of interest requires these tests along with the college application. Students can do so by checking the college website, speaking with the college rep or calling the admissions office.
ALB Wonders are assigned to one grade-level Counselor who will be with them for all 4 high school years. Our Counselors assist our students with social / emotional learning, counseling, academic support (including scheduling of courses), career planning and many resources including those for mental health. We are here to help, and encourage your students to meet with us when they have questions, concerns or a need.
Our Counselors are:
Mrs. Brittany Dudley (Dobie) 12th Grade Counselor (22-23) / Rising 9th Grade Counselor (23-24)
Email: brittany.dobie@kcs.k12.nc.us
Ms. Karen Raboin 11th Grade Counselor (22-23)/ Rising 12th Grade Counselor (23-24)
Email: karen.raboin@kcs.k12.nc.us
Mrs. Erin Messmer 10th Grade Counselor (22-23) / Rising 11th Grade Counselor (23-24)
Email: erin.messmer@kcs.k12.nc.us
Mr. Garrett Deal: 9th Grade Counselor (22-23) / Rising 10th Grade Counselor (23-24)
Email: garrett.deal@kcs.k12.nc.us
We pride ourselves on having a well-rounded, fully encompassing Student Services team to support our students. Our team includes 4 on-campus Counselors, 1 Interventionist, a College Advisor, and a Career & College Coach. Together, we are assisting students in helping them to prepare for their future whether they want to go straight into the workforce or attend college after they graduate from AL Brown High School.
End of Year Testing:
AP Testing
Our AP students have received the AP testing schedule. AP Exams will begin on Monday, May 1st and will wrap up on Thursday, May 11th. The format of the exam may be online or via paper and pencil. Your student received an email on April 18th regarding time, place and format. If your student’s test is online, they must bring their fully charged laptop, their charger and their College Board login and password. Students will not be allowed to change computers (if their computer dies during the exam) and as the college board accounts are student owned, we have no access to their login and password information. We are unable to retrieve this information from the College Board on behalf of the student.
General Testing Schedule
English II and Math I year-long classes ONLY
June 1st - English II - Thompson - 1st block
June 2nd - Math 1 - Brown - 4th block and Griggs - 1st block
EOY Testing - EOC, CTE, and teacher-made
Dismissal at 12:00 each day
We will be using student devices.
EOC, CTE, teacher-made exams
June 5th - 1st block, June 6th - 2nd block, June 7th - 3rd block, June 8th - 4th block, and June 9th - Makeups
Please have your student monitor their emails prior to these dates for any updates or changes.
Senior Week
Senior week will begin on Monday, May 22nd to include events and activities throughout the week to honor and have some fun with our graduating seniors. Be on the lookout for more information!
We are looking forward to a successful end to this school year. Have your student reach out to their Counselor with any questions or concerns.