Middle School Newsletter
Northland Innovation Center
September Newsletter
Welcome Back
First, I hope that this newsletter will provide you with valuable information about your child's gifted experience as the year progresses.
Second, we will be able to provide information about upcoming events allowing you to update your kitchen calendar and ensure your attendance to any gifted events, either during school hours or at night.
Lastly, we will be providing online resources, articles and books that will support you as a parent of a gifted child.
As always, thank you for being an integral partner in your child's gifted education. I look forward to you enjoying the following newsletter as we start the new school year!
Program Goals
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To provide curricula that focuses on more elaborate, complex, and in-depth study of major ideas, key concepts and themes that integrate knowledge within and across disciplines and encourages the use of higher-level thinking skills.
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To provide curricula that sets high standards and that demands rigorous expectations for student work and performance demonstration.
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To provide instruction that allows for the development and application of productive thinking skills and enables students to re-conceptualize existing knowledge and/or generate new understandings that deal with real-life problems and issues.
- To provide instruction that is flexibly paced and matched to the student’s ability, pre- assessment data, learning style, interest, and motivation.
- To provide opportunities for students to develop leadership and group interaction skills that allows student-centered discussion and Socratic questioning.
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To require project based learning of gifted students that represents application, analysis, and synthesis of knowledge.
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To encourage an environment that fosters a positive attitude toward creative challenges, investigative activity, and knowledge creation.
What We Are Learning
Odyssey of the Mind, students develop an understanding of how the team brings creativity, problem-solving and knowledge together.
Battle of the Brains, students have been challenged with creating the next great exhibit for Science City. They will work as a team to write a proposal and a model for the exhibit.
Broadcasting, students developed an understanding of the role of digital broadcasting in emerging sectors of the Film and Television industries through independent research and production processes and outcomes.
Cybersecurity, students learned the justification of cybersecurity principles. They began to discuss and understand how to apply ethics to real world principals.
Drones, students will learn about the scientific principles of flight and design their own airplane that will fly the straightest and farthest.
Fab Lab, students develop an understanding that Fab Lab is a hands-on fabrication laboratory where students take an active role in designing and creating innovative projects using a wide range of tools.
Graphic Design, students discussed and learned the basic elements of graphic design, composition elements and how it affects layout design.
App Studio, students develop an understanding of the main components of a Mac and how they work together to enable users to store, gather, and transmit information. Students also learned the key programming terms relevant to Swift and IOS programming.
Lego Robotics students brainstormed team goals and created a season calendar and constructed the mission model from the instructions on the First Lego League website.
Unlocking the Mysteries of Science students explore science topics and choose a self-directed project for the Science Pioneers Science Fair.
Stock Market Challenge, students develop financial literacy by learning investment strategies and how to be wise with money.
Philosophy for Middle School Gifted Students
Northland Innovation Center
Website: http://www.nkcschools.org/page.cfm?p=2774
Location: 6889 North Oak Trafficway, Gladstone, MO, United States
Phone: 816-321-5350
Facebook: facebook.com/NKCSAGE
Twitter: @NKC_SAGE
Middle School Team
Middle School S.A.G.E Team
Shon Adamson
Cybersecurity & Drones
816-321-4009
Melissa Duffett
Stock Market & Odyssey of the Mind
melissa.duffett@nkcschools.org
Jennifer Koch
Graphic Design & Augmented Reality
816-321-6710
Cassandra Shaffer
Fab Lab
816-321-5988
cassandra.shaffer@nkcschools.org
Lara Owsley
Broadcasting
816-321-4216
Lara.bradleyowsley@nkcschools.org
Cassie Fogel
Lego Robotics, App Studio, Odyssey of the Mind
816-321-4605
Wendy Rust
Fab Lab
816-321-6558
Melissa Torres
Battle of the Brain & Mysteries of Science
816-321-8719