GREAT THINKING THURSDAY
For Klein ISD Educators of Gifted
May 2, 2019
KISD SAT AMBASSADORS:
COLLEGE BOARD NATIONAL AWARD RECIPIENTS
Advanced Academics Program Coordinator
SAT Ambassador Program Leader
Seven total ambassadors from Klein are honored with Gold Leaf this year, and four of those students selected for the with distinction. Nationally, only 7 students were awarded SAT Ambassador Gold Leaf with Distinction-and incredibly 4 of those were Klein students!
The Klein ISD Official SAT Practice Student Ambassador program, gives students a unique opportunity to grow their leadership skills and engage them in building knowledge for students and staff in your school or district about the importance of college, the SAT, and making time for Official SAT Practice. The Klein SAT Ambassadors held a six week PSAT/SAT Boot Camp on Saturdays in the fall to help prepare students for the college entrance exams. They recruited fellow students and most importantly, their teachers, to assist students as they worked through test, learned about KhanAcademy, the Official SAT Practice Resource, and more!
Gold Leaf Status Ambassadors (only 25 students nationwide received this honor):
Klein High – Ryan McDonald, Educator Diane Jenkins
Klein Cain – Christopher Price, Educator Julie Shehata
Klein Forest – Vivian Nguyen, Niah Pham, Ezinne Iwaunyanwu, Educator Michelle Schiotis
Klein Oak – Ayobami Adereti, Katelynn Porras, Educator Tiffany Dzubin
Gold Leaf Status with Distinction (only 7 students nationwide received this honor):
Klein Cain – Christopher Price, Educator Julie Shehata
Klein Forest – Vivian Nguyen, Niah Pham, Ezinne Iwaunyanwu, Educator Michelle Schiotis
Aya Takemoto, SAT Ambassador Program Lead for the College Board commented:
"You guys really rocked it this year! Our reviewers were really taken by the work of your educators and students because of their commitment to the program, but the level of impact that they made on their campuses and communities."
All Student Ambassadors can "level up" to Gold Leaf status in their Ambassadorship. Gold Leaf Ambassadors are nominated by their educators for going above and beyond their Ambassador duties by demonstrating initiative, strong skills in collaboration, organization, or leadership, and growth of character.
Students accepted for Gold Leaf status will receive national recognition, additional prizes, and become eligible for possible opportunities to present on national or regional College Board stages.
Academic Competitions:
Regional Winners: Klein Int, Strack, Klein High
By Carrie Raiyawa
Advanced Academics Program Coordinator
Academic Competition Leader
Over the weekend, Klein ISD middle and high school students competed in Regional Academic Competitions. At Waller High School, over 100 seventh and eighth graders competed against 24 area schools in the Region 2 Academic Pentathlon. There were 5 subjects to tackle including math, science, social science, fine arts and literature. Klein ISD produced the top 3 teams in both the 7th and 8th grade results. Placing in seventh grade was Krimmel in 3rd place, Strack in 2nd place and Klein Intermediate in first place, led by coach David Luizzo. In eighth grade, the winning order was Strack (White team) in 3rd place, Krimmel in 2nd place, and Strack (Red Team) in 1st place led by coaches Lindsay Roberts and Lana Etherington.
Pentathlon Nationals in Nashville, TN!
Once the scores are in, the highest two scores in the entire state were invited to compete at the National Pentathlon in Nashville, TN. The seventh grade team from Strack scored 18,665 points, which qualified them for an invitation to compete against the top schools from all over the nation in a few weeks. The competition will be held May 16-18. We wish them the best of luck at Nationals!
Meanwhile, at Seven Lakes High School in Katy, the high school Octathlon teams were competing in the Regional Academic Octathlon. This competition includes the five subjects from Pentathlon, as well as economics, art and music. After a strong showing, Klein High took third place out of 22 teams.
We congratulate all the students and coaches who participated in these events. They represented Klein ISD with integrity and we are proud of each and every one.
Welcome to #KleinCodes
By Jessica Jasper
Advanced Academics Program Coordinator
Robotics/STEM Leader
Between April 16 and 18th, over 800 coders converged on the KMPC to show off all they have learned this past school year. Drones, video games, and animations, all created and programmed by students, were on display.
Could you solve a coding problem in 10 minutes? Our students can! Students showed off their Scratch skills in the Quick Challenge, an individual competition. Kyren Jackson, Greenwood Forest coder and winner of a Quick Challenge, plans to continue coding his game this summer to make it better.
Intensity was the name of the game at the Rubik’s Cube Tournament where students competed to solve the cube in the fastest time, with the final round starting out our awards ceremony live!.
The District Challenge had students design and develop an original coding project then pitch their project to an outside appraiser. Tuesday’s champion students included Caleb Adkins, Andrew Guillory and Nolan Santos from Lemm. On Wednesday, there was a 4 way tie that included Azim Arslan, Indie Gross, and Tayton Robinson from French, Andrea Filea and Prisha Shah from Blackshear, Aviya Momin and Kaitlyn Zhang from Hassler, and Grace Dziadul, Matthew Dziadul, and Isaac Chavez from Metzler. Thursday had our intermediate campuses competing, with Krimmel’s Aleena Ahmed, Ameena Alizai, and Jomana Toema taking the top prize. .
Zwink Coding Coach Kylie Sullenbarger exclaimed “The 2019 #KleinCodes event was dazzling! My zebras had the best time. They loved being able to compete in the different quick challenges, show off their projects, make new coding friends, and meet ‘real life’ coders. They are still talking about the presenters! My third and fourth graders are already making plans for coding club next year.”
Stay tuned for next year’s amazing coding projects and keep coding!
AP and IB Exams: May 6-May 24, 2019
Spring Teacher Referrals for Gifted & Talented Services
By Carie Barber
Advanced Academics Program Coordinator
GT Identification Process Leader
If you have ever asked yourself, “How is this kid not GT?” The answer may be, “because he or she has never been referred for testing.” Did you know that teachers can recommend students for GT testing?
At this time of the school year, many-if not most of-you know your students by name, strength, and need and have an exceptional perspective on their academic and cognitive abilities. Teachers are our best resource for identifying the talent pool of students who need services beyond what is available in the general education classroom. The state of Texas defines a gifted/talented student as, “...a child or youth who performs at or shows the potential for performing at a remarkably high level of accomplishment when compared to others of the same age, experience, or environment.” Maybe there is a student in your class right now who comes to mind?
Please use this form to let us know which students you feel meet this definition and would benefit from gifted programming.Once you complete the form, the Advanced Academics Department can then contact the students’ parents to initiate the process for identification.
The Spring Teacher Referral process is a direct result of the work of the GT Guiding Coalition members who felt strongly about reaching out to teachers in the Spring with the goal of identifying students, particularly those in underrepresented populations. Please know that we value your input and look forward to hearing from you. If you have any questions about the spring teacher referral process, please reach out to your campus GT Advocate, GT Administrator, or Advanced Academics Program Coordinator, or Carie Barber-Advanced Academics Program Coordinator-Identification Process Lead.
Summer GT Professional Learning:
REGISTRATION OPENS FRIDAY MAY 3RD AT 5:00 PM!
AP TEACHERS: YOU'VE GOT TO SEE THIS!!!
UPDATE: New Teachers to AP for the 2019-2020 School Year:
You will be able to order the Course and Exam Description Binder on May 20, 2019!
All admins, counselors and teachers will have full access to the Digital Binder on August 1, 2019!
These guides will be featured in AP Summer Institute. If you are teaching an AP Course in 2019-2020 and would like to attend AP Summer Institute please contact Imee Villarreal in the Advanced Academics Office!
35 AP subjects will receive Course and Exam Description (CED) binders this year. These binders refine and clarify the scope of content that can be assessed on the AP Exam for college credit, and provide teachers with a suggested topic and skill sequence they can adapt to their needs rather than having to build from scratch. Order your free copy at this link: FREE AP BINDER
AP teachers in the United States who have completed the AP Course Audit can request a free copy of the binder by January 31, 2020. New AP teachers should wait to request their binder until their Course Audit form for 2019-20 has been approved by their administrator. CED binders will be mailed beginning in June 2019.
Anyone, worldwide, can download these materials beginning late May 2019.
Note: CED binders aren’t available for AP Computer Science Principles, AP Seminar, and AP Research, because those subjects follow a different curricular model than the other AP subjects.