Middle School Newsletter
Northland Innovation SAGE Center
SAGE Center Mission
As the heart of the gifted community, the mission of the SAGE Center is to ensure all students, as members of a global society, foster their uniqueness, develop their potential, and embrace their true belonging through learning experiences distinguished by:
*Courageous exploration and discovery of passions in a flexible and innovative environment
*Support systems for students, staff, and community
*Ownership and self-regulation in a student-driven culture
Program Goals
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.
To require project based learning of gifted students that represents application, analysis, and synthesis of knowledge.
To encourage an environment that fosters a positive attitude toward creative challenges, investigative activity, and knowledge creation.
Middle School Blue/Gold Schedule-2nd Semester
What We Are Learning
Affective
G.U.I.L.D.S
Critical/Creative Problem Solving
Botany
Students have learned how growing and taking care of plants can be profitable. They started their nursery plants. They are going to grow a leafy green or herb, fruit or vegetable and a flower. These plants are going to be used to start our outdoor raised garden. Students also learned about growing plants without soil. They designed their own hydroponics system and are keeping track of an aquaponics plant.
Special Effects
This semester 6th graders are working on special effects. They are currently working on introduction projects to Adobe Premiere Pro and Adobe After Effects. The introduction project includes filming the 10 basic shot angles, cutting the clips using the in and out keys, adding 4 effects, adding 4 transitions, and finally adding royalty free music with proper citation. Some students have also had the opportunity to do some video editing on promotional clips for AY Young and his Global Goals Tour.
Arduinos
Arduinos for 7 & 8th graders is back. Students that have never taken Arduinos before are starting with programming an LED light to light up with a pushbutton. Students that have experience with Arduinos are taking on some more advanced projects and are learning more about how coding works. Some examples of advanced projects include making a Simon memory game, creating an electronic die, and coding a magic 8 ball.
Textile Advocacy
Photography
SAGE Start-Up
Interior Design
Interior design students have been learning about both the career and the process designers use to create a project from start to finish. So far students have learned the concepts of color theory, design aesthetic, and finish board presentations.
They are working on creating a unique design throughout the semester where they choose a color palette, create a finish presentation board that includes a floor plan made to scale, finishes, and three dimensional renderings.
Destination Imagination
Virtual SAGE
Virtual Students could select between a variety of interesting courses this semester:
- Future Cities, a city planning and management class
- Green Screen Special Effects or Digital Communications, video production classes
- Imagineering in a Box, a Theme Park design class
- Coding with Scratch, a programming class
8th Grade SAGE High School Enrollment Presentations:
Throughout January & February, both our in-person & virtual 8th grade students have been invited to presentations from the high school SAGE gifted resource specialists & the Pathways coordinators. In addition, our high school IB directors (International Baccalaureate) have also been presenting to SAGE students about the details of that academically advanced program.
They have been sharing very important information and answering questions specific to SAGE students about high school SAGE, high school classes, diploma options, honors selections, and the new Pathways & IB programs.
There were also special episodes of Engage with SAGE all about high school. If you missed them, it's not too late to watch! The recordings are available at the links below. There is a lot of great information and advice in these episodes as students plan ahead for 9th grade!
Please click on the links below whenever you would like to view or review the content.
Student Episode:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmCjRo0pS2A
Parent Evening Episode:.
Progress Reports
Progress reports are being shared through Canvas this year. Badges are reported to show student progress in their units of study, behavior, and GUILDS project. There are two assignments titled:
Mid-Semester Level Up
End of Semester Level Up
Each assignment reports the number of badges earned out of the possible 20 semester badges. If you have any questions about those badges, you can inquire with your student’s SAGE teacher.
Students have the opportunity earn a reward with the completion of 15 badges.
PAGS Speaker Series Presents
PAGS: Parents of Gifted Students...Parents Advocating for Gifted Students
Wednesday, February 24th at 6pm (Zoom link below)
Join Ms. Christine Nobbe, Director of Gifted Education for the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, for a webinar on advocacy. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines advocacy as the act or process of supporting a cause or proposal. Ms. Nobbe will explore advocacy for gifted students at three levels: students’ advocating for themselves (self-advocacy), parents/guardians advocating for their children’s needs in classrooms, and community members advocating for district-wide services for all gifted learners. Webinar participants will be able to work in small “break out” rooms to role play self-advocacy. Students are invited to participate with their parents/guardians.
Christine Nobbe is a dedicated educator with experiences as a gifted education specialist, STEAM educator, and adjunct professor. She serves as the Director of Gifted Education for MO-DESE and loves this adventure! Christine can talk about gifted education and gifted kiddos all day! Over the years she's won several outstanding educator awards, most recently the Challenger Learning Center Inspiring Teacher Award. Christine has developed her leadership skills (strong in collaboration and consensus-building) by being very active in many organizations including the National Association for Gifted Children.
Her passion area is living and working on the Moon and she is a NASA JPL Solar System Ambassador. Christine loves conducting outreach events and presenting to people of all ages about the wonders of the Universe and human spaceflight. One fun fact: Christine has quite a collection of Space fashions and makes an effort to wear a bit of the Universe daily.
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81869014107
Resources:
NAGC has many advocacy articles and tips on their website: https://www.nagc.org/
Here are three:
Self-advocacy: http://www.nagc.org/.../NAGC-TIP%20SHEET-Self%20Advocacy.pdf
Classroom Advocacy: http://www.nagc.org/.../NAGC-Classroom%20Advocacy-Tip...
Advocating for Gifted Services: http://www.nagc.org/.../NAGC%20TIP%20Sheets-Advocating...
SAGE Partners in Education
At the SAGE Center, we are so lucky to have several area businesses as our Partners in Education. We work closely with each partner in a variety of ways: Field trips, expert visits, tours, consultation, brainstorming, career planning and much more.
Feel free to support these businesses in your daily travels through the area:
- EBCFO, LLC
- Edward Jones, Ryan Mitchell
- Eric Craig Real Estate Team
- Park University
- Solar Holdings, LLC
- Stone Canyon Pizza, Gladstone
- Weber Inc.
- AY Young Battery Tour & United Nations Young Global Leader
Click on the links to watch past episodes of Engage with SAGE
Engage with SAGE-Meet the SAGE teacher's families! (recorded 2/10/21)- The SAGE teachers and their families will play Family Fun!
Engage with SAGE- High School SAGE Teacher (recorded 2/3/21)- The High School SAGE teachers share what SAGE is like in high school.
Engage with SAGE- Kitchen OG (recorded 1/27/21)- Teacher's play a game of Scattergories.
Engage with SAGE- Teacher Family Feud (recorded 1/6/21)- Teachers team up to play a fun version of "The Family Feud"
Engage with SAGE- Winter Edition (recorded 12/16/20)- Teachers play five minute-to-win-it games. Last Engage with SAGE for 2020.
Engage with SAGE: David Hensley (recorded 12/9/20)- David Hensley is the founder of BarK. A KC restaurant/dog park. Also included is a SAGE pet parade.
Engage with SAGE: High School Edition (recorded 12/2/20)- High School students answer questions about life in high school.
Engage with SAGE: Game Time (recorded 11/18/29)- Watch as the teacher's play Drawful. Is there an artist in the bunch?
Engage with SAGE: Patriotic Jeopardy (recorded 11/11/20)- Watch as teacher's play Jeopardy. Also, there is a mini slide show honoring veterans.
Engage with SAGE: Teacher Lego Challenge (recorded 11/4/20)- Watch as teacher's create an animal out of Legos. Also there is a mini slide show with fall/Halloween pictures from the SAGE students.
Engage with SAGE with Nate Bukaty (recorded 10/28/20)- Nate Bukaty is a Sportscaster who is widely known for his time as the play-by-play announcer for the MLS' Sporting Kansas City. He has also risen to wide popularity for hosting The Border Patrol program on Kansas City's Sports Radio 810.
Engage with SAGE with AY Young (recorded 10/14/20)- AY Young, age 29, a singer- songwriter, dancer, producer, entertainer, sustainability advocate, non-profit founder and entrepreneur, who grew up in Kansas City, MO, has been named "1 of 17" global 2020 Youth World Leaders by the United Nations for a two-year term. AY is one of the first artists to power his concerts with 100% renewable energy. AY Young is the founder of the Battery Tour, which is a collaborative platform that advances the SDGs by leveraging music as a vehicle to drive innovation in performance artistry, energy security, and global relief through sustainable education, empowerment, and experience.
Engage with SAGE: Duffett's Cooking Show (recorded 10/7/20)- Cook along with Ms. Duffett as she makes 3 kinds of brownies.
Engage with SAGE: Teacher Watch Party (recorded 9/30/20) Join the SAGE teachers as they view funny or not so funny video clips.
Middle School SAGE Team
Shon Adamson
816-321-4009
Melissa Duffett
816-321-4511
melissa.duffett@nkcschools.org
Jennifer Koch
816-321-6710
Cassandra Shaffer
816-321-5988
cassandra.shaffer@nkcschools.org
Lara Owsley
816-321-4216
Lara.bradleyowsley@nkcschools.org
Cassie Fogel
816-321-4605
Wendy Rust
816-321-6558
Melissa Torres
816-459-0744
Cindy Turner
816-321-6313