Gifted & Talented Program Update
Tahlequah Public Schools -- February 2023
We hope to use this monthly newsletter as a way to share information with parents and our community about gifted education and the TPS Gifted & Talented (GT) Education Program.
👉Look for our newsletter every month on our Tahlequah Gifted & Talented Facebook page or sign up to receive it automatically via email each month by completing this form.
If you have questions or comments feel free to contact Libby Osburn or Kristy Ward.
District 2nd Graders Take NNAT3
Local Advisory Meeting Scheduled for February 15
The duties of the LAC may include:
to assist in the formulation of district goals for gifted education.
to assist in development of the district plan for gifted child educational programs.
to assist in preparation of the district report on gifted child educational programs.
Perform other advisory duties as needed such as:
Review program evaluations that occurred and recommend areas for revision.
Review previous school year data and make recommendations for improvements.
Establish goals for the new school year.
Create a focal area in which to evaluate and measure progress throughout the year.
Review the uniformity and consistency of policies and procedures of GATE at all school sites.
TPS GT Staff to Attend the OKLAHOMA ASSOCIATION FOR GIFTED, CREATIVE & TALENTED (OAGCT) Conference
The 2023 OAGCT Conference will be held in-person on Friday, February 17, 2023, in Stillwater, Oklahoma, at the OSU Student Union. Dr. Matt Zakreski of the Neurodiversity Collective, keynote speaker, is a longtime advocate for the underserved needs of gifted kids. Dr. Matt has shaped his career around his passion for serving this population.
This past month in RISE 🚀
RISE in January:
3rd - 5th graders continue to work on "Wonder" Journals. Wonder Journals are a collection of questions or wonders that a student has about the world. These journals will hopefully encourage student wonder and curiosity by allowing students a place to write down these questions. We plan on continuing to use the Wonder Journals throughout the school year--sometimes focusing student wonder, but mostly just allowing time for students to wonder about the world around them. Students have both a paper and digital journal--so there are no excuses not to record their wonders. We have started using the digital journal each week in RISE to complete short wonder activities to help generate and inspire wonder and curiosity. The ultimate goal is for students to investigate their biggest wonders and share their findings in a creative way in a kind of "Wonder Fair."
3rd - 6th graders participated in quick debates. Quick debates are an informal, fun way to get students thinking on their feet. Students were given questions/scenarios and had to choose a side. Questions like, 'is cereal a soup?' and 'is water wet?'. We discussed peer pressure, listening, persuasion, and the importance of critical thinking.
3rd - 6th graders practiced SCAMPER--a thinking method. The SCAMPER technique is one of the easiest and most direct methods for creative thinking and problem-solving through a number of techniques or question types; (S) substitute, (C) combine, (A) adapt, (M) modify, (P) put to another use, (E) eliminate and (R) rearrange or reverse. The SCAMPER technique aims to provide seven different thinking approaches to find innovative ideas and solutions.
Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute Opportunity for HS Students
JUNE 10-25, 2023
HELD AT THE BEAUTIFUL QUARTZ MOUNTAIN STATE PARK & LODGE IN SOUTHWESTERN OKLAHOMA
The Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute (OSAI) is an intensive 2-week residential school that provides professional training to artistically advanced OKLAHOMA HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS, including graduating seniors, in the visual, literary, and performing arts. We offer training in the disciplines of acting, chorus, creative writing, dance, drawing and painting, film and video, orchestra, and photography. OSAI faculty artists include winners of the Pulitzer Prize and the Academy, Grammy, Emmy, and Tony Awards. You’ll join over 250 students from across the state as you study your chosen field and attend or participate in performances, gallery openings, film screenings, poetry readings, and more.
Students are selected through a competitive blind audition process. Auditions are held online and throughout the state in January and February. ALL SELECTED STUDENTS AUTOMATICALLY RECEIVE A FULL SCHOLARSHIP TO THE PROGRAM.
The 8th and 9th Grade Center at Alice Robertson in Muskogee will be hosting chorus and orchestra auditions for the 2023 Oklahoma Summer Arts Institute (OSAI) on Tuesday, February 7 from 4-7pm. Students interested in creative writing, drawing & painting, film & video, and photography can audition by submitting their materials online with their application.
OSAI is known by the state as Oklahoma’s Official School of the Arts, and every student that is accepted into the program attends on full scholarship. Interested students can learn more about their audition requirements, find sheet music, apply and schedule their audition HERE. We also have video recordings from our fall Audition Workshops where former faculty and judges share tips to have a successful audition.