Great Minds
MARCH 2023
Gifted service selection letters mailed home this month
This letter will arrive at each student's home. Please login to the Parent Portal on Infinite Campus to verify the home address for your child. After you indicate your preferred service on the form, please sign and return it to our office one of three ways:
- Mail it to the Gifted and Talented office at 3700 S. High Street, Columbus 43207.
- Scan the completed form and attach it to an email addressed to giftedtalented@columbus.k12.oh.us. You can also take a photo of the form and email it to the office.
- Fax the form to Gifted and Talented office at (614) 365-8605.
Questions about your child's gifted service options?
2023-2024 Gifted Services Parent Information Sessions
Learn about the gifted services available for Columbus City Schools students who are identified as gifted. Join members of the Gifted and Talented staff to discuss details about CCS's service options.
Wednesday, March 29th, parents of students in grades K-5, 6-7 PM
Tuesday, April 4th, parents of students in grades 6-11, 6-7 PM
Directions to join the Zoom meeting:
Go to Zoom.com
Join Zoom Meeting
https://ccsoh-us.zoom.us/j/84220292217?from=addon
Enter the Meeting ID: 842 2029 2217
These meetings will be recorded and posted on the Gifted and Talented website. For more information, contact the Gifted & Talented office at 614-365-6626.
Summer Camp and Scholarship Opportunities
Support for Talented Students (STS) is a tax-exempt, tax-deductible organization whose sole purpose is to provide scholarships for summer enrichment programs for gifted and talented Central Ohio students currently in grades 3-11 from families who are income eligible. For an updated list of summer opportunities, visit the STS website.
Scholarships are available for all qualified students regardless of gender, religion, race, sexual orientation, or country of national origin. STS has awarded scholarships for summer enrichment programs to hundreds of gifted and talented students in Central Ohio since 1983.
For more information about STS, click here.
For the scholarship application, go to https://www.supportfortalentedstudents.org/sts-application-form. Scholarship applications are due by April 12th.
OWjL Camp is hosted on the Ohio Wesleyan University campus in Delaware County. It is a summer program of challenge and enrichment for central Ohio's gifted middle school students currently in grades 6, 7 and 8.
Click here for more information.
Upcoming Events
Spring Debate
The United States federal government should significantly increase regulations on genetic engineering.
Spring Math Showcase
Contact your child's school for information.
Middle School Chess
Testing season is upon us!
The testing window for Ohio State Tests opens April 1st. Standardized testing can cause feelings of dread, nausea, and panic in some gifted students. The pressure some children place on themselves to do well can be paralyzing. Here are some ways you can help at home:
Acknowledge your child’s concerns. Avoid comments such as “don’t worry about it” as this can actually add stress. Listen to their worries and validate their feelings.
Journal about it. Encourage your child to write down their thoughts and fears. This may help them to better identify realistic fears and strategies to overcome them as well as unrealistic fears, such as getting all of the questions incorrect.
Teach relaxation techniques, such as deep breathing, relaxing muscles one at a time, or positive visualization.
Manage expectations -- stress the importance of effort and hard work over performance results.
Finally, practice healthy habits such as getting enough sleep, eating healthy and exercise.
(2018). Reducing test anxiety and answering test prep questions https://www.davidsongifted.org
Raising Critical Thinkers - Resources for Parents
Gifted and Talented is pleased to offer parents/caregivers the thinkLaw Raising Critical Thinkers program, a family version of the thinkLaw curriculum used this year by our Gifted and Talented teachers.
Raising Critical Thinkers includes everything a caregiver needs with all materials at no cost and it is easily accessible. This program supports the development of scholars' critical thinking, creativity, curiosity and problem-solving skills.
You can learn more about Raising Critical Thinkers at https://www.raisingcriticalthinkers.us/. If you are interested in participating in this workshop, please compete this interest form by Wednesday, March 22nd. Click here.
Gifted & Talented Division - Columbus City Schools
3700 South High Street
Suite 143B
Columbus, Ohio 43207
Phone: 614-365-6626