Gifted News Brief

May 2008

 

KUDOS!  

During the 2007-2008 School year Sandia High School students competed in Mock Trial winning 1st place and traveled to Delaware to compete in the national competition. This is their second year in a row to win the state competition. Students also participated in Youth and Government and had 18 of the 25 students nominated to attend the national conference in South Carolina. The SHS Future Problem Solving team won 1st place. Sandia students are packing their bags to travel from coast to coast to continue learning.

 

Congratulations to all the APS teams for their outstanding performance in the NM Future Problem Solving State Bowl Competition. The first place winners will represent the State of New Mexico in the International Future Problem Solving Competition which will be held in June in Lansing, Michigan.

 

¨      Junior Division
1st Place - Tomasita ES, Delaney Doctor, Elliot Olmstead, Victoria LaVassaus, Leanne McMasters - Coached by Kathy Swanson

3rd Place - Montezuma ES, Lucia DeMartino, Tankred Steinbach, Emily Louth, Natalie Seiler - Coached by Diane Forsyth

¨      Senior Division
1st Place - Sandia HS - Julie Denning, Cassie Evanetich, Miranda Lee, Miranda Chavez - Coached by Robin Sena

 

We would also like to recognize and congratulate our own Dr. Dennis Higgins. He was named the APS Teacher of the Year by Dr. Veronica Garcia of the Public Education Department!   

 

Destination Imagination Announces

Winning Teams from Albuquerque

 

¨      Inez Elementary (Anita Warrier) had a winning team for Obstacles, of Course 

¨      Governor Bent Elementary (Anita Jaime and Rachel Rodriguez) had a winning team for Hit or Myth, and a third place team for DI've Got a Secret (TMs were Tori Strickland and Rachel Kost) Osuna had a second place team for DI've Got a Secret (team manager Karen Current)

¨      Sandia HS (Bill Shiver) won first for Chorific and DI've Got a Secret, and

¨      Edward Gonzales Elementary (Katy Hammel)a second place team for Hit or Myth 

¨      Armijo Elementary (Jon Feinn and Terri Bitsie) had Rising Stars Teams

 

If you want your gifted students to be involved in the most exciting and challenging program, think about joining Destination ImagiNation next year!

Project Citizen Winners!  

 

Cibola High School – 1st place

“Caring for Mentally Ill Homeless”

team members Nicolas Jarrett, Kelsey Holiday and Ronnie Vickrey, coached by Tom Graham.

 

VanBuren Middle School – 2nd place

“Just Be Cool, Don’t Use Fossil Fuel”

10 team members coached by Kathi Hunter.

 

 

 

 

AND MORE RESOURCES………….

Just wanted to pass along a resource we thought you might find interesting and exciting for your students. 

§        People to People International’s School and Classroom Program: http://www.ptpi.org/programs/SchoolClass.aspx - this is a free service facilitating international pen-pal connections for students. 

§        COGITO: http://www.cogito.org – is an online community for academically talented learners.

§        Daniel’s Fund: http://www.danielsfund.org – a scholarship application site for graduating students

 

Library materials are due May 14 !!!!

Please send in or bring by materials you are not currently using.

 

Attention middle-school teachers:

Do you have a unit that incorporates gifted strands and strategies?  Would you be willing to share it with new middle-school teachers of the gifted at the Information Fair in September?  If so, please contact Jan Bodnar and/or Debbie Phillips by email or phone 880-8249, ext. 131.

 

WHAT?    St. John's NM Great Books - Summer Institute for Secondary School Teachers

WHERE?  St. John's College, Santa Fe, New Mexico

WHEN?    July 13–16, 2008

WHO?      Middle School or High School English/Language Arts or Social Studies Teachers

 

The three-day program will consist of rigorous training in Shared Inquiry classroom practices, focused on the art of asking questions.

Shared Inquiry leadership development activities will include:

 

  When you register by June 15, 2008, the fee is only $650! and includes accommodations *Register online now <http://crm.greatbooks.org:8080/sugarcrm/campaign_trackerv2.php?track=638bd520-5caa-4147-5a58-480770c90906&identifier=b75579e5-cc38-ef9e-555f-480cf83d163b>

or call the Great Books Foundation at 800-222-5870, ext. 1.

 

DON’T FORGET! The New Mexico Summer Institute for Gifted Education will be July 30th, 31st, and August 1st at the Radisson Hotel in Albuquerque. The schedule is:

            July 30th – Advocacy

            July 31st – Strategies and Competitions

            August 1st – Social Emotional Needs of Gifted – Classroom and Home

The registration will open soon through the CREC website and this year it is FREE!

More information and a registration form will be on the website. We hope that you will attend and encourage your parents to come to the days that they feel will benefit them the most. We will definitely let you know when it is available!

 

Hoping you have a wonderful summer………Linda Dunstan, Pam Sutcliffe, PJ Sedillo, Jan Bodnar, Debbie Phillips ,Trevor Carter