GT Underachievement Training

GATE Parent Support-

UNDERACHIEVEMENT

Thursday, February 13, 2014

6:30pm – 7:30pm

CLAYTON MIDDLE SCHOOL

1295 Wyoming Ave, Reno

Presented by: COLLETT GILMORE, 6th Grade Billinghurst MS AAP Teacher

Millions of children with average, above average, or even gifted abilities, including those from

homes where education is valued, do not perform to their capabilities. Underachievement

Syndrome can be seen when a capable child is not working to his/her abilities in school. Many

factors contribute to this condition which has long been a concern for parents and teachers.

There are many strategies and techniques that can be of a great assistance. 

Brown Bag Lunch with Lisa 1/16 and 5/15

GT Parent Connection invites you to a

Brown Bag Lunch with Lisa Riggs!

Bring your lunch and meet with your GATE Director/Principal

 Lisa Riggs at one of the local schools.

Mrs. Riggs will be preparing a short topic to cover at the beginning of the hour;

reading material for parents, and resources for families. During the second half of the

lunch, she will be available for some open discussion and questions about the GATE

program provided for grades 2-12.

DATE LOCATION TIME

Thursday, Jan 16, 2014 DILWORTH Middle School

255 Prater Way, Sparks

Noon – 1:00pm

Thursday, May 15, 2014 DOUBLE DIAMOND Elementary School

1200 South Meadows Pkwy, Reno

Noon – 1:00pm

Reading Logs

Weekly Reading Log

(Parent) Directions for Weekly Reading Log:

1- Make sure your child  has a book they will be interested in and 

read from start to finish.

2- Make sure the book is at their level (not too hard not too easy- they should have occasional words they will struggle to pronounce and understand meaning). 

3- Establish a routine for daily reading. A place and time should be consistent, within reason with other activities and events. 

4- Your child will benefit from both silent reading at home as well as occasional reading aloud.

5- Have your child complete their Weekly Reading Log. A new log will be handed 

out in class at the start of each week. 

6- Talk to your child about the Reading Log as they complete it and encourage them to use the Weekly Reading Log packet to help them if needed. (This will be in their Reading folder in their binder) 

7- Sign the Reading Log and remind them to turn it in on the last day of the week.

8- Any Reading Log turned in late will have points deducted.

(Student) Directions for Weekly Reading Log:

1-Choose a book that interests you, that is not too easy but not too hard

2- Have a special time and place each day to read

3- Read for 30 minutes

4- As you read visualize the story, ask questions in your mind, make inferences and predictions, make connections to things, and reflect on what you read

5- Complete the Weekly Reading Log- use the pages included in this packet to help you complete the log

6- Share the Reading Log with a parent, tell them about the book you’re reading

7- Have a parent sign the Reading Log

8- Turn in the Weekly Reading Log on the last day of the week

Semester 2 Supplies

The beginning of the year supply list was created by someone else and unfortunately doesn't meet all our needs. I'm going to focus on organization this next semester and the work load is going to increase so I want them to have all the tools they need to stay organized and responsible. 

Here is what they will need: *They may already have some or all of these items.

6 folders- (Math, Reading, Social Studies, Science, Other, Homework)

1- 1 inch binder to put the folders in

3 highlighters (colors don't matter)

Red pens- ball point- not Sharpie

Expo Markers (not on the list in the email)  buy at least 2-3 because they tend to go through these quickly. Color doesn't matter. 

Notebooks- (Math and Reading- they can continue using the one from Sem. 1 until it is filled) 

Flashdrive- the one they had from semester 1 should be fine. I just wanted you to know we will continue to use it. 

They will also start using their Agenda book daily, like what we did at the beginning of the year, so please make sure they have this ready to go. This could be put into their binder along with the folders. 

Thank you very much! If for any reason you will not be able to purchase these items, please...please don't hesitate to let me know. 

Optional:

-1 Ream of white copy paper. (I will be giving more homework so I'll be using a lot of paper) 

-index cards 

-scissors extras for the class

-post it notes (we use these 3-5 times a week) 

Winter Reading/Writing Challenge

-Here is a copy of Mrs. Keane's Challenge to the students-

We hope every student will read at least 6 hours over break, for some of our SWAS kiddos this could be done in a day :-) Please have them complete the reading log- 15 reading entries minimum (room for 30 on the sheet).

They are also encouraged to write often as well. In the packet they got on Wednesday there are pages for them to write and a list of writing prompts. Please have them complete 10 writing activities minimum.

Please have your son or daughter bring this packet back in January with the blue page on top. 

I will be participating as well and can't wait! I just finished reading The Book Thief...the best book I've ever read! Can't wait to start another book and do some writing as well. 

Spelling Bee

I am please to announce that the following students

 won our Whitehead level SWAS Spelling Bee: 

4th Grade Winner: Katie Hippert 

4th Grade Runner-Up: Cristian Burke

3rd Grade Winner: Jackson Phillips

 3rd Grade Runner-Up: Tyler Swanson

Both the winner and runner up for each grade level gets to advance 

to the Caughlin Ranch Spelling Bee on January 15th. 

Congratulations and good luck on the next level of competition!!!

Learning by Doing

The students are hard at work this week putting the finishing touches on their projects. Last week's assembly of their hydro and wind energy generators was a success. After many sleepless nights hoping pieces wouldn't get lost, and students wouldn't give up they very quickly made my fears seem silly. It took no more than two  hours for the kits to be assembled. I can't wait for you to see them in action. But more impressive than a working model is their understanding of how this energy source works. I'm "blown away" by their hard work. (pun intended)  :-)  

Yesterday the students finished their 3D maps of Nevada, and though it was a messy...messy, project it was so much fun. And while they got their hands dirty they learned about the geography of Nevada. And again it's cool to see their models but even better to hear them describe how those land-features came to be. 

Can't wait for you to see these projects: Tues Dec, 17th 6:00-7:00