Gifted and Talented Bulletin

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1 VIRGINIA BEACH CITY PUBLIC SCHOOLS Gifted and Talented Bulletin Director s Note Veleka S. Gatling, Ph.D., Executive Director of the Office of Programs for Exceptional Children Thank you for taking the time to read the latest issue of the Gifted and Talented Bulletin. It is my sincere hope that this issue will be helpful and interesting to you! Of utmost interest will certainly be the 1/2 day parent conference to be held on August 10, 2016 from 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Breakfast will be provided. Additional details are in the flyer below. Please plan to join us; it promises to be a wonderful day of learning and advocacy! The parent conference being held in conjunction with an elementary cluster teacher training conference held on the same day and the day after. We are excited about the opportunity to introduce new cluster teachers to the gifted program and to collaborate proactively with parents as we all work to advocate for the gifted learner. Other highlights include the teachers who were selected for recognition as Virginia Beach s Outstanding Teachers of the Gifted. You will enjoy reading about Jill Reid and Missy Sullivan on page 2. You will also applaud Valerie Winborne who was named Master Dance Educator of the Year for 2016 by the National Dance Society. Please read more about Valerie on page 3. How fortunate we are to know and work with such exemplary teachers! On June 21 the Community Advisory Committee for Gifted Education (CAC) will present its annual report to the VBCPS School Board. This report highlights the work of Gifted Programs throughout the year and reports on the implementation of the Local Plan for the Education of the Gifted which was approved by the Board last June. Please tune in to hear their recommendations and the many accomplishments of Gifted Programs. Read more about the CAC on page 4. Thank you for your support of Gifted Programs. Have a safe and wonderful summer and we ll see you in August at the conference! O f f ic e of P ro gr a ms f or E x c e ptio na l C hildren: G i f te d Prog ra ms Newsletter Info: The Office of Gifted Programs continues to support the concept of Go Green. Over 3,700 subscribers receive notification each time the newest edition of the electronic newsletter is available for reading. If you are not currently a subscriber, click on the small icon at the top right of the homepage where it says sign up for updates, scroll down to find the Gifted and Talented Bulletin, enter your address, and you will receive an notice, too. The newsletter is published at the end of each semester. Archives of previous issues are available here. The Gifted Programs blog: Conversations: The Gifted Learner can be found at vbcpsgiftehttp:// y.com/weebly/main.php# dprograms. Inside this issue: Celebrate Outstanding Teachers: Reid and Sullivan Kemps Landing/Old Donation School Construction Update News You Can Use/Spotlight on Gifted Community Advisory Committee for Gifted Education Read the Local Plan for the Education of the Gifted

2 Page 2 Virginia Beach Selects Two Outstanding Teachers of the Gifted The Virginia Association for the Gifted accepts nominations for regional Outstanding Teachers of the Gifted Awards. Virginia Beach nominated two outstanding educators for this year's award: Jill Reid, the gifted resource teacher (GRT) at Princess Anne Elementary School, and Missy Sullivan, GRT at First Colonial High School. Both teachers are exemplary teachers of the gifted and will represent us very well in the Region 2 competition. Jill Reid, GRT at Princess Anne Elementary School, loves working with gifted students. Her passion consists of working with cluster teachers infusing technology and gifted pedagogy into the divisionwide curriculum to develop the student s maximum potential, while making the lesson relevant in the twenty-first century. Her educational philosophy embraces teaching the whole child, which includes developing the student s social emotional skills and their intellectual capacity. Melissa Missy Sullivan, First Colonial High School GRT, adores presenting information to teachers, staff, administrators and other specialists locally, regionally, and nationally. Missy thoroughly enjoys developing students talents while simultaneously developing and expanding her thirst for knowledge. According to her principal, Dr. Nancy Ferrell, She has been a leader at First Colonial not only training the cluster teachers in best practice for gifted learners but serving as a member of First Colonial s Instructional Team Leader Committee. As you can see, she believes in developing the capacity of others at various levels. Congratulations to Jill Reid and Missy Sullivan! Jill Reid, pictured in the top photo, accepts her award from Dr. Veleka Gatling, left, and her principal Ms. Gloria Davis, right. Missy Sullivan, pictured in the bottom photo, celebrates with Dr. Veleka Gatling, right, and her principal, Dr. Nancy Farrell, left. Kemps Landing/Old Donation School Construction Update Pictured, left to right: A recent birds-eye view of Old Donation School; CAC members and staff at the end of their recent tour; An interior view of Old Donation School Construction on the new site for the combined Kemps Landing/Old Donation School continues at a rapid pace. The school name, Old Donation School, was approved by the Virginia Beach School Board for use when the new school opens. The program for identified gifted students selected by application housed at Old Donation School will be called the Edward E. Brickell Academy for Advanced Academics and Arts. The Gifted Visual Arts Program grades 3-5 and the Gifted Dance Education Program grades 2-8 will also be housed at Old Donation School. Members of the Community Advisory Committee for Gifted Education (CAC) toured the new site in March. Members were impressed with the effective use of space, the light-filled areas, and the flexible classrooms in which to learn. For further information and continued updates, please visit school_renovation/schools/olddonation- KempsLandingES.asp Photos from Anthony L. Arnold, P. E., Director, Facilities Planning and Construction

3 Page 3 News You Can Use: Spotlight on Gifted The Gifted and Talented Bulletin s News You Can Use: School Spotlight, will provide information and showcase happenings and events throughout the gifted program. Information on these and other schools is available on each school s website. Visit vbschools.com to access the school links and read more! Have a recommendation for the spotlight? Let us know on the Conversations blog. Kings Grant Elementary School Gifted resource teacher (GRT) Heather Follante reports that gifted students are seeing the link between the creation of the Bill of Rights and its applicability to current events today. To accompany the fifth grade social studies unit Reflections of Democracy, gifted students began to explore the concept of individual rights verses group rights with current events. Students used Paul s Reasoning (see William & Mary s site for more information about Paul s Reasoning centers/cfge/curriculum/teachingmodels/) to think critically about these events. Current events articles were presented to students and they were encouraged to identify all the stakeholders in each scenario and consider their point of view (including assumptions) that each group is making as well as the implications for each group in each situation. One of our gifted program benchmarks is to develop an understanding for systems of knowledge, themes, issues and problems that frame the external world and develop critical thinking. This activity allowed students to see how what they have learned about the creation and need for the Bill of Rights is still relevant today. North Landing Elementary School The fifth grade KidWind team from North Landing Elementary won 1 st place in the local competition to advance to the national competition at the American Wind Energy Association, or AWEA, Conference in May in New Orleans. KidWind is a competition based on the ideas of engaging people in the wind energy business and building an understanding of STEM projects. Students say they have three main factors of success: collaboration, design, and process. The team has built strong connections while working with each other, thus, creating trust in one another. Students admit it took them a while to actually understand their goals and how to accomplish them. GRT Becky Wallace is the team sponsor. Follow their progress on White Oaks Elementary School GRT Adrienne Kravchak shares news about Mrs. Johnson s fifth grade class who is putting the final touches on a video task. She reports, They were challenged with creating a video that teaches a physics concept learned this year. One group created a stop motion video on sound and another designed an experiment to prove the Law of Conservation of Mass. All students felt the pressure of working well with a team and a deadline. They did a fantastic job! We can t wait to watch them all and reflect on our accomplishment. In addition, she says, Second grade classes had a blast proving that magnetism is a force that follows rules. They designed and created objects that could be moved using the rules they discovered through experimentation. The tricky part was making it move without touching it! Students worked together with a partner to design and redesign their object. Tallwood High School Lisa Walker, GRT, reports, Mrs. Trevino s Biology and Global Ecology classes are taking on the role of experts in the fields of advanced biology and global ecology to research the potential positive and negative impacts, potential use and misuse and limitations of the of genetic information gained through of emerging genetic technologies. Breaking News! Valerie Winborne, Virginia Beach City Public Schools (VBCPS) gifted dance program chairperson, has been named the Pre-kindergarten-12th grade (P-12) Master Dance Educator of the Year for Presented annually by the National Dance Society, the award recognizes excellence in dance education in school divisions. Winborne has taught in the division's Gifted Dance Education Program at Kemps Landing/Old Donation School for eight years. The program serves more than 350 students and includes instruction in modern, ballet and creative dance techniques as well as the history and theory of dance. "We are so fortunate that VBCPS offers such high-quality fine arts programs to students and to have such talented educators like Valerie engaging our students every day," said VBCPS Superintendent Aaron Spence. "I congratulate her on this notable achievement and thank her for sharing the gift of the performing arts with students." The essential question for the students research: What are genetic technologies and how are they impacting the human population? Students investigated both the pros and cons of these new technologies and created INFOGRAPHICS to share their research and concerns for ethical use now and in the future. In a culminating Socratic Seminar, students evaluated genetic engineering and the potential for controversy through discussion of pertinent articles on the topic. Their conclusion: The potential for great scientific advances is exponential with new genetic technology, but we must be aware of the ever-present danger of unethical use.

4 Page 4 Office of Program s f or Exceptional Childr en: Gifted Program s Sarah Allard Sandy Beale-Berry Sun-Siret Betancourt Jill Campbell April Cobos Amy Converse Yoon Do DeAnna Emborski Amanda Fox Veleka Gatling Ryan Luzak, Chair Woody Parsons Ginger Ploeger Tanya Ramirez Evan Rice Kay Roberson Gary Webster Valerie Winborne Humberto Zuniga Department of Teaching and Learning Virginia Beach City Public Schools Virginia Beach, Virginia Phone: Fax: [email protected] Check out vbschools.com for more information! Gifted Education Community Advisory Committee Ex-officio, Middle School Resource Kempsville Ex-officio, Elementary School Resource First Colonial At-large Princess Anne Landstown At-large Green Run Ex-officio, Administration Cox Student Representative Ocean Lakes Salem Tallwood Ex-officio, High School Resource Kellam Ex-officio, Arts Bayside Community Advisory Committee for Gifted Education (CAC) The purpose of the Community Advisory Committee for Gifted Education is to advise the School Board of the educational needs of all gifted students in the school division. The duties and responsibilities of the Community Advisory Committee for Gifted Education are to: review annually the local plan for the education of gifted students, including revisions. determine the extent to which the local plan for the previous year was implemented. develop annual goals and priorities. represent the community. encourage a collaborative relationship between school division staff and the community. become knowledgeable about current programs, research and best practices in gifted education and its relationship with general education. focus attention on issues relative to improving the educational services for gifted students. submit recommendations of the advisory committee in writing to the Superintendent and the School Board. CAC Meeting Dates and Locations All meetings are open to the public. Local Plan for the Education of the Gifted Virginia Beach City Public Schools Local Plan for the Education of the Gifted required by the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE) for all school divisions in the Commonwealth was approved by the Virginia Beach School Board on June 30, The plan governs the work of Gifted Programs for and was approved by the Virginia Beach School Board on June 30, The Local Plan is available here. Meeting Dates June 13, :30 PM June 21, 2016 (Report to the School Board) 6:00 PM Site Room 113 School Administration Building Building #6 Virginia Beach, VA School Board Room School Administration Building Building #6 Virginia Beach, VA 23456

5 Dr. Aaron C. Spence, Superintendent Virginia Beach City Public Schools, Virginia Beach, VA Produced by the Department of Media and Communications for the Office of Programs for Exceptional Children For further information, please call (757) Notice of Non-Discrimination Policy Virginia Beach City Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. School Board policies and regulations (including, but not limited to, Policies 2-33, 4-4, 4-43, 5-7, 5-44, 6-7, 7-48, 7-49 and Regulations , , ) provide equal access to courses, programs, counseling services, physical education and athletic, vocational education, instructional materials, and extracurricular activities. To seek resolution of grievances resulting from alleged discrimination or to report violations of these policies, please contact the Title IX Coordinator/Director of Student Leadership at (757) , 1413 Laskin Road, Virginia Beach, Virginia (for student complaints) or the Section 504/ADA Coordinator/Chief Human Resources Officer at (757) ,, Municipal Center, Building 6, Virginia Beach, Virginia (for employees or other citizens). Concerns about the application of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act should be addressed to the Section 504 Coordinator/Director of Guidance Services and Student Records at (757) ,, Virginia Beach, Virginia or the Section 504 Coordinator at the student s school. Alternative formats of this publication which may include taped, Braille, or large print materials are available upon request for individuals with disabilities. Call or write Dr. Veleka Gatling, Virginia Beach City Public Schools, 2512 George Mason Drive, P.O. Box 6038, Virginia Beach, VA Telephone (voice); fax ; (TDD) or her at [email protected] vbschools.com your virtual link to Hampton Roads largest school system