"If you don't like something, change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it."

- Mary Engelbreit

Quotes to Make you Brilliant by Nathan Levy and Adam C Laningham

Our mission is to provide a rigorous and challenging curriculum for our high ability students to support accelerated learning.

NPUSC High Ability Website Link

Here is a direct link to our corporation website where you will find more information regarding our high ability program.

Due January 14th, 2026

You do not have to fill out this form if your child is already high ability in math and/or reading. For example, if your child is already identified as HA Math but not HA Reading and you are interested in them being tested for reading, then you would fill out the nomination form for just reading. You do not fill out the form for what they are already identified in, just for a new identification.

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High Ability Nomination Form - English PDF.pdf

High Ability Nomination Form - Spanish PDF.pdf

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20 Tip Sheets Available!

"The Timely Information for Parents (TIP) Sheets are for parents and caregivers of gifted children to download, read, and share as their children's needs change." Some of the topics included are advocacy, creativity, giftedness, social emotional development, and more.

Free Webinar

63 minute long video

National Association of Gifted Children: Advocating for Brilliance Part 1: A Parent’s Guide to Navigating Gifted Education

Unlock the secrets to nurturing your gifted child's potential by learning how to partner with professionals at school and beyond. Join the NAGC Parent, Family & Community Network for an empowering session filled with tips, tricks, and expert insights on how to be a champion for your gifted child. This evening of advocacy training and discussion led by national experts is the first of a two-part series that will be recorded. Learning outcomes for Part 1 include:

learn.nagc.org

$20 Webinar

Complete this webinar on your own time by registering and watching the included videos. 6 different speakers (educators, professors) are included. in this on demand webinar.

National Association of Gifted Children: How to Advocate for Your Child at the Classroom & School Level: Questions that Help to Open Doors

As parents and caregivers of gifted and twice-exceptional (2e) children, advocating for your child’s needs at the classroom and school level can feel overwhelming. Understanding how to navigate the educational system, communicate effectively with educators, and ensure that your child receives the appropriate support can make all the difference in their success. During this webinar, we will equip you with practical strategies and essential questions to ask at the classroom and school levels. These questions are designed to open doors for conversations about giftedness, twice-exceptionality, and individualized support, ensuring that your child's needs are understood and met in a meaningful way. Whether you are new to advocacy or looking to improve your current strategies, this session will provide you with the tools, tips, and confidence needed to navigate the school system and advocate for your child’s success.

learn.nagc.org

"Parenting and educating perfectionist children is not for the faint of heart. If parents, by nature, are not at all perfectionists, the intensity of the perfectionist child can be exhausting, overwhelming, and bewildering. Why can't he/she just relax a little? Why does he/she practically make him/herself sick over these weekly school assignments? Why does everything have to be so intense? Parents who struggle with their own perfectionism may feel guilty, worrying that their child has inherited the perfectionism gene from them. Teachers can feel defensive, hesitant to grade or to return less-than-perfect work, waiting for the upset that could follow. They may worry a parent will blame them if a child achieves less than a perfect score, a fear nearly every teacher has realized at some point. There are, however, some "best practices" in the care and feed of the perfectionistic gifted children. Choose ones that would work for you and your family." Below is a compiled list of the strategies outlined, with brief descriptions for each:

Positive Priming: Before tasks or challenges, use affirming language like calling your child "smart" or "capable" to activate positive brain responses, improving performance, error correction, and reducing self-doubt.
Maintain Reasonable Schedules: Avoid over scheduling to prevent burnout and stress; prioritize unstructured playtime, especially outdoors, and teach your child to say "no" to protect mental health and balance.
Accept That Gifted Children Might Not Like School: Recognize that even capable kids may dislike school due to perfectionist pressures; validate their feelings and avoid pushing for constant enthusiasm, focusing instead on realistic academic engagement.
Implement Appreciative Inquiry: Use a strengths-based questioning approach to shift focus from problems to positives—ask about what works well, envision possibilities, design plans, and take action to empower your child and build self-worth.
Support Executive Functioning Skills: Help develop skills like organization, time management, and planning through routines and tools, as gifted perfectionists may struggle here despite high intelligence.
Avoid Over-Advocacy: Refrain from excessive intervention, like making excuses or over-involving yourself in their challenges, to prevent reinforcing dependency or procrastination and encourage independence.
Avoid Unhealthy Comparisons: Steer clear of comparing your child to siblings, peers, or others, as this can heighten feelings of inadequacy and intensify perfectionist tendencies.

Perfectionism: A Practical Guide to Managing Never Good Enough by Lisa Van Gemert

"If self-love sounds like a high-stakes matter, it's because it is. Parents and caregivers want kids to value themselves, see themselves as worthy, feel good about their skills and accomplishments, try new things, and love themselves! So what can you do to help your child develop healthy love for themselves?

First, teach them to be their own cheerleader rather than their own critic. For younger kids, you can do this by:

Being their cheerleader to model this behavior for them
Offering encouragement
Building them up with realistic and positive feedback
Being a source of unconditional warmth, love, and compassion
Modeling positive self-talk to teach them to speak kindly to themselves
Helping them learn to question inner criticism by modeling appropriate self-evaluation and realistic self-talk

Second, let kids know that it is always okay to ask for help. When it comes to problems, feelings, and difficult thoughts, reaching out to loved ones, friends, teachers, counselors, and therapists is always okay.

Finally, teach kids to practice self-compassion. Model everyday ways of being gentle with yourself by vocally forgiving yourself for mistakes. Speak compassionately and lovingly to one another so that the outward dialogue they hear at home becomes their internal dialogue they use to speak to themselves."

Self-Love for Kids, A Parent's Guide to Raising Independent, Successful, Happy Kids by Keri K. Powers

Check out this program for high ability students and families below. "Our program is free to profoundly gifted students ages 5-18 and their families, and gives them the opportunity to connect and engage in a community that understands their needs."

Also, check out their free resources and guides for their "most sought-after resources for gifted students, families, and educators."

Contact Information

Please reach out to me if you have any questions, concerns, or anything at all regarding the high ability program for our corporation.

Email: catherinesaylor@npusc.k12.in.us

Website: https://www.npusc.k12.in.us/high-ability-program/
Phone: (574) 654-0492

High Ability Parent Newsletter

Winter 2026

Due January 14th, 2026

20 Tip Sheets Available!

Family Tip Sheets - National Association for Gifted Children

Free Webinar

National Association of Gifted Children: Advocating for Brilliance Part 1: A Parent’s Guide to Navigating Gifted Education

$20 Webinar

National Association of Gifted Children: How to Advocate for Your Child at the Classroom & School Level: Questions that Help to Open Doors

Davidson Young Scholars for the Highly Gifted | Gifted Program

Resources for Gifted Children & Their Families | Davidson Institute

Exploring Gratitude Guides: Take What You Need and Leave the Rest

Raising a Gifted Child

Parenting Gifted Kids

A Parent's Guide to Gifted Children

Parenting Gifted Children: The Authoritative Guide From the National Association for Gifted Children

Some of My Best Friends Are Books: Guiding Gifted Readers (3rd edition)

Contact Information

NPUSC High Ability Mission NPUSC High Ability Mission

High Ability Nomination Form High Ability Nomination Form

Due January 14th, 2026

NPUSC Corporation-wide Identification Process NPUSC Corporation-wide Identification Process

2025-2026 High Ability Timeline for K-8th Grade 2025-2026 High Ability Timeline for K-8th Grade

Tip Sheets for Parents Tip Sheets for Parents

20 Tip Sheets Available!

On Demand Webinar for Parents On Demand Webinar for Parents

Free Webinar

$20 Webinar

Parenting the Perfectionist Tips Parenting the Perfectionist Tips

Self-Love for Kids Self-Love for Kids

Davidson Institute - Young Scholars FREE Program Davidson Institute - Young Scholars FREE Program

Davidson Institute - Free Resources and Guides Davidson Institute - Free Resources and Guides

Davidson Institute - November/December Article Davidson Institute - November/December Article

Recommended Books for HA Parents Recommended Books for HA Parents

How can I help you? How can I help you?

Contact Information