Enrichment News

Gifted Enrichment Update

• Not Returning to PRM? Please Let Me Know
• Enrichment Schedule Changes
• Conferences April 17
• Pictures and Lessons from March

In Every Issue - General Information:

• Enrichment Pullout Groups
• Accelerated Math Program
• Gifted Education 101
• Great Sites to Check Out
  
• TEMOTAD :-)
  

PLEASE let me know if your 1st - 5th grade student will NOT be returning to PRM for the upcoming year due to moving or changing schools. If you let me know, I can make sure you receive the gifted documentation for your child, as well as any work from their enrichment sessions that I have collected.

If you withdraw your child from PRM, I will not have access to their gifted identification records or test scores, so it is important that you let me know as soon as possible.

We are starting the placement process for rising third graders, and it is helpful to the process if we know of any students that will not be returning.

The enrichment schedule is being revised for the remainder of the year due to state testing.

My goal is to see all of my enrichment groups at least four more times before the end of the year.

Please let me know if you would like to schedule a conference. Send me an email at bonfiej@cpsboe.k12.oh.us to request a conference on the 17th or another day that works for you.

My job is to guide students in learning how to think, not what to think.

To do this, we focus on work that develops thinking and reasoning abilities.

Every enrichment session presents opportunities for my students to engage in activities that include verbal, quantitative, and nonverbal reasoning while practicing skills in communication, creativity, and collaboration.

I alternate the weekly focus between math and ELA, but always cover a range of tasks.

Below are slides and pictures from some of our recent lessons.

In Ohio, public school districts are required to identify students in grades K-12 for gifted identification in the following areas:

• Superior Cognitive Ability
• Creative Thinking Ability
• Specific Academic Ability - Reading
• Specific Academic Ability - Math
• Specific Academic Ability - Science
• Specific Academic Ability - Social Studies
• Performing Musical Arts: Instrumental
• Performing Musical Arts: Vocal
• Performing Visual Arts
• Performing Arts: Dance
• Performing Arts: Drama

Unfortunately, school districts are not required to provide any form of service or enrichment to those identified students. In most cases, it is the responsibility of the classroom teachers or fine arts specialists to provide differentiation or enrichment opportunities to meet the needs of our gifted students during the school day.

Education Standards for the Classroom

Educators are expected to follow the state learning standards for the grades and content they teach. At PRM, our teachers also follow a Montessori curriculum which often provides gifted students the opportunity to explore content and express their understanding in unique and creative ways.

Gifted Education Standards for Enrichment

I use the National Standards for Gifted Education to develop my gifted and enrichment programming. These standards focus on creating and providing learning environments that encourage awareness and understanding of interests, strengths and needs, along with the development of cognitive, social, emotional, and psychosocial skills.

Gifted & Enrichment Pullout Groups

Students are pulled out of their regular classrooms for enrichment activities and gifted services. Some groups meet weekly, some monthly, or quarterly. Groupings and schedules are determined based on grade levels, area(s) of gifted identification, and need.

Superior Cognitive Ability

Students identified as gifted in Superior Cognitive Ability have unique characteristics and needs, often requiring additional support to fully develop their talent potential. Enrichment options and expectations are tailored to meet the specific needs of each student.

We are expanding our gifted services to include accelerated math!

In the 6-9 Montessori setting, informal math acceleration can occur naturally for first and second grade students but it becomes difficult to meet the needs of a third grader who is performing consistently above grade level. Formal math acceleration is most often the best option to meet the needs of these students. Starting this year, third grade students participating in the acceleration program will take fourth grade math with our Math Specialist, Ms. Alexa Fulmer in a daily 40 minute pullout class. Ms. Alexa will be the math teacher of record for these students, and will be responsible for providing math lessons, grades, and differentiation as needed. These students will take the fourth grade Math OST in the spring.

When these students rise to the 9-12 level classrooms, they will take fifth grade math as fourth graders, and sixth grade math as fifth graders. In sixth grade they will be enrolled in the middle school math class 7AA which is an accelerated math class covering both 7th and 8th grade math. The 7AA math class is taught by me in our gifted & enrichment room.

Eligibility for the program is determined through scores on a state mandated rubric, the Iowa Acceleration Scale. This instrument evaluates academic achievement in math, participation, attendance, academic self-concept, and completion of assigned work on time to a high standard.

A student can be referred for math acceleration at any time during the school year. If you are interested in learning more about math acceleration please reach out to me.

We have a beautiful new space for our gifted and enrichment program! This space will allow me to build the program that I have dreamed of for the past ten years. I am in the process of redesigning my curriculums and overall program model, so it will take a bit of time for all the pieces to fall into place. Once I have it worked out, we will have a program that will set standards of excellence for gifted programs in a Montessori setting.

I am so happy to be torturing, er, I mean working with the amazing students, staff, and families of Pleasant Ridge Montessori. I consider it a great honor to be given the opportunity to enrich the lives of this community and to help guide our future scholars, leaders, and creatives.

Since 1999, I have worked with more than 2000 gifted students in grades K through 8 in various public school settings.

Email: bonfiej@cpsboe.k12.oh.us

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