GTA Update - September 2026

The students in GTA are--in general--very conscientious and dedicated students. They are also still kids. We have found that they often call everything they are doing in class a "project." Often, the work is actually not a "project," but, rather, simply assignments or classwork. Here's some things to know about that.

The teachers in the GTA are excellent practitioners, who teach the curriculum with purpose and zeal. When they assign various LEARNING CHALLENGES--whether they be daily grade assignments or major grades--they allot class time accordingly. For more extensive tasks, they--almost without exception--provide MULTIPLE class periods (even weeks for some tasks) for students to work on them IN CLASS. They understand the various demands that students face, and they do their best to MINIMIZE the amount of work students have to complete outside of class. OF COURSE, there are times when work must be completed as homework, but GTA studies should not consistently dominate a student's time outside of school.

Again, it is STANDARD PRACTICE in the GTA for our teachers to provide multiple work days in class on assignments, learning challenges, and projects. For major initiatives and major grades, the span of work days and study days sometimes even spans beyond a week.

If your child reports to you that he/she has a major task to complete and major amounts of work to complete just prior to it being due, it is very likely that time was used inefficiently during class. This might not always be the case, depending on how various students learn and process, but we find that it often is. In particular, with the district-issued laptops, we often discover that some students are playing games and participating in other off-task pastimes when they are given time to work in class. Even with active monitoring, if a child is consumed by these off-task digital activities, he/she will find ways to do these activities whenever he/she knows the teacher isn't able to see his/her screen.

Remember, it is one of our goals in the GTA to teach a HIGHER QUALITY and APPROPRIATELY ENGAGING curriculum. Not to simply give our GT-identified students more to do.

Every 6th grader in FBISD experiences a HUGE transition when moving to middle school. 7 different periods. 7 different teachers. No more daily folder. Navigating a new building. Meeting new people. Getting on the right bus. Walking oneself from place to place (no more lines). Managing a laptop...the list is endless.

In the GTA, the transition might be additionally challenging. A more demanding work load. More challenging tasks. More self-direction required. More self-regulation needed. No longer being the one shining star--here, EVERYONE is GT-identified and brightly shining.

That being said, no 2 students are the same. Some will rise to the demands and challenges from the get-go. Others might struggle--and some more than others. All of this is NORMAL. The hard part is keeping perspective and patience--as both the parent and student--if the struggle is real. The GTA6 teaching team is here to support student growth while still holding students to high standards. Trust that, like with transportation and schedule issues at the beginning of the year, if students truly apply themselves, they will figure it out, and they will be successful. Even if it takes some longer than others to figure things out.

Your child's classroom teacher is the best person to consult if there are questions about his/her class. The teacher is the person who best knows your child, interacts with your child, and has insights about your child and how he/she is utilizing class time, participating, etc...

If a child is spending inordinate amounts of time working on schoolwork outside of class, please have him speak to the teacher or email the teacher yourself. Sure, there will be times when the work load is somewhat heavy, but no educator in the GTA intends for or desires that a child's life outside of school be dominated by homework. Usually, the insights of the teacher can help bring balance.

GTA teachers are empathetic and understanding to special circumstances that might impact being able to turn in an assignment on time. For instance, a trip to the emergency room for the student or the student's sibling. Something unexpected and something that rightly has to be prioritized. If ever such an occasion occurs, please communicate with your child's teachers.

GTA teachers are often even empathetic and understanding for less crucial circumstances, but...they do NOT have to be. The reality is that if an assignment is turned in late, it is fair for late penalties to be assessed. If a teacher ever makes an exception, it is a gift and should not be viewed as a new rule or expectation.

This makes it of utmost importance to talk to your child about the importance of completing work on time and TURNING IT IN on time. An assignment that was technically "completed on time" is NOT on time if it isn't actually turned in until 2 days later. It is not reasonable to expect exemptions from late penalties on a regular basis. Neither students nor parents should make such requests.

NOTE: For a vast majority of GTA students, repeated late work is NOT the norm. It is, therefore, of extra importance to stress the above to students who regularly turn in late work. This, along with the efforts of the child's teachers and parents, can allow the child to grow and make progress when it comes to managing his/her work.

In addition to the published weekly tutorial times below, although not required to do so, GTA teachers often host lunch tutorials on certain days or am/pm tutorials by appointment/pre-arrangement.

THANK YOU, GTA TEACHERS!

The GTABC Education Committee is working on bringing helpful programs and resources to our GTA families, and they would love your input!

Please take a moment to complete the short survey below.

Do everything you can to be sure your child is present to attend these off-campus learning experiences.

• Wednesday, September 9: Cultural Anthropology Trip 1 - BAPS Shri Mandir + Chung Mei Temple
• Tuesday, September 22: Islamic Da'wah Center
• Tuesday, October 6: Chapel of St. Basil + Beth Israel Congregation
• Wednesday + Thursday, January 27 + 28: Houston Food Bank, UH Public Arts Tour, and Artist-led "Perspectives" Painting Class
• Tuesday + Wednesday, February 23 + 24: Casa Vaqueros Lunch - La Comida/El Restaurante (1/2 of GTA6 each day)
• Monday, April 26 through Thursday, April 29 : Artist Boat Galveston (1/4 of GTA6 each day)

Do everything you can to be sure your child is present to attend these off-campus learning experiences. NOTE: The Texas Journeys trip in February is an overnight learning experience designed by the GTA7 Teaching Team. We have been taking this trip for over a decade, and it is an amazing one-of-a-kind field experience.

• Thursday + Friday, October 1-2: Bryan Museum (Galveston) + Tree Sculptures (1/2 of students each day)
• Tuesday + Wednesday, November 10-11: Eternal Gandhi Museum (1/2 of students each day)
• Thursday + Friday, February 25 + 26: Texas Journeys OVERNIGHT (San Antonio + San Marcos)
• Friday, April 16: Ed-Camp Conference (@ QVMS)
• Wednesday, May 12: Junior Achievement Finance Park
• Friday, May 21 [tentative]: Barnes & Noble Bookstore Initiative

Do everything you can to be sure your child is present to attend these off-campus learning experiences.

• Friday, October 23: MECA Houston (Ofrendas + Cultural Learning Center)
• Friday, November 20: A&M > Offshore Technology Research Center, RELLIS Innovation & Tech, Physics w/Dr. Tatiana (College Station, TX)
• FRIDAY 11/20 will be EARLY departure (6:30 am) and LATE return (7:00 pm)
• Wednesday, December 2: Eternal Gandhi Museum + Mindfulness
• Tuesday + Wednesday, February 9-10: Holocaust Museum Houston (1/2 of students each day)
• Wednesday, April 21: Manifest the Change Showcase (evening event @ QVMS)
• Monday/Tuesday or Tuesday/Wednesday, May 3/4 or May 4/5: Camp Olympia Outdoor Education Center OVERNIGHT (1/2 of students May 3/4; 1/2 of students May 4/5)

Joseph Bernhart

Academy Coordinator

Gifted and Talented Academy

Quail Valley Middle School

joseph.bernhart@fortbendisd.gov

(281) 634-6687