Enrichment with Mrs. Platz

What types of Enrichment does Jefferson Township provide their students?

In Primary Grades, Kindergarten and Pre school teachers provide enrichment. In First and Second Grade, Mrs. Platz heads into each classroom and teaches 1-3 lessons on each thinking skill and one technology lesson. (Brainstormer Program) During the Thinking Skills lessons, classroom teachers observe students as they solve puzzles, create, and sort. For each thinking skill, some students will jump out as someone who excels in that area. Those students will informally meet with Mrs. Platz for 1-3 lessons and practice convergent, divergent, evaluative, and creative thinking skills while playing games, solving puzzles, and creating. Then the following week the process is repeated with a new thinking skill. No one is formally identified and all students get enrichment. In addition, many programs are offered in enrichment including after and before school clubs.

In Grades 3-5 enrichment, our identified enrichment program begins. The Federal government requires that we service the top 3% of students ( 3 students currently in most grades) Jefferson Township services up to the top 7%. Students are pulled out for up to two periods a week out of their classroom. The name of the program is Student Talent Enrichment Program (S.T.E.P).

In addition to this program, Jefferson provides many opportunities for enrichment. We do have many after school clubs, Breakfast Book Club for Grade 5, the Science Fair, The TREP$ workshop and Marketplace, Ellis Island and Regions Day for Grade 3, The Wax Museum for Grade 4, and in Grade 5 Debate Club for students who had straight A's in grade 4, Fifth grade book club for avid readers, and Mock Trial which all fifth graders take part in. In some years, Chess Club, Yoga, Crochet club and other clubs are offered to students.

My child is very smart and does well in school. How do I get them into the Gifted and Talented Program?

Students who are recommended by a parent or teacher are formally assessed for acceptance in the program. The committee looks at the following data.

Grades from the prior year
Reading level
CoGAT score
NJSLA test scores
Teacher Recommendation
Parent Recommendation ( Form is on district website) * this is not needed
Creativity

All areas are based on a point system. Each has a value of 1-5 points. For example an A+ grade point average is worth 5 points, a B+= 1. An excels expectations on the NJSLA is 5 points to 1 point. Once all the data is collected, the committee looks at the data.

When does the program begin?

Usually the program starts in early to mid October.

How often do you re evaluate?

Each year, teachers recommend students and the process starts all over again.

How does my child get into one of the other enrichment programs such as Chess Club, Book clubs, after school clubs etc.?

There are many teachers running the different enrichment programs. Most send home a flier to students or a link to a sign up through your child's google classroom.

Meet Barbara Platz, Interdisciplinary Resource Teacher

I am so lucky to be teaching my 25th year as Jefferson's Gifted and Talented Teacher. I live with my husband Dave and our cat Mango. Our three children went through Lafayette and High Point Regional High School and now my youngest is working for NY Road Runners as a Public Relations Specialist, my middle is working as a International Trade Specialist for the Federal Government, and my eldest is a Physician Assistant as a hospitalist in a major hospital in Pa. I have taught Gifted and Talented, pre k, first, fourth, and sixth, grade, ESL to adults, and Adult Basic Skills during my 36 years teaching. I love to spend time kayaking, biking, hiking, and I love a good book. I am an avid Tea drinker, and find myself enjoying gardening, and doing crafts.

First and Second Graders and our Brainstormer Enrichment Program.

Students will meet Dudley the Detective, Yolanda the Yarn spinner, Sybil the Scientist, Max the Magician, and the rest of the animals at Crystal Pond as they practice their thinking skills when Mrs. Platz comes and visits their classroom for a fun lesson. Students will Use their Convergent and Divergent thinking skills as they solve mysteries, work together to solve puzzles, write stories, and use technology skill.

Enrichment is a informal program in the primary grades. Every student will see Mrs. Platz for 1-3 lessons in their classroom. Using the Primary Education Thinking Skills Program (PETS), students are informally evaluated each lesson as they learn thinking skills. Those that "pop" in that unit are identified and later that month pulled to do some puzzles and thinking skill games in a small group setting. Each unit has 2-3 lessons with 2-3 small group lessons for those students identified for that skill set.

Your child might come home talking about my costumes. We have a lot of fun solving mysteries together and stumping each other with our wit!

Fifth Grade Book club for Enthusiastic Readers

What is better than reading a great book then discussing it with friends! Students in grade 5 that love to read can join our book club. Students vote from a selection of Newberry Book Award winners, New York Times best Sellers, and Classics from varying genres. The top 6 voted books that the club members pick will be the books that are read that year. Each student can pick 3-4 books to read. They will get the book 1 month ahead of our meeting. We meet together and discuss the book in depth. No tests, no vocabulary, no quizzes. Just the love of reading. Each year Mrs. Platz adds a book or two to our growing collection using a Jefferson Township Education Association PEP ( Public Education Program - Formerly PRIDE )and we invite parents to read the book and come to a book club meeting. I hope to see many parents come and join the fun!

Detective Platz visits first and second graders

First and Second Graders will see Mrs. Platz dressing the part of our Thinkers. Put on your coat, detective hat, and take out a magnifying glass and get ready to solve some mysteries!

Parents join our Parent and Child book club discussions

This is a picture of our Scritch Scratch (kid horror) book chosen by our White Rock Fifth grade book club a few years ago. I try and have one meeting where parents read the book of that month and come and do our discussion with us.

One of the goals of the program is to learn how to and practice holding a conversation where you might agree or disagree with someone else now to keep the conversation going. Students are in charge of the questions asked, and they enjoy reading and discussing together.

STEAM Engineering Challenges

Pictured is 4 of the 78 submissions for this past year's NJCGTP So you want to build a ? (hero) challenge. Students were challenged to create a hero using 50% or more recycled or repurposed materials. The Hero had to have a moving part. To add to the challenge, students were asked to create a video explaining their project and submit it to judges. Several of our Jefferson students placed in this contest with 38 school districts. This year's challenge and the theme for our project, will be revealed soon! But this year it is 90% cardboard!

STEP 4 and STEP 5

This year STEP 4 and STEP 5 students will be creating a magazine based on the Book Harris Burdick's Mysteries. This assignment, like all of Mrs. Platz's assignments are created so that students who enjoy that particular subject are given no ceiling. This book is completely pictures and the students create the mystery based on what they think the story might be. It is one of Mrs. Platz's favorite activities.

Jr. Workshop on the Arts Virtual Challenge for STEP 3,4, and 5

This will be the fourth year that Jefferson is competing in the county wide challenge in the Arts. Last year, students enrolled in Student Talent Enrichment Program (S.T.E.P) grades 3-5 and select students chose a monster, like the Lockness Monster pictured and told the "true" story from the monster's point of view and showcased it through the lens of Musical Instruments, dance, set and costume design, acting, and singing. Jefferson students in grades 3-5 were given the chance to compete. We look forward to this year's theme!

The winners from each categories' in each of the competing districts were invited to an academy award style event where their videos were showcased for the community. This is a New Jersey Consortium for Gifted and Talented Program.

The Big Bad Wolf Mock Trials

All Fifth Graders take part in a Simulation where we put the Wolf on trial for the murder of the first two pigs. Students take part in this event as one of the following roles: Bailiff, Lawyer, witness, or juror. Members of the community come in and act as our judge. I teach about the court, we run through the procedure ahead of the trial and on the day of each classes trial, each child learns about the court system in this non scripted event. It is a favorite event for our schools.

First and Second Graders use technology

One lesson every unit in Enrichment during push in classes is technology based. Students are learning new platforms where they cut and past, resize objects, send them to the back and front, and import pictures. Creativity is important!

Third Graders learn how to play chess.

Starting in third grade, students are given the opportunity to learn how to play chess and later to join chess club. Chess Club takes place during the day at Recess in the winter months. Chess Club is open to third through fifth graders. We also compete in a Morris Area Chess Tournament which is held in the spring.

Second Graders using Visual thinking

First and Second graders use many different types of thinking skills in our classes. In this picture, First graders are using their "Brainfocals" while using creativity to see things in different ways.

Jefferson Township Education Association PEP and FAST Events

Your child and you can attend a PEP/FAST activity run by the teachers and support staff from our district. This past year we had 58 grants that were approved, most in the elementary and primary schools. This is a picture from one of the three PEP/FAST events that Mrs. Platz runs using grants. Pictured is TREP$ Run a business where fifth graders take five business classes to learn how to come up with ideas, decide on pricing, market their goods, salesmanship and more. The event ends with a market held in the Middle School Gym with both White Rock and Stanlick fifth graders attending. Special thanks goes out to the Jefferson Township Education Association for the grant to make TREP$ pop with Balloons, signage, and materials for the workshop!

Mrs. Platz headed into the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classrooms.

Although my schedule is squishy, I managed to get into the classrooms to teach some enrichment classes several times during the school year. This is a photo from a fifth grade class on debating and how to argue a point. One example is which is thinner, a piece of paper or a dog whistle? Students learn how to speak without raising their hand, adding to other's points, politely disagreeing with someone and keeping the conversation going. Students voted on their choices, wrote their thoughts out, then we debated. FUN, FUN, FUN!

Public Speaking Skills

One of the favorite things that happen in my classroom is learning to enjoy a good verbal debate. How to keep a conversation going even if you might not agree with everything your classmates think. We practice this skill using silly arguments and using Pear Deck, Read stories and talk about the book, and lead up to formal debating skills which come in handy when they enter the Middle School.

At this time we are not sure if we will be offering Debate or Public Speaking as a course. The choice will be interest based.

Competitions with other Neighboring Districts

The New Jersey Consortium for Gifted and Talented Programs offers many opportunities for students K-8 to work together and also compete in a variety of subjects. Some of the programs are in person and some are virtual competitions. Our Elementary and Middle School GT programs run in Jefferson take part in several of their offerings. We love taking part in the virtual challenges so that more of our students are able to take part in them each year.

Engineering Challenges

There are many opportunities in Jefferson schools to do STEAM activities in clubs, the classroom, our Media Center Program, and through Mrs. Platz's classes. Pictured is one of this past year's heroes being constructed by one of our Fourth Grade students in Mrs. Platz's STEP class. Our past challenges have included imaginary cities, school mascots, costumes, and this past year Heroes. We can't wait to find out this year's challenge!

Workshops

The NJ Consortium for Gifted and Talented offers in person competitions for the areas high end learners.

NJCGTP Hero Engineering Challenge

The hallways in Stanlick and White Rock were lined with Heroes this past winter. Students were challenged to identify a hero, create it out of repurposed and recycled materials, and create a video explaining and showing the moving part and talking about their hero. Our K-8 students did wonderful in this competition that included over 30 school districts. I was amazed at their creativity!

How to contact Barbara Platz

Jefferson Township has elementary enrichment teacher that covers Stanlick, and White Rock Elementary School and one Middle School Enrichment teacher housed at the Middle School. Mrs. Platz spends two full days at both schools a week and rotates between the two schools on alternating Wednesdays. Please email her with any questions and she will get back to you as soon as she can.

Email: bplatz@jefftwp.org
Location: Arthur Stanlick Elementary School, East Shawnee Trail, Wharton, NJ, USA
Phone: (973) 663 - 0520

Enrichment with Mrs. Platz