Celebrating Gifted

Happy New Year! As we begin January, the Gifted & Talented Department is excited to welcome students back and continue supporting their growth, curiosity, and creativity in 2026. This is a natural time for reflection and goal-setting, and many of our GT students are ready to dive into new projects, exploring big ideas, and challenging themselves in meaningful ways.

Of note this month, both the GT Academy at Quail Valley Middle School and the GT Mentorship Program will be opening applications soon! Current GT-identified 5th graders may apply to the GTA, and current GT-identified 11th graders may apply for GT Mentorship for the 2026-2027 school year.

This month, our focus across the district is on critical thinking and creative problem-solving through both Innovation Hour and TPSP. GT teachers will be guiding students through enrichment activities that build perseverance, flexible thinking, and deeper academic inquiry.

We encourage families to nurture curiosity at home by inviting children to ask questions, explore interests, and share their discoveries with you. Your partnership is a vital part of supporting their continued growth.

We look forward to a dynamic and inspiring start to the new year!

Warm regards,

FBISD GT Department

Please join us at the GT PAC Spring 2026 Volunteer Event at First Colony Branch Library to serve Lunches of Love, on Saturday, February 21, 2026, from 1:30 - 3:30 p.m. Volunteers will be decorating lunch bags to spread kindness to the lunch recipients!

Lunches of Love is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization committed to helping end childhood hunger in Fort Bend County by providing free, nutritious sack lunches to children during extended school holidays and weekends.

Families will need to REGISTER, and specific details will be shared via email as the event gets closer. Thank you for giving your support to our community!

Registration Link

Performing Arts Houston presents the Gazillion Bubbles Show at Jones Hall for three performances. Bubble magic and lasers turn Jones Hall into the Madison Square Garden of family fun. NYC’s longest running off-Broadway family show bursts with excitement (and way more bubbles than you can count).

Performing Arts Houston Website

The GT Department has been actively supporting Innovation Hour campuses through teacher professional development and instructional walkthroughs. Moving into the spring, we will provide further assistance to strengthen the program. After seeing the students' enthusiasm for showcasing their projects, we are eager to continue collaborating with campuses and learning more about our students' projects.

Completion Deadline is February 27th.

For more information about Innovation Hour, visit the GT Department website or contact your campus Champion of Gifted Services (COGS).

For more information on Innovation Hour, please visit the Innovation Hour Web Page.

As we head into January, students are finalizing their research and continuing to work on their advanced projects. Each campus is currently setting its own GT Showcase schedule. Please stay tuned for specific dates and times from your child’s school.

For the latest campus updates and a full list of spring showcase dates, visit your campus Gifted and Talented website*.

Completion Deadline is February 27th

*To navigate to your campus GT web page, please go to the campus home page, click the "Students and Parents" tab, and select "Gifted and Talented."

District TPSP Web Page

The Gifted & Talented Academy (GTA) at Quail Valley Middle School is the only middle school academy program in FBISD. It offers a unique curriculum tailored to meet the social-emotional and academic needs of gifted children. All GT-identified 5th grade students are encouraged to apply for this program. The application window for the GTA opens on February 1st and closes on the last day of February. If your child is accepted into the GTA, FBISD will provide transportation to and from Quail Valley Middle School all three years of his/her middle school tenure.

In the GTA, your child will take all his/her core classes (ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, and Spanish) in a supportive environment where every student in the class is GT-identified. The teachers in the GTA are trained, well-versed, and skilled in meeting the needs of gifted students, and the curriculum is specially designed, featuring unique projects and lessons as well as numerous off-campus field experiences each year—all created with the gifted learner in mind.

Interested GT-identified students and their parents are invited to the GTA Expo of Excellence Information Night on Thursday, February 12th from 6:30-8:00 pm. The Expo of Excellence is a chance to see what the GTA is all about firsthand. It will feature numerous student projects and presentations as well as information about the GTA and how to apply. You can register for the Expo of Excellence at this link: Expo of Excellence 2/12/26

Want to know more? Watch this video to see for yourself what makes the GTA special. Video: Learn About the GTA or visit the GTA website at www.fortbendisd.com/gtacademy. This page includes information about the GTA and the application process.

Please contact the Joseph Bernhart, Academy Coordinator, at joseph.bernhart@fortbendisd.gov or (281) 634-6687 if you have any questions. Don’t let this opportunity pass your child by!

Parents can now sign GT Learning Plans in Skyward Q. When you log into Skyward Q you should see a new tile with a green bar. Click on this tile to sign your child's GTLP.

GT Learning Plan Web Page

GT Senior mentorship Information sessions will be taking place throughout the month of January. We have worked with each campus to arrange a dedicated session during the school day to inform GT-identified juniors about the GT Mentorship Program and application process. Please see the schedule below for campus dates. A virtual parent meeting will also be offered on Wednesday, January 28, at 6:00 p.m. A recording of this meeting and the presentation will be posted on the GT Mentorship Program Webpage on January 30, 2026.

GT Mentorship Program Webpage

Thank you to our mentors of the month!