Stay up to date with events and important information regarding all things K-12 GT.

Dear CFBISD G/T Families,

We are looking forward welcoming our students back today!

We hope you've had a terrific vacation. We're all looking forward to the final quarter of the year, with all the excitement it brings.

Read down for our upcoming events, and remember that you can always stay up-to-date by checking our CFBISD Website.

Sincerely,

Stacy Carroll

Executive Director of Advanced Academics

Follow the link above to find resources on CFB GT Identification and Services, along with a list of local and national parent organizations that offer support and guidance for teachers, parents, and gifted children.

New to GT services or have questions? Join us for a Q&A session!

Date: Wednesday, April 2nd, 2025

Time: 5:30 PM - 6:15 PM

Please submit questions here by Thursday, March 27 @ 4 pm. Virtual Meeting information is located on the attachment.

Note: This meeting is for GT services questions only. Campus consolidation inquiries should be directed to 972-968-6550.

We look forward to seeing you!

G/T Awareness Week was created to increase awareness and encourage support of gifted education in Texas. Through online community discussions and social media posts, parents, educators, and advocates come together to celebrate giftedness. All throughout the week, we have the opportunity to share information and create conversations to provide a deeper understanding of the purpose of gifted education.

Guía de celebración para padres

Students in kindergarten worked together on a hunt for nonfiction text features! They explored magazines, identified key elements like headings, captions, and diagrams, and shared their discoveries with each other. Our exploration helped us make connections to our reading. It’s so fun to see their teamwork and enthusiasm for learning in action. 📚🔍✨

We're thrilled to introduce Mrs. Judith Kendrick, our new 4th Grade STEAM GT Academy teacher! Mrs. Kendrick joins us from Pennsylvania, bringing a wealth of experience and a passion for hands-on learning.

A graduate of LSUA, Mrs. Kendrick is not only dedicated to her students but also to an active lifestyle. When she's not in the classroom, you might find her hiking, biking, or even training for a half Ironman! She also enjoys fun board games. Mrs. Kendrick has three adult children that live across the country.

In her classroom, Mrs. Kendrick's primary goal is to create a supportive and engaging environment where every student feels valued and motivated. She begins each day with a 'Check-in Circle,' fostering a strong sense of community and allowing students to share their feelings and intentions. She is also dedicated to instilling a growth mindset, encouraging students to see challenges as opportunities for learning.

This year, Mrs. Kendrick and her students have dived into the exciting world of VEX Go Robotics! VEX Robotics is educational robotics for everyone. It helps facilitate teamwork, problem solving skills and leadership skills as the students work towards solving real world issues. She also led the Landry VEX Robotics club with VEX IQ Robotics, coaching three teams to success in local tournaments. We're incredibly proud of our robotics teams and Mrs. Kendrick's dedication!

Please join us in welcoming Mrs. Kendrick to the Landry family. We're excited to see the continued growth and innovation in our STEAM program!

Can your home withstand a hurricane? Ask these 4th graders!

Did you know?

1. Hurricanes are giant tropical storms that produce heavy rainfall and super-strong winds.

2. Hurricanes form over warm ocean waters near the equator. The warm, moist air above the ocean surface rises, causing air from surrounding areas to be “sucked” in. This “new” air then becomes warm and moist, and rises, too, beginning a continuous cycle that forms clouds. The clouds then rotate with the spin of the Earth. If there is enough warm water to feed the storm, a hurricane forms!

3. Hurricanes rotate around a circular centre called the “eye“, where it is generally calm with no clouds. Surrounding the eye is the eye wall – the most dangerous part of the hurricane with the strongest winds, thickest clouds and heaviest rain!

4. Most hurricanes occur harmlessly out at sea. However, when they move towards land they can be incredibly dangerous and cause serious damage.

5. The strong spiraling winds of a hurricane can reach speeds of up to 320kmph – strong enough to rip up entire trees and destroy buildings!

6. In the southern hemisphere, hurricanes rotate in a clockwise direction, and in the northern hemisphere they rotate in an anti-clockwise direction. This is due to what’s called the Coriolis Force, produced by the Earth’s rotation.

7. When a hurricane reaches land it often produces a “storm surge“. This is when the high winds drive the sea toward the shore, causing water levels to rise and creating large crashing waves. Storm surges can reach 6m high and extend to over 150km!

8. Hurricanes are also called cyclones and typhoons, depending on where they occur. In the Atlantic Ocean and Northwest Pacific they are hurricanes, in the Northwest Pacific they are typhoons and in the South Pacific and Indian Ocean they are cyclones.

9. The largest hurricane on record is Typhoon Tip, which occurred in 1979 in the northwest Pacific. With a diameter of around 2,220km, it was nearly half the size of the United States!

10. Hurricanes are given names by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) so that they can be distinguished. Each year, tropical storms are named in alphabetical order according to a list produced by the WMO. That name stays with the storm if it develops into a hurricane. The names can only be repeated after six years.

I was recently working with a little five-year-old who had come to me for assessment. In the midst of our work together, she became hungry and needed a snack. With much enthusiasm, she proudly pulled out her treat and held it high in the air. A gleaming, delicious looking banana for all to behold. Well, for me to behold! After I made the appropriate acknowledgement of what a yummy looking banana it was, and just how much thinking energy that would give her, she began the arduous task of trying to open it. As you likely know, some bananas are more amenable to being peeled than others! I always wait a bit before offering assistance to my young charges because even though tiny, many are fierce in their level of independence. After a few minutes of the child’s unsuccessful attempts, I made the offer. Her immediate response, “I think we need to go get Daddy. He can do it.”

It got me to thinking about the conundrum of when do we, as adults, step in and offer help and when should we wait and allow our children to struggle a bit to accomplish something on their own? Safety issues? That’s a no brainer! We step in immediately. I’m talking about the wide variety of issues that can crop up throughout the day—getting dressed for the school day, opening a water bottle, doing homework, creating a project, building a Lego masterpiece, talking with a teacher about a failed assignment, working out an argument with a sibling. When do we step in, and how long do we wait before doing so? Much of it is a judgment call. Let’s be honest, many times it is easier and quicker for us to just do it, whatever the “it” may be. We must realize, however, when we take over and take charge, our children are losing a golden learning opportunity, as well as an opportunity to experience pride in an achievement accomplished because of their efforts, not ours!

How do our children ever develop perseverance and grit, if it is always smooth sailing ahead? Life is full of crashing waves, some bigger than others, and we won’t always be around to throw out the lifeline to our children. Each time we rescue, we send the message that we lack confidence in our children and that we don’t believe they are capable enough to handle the situation. If we do this enough times, our kids learn to quickly let go of the reins and hand them over to us. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to always be the driver! So how do we teach grit to our children?

Initially, we need to show them the “hows” of whatever they are trying to achieve. Many times, that learning experience needs to be broken into achievable steps or goals in which they are able to learn small chunks at a time. Part of the teaching process may likely involve the parent modeling the skill so the child can witness how their trusted adult does something. Words of encouragement and praise for effort are crucial to children growing in self-confidence. It also helps when children hear Mom and Dad make statements such as, “This is difficult, but I am going to keep working at it.” “I’m not giving up until I figure this out.” I have a colleague who frequently tells students, “You can do hard things. Yes, this is hard and it would be easier not to do it. But, we CAN do hard things! I believe in you.”

Many experiences, while daunting at first, can serve as a springboard for increased confidence and independence. We want our children to learn they are capable, and through hard work and persistence they can accomplish much. Research shows that kids who have grit actually outperform those with higher GPAs, IQs, SAT scores, etc. The key is an inner drive to keep trying no matter what. It’s the age-old story of The Little Engine that Could! Who knew the author of that little children’s tale had it so right?

For further study on this topic, I highly recommend the following:

Carol Dweck’s work on Growth Mindset

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth

Thrivers by Dr. Michele Borba—this text gives practical suggestions of how to teach our kids to persevere

Oh! And in case you were wondering, the little girl I spoke about earlier…we talked about doing hard things and we giggled about “girl power”, and together we did get that banana peeled, and we did it this time without Daddy’s help!

Article submitted by GT Testing Specialist Renea Yowell

Planning high school courses is crucial. For added rigor, consider AP, UT OnRamps, or dual credit. Each offers college-level challenges:

• AP: Standardized exams, potential college credit.
• OnRamps: UT college credit within high school.
• Dual Credit: High school and college credit simultaneously.

Choosing the right fit:

• Match courses to student strengths and interests.
• Balance rigor with manageable workload.
• Align with college goals.
• Consider student learning styles.
• Check school availability.
• Consult school counselors.

Prioritize student well-being and long-term planning!

CFBISD's Advanced Academics is thrilled to recognize the outstanding achievement of our 7th-grade students who recently participated in the rigorous Baylor TIP (Talent Identification Program) Challenge. These dedicated scholars went above and beyond, taking standardized tests not only for district recognition but also to qualify for the prestigious Baylor TIP Enrichment Programs.

Please join us in congratulating these remarkable 7th-grade students for their participation and dedication to the CFB Baylor TIP Program. We are excited to see their continued success and look forward to celebrating their achievements at the upcoming awards ceremony!

Ishaan Acharya

Suhaana Balakrishnan

Alexander Bui

Adrian Cason

Avahan Gautam

Avyukt Gupta

Evelyn Hatfield

Muaaz Hussain

Joseph Ilesanmi

Elijah Kafwihi

Saanvi Khurana

Isha Kirpalani

Grace Lawton

Samanvitha Mada

Ritvija Mahabhashyam

Krishaanu Manuj

Avery Mason

Arjun Sripal Medara Metla

Luke Ortiz

Ashmit Patankar

Tanish Patil

Alden Skrobe

Siddhartha Somarppa

Mahathi Sridharan

Sachin Srinivasan

Jennifer Sujesh

Sanjay Umashankar

Arjun Urankar

Mahathi Venkatraghavan

Karthic Yalamanchili

Stay tuned for more updates following the Baylor TIP Awards Ceremony on March 26th, 2025!

CFBISD participates in the nomination process for the National Math Stars program. Advanced Academics has identified and nominated 2nd and 3rd grade students who have demonstrated outstanding mathematical skills and aptitude based on National Math Stars criteria. If your child was nominated, you have received a nomination letter from your campus with further details. If you have questions, please reach out to 972.968.4370.

Carrollton-Farmers Branch ISD students dazzled at the recent Destination Imagination (DI) tournament hosted at Newman Smith High School, showcasing incredible creativity and problem-solving prowess. The event was a resounding success, filled with fun and impressive achievements!

Advanced Academics would like to thank Abbie Sherman for her outstanding success in leading this program! 👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

Highlights of CFB's Success:

• State-Bound Teams! We are thrilled to announce that CFBISD has three teams advancing to the state competition! Congratulations to:
  • Country Place 5th grade (Technical Challenge, 1st Place) - Team Manager: Katie Baker
  • Rosemeade 4th grade (Fine Arts Challenge, 2nd Place) - Team Manager: Kammie Powell
  • Blalack Middle School (Fine Arts Challenge, 3rd Place) - Team Manager: Kris Roberts
• Renaissance Award Recognition: A special shout-out to the La Villita 4th grade team who earned a prestigious Renaissance Award!
• District-Wide Excellence: Teams from across CFBISD demonstrated exceptional talent, with notable placements including:
  • McCoy (Rising Stars)
  • La Villita 5th grade (Fine Arts, 6th Place) - Team Managers: Anuradha/Van
  • La Villita 3rd grade (Fine Arts, 7th Place) - Team Manager: Madhavi Shastry
  • La Villita 3rd grade (Fine Arts, 10th Place) - Team Manager: Crystal
  • La Villita 3rd grade (Scientific, 4th Place) - Team Manager: Van
  • Blalack 8th grade (Scientific, 5th Place) - Team Manager: Chris
  • Blalack 6th grade (Scientific, 6th Place) - Team Manager: Amy
  • La Villita 3rd grade (Scientific, 14th place) - Team Manager: Vanay
  • Country Place 3rd grade (Scientific, 15th place) - Team Managers: Katie & Jessica
  • Rosemeade/Davis 2-4th grade (Scientific, 16th place) - Team Manager: Elizabeth

CFBISD's Commitment to Innovation:

CFBISD's strong showing at DI is a direct result of the district's commitment to providing students with opportunities to explore their creativity and develop essential life skills.

Join the Celebration!

Let's celebrate the incredible achievements of our CFBISD students! Their success in Destination Imagination is a testament to their hard work, dedication, and innovative spirit. We are incredibly proud of their accomplishments and look forward to seeing what they achieve at the state level!

Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions.

CFBISD proudly recognizes our outstanding sophomores who achieved exceptional scores on the PSAT! Their hard work and dedication to academic rigor have paved the way for future success. Congratulations!

"In spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt." Margaret Atwood

As Earth revolves around the Sun, there are two moments each year when the Sun is exactly above the equator. These moments — called equinoxes — occur around March 20 or 21 and September 22 or 23. Equinox literally means “equal night," since the length of day and night is nearly equal in all parts of the world during the equinoxes.

https://www.wonderopolis.org/wonder/what-is-the-vernal-equinox

• 🌱 The spring season gets its name from the verb "spring." It's a nod to the flowers and plants springing up, springing open, and bursting into blossom.
• 🐣 The word itself comes from the Old English word "springan," which means "to leap, burst forth, fly up; spread, grow."
• 🌸 During the 14th century, the word came to describe the spring season, the time when plants wake from their winter sleep and bloom.
• 🌅 Before that, the word "Lent" was used to describe the season: "In the past it was the main word for ‘spring.' Lent surfaced as ‘lencten,' that is, ‘lengten': the season got its name because in spring days lengthen." (full article here)