AIG Parent Newsletter

We are excited another school year is well underway - a year that will include AIG lessons and fun events. We hope your year is off to a great start and wish your family a fantastic 2025-2026 school year. For our returning families, you will notice our newsletter has a fresh, new look—thanks for sticking with us! To all our new families, a big warm welcome! Inside this edition, you will find helpful updates about our program, brain boosters to spark some good thinking, and information about upcoming enrichment opportunities. Let’s make it a great year!

Another school year brings a new DEP for students who are identified as Academically or Intellectually Gifted (AIG). This document is initiated each year to detail the services students receive and also includes an annual goal(s). Parents should have received the 2025/26 DEP from your student’s AIG lead teacher via Parent Square. You will receive additional information about the DEP in January. Please reach out to the AIG lead teacher with any questions.

Identified AIG students in grades 4-8 participate in a modified pullout group that is aligned to the student’s area of service. These areas are IG (intellectually gifted), reading, and math. A summary for each group is included below along with a follow up discussion question to use with your student in learning more about their modified pull-out group.

IG

Students will be working on strengthening critical thinking and problem-solving skills by engaging in a variety of puzzles, riddles, and challenges. As students navigate the mythical world of Silverquicken, they will be presented with a series of quests designed to challenge their way of thinking and promote productive struggle. Each quest will include a fun and engaging story that presents a problem to solve. Students will also learn how to play the game of SET. This fast-paced and quick thinking game presents a challenge to find "sets" based on various characteristics.

Follow-Up Question: Ask your student which strand of the problem-solving rope of people in Silverquicken they most represent: Findpath, Weaverchanter, or Commonskeeper. Reflect with them on how you have seen that type of thinking in their actions at home.

Reading

Students will build on their reading, writing, and communication skills through fun and challenging activities. We will kick things off with creative thinking and writing exercises inspired by famous quotes, helping students express their own ideas in thoughtful ways. Throughout the year, they will explore a variety of texts, learn how to look at ideas from different angles, and grow their vocabulary. Students will also practice active listening and take part in friendly debates with their classmates, giving them a chance to speak up, think critically, and work respectfully with others.

Follow Up Question: Ask your student how they feel about taking a position in an argument and explaining their reasoning.

Math

Students will be tackling a variety of interactive and challenging problems using mathematical reasoning skills. Along the way, they will develop strategies for solving tasks involving "productive struggle," where the answer isn't always immediately obvious. Students will need to use creative and logical thinking to solve Open Middle problems, where they are given the parameter of only using the digits 0-9 one time as they work through possible solutions. Students will also need to apply logical and mathematical thinking to crack a series of clues in Math Mystery detective cases. They will also learn how to apply strategies and computational fluency skills to play a math game by thinking through possible pathways to reach a solution of 24.

Follow-Up Question: Ask your student: Is there is another strategy you could try when you get stuck, can you try to work backwards from the solution, or does your answer make sense and how do you know?

The answers to our Brain Boosters are at the bottom of this newsletter.

Quote Corner: Brilliance in Words

This year’s newsletter brings a new feature, Brilliance in Words, that will include a quote to, hopefully, ignite some thought and discussion. By exploring famous quotes, we can gain insight into different perspectives and experiences. They can be a valuable tool for learning, communication, and personal growth. Perhaps you can share some meaningful conversation with your student using this issue’s quote.

Modified Pullout

In MPO sessions, students get to explore thinking in new ways, both creatively and logically. They will work both on their own and with classmates to solve challenges, puzzles, and projects that encourage persistence, problem-solving, and teamwork.At the end of each session, students will reflect on what they learned and how they solved problems, helping them grow as independent and thoughtful learners.

Follow-Up Question: Ask your student about the strategies and ideas used to solve the MPO challenges.

Saturday Enrichment Events

We are excited once again to offer Saturday enrichment events throughout the year for our 4th-8th grade identified students.The purpose of these events is to provide opportunities for AIG students to collaborate with their peers in a fun and engaging environment. Our first event was held in September. Mark those calendars for Saturday, Nov. 1, the date of our next event. You may view this year’s offerings and learn more about each event using the link below. We hope to see your child at one of our events.

RSS AIG Saturday Enrichment Catalog