Elementary STEAM Training: We will be partnering with the Mag Lab to offer a STEM training on January 7^th 9:00-12:00 (at Mag Lab). This training is intended for the sponsors of the Elementary STEM Bowl but is open to anyone that is interested in attending. Please register for this course in Leon Leads. The course number is 24079 and the section is 27228. If you are not the STEM Bowl sponsor, please share this information with your school's sponsor.

 

Gifted/Talented Symposium: This event will be held at the Howell Building on Saturday, December 1st. It is intended for parents and educators of gifted/talented students. Please share this flyer with the families of your gifted/talented students. flyer If you are an educator, you can register on Leon Leads. The course number is 24080 and the section is 27229.

Please share this information with your student's families:

The FSU Departments of Mathematics and Physics are combining forces to hold a joint Open House for the general public, including students and teachers. Come join us on Saturday, October 13 from 10am-5pm for some math and physics fun! There will be double the fun with presentations, exhibits, demonstration, and workshops. Activities will take place on the FSU Main Campus in and around the Love and Richards Buildings. More details about these events, including maps, parking, and activity information, can be found on Facebook - search on:

FSU Math Fun Day (http://www.facebook.com/FSUMathFunDay) or

FSU Circus of Physics (http://www.facebook.com/FSUCircusOfPhysics).

We hope to see you there! Flyer

 

The National Science Foundation (NSF) announces the launch of the NSF 2026 Idea Machine, a prize competition to help set the U.S. agenda for fundamental research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) and STEM education. Participants can earn cash prizes and receive public recognition by suggesting the pressing research questions that need to be answered in the coming decade, the next set of “Big Ideas” for future investment by NSF. It's an opportunity for researchers, the public and other interested stakeholders to contribute to NSF's mission to support basic research and enable new discoveries that drive the U.S. economy, enhance national security and advance knowledge to sustain the country's global leadership in science and engineering.

 Entries will be accepted through October 26, 2018 . For more information, including entry instructions, eligibility, rules, and judging criteria, please visit the NSF 2026 Idea Machine website: https://www.nsf.gov/news/special_reports/nsf2026ideamachine/enter.jsp

 

The Elementary STEAM Expo will take place on November 2nd and 3rd at The Challenger Center. Elementary aged students can submit projects with a focus on the engineering process or the scientific method. Fourth and fifth graders projects will be judged on Friday, November 2nd. Set up for all projects will be Friday, November 2nd. Awards will be presented at Kleman Plaza on November 3rd during the Science Festival. We are also hosting an art contest where the winning design will be on the t-shirt for the event. All participants (even artist) must register online and pay the $5 registration fee at https://www.challengertlh.com/steam-expo-2018/. All registrants will receive a t-shirt. rubric flyer art contest

Project Wild will be offering PD for K-12 educators at the East Side Library on the following dates from 4:15-5:30:

September 19th: Habitat Circles

September 26th: Seed Need

October 3rd: Adaptation Artistry

October 10th: Investigations

Please see the flyer for more details about each session. Project Wild Trainings

Teachers from our Elementary STEM Leadership Cadre will be facilitating regional science trainings on The Learning Cycle as well as effective questioning strategies that can be used across all disciplines on the following dates from 3:30-4:45. Please register for the session you plan to attend in Leon Leads.

September 24th at the Howell Building (in the front conference room)

September 25th at Hawks Rise  (in Amy Franklin's classroom)

September 26th at Kate Sullivan (in Lydia Davis' classroom)

It was brought to our attention that it was not clear that students must be registered for the STEAM Expo in order to participate in the art contest. Please share the updated flyer with 4th and 5th graders at your school. STEAM Expo art contest

Elementary STEAM Expo

We are excited to announce registration has opened for the Elementary STEAM Expo. This event will take place at the Challenger Learning Center at the same time as the Science Festival. Kindergarten-fifth grade students are encouraged to enter a Science or Engineering type project into the expo. Fourth and fifth grade projects will be judged. Set up and judging of projects will occur Friday evening, November 2nd and awards will be announced Saturday, November 3rd, at noon during the Science Festival. There is a $5 fee to enter the expo but a t-shirt is included. We are hosting an art contest for this event as well. The winning art work will be the design for this year's t-shirt. Please see the two flyers regarding this event. STEAM Expo art contest  STEAM Expo flyer 

STEAM Expo Rubric

Register here: STEAM Expo Registration Link

FIRST LEGO League Jr Club:

Buck Lake Elementary will be hosting an afterschool workshop for teachers interested in hosting a FIRST LEGO League Jr Club. The workshop is planned for September. Please email Kim Perez perezk@leonschools.net if you are interested in attending. It will either be September 6th or September 10th, please let Kim know if you have a preference when you email her. Those in attendance will learn about over $50,000 available in STEM grants and can speak to the presenter about having your team sponsored by a company (this would cover the team registration fees).

Odyssey of the Mind Regional Tournament in Wakulla- February 16th

Math Competitions:

October 6th Montford-Cobb Mini Mu 6th and 7th grade

October 6th Swift Creek Mini Mu 4th-5th grade - contact Patrick Jeffries Swift Creek Mini Mu

November 10th- Rickards Mu Alpha Theta Fall Invitational

December 15th Chiles Mini Mu- contact Steve Friedlander

January 19th- Capital City Regional (Chiles)

February 2nd Lincoln Mu Alpha Theta

February 16th- Cobb Mini Mu-contact Cindy Osborne

March 2nd- Rickards Mu Alpha Theta

Learning Walks Professional Development:

What better way to learn than job-embedded professional development? The purpose of the Learning Walks is to share amazing things going on in your classrooms but also to grow from your colleagues feedback. I am hoping to incorporate a book study along with this year's Learning Walks. Applications are due by September 17th. Learning Walk Application

Gifted Endorsement Courses:

The Guidance and Counseling Course will begin on Wednesday, August 29^th. The initial meeting is a face to face session that will be held at Hawks Rise from 4:30-7:30. Please register for the course in Leon Leads. The course number is 23201 and the section number is 26711. The instructor for this course will be Lisa German.

 

 

 

Welcome to the 2018-2019 school year and another opportunity to make a difference in the lives of young people!  I am here to support you in any way I can, so please do not hesitate to reach out when you need assistance.

As mentioned at the annual back to school gifted meeting last week, one of your roles as the gifted contact at your school is to make your faculty aware of characteristics of gifted students. You are welcome to utilize this powerpoint at a faculty meeting this fall.Spotting a Gifted Student Powerpoint

Matriculation Paperwork:

Connie Haverty should have all of your paperwork by now in order to review it before the start of school.

Gifted Endorsement Courses:

We will be offering the Curriculum and Instruction for Gifted as a face to face course beginning June 5th-June 14th. The classes will be held from 8:30-4:30 - with Friday, 6/8 off. Please register for this course in Performance Matters - course 22903

We will also be offering the Nature and Needs course online beginning June 18th and ending August 24th. There will not be any face to face sessions for this course due to summer vacation schedules. However, it is important that you complete your assignments on or before the deadlines. Please register for this course in Performance Matters - course 23198

Upcoming Trainings:

Meeting Gifted Students Social and Emotional Needs: This is intended for gifted endorsed teachers on July 10th at the Howell Building. Kathleen Casper will be our guest speaker. If you are interested in attending, please register in Performance Matters (course #23571  section # 26030). 

Computer Science Training see flyer for details: Computer Science for STEM Teachers

 

Opportunities for Elementary Students

Leon County Schools has partnered with WFSU to offer a FREE Ruff Ruffman Summer Camp for current 1st,  2^nd and 3^rd grade gifted/talented students. There will be two different camps offered this summer. One camp will be held June June 4^th-7^th at WFSU and the second camp will be held June 25^th-28^th  also at WFSU. Please share the attached flyers and application with your 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade gifted/talented students. Applications should be sent to Andrea Goddard (goddarda@leonschools.net), be sure to let parents know to indicate which camp week they prefer. The number of participants is limited so share this with your parents as soon as possible. Camp Flyer 6/25  Camp Flyer 6/4 Camp Application

Please share this art contest flyer with your current 3rd and 4th grade students. They can enter to have their art work on the Fall STEAM Expo shirt. This year's EXPO will be held November 3rd. STEAM EXPO art contest

Gifted Listserv:

The web address for the gifted listserv has changed. People that were already a member of the old listserv have been moved to this new location. Please share this new site when you meet with parents at EP meetings. Also inform parents that this is the link they will use to unsubscribe as well.

New url to subscribe or unsubscribe: http://listserv12.leon.k12.fl.us/scripts/wa.exe?A0=LCS-GIFTED

Resources:

As you begin thinking about your gifted classes next summer, this looks to be a great resource to help you in planning for some math enrichment activities for students of all ages. Take a look at the various categories on the right side of the home page. math by design

 Duke Tips now offers a Teachers Workshop section on their website. It has free resources and advice you can put to use in your classroom. DukeTips Teachers workshop

Matriculation Paperwork:

You should be collecting paperwork from your feeder schools and scheduling your parent meetings. Remember, all paperwork is due to Connie Haverty by May 11th. If you have any questions feel free to contact Andrea Goddard (goddarda@leonschools.net).

Gifted Endorsement Courses:

We will be offering the Curriculum and Instruction for Gifted as a face to face course beginning June 5th-June 14th. The classes will be held from 8:30-4:30 - with Friday, 6/8 off. Please register for this course in Performance Matters - course 22903

We will also be offering the Nature and Needs course online beginning June 18th and ending August 24th. There will not be any face to face sessions for this course due to summer vacation schedules. However, it is important that you complete your assignments on or before the deadlines. If you are interested in registering for this course, please contact Andrea Goddard (goddarda@leonschools.net).

Upcoming Trainings:

We are offering a training for gifted endorsed teachers on July 10th at the Howell Building. The focus of this training will be on social emotional needs of gifted students. Kathleen Casper will be our guest speaker. If you are interested in attending, please register in Performance Matters (course #23571  section # 26030). 

FREE Summer Camp for gifted/talented 2nd and 3rd graders

Leon County Schools has partnered with WFSU to offer a FREE Ruff Ruffman Summer Camp for 2^nd and 3^rd grade gifted/talented students. There will be two different camps offered this summer. One camp will be held June June 4^th-7^th at WFSU and the second camp will be held June 25^th-28^th  also at WFSU. Please share the attached flyers and application with your 2nd and 3rd grade gifted/talented students. Applications should be sent to Andrea Goddard (goddarda@leonschools.net), be sure to let parents know to indicate which camp week they prefer. The number of participants is limited so share this with your parents as soon as possible. Camp Flyer 6/25  Camp Flyer 6/4 Camp Application

Gifted Listserv:

The web address for the gifted listserv has changed. People that were already a member of the old listserv have been moved to this new location. Please share this new site when you meet with parents at EP meetings.

New url to subscribe or unsubscribe: http://listserv12.leon.k12.fl.us/scripts/wa.exe?A0=LCS-GIFTED

Matriculation Paperwork:

You should be collecting paperwork from your feeder schools and scheduling your parent meetings. Remember, all paperwork is due to Connie Haverty by May 11th. If you have any questions feel free to contact Andrea Goddard (goddarda@leonschools.net).

Gifted Endorsement Courses:

We will be offering the Curriculum and Instruction for Gifted face to face beginning June 5th-June 14th. The classes will be held from 8:30-4:30 - with 6/8 off. Please register for this course in Performance Matters - course 22903

Upcoming Trainings:

We are offering a training for gifted endorsed teachers on July 10th at the Howell Building. The focus of this training will be on social emotional needs of gifted students. Kathleen Casper will be our guest speaker. If you are interested in attending, please register in Performance Matters (course #23571  section # 26030). We would also like some of our gifted endorsed teachers who are currently teaching gifted classes to highlight some of the amazing work going on in the schools. If you would be interested in presenting at this workshop, please fill out the proposal. Gifted workshop proposal form. Teachers attending the workshop will receive a stipend. Presenters will receive the facilitator stipend. Please return the proposal form to Andrea Goddard (goddarda@leonschools.net) by April 30th.

 

Matriculation Paperwork:

You should be collecting paperwork from your feeder schools and scheduling your parent meetings. Remember, all paperwork is due to Connie Haverty by May 11th. If you have any questions feel free to contact Andrea Goddard (goddarda@leonschools.net).

Gifted Endorsement Courses:

The Educating Special Populations of Gifted Students endorsement course, facilitatedby Mary Margaret Enfinger, will begin on April 10 and runs through June 16th. The mandatory initial face to face meeting will be held at Buck Lake Elementary on April 10th from 4:30-7:30. Register for this course in Performance Matters.

Upcoming Trainings:

We are offering a training for gifted endorsed teachers on July 10th at the Howell Building. The focus of this training will be on social emotional needs of gifted students. Kathleen Casper will be our guest speaker. If you are interested in attending this training please register in Performance Matters (course #23571 and section # 26030). We would also like some of our gifted endorsed teachers who are currently teaching gifted classes to highlight some of the amazing work going on in the schools. If you would be interested in presenting at this workshop, please fill out the proposal. Gifted workshop proposal form. Teachers attending the workshop will receive a stipend. Presenters will receive the facilitator stipend. Please return the proposal form to Andrea Goddard (goddarda@leonschools.net) by March 30th.

Elementary STEAM Bowl

Please submit the team registration form no later than March 30th. Scan and email to goddarda@leonschools.net. STEAM Bowl registration. Each elementary school can have one team of 5 students participate in this competition.