Parents

Update on services for Fall 2020

8/20/2020

This summer has not been easy for any of us. We had obtained permission to use Google classroom after a successful CLUE Camp in the GSuite. After sitting about two months ahead with instructional planning, we were told not to use the GSuite and to go back to Microsoft Teams. This put us about a month behind. That's about right for 2020 - two steps forward, one step back.

So, here we are in August working to communicate plans to parents that involve strategic decisions where we are putting families first. We have considered the many challenges that we will face together in the fall and even researched best practices for supporting gifted children with these challenges. The following plans take into account the academic needs of our students but also their social needs, emotional needs, and what all will need to keep their sanity during this time.

Update for PreK and Kindergarten CLUE

As of right now, we are not able to provide CLUE services for PreK students. The State of TN halted all face-to-face testing last April, so we have not been able to obtain IEPs for PreK students. We will keep parents updated on when this changes.

For kindergarten students, we are prioritizing two hours of face-to-face enrichment instruction to continue CLUE support for students who were in PreK CLUE last year. Given the age of these students, it's not appropriate to lengthen the screen time for students learning virtually, so a hybrid model is not optimal. Our goal is to schedule these two hours around the foundational instruction for reading and math. CLUE teachers will schedule these service hours differently at each school site, as these schedules will depend on the kindergarten teacher's schedule.

Services for Grades 1-5 Pull-Out Enrichment

CLUE students in elementary grades will receive five hours of service through a hybrid model of synchronous (with the teacher) and asynchronous learning (independent think time). This has always happened in our classrooms where teachers introduce a topic and a project, then students are given work time to collaborate with peers, be creative, and work a solution. What this model allows us to do is continue pushing our students to think while giving them the space in which to achieve their best work.

Students will be pulled from general education virtual learning for five hours per week. The combination of synchronous and asynchronous time depends on the school, the group of students, the unit, and the lesson. This sample schedule is only one way these five hours could manifest in a given week. What will remain the same is the two blocks of time, 2.5 hours each, so that students experience consistency in their schedules.

Services for Grades 6-9 CLUE English

CLUE students in middle and high school will receive five hours of service through a hybrid model of synchronous (with the teacher) and asynchronous learning (independent think time). This has always happened in our classrooms where teachers provides a mini-lesson and facilitates a group discussion about a text, then students are given work time to collaborate with peers, be creative, and create a project or write a paper. What this model allows us to do is continue pushing our students to think while giving them the space in which to achieve their best work.

Students will be scheduled for CLUE English for five hours per week. The combination of synchronous and asynchronous time depends on the school, the group of students, the unit, and the lesson. This sample schedule is only one way these five hours could manifest in a given week. What will remain the same is the scheduled blocks of time, which will vary depending on the master schedule of the school which may or may not be a block schedule. The number of hours should support our minimum 3 hours of face-to-face virtual instruction.

Planning for the Fall Semester?

7/15/2020

We are too! We have a lot of information to share with parents about our plans for CLUE services in the fall of 2020 given the constraints created by the pandemic. In short, all CLUE students will be provided with comparable services whether they are learning virtually from home or physically in the school building. For more information, please visit our special page for parents at this link: sites.google.com/clue901.com/from-clue-to-clue-parents/home

Third Grade Students moving to Fourth Grade

5/23/2020

During this last week of school, CLUE teachers were asked to send home the following letter to all parents of 3rd grade CLUE students.

We have been very thoughtful about the current situation and its impact on our students. Because there is no system that determines when students are put through the comprehensive evaluation for the gifted IEP and because we were only able to test about a third of our students before the pandemic, the CLUE Office has determined that ALL students who attended third grade CLUE classes in the 2019-20 school year will join us again for fourth grade CLUE in the 2020-21 school year. This will allow us time to address all students' needs individually and to provide additional services that we believe increases student engagement in the overall school program.

Please see the attached letter for more information.

final_third_grade_clue_parent_letter_may2020.pdf
File Size:	191 kb
File Type:	pdf

Download File

Letter to Third Grade CLUE Parents

2/20/2020

Last month, each current third grade CLUE student was given a letter to take home to his/her parents. We are posting the letter here in case you did not receive your copy. In essence, we wanted to communicate with you that ALL current third grade students will proceed through the comprehensive evaluation process outlined by the state of TN to determine the student's need for gifted services through an IEP, or Individualized Education Plan.

Please contact your child's CLUE teacher if you have any questions.

final_third_grade_clue_parent_letter_jan2020.docx
File Size:	37 kb
File Type:	docx

Download File

CLUE Celebration - 50th Anniversary at the Orpheum

2/14/2020

We had a great time celebrating the 50th year of welcoming in new primary enrichment students on the Orpheum stage!

If you are looking for the pictures from the celebration, please click here:
https://scsbroadcastservices.app.box.com/s/gd6t00dz82i8z5co20zht2ls837xz551?page=2

Thanks to all who attended and celebrated with us!

Unexpected Traits of Gifted Students

2/11/2020

Raising a gifted child can be complicated. There are so many layers to the asynchronous development of the child who is truly gifted.

Ian Byrd is a contemporary gifted expert who we follow on Twitter and who presented to us at a TAG (Tennessee Association for the Gifted) Conference in the fall of 2018. He has written a wonderful blog that explains these five overexcitabilities of gifted students:

Intellectual
Psychomotor
Imaginative
Sensual
Emotional

At the end of the entry, Ian provides implications for the classroom. It's a great read and one that we wanted to share with parents and teachers of our CLUE students.

Here is the link to Ian Byrd's article: https://www.byrdseed.com/five-unexpected-traits-of-gifted-students/

CLUE Summer Reading 2019

6/5/2019

CLUE students should have brought home a summer reading list in May. If you are unable to locate that list, please refer to our CLUE Books website at this link:
http://www.clue901.com/cluebooks.html

*Please note that certain schools and optional programs may add a title or two to the list, but the one title we have shared is the only required book for the first two weeks of school. All instruction and grades for the first two weeks will be based on our chosen CLUE summer reading book.

For questions, comments, or concerns, please email us at clue@scsk12.org.

We Love Tag!

4/7/2019

The Tennessee Association for the Gifted (TAG) has a list of summer activities for gifted students posted on their website here: http://www.tag-tenn.org/summer-camps.html

TAG extends an invitation to join the organization in their work with parents, educators, legislators and the public to promote the best interests of gifted children. TAG seeks the active involvement of educators, parents, and other concerned advocates in support of our mission. To apply for membership, visit this website: http://www.tag-tenn.org/membership.html

Membership is open to all persons with an interest in gifted and talented education.
Annual dues are $25.00 ($15.00 for college student membership).
All members have voting privileges and may hold elective and appointed offices.

Membership Includes and Supports:

Newsletter: state and regional reports, program information, legislative updates, summer programs, scholarship opportunities, and other information pertinent to the needs of the gifted.
TAG Conference: annual event featuring nationally known keynote speakers and workshops for educators and parents on a variety of relevant topics.
Scholarships: offered to Tennessee's gifted youth for participation in various summer programs.
Mini-Grants: offered to TAG teachers for implementation of innovative projects/programs differentiated or designed to meet the needs of gifted children.
Tennessee Gifted Student of the Year Award: recognition of outstanding student accomplishment in one or more of the following areas: academic achievement, leadership, or visual or performing arts.

CLUE Camp 2019

3/31/2019

Each year, one-week camp sessions are designed to provide fun and challenging summer enrichment for CLUE students. The program and curriculum for this year have been developed to incorporate higher-level thinking strategies, group dynamics skills, and study strategies for CLUE students.

We are excited to announce two sessions of CLUE Camp for the upcoming summer.
Session One: June 3-7, 2019
Session Two: June 10-14, 2019
To access our full 2019 flyer, please click here: http://bit.ly/CCFlyer2019

This year, all three camps are located at Grahamwood Elementary, which is right off of Sam Cooper at the Graham Street exit. We will have staggered entry to allow an easier traffic flow but will provide supervision for siblings so that parents may run carpool once every morning and afternoon. Details about carpool, dress code, field trips, lunch times, and more will be emailed to parents along with the email confirming placement in our camp.

IMPORTANT: The application window will be open April 1 beginning at 10AM and open continuously until April 4 at 3PM. The first 50 applications for each camp session will be accepted. All submissions are time/date stamped on the Google form, and all applicants will receive a response with their status by April 10, 2019. Each student, including siblings, wishing to attend camp must have his or her own application. If you need access to a computer, please see your CLUE teacher.

Here are the direct links to each camp's registration form: (Responses will be accepted beginning
April 1 at 10AM.)
Primary CLUE Camp: (Incoming 3rd and 4th Graders) http://bit.ly/PrimaryCC2019
Intermediate CLUE Camp: (Incoming 5th and 6th Graders) http://bit.ly/IntermediateCC2019
Secondary CLUE Camp: (Incoming 7th and 8th Graders) http://bit.ly/SecondaryCC2019

Feel free to reach out via email with questions or if you need help: CLUE@scsk12.org
We look forward to seeing you this summer!

Vanderbilt University Summer Programs

2/12/2019

If you want to spend some time this summer in Nashville, this is a great opportunity for you! Vanderbilt University has two programs for talented youth.

Summer Academy at Vanderbilt for the Young (rising 1st – 7th: day programs): https://pty.vanderbilt.edu/pty/students/vsa/
Vanderbilt Summer Academy (rising 7th – 12th: residential) https://pty.vanderbilt.edu/pty/students/savy/

We've been asked to mention that Vanderbilt does offer financial aid (based on need; up to 85%) for both programs. VSA, the residential program, also has some full ride scholarships available.
Contact: Eric Fecht, Educational Consultant
Vanderbilt Programs for Talented Youth
Phone: 615.322.5657
Email: eric.l.fecht@vanderbilt.edu

For Parents.