friends of johnston elp newsletter winter 2019 · the child’s spirits or feeling like they’ve...
TRANSCRIPT
2018-2019 Board Members
Jenny Lashier, President Beaver Creek, JMS
Beth Frantum, Past President Lawson, Summit
Mandy Dummermuth Vice President
Beaver Creek, JMS [email protected]
Alissa Weber—Treasurer Wallace
Lisa Morlock, Ass’t Treasurer Timber Ridge/JHS
Kristin Urness Database Coordinator
Timber Ridge [email protected]
Tammy Coslin—Communications JMS
Hena Guo, New Member Liaison Horizon, Summit
Jean Sweet, Fundraising Summit, JMS
Contact us anytime at [email protected]
Friends of Johnston ELP Newsletter
Winter 2019
Kathy Paul JCSD ELP Coordinator 515-278-0476 [email protected]
Contact via email
Sue Cline JHS Adv Placement 515-278-0449 [email protected]
Contact after 3pm or
via e-mail anytime
Molly McConnell JMS 515-278-0476
Contact via email
Mitzi Hetherton Wallace and Lawson 515-278-0478 (Lawson)
515-278-6977 (Wallace)
Contact by e-mail or
phone
Nikki Paradise
Williams
Timber Ridge 515-331-4379
Contact by e-mail or
phone
Kristen Hartman Beaver Creek 515-278-6228
Contact by e-mail or
phone
Colleen Ites Summit 515-986-0318
Contact by e-mail or
phone
Kate Florer Horizon 515-986-1121 [email protected]
Contact by e-mail or
phone
2018-2019 ELP Staff
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Friends of Johnston ELP!
Let’s Get Kids Excited About Writing! The Young American Poetry digest is designed to share our
youth’s talents with others, supply a national audience for student writing, and
provide a publishing opportunity for young poets. Schools around the nation are
invited to participate in the project by submitting their students’ most creative
poetry. A panel of educators reviews the poetry submitted and selects poems to
be published based on a list of literary criteria. The authors of poems selected are
notified individually and written parental permission is required to print their
poetry. There is no charge to the student for publication, and a free copy of the
book is sent to the participating school library. The deadline to submit your child’s
poetry is March 15, 2019. For more information, visit www.youngpoets.com or
reach out to your ELP teacher.
Mark Your Calendars! The Gifted Guru, Lisa Van Gemert, will be in Johnston on
April 9 and 10th! See page 2 of this newsletter for more
information!!
Other ELP News
“Gifted Guru” Comes to Johnston
Mark your calendar! Friends of JELP is sponsoring an April event with The Gifted Guru, Lisa Van Gemert, who is an author, parent of gifted children, teacher and a national speaker. Here is an overview of her presentations.
Tuesday, April 9 7:00pm—8:30pm (Building TBA)
Strategies for Success: Boundaries for the Gifted. While gifted youth need more leeway and independence at earlier ages than do their typical learner peers, that doesn’t mean they need less parenting. Identifying and sustaining appropriate boundaries with peers, adult interaction, and even electronics can challenge the best and most dedicated of parents. Learn the key ideas parents need to find and maintain suitable guidelines for their children without dampening the child’s spirits or feeling like they’ve surrendered all control to their kids.
Wednesday, April 10
Becoming a Youth Hero. Lisa will spend the morning with ELP students in grades 6-12 exploring “Becoming a Youth Hero.” Our students learn from the characteristics of a hero in order to learn to become heroes in their own lives. Seizing on their strengths, recognizing the powerful forces in their favor, learning their place in the world and understanding just what it means to be a hero can increase motivation and a sense of empowerment.
Van Gemert will also educate ELP staff and some Instructional Coaches about current research in professional development, and will end the day with elementary teachers sharing tips and tools teachers can use in their classroom to increase effective instruction.
From the Desk of Kathy Paul
ELP Coordinator
PROCESS FOR IDENTIFICATION
Identification and development of academic talent is an ongoing process. It is expected that children will cycle in and out of the program as they mature and the levels of support and academic challenge they need change. Some may demonstrate ability in STEM, others in Humanities. A smaller number of students will excel in both fields, and are referred to as having general intellectual ability and qualify for extended studies and a personalized educational plan. An annual review of multiple criteria is a research-based best practice. Referrals may come from teachers or parents, or secondary students. ELP staff communicates with parents, who may make a referral electronically through the district web site or request one from staff. Characteristics that parents observe provide valuable insight. Staff collects data including standardized test scores and meets with teachers and with math and language arts specialists. If data shows strengths in specific area(s), programming recommendations are made. Teachers and parents are contacted regarding students’ academic needs and placement. Services depend upon need demonstrated and options available.
PATHWAY 1 for ELP identification
When possible, a z-score (distance from the mean) is calculated from each of these assessments: Iowa Assessments, MAP, and CogAT. The mean of each student’s z-scores is then calculated. Students who have a mean z-score in approximately the top 5% of the district are identified for services. Additional data points are reviewed including teacher/parent recommendations for students with mean z-scores between the 90th and 95th percentiles. Students who may not have high standardized test scores but are exhibiting characteristics of gifted learners may be recommended by teachers or parents and reviewed on an individual basis.
*Iowa Assessments (Discontinued after 2018. Iowa Statewide Assessment of Student Progress- ISASP- will be administered this spring, but no data will be available until fall 2019): The Iowa Assessment at-grade level test serves as an indicator of student achievement. Iowa Assessments is a general achievement test, and norms are not specific to our district. Many students score above 90th percentile in JSCD. Using our local population, a student in the 95th percentile may not need extensive accommodations when compared to other classmates. Consistent high scores in multiple standardized tests, such as Iowa Assessments, ISASP or MAP scores are useful to provide an indicator of high ability and form the initial basis of an ELP placement.
*MAP – Measures of Academic Progress: Scores are specific to Johnston standards and benchmarks. While many students score in the Hi (75th percentile or above) range, reading and math scores that are two standard deviations above the norm are a strong indicator of very high ability.
*Cognitive Abilities Tests: Cognitive Abilities Tests (CogAT) are not achievement tests, but aptitude tests that measure the natural ability to reason, think and solve problems. They provide reliable data to indicate a need for advanced programming, especially if other information is incomplete or inconsistent.
Other Identification Sources
*Teacher Recommendation: This is based on products, processes, motivation and grades when applicable. Teachers are trained in the identification process and are able to provide information on high quality products, initiative to complete extensions, evidence of high-level thought process, and rapid acquisition of knowledge. Teachers complete the Extended Learning Observation, derived from research literature on characteristics of the gifted. Teachers may request additional assessments or reviews for specific students.
*ELP Staff Recommendation: Observed characteristics, performances, and products over time are noted. Staff watches for trends in consistent, high scores in student data to help determine strengths.
*Student Information: Student motivation and initiative is important, thus students in secondary buildings can provide information about themselves through a form on the JSCD web site to assist in appropriate placement to maximize their strengths.
*Records from Previous Schools: Available data, such as out-of-level tests or information from previous schools may assist in appropriate placement.
Pathway 2 for ELP identification
*Case Study Approach Students with a unique circumstance, i.e. English Learners, twice-exceptional, or underachieving will be reviewed individually by a committee of educators. The data, including relevant observations, test scores, teacher and/or parent recommendations from pathway 1 will be utilized when possible as part of the student profile. Interviews with student/and/or parents and previous teachers may be conducted. Students will be compared against others of similar subgroups. In some cases, students may be placed on a trial basis.
Updated 1/07/2019
News from Johnston Elementary Schools
Submitted by Mitzi Hetherton, Nikki Paradise-Williams, Kristen Hartman, Kate Florer
Kindergarten
Whole class lessons are being taught in
classrooms. These lessons are designed to
help identify gifted and talented behaviors in
young children
Primary Education Thinking Skills
First Grade
Whole-class lessons are taught in classrooms
to help identify gifted and talented behaviors
in children.
Math puzzles and number games
Try-A-Tiles
Studying sets and Venn Diagrams
Logic Puzzles and Perplexors
Primary Education Thinking Skills
Q-bitz
Analyzing the book The Eleventh Hour for
clues to solve a mystery
Writing similes after reading different books
Second Grade
Family language study and PowerPoint
Sumoku
Logic Links—Puzzles that use a series of
clues to instruct a player where to place
colored chips to solve the puzzle; this
requires deductive reasoning—and
determination!
Perplexors—students sharpen their deductive
reasoning skills with these challenging logic
puzzles
Study of Milton Hershey and chocolate
Deductive reasoning skills
Games—Sumoku and Calc!
Insects and Spider challenge
Third Grade
Literature Circles
Real World multiplication scenarios
MoLi Stone—gifted curriculum where students
explored our numeration system in depth while
examining other numeration systems, such as
Egyptian, Chinese and a mystery system
Geometry and spatial reasoning
Stop-motion animation project involving script
writing and filming
Fourth Grade
Caesar’s English—a study of Latin stems and
advanced vocabulary
The Phantom Tollbooth (provided by ELP funds)
Chasing Vermeer
Fantastic Beasts Screenplay
Letters about Literature
Math Olympiads
Challenge Math—Decimals and Metrics
Algebra and the Language of Algebra
Fifth Grade
Letters About Literature
Caesar’s English – a study of Latin stems and ad-
vanced vocabulary
Math Olympiads
Algebra and the Language of Algebra
Stock Market Game
Letters About Literature
Individualized study of autobiographies
Studying the Fantasy genre
The 12 Days of Christmas price index challenge
Read and discussed the book Out of My Mind
Elementary School Happenings
Submitted by Mitzi Hetherton, Nikki Paradise-Williams, Kristen Hartman, Kate Florer
Summit Middle School News
Submitted by Colleen Ites, Summit Middle School
6th grade
Humanities students continued their research into the concept of what role categorization plays in humanity. Students delved into the concepts behind categorization and chose specific areas to research, from mental health to music, to what defines talent and animal versus human scientific categoriza-tion. Students will continue to develop these concepts when they work with Ms. Barlow and Mrs. Ites during quarters 3 and 4.
STEM students have completed another session of Math and Art by working with Virtual Reality (VR) software to learn how to ma-nipulate Euclidean geometry in virtual space, and then compare this to using Sonobe units in origami to manipulate or prove theorems in Euclidean geometry. Students also created origami and kirigami as ways to examine how to manipulate planes in geometry, created fractal art digitally and by hand to analyze fractals in nature, and examined the science of the human eye and how color-blindness can impact art and the way a person lives. Sixth grade teacher Jake Wager has a form of deutronopia and brought in his Enchoma color-blind adaptation glasses to share his journey of color-blindness with students.
STEM students for Quarters 3 and 4 examine the elements and limitation of engineering through re-engineering an existing object to make the design more efficient and /or more effective. Students have created an innovation analysis bank that we will share with local entrepreneurship investors, get feedback on the viability of the ideas, and then more forward with adaptations / creations of proto-types. Students will then develop a Request for Grant Proposal (RFP) or pitch video ("Shark Tank" style) for their product.
7th grade
Humanities students completed their projects attempting to affect change for the greater good by reaching a variety of audiences with a final presentation to 6th graders and Mrs. Paul. Student projects included a newly-established anti-vaping organization here at Summit, the use of art contests to widen awareness of Habitat for Humanity work in the Metro area, an informational group that will help establish backyard water mitigation projects in Johnston to avoid flooding issues, a animal shelter that specializes in therapy pet training and adoption, and a jobs retraining program that would bring together tech-literate Johnston students with adults seeking jobs retraining in an ever-changing tech-heavy economy. Several student projects have taken on a life beyond the classroom, and Ms. Ites and Mrs. Barlow will continue to help students foster these projects throughout the year.
STEM students completed their work with Forensic Science by extracting DNA from strawberries and participating in blood-spatter analysis in a created crime scene using principles of trigonometry to analyze the length and width of blood spatter droplets to determine the sine, and therefore the approximate location of the victim at the point of impact. Students also analyzed how data
needs to direct analysis of a crime scene to avoid confirmation bias.
STEM students quarter 3 are developing a robotic lunar base to mine for thorium and helium-3 on the moon. They have completed group build-outs to determine the best body design for their robot's protocol and required 4-jobs. Students share out these ideas and self-organize into teams, then build out their robots and complete a team engineering notebook of their work. Students will get to work with the 71st CST from the Des Moines Iowa Guard Airbase, cosmologists from JPL, and members of the Cyclone Space Mining Team.
Summit Middle School Activities in Pictures
Submitted by Colleen Ites, Summit Middle School
Johnston Middle School News
Submitted by Molly McConnell, Johnston Middle School
January saw the end of ELP classes for first semester. Students spent the last weeks of the semester presenting their projects to their peers. Projects were designed and started back in September and students have been spending class time each week progressing toward a final product to be submitted for evaluation. Projects ranged from story writing, to culture studies, to computer building. Students learned a lot about self-directed learning and time management during the ELP class. During the last day of class students completed a self-reflection essay evaluating themselves on their work ethic during the ELP class as well as giving feedback and suggestions on how to improve the ELP class. Congratulations to students on successfully completing their projects and their first semester classes!
History Day and High School Mock Trial
Work on National History Day and this year’s high school Mock Trial season are in full swing! JMS students have been utilizing FIRE time classes to work on their History Day projects. JMS has 28 students working on projects this year. The regional History Day competition will be held on Saturday, March 30
th. Students who qualify for the state competition will
compete on April 29th.
Johnston has 9 teams of 9th-12
th graders participating in High School Mock Trial This year! Teams received the mock
trial case just before winter break and have been meeting and preparing for the regional competition. This year’s case is a civil case having to do with fraudulent art work. The regional competition will be held March 5
th-6
th. Teams that qualify
for the state competition will compete April 4th-6
th.
9th grade student project on designing a tiny home out of a conversion van
9th grade student project on computer-based drawing
8th grade student project researching ways to genetically modify trees for termite resistance
Middle School Mock trial
Submitted by Molly McConnell and Colleen Ites
District Mock Trial Competition—November 12, 2018
On November 12th 4 teams consisting of 7
th and 8
th grade students from JMS and Summit competed at the Regional
Middle School Mock Trial Competition in West Des Moines. Johnston made a great showing with 3 out of the 4 teams qualifying for the playoff round which determines which teams move on to the state competition.
The playoff round was held on Wednesday November 14th and consisted of a Johnston versus Johnston mock trial show
down as two of the Johnston teams were tapped to compete against each other. All 3 Johnston teams had a challenging round of competition and in the end one team qualified to move on to the state competition. Congratulations to all of our teams for their hard work and to the following students on Team Firestorm who competed at the state competition November 27-29!
Team Firestorm Jeffrey Zou
Eshaan Chandani
Kaden Koch
Paige Thacker
Emily Quinn
Charlie Sullivan
Several students also received honors as outstanding attorneys and witness during the regional competition:
Outstanding Attorney
Esha Bolar
Paige Thacker
Outstanding Witness
Courtney Sweet
Sophie Ruddy
Eshaan Chandini
Eric Borgmeier
Honorable Mention
Anthony Wang Lauren Wessling Ferren Dickey Courtney Sweet
Kai Moyer Jake Gragg Audrey Allen Meredith Downs
Grace Kreps Eshaan Chandani Charlie Sullivan Paige Thacker
Allison Miner Jeffrey Zou Adelyn Koch Blake Tubbs
Connor Poland Janna Whalen
Johnston High School News
Submitted by Sue Cline
First semester ended with a number of great projects. Many seniors completed their exhaustive list of college applications and hunted for scholarships to help them pay for their adventures. Reading and creative writing kept multiple students busy. Creative projects were a popular choice, and two are pictured here. Sneh M. designed and constructed an office organizer based upon client desires and needs. Maggie S. created her very first pieced quilt.
Competition Update
Mock Trial is in full swing, with the district contest coming up in a few weeks. Teams and results of the District Competition will be shared in the next newsletter.
Academic Decathlon has completed Regional competition, with Johnston placing second, scoring a total of 28,134 points. The Regional team ended up smaller than in past years, but those students who competed were very successful. This year’s theme, the 60’s, led to interesting Art and Music study, and the long piece of literature, Rosenkranz and Guilderstern are Dead,, was quite a stretch for our students. The State competition is March 1-2, and the students who will make up the state team are marked below with a star (*).
Team 1—Honors
*Matthew Ding (11) : 2nd in Econ, 2nd in Math,
3rd in Music
*Owen Smith (11): 2nd in Interview
*Chris Yao (12): 3rd in Econ, 1st in Math
Team 1—Scholastic
*Marianne Aldrich (12): 2nd in Art, 3rd in Math;
3rd in Speech
*Casey Hodson (12): 2nd in Art, 2nd in
Interview, 1st in Literature, 2nd in Social Science
*Claire Cramer (11): 1st in Speech
Team 1—Varsity
*Mac Jackson (12): 3rd in Art, 1st in Interview,
1st in Literature, 2nd in Math, 2nd in Music, 1st
in Social Science, 1st in Speech, and 1st Overall in
*Bradlee Beierlee (12): 3rd in Social Science
Since we have begun the new semester, we are enjoying
a modification of literature circles, utilizing short books that
have important messages. Animal Farm, The Lord of the
Flies, A Wrinkle in Time, and Ender’s Game are several
of the pieces under study.
Team 2—Honors
Heather DeBruin (11)
Sam Dolde (11)
Team 3—Honors
Aline Teixeira (12): 3rd in Interview, 1st in Speech
Milind Jetty (12)