Penn Manor Gifted Blog Grades K-8

TAIT, the world market leader in designing, constructing and delivering live events solutions, is offering Middle School students an opportunity to create a live event featuring a main stage, sound system, overhead rigging, automation and scenic elements. Students must use the materials provided by TAIT Towers as well as class room supplies such as tape, scissors, markers and rulers to build their own live event. Meet the members of the 5 TAIT Challenge Crews:

Crews received their packet of materials along with a card that explained their goals for the live event. Crews shared the element they plan to build and identified what other crews they need to work with in order to build their element. Crews also decided on the type of live event they will be featuring. Looks like they’re going with a musical! Here’s a shot of the brainstorming session from today.

Students will meet 2 more times to plan and build their element of the live production. On December 13th students will set up all elements of the live production. I will take a highlight video of each crew explaining what elements they built, the materials they used and why they chose to build the way they did. The video will be submitted to the TAIT Challenge at the end of class. Stay tuned to see what these 14 creative 7th and 8th graders come up with!

Students have one more Cohort day to bring books in for our first annual Book Swamp. The Book Swap will be held during Cohort on December 12th for Grades 3-4 and December 13th for Grades 5-6.

As of today, 8 students (out of 60) contributed a total of 38 books. Thank you Annaleigh, Emma, Charlotte, Lucas, Miles, Torsten, Bailey and Natalie for your contributions! Consider using the upcoming vacation to pull together gently used books for the book swap and bring them to cohort the first week of Decemeber!

Mrs. D’Amico and I (Mrs. Orihuel) work closely with 7th and 8th graders to support students in their classrooms, as learners, and to address their needs as they navigate middle school. Manor Middle School students are working on Self-Advocacy and completing self reflections of the first marking period. Marticville Middle School students are participating in a 6 week course to highlight individual strengths and challenges. Once personal profiles are completed students attended classes that were relevant to their areas of need. Topics included; organization, time management, study skills, procrastination, and stress.

Parents, make Sunday night a backpack check. Have your child empty out their entire backpack and sit with them, or close by for support, and help them organize their backpack for the week. 7th and 8th graders typically KNOW what to do, they just need TIME to do it! Here’s an inside look at what backpacks can look like (I have student permission to post this picture.).

With 7 elementary schools and 3 Gifted Support Teachers there is a lot happening in our gifted classrooms!

Competitions: We are offering several reading competitions for students in grades 3-6 and a K’NEX STEM challenge for students in grades 4&5. For more information about these competitions please see the earlier blog posts and talk with your son or daughter. Competitions were shared in class.

Cohort: All students in grades 3-6 are becoming financially literate. They are earning Dino Dollars in Cohort by doing their class jobs and completing enrichment opportunities (posted on Google Classroom). Here are a few pictures of how students spent their hard earned money at the School Store last week!

Students researched an assigned company and learned how to find the stock’s symbol and market price. Younger students were given $1,000 to build a stock portfolio and older students were given $10,000. Investors will begin monitoring their 5 stocks next week!

Small Groups: We have several book clubs running with several different books being read. Books are; Gossamer, Matilda, The Phantom Tollbooth, Sign of the Beaver, The Westing Game, and The Giver. Some groups are also exploring US geography. We love our small groups! They give us a chance to work closely with several students at a time.

Grade 3: Battle of the Books at Landis Run Intermediate School on Thursday April 2, 2020 from 9:15 am-1:30 pm. Please click HERE for additional information and HERE for the competition book list. Contest details and books lists will be provided during Cohort. Participation is limited to 9 students.

Grades 4-5: Elementary Reading Olympics at IU 13 on Tuesday April 7, 2020 from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm. Please click HERE for additional contest information and HERE for the elementary book list. Time will be given during Cohort for students to learn more about the contest and to sign up to participate using the Reading Olympics Form on Google Classroom. Participation is limited to 12 students.

Grades 6-8: Middle School Reading Olympics at IU 13 on Monday April 6, 2020 from 9:00 am-12:00 pm. Please click HERE for additional contest information and HERE for the middle school book list. Time will be given during Cohort for students to learn more about the contest and to sign up to participate using the Reading Olympics Form on Google Classroom. Participation is limited to 12 students.

Once students sign up to participate in the reading competitions you will receive a field trip permission slip with additional information. Please contact your child’s Discover teacher with any questions.