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December 2024 Newsletter

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December 2024 Newsletter

Growing with Gifts

Brain Bowl

Middle School

The Fort Morgan Middle School has given the qualifying test and has two competition teams per grade level. The Regional Tournament will be held on February 1st at Standley Lake High School. Transportation will be provided for students and their coaches on the day of the competition.

Elementary

The elementary schools have also given the qualifying exam and have their grade-level teams set. The elementary brain bowl tournament will be held on February 1st at Fort Morgan High School. The Fort Morgan Optimist Club hosts the event. 

If you have any questions about the Middle School or Elementary Tournament, please reach out!

Spelling Bee

The top 50 spellers from 5th-8th grade have been invited to compete at the local spelling bee. The Bee will be held on Friday, December 13th at 1:30 pm in the FMMS Cafetorium. The top 5 spellers will be invited to compete at the Regional Spelling Bee in February.

Upcoming Events!

12/13/2024-Spelling Bee at 1:30pm at Fort Morgan Middle School

2/20/2025-CAGT Legislative Day (9th-12th grade)

1/28/2025-Save the Date for our Virtual Regional Parent Night with Content Expert Emily Kircher Morris! This FREE event is one that you do not want to miss. Also, check out her podcast: The Neurodiversity Podcast

 

Have Questions? Contact me!

jamie.kosman@fortmorgank12.com

970-867-5633 Ext: 48132

On October 28, our 5th and 6th graders had a blast at the second YouCubed Math Mindset Experience! They dove into challenging math problems, collaborating and problem-solving creatively. Stay tuned for two more exciting events coming up in the Spring!


On October 31st and November 1st, the Gifted and Talented program, in partnership with Colorado University Boulder, hosted a STEM outreach program at Morgan Community College. One hundred fourth-grade students from Fort Morgan’s elementary schools participated in a full-day makerspace experience, fostering creativity and engineering skills through hands-on challenges.


John W Buckner Grant: Automatic Enrollment in Advanced Classes

The Power of Enrollment in Advanced Courses:

Traditionally, disadvantaged minorities and low-income students of all racial and ethnic backgrounds who perform well in school do not enroll in advanced classes at the same rate as their peers, regardless of preparedness. All students deserve the opportunity to learn higher-level content and students who have access to a rigorous curriculum perform better across multiple measures, including graduating high school and completing higher education.

The John W. Buckner Automatic Enrollment in Advanced Courses Grant Program, Senate Bill 19-059, is intended to increase the number of students enrolled in advanced courses for subjects in which the student has demonstrated proficiency.

The FMMS is taking on the Buckner Grant for 2023/2024 and will spend the year designing curriculum to help facilitate the automatic enrollment of our gifted students in advanced classes at the High School.

Read more about the Buckner Grant on CDE's website:

John W. Buckner Grant 


I-REECCH to tap gifted students in rural Colorado

Norma Hafenstein and Kristina Hesbol know what it’s like to grow up in a rural community. Both professors at the Morgridge College of Education have spent their careers advocating for equity, so their new journey is personal. The University of Denver professors say few gifted students are identified in rural areas, especially those who are minorities or from low-income families. So they’re deploying a team of researchers to help educators identify gifted students in rural Colorado.


Recursos Para los Padres de Familia

¿Qué puede hacer usted como padre por su hijo? Cada niño tiene capacidades en ciertas áreas, ya sea en las matemáticas, lengua y literatura, ciencias formales, naturales y sociales, música, artes visuales y escénicas, liderazgo, atletismo, filantropía o algún otro campo. Para ayudar a los niños dotados a descubrir sus talentos excepcionales, hay que explorar sus intereses y habilidades.


Explaining Giftedness to Your Child

"Whether identified as gifted, referred for an evaluation, or placed in a gifted and talented program, children quickly form their own impressions. They may wonder if this makes them different or smarter or weirder or better than the other kids."


What To Do When One Child Is Identified Gifted And Another Is Not

This article discusses how you can approach this subject with your children. The author shares several talking points to share with your child as well as tips for advocating for your children if you feel further assessment is needed.