Universal Screening: In Adams 12 Five Star Schools, 2nd and 6th graders who are not already identified GT participate in the Universal Screening process for potential gifted and talented identification. Find more detailed information regarding Universal Screening in the Five Star District.

Important dates for the Universal Screening process at our school:  

All 2nd graders will be taking the NGAT test September 9th, 10th and 11th, 2026.  Students who are not here that day will be given makeups as soon as possible. 

Parent/Staff/Student GT Recommendation: All K, 1, 3, 4, 5 students can participate in the GT identification process by submitting a complete body of evidence. Find more detailed information regarding the GT recommendation process in the Five Star District.

If you are interested in having your child be considered for the GT identification process you need to contact your GT Advocate for school-specific information.  If you would like to nominate your student for GT identification testing please complete this form. Late nominations will not be accepted.

Important dates for the GT Recommendation process at our school:

All grades testing at Mountain View will take place on November 11th and 12th,  (CogAT is a two day test for K, 1, 3, 4, 5 so nominated students will test both days).  The deadline for nominating a student for testing is October 6th, 2026.   

Advanced Curriculum & Extended Learning: “The Vehicle”

Provides the depth and complexity needed to ensure meaningful academic growth

Our school offerings include: 

• Differentiated instruction and small group opportunities through enrichment, acceleration, extension, and compacting of grade level curriculum 
• 4th and 5th grade teachers guide their students through at least one project based learning unit each year
   

Differentiated Learning Pathways:  “The Roadmap”

Provides an education at the appropriate level of readiness and challenge

Our school offerings include: 

• Flexible grouping
• Knowledge of name, strength, and need of each child
• Teachers utilize data in order to determine what level of readiness and challenge is best suited for their learners, and design content and assignments that match.

Individualized Opportunities & Enrichment:  “The Customized Options”

Actively engages and motivates through interests and meaningful learning opportunities

Our school offerings include:

• Goal setting with students for their ALPs or in class work and project based learning
• Collaboration with families to figure out strengths and needs
• Co-curricular clubs are offered such as Battle of the Books, French club, Green team, signing choir, etc...
• ALPs include goals around academic areas of strength and social emotional areas of need

Social-Emotional Learning:  “The Destination”

Focuses on developing the whole child by balancing empowerment and accountability

Our school offerings include: 

• Every grade level has adapted the Zones of Regulation curriculum for SEL
• Dedicated time everyday in classrooms for SEL learning
• GT students work with teachers to come up with an appropriate SEL goal for their ALP
• GT students in 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade will be meeting with the GTA and SEL specialists to do focused social emotional groups based on social emotional issues specific to gifted students

News from Gifted & Talented at MVE

Social Emotional Learning

This month our 4th graders learned about being and Introvert or Extrovert and about the difference between knowing something and learning something and the frustrations that may come along with learning something in SEL groups.  We will take a quiz to find out what our "vert" is and talk about why it is important to understand not only our own vert, but other people's as well.  We will also think about some things that are difficult for us but that we want to get better at and make a plan for learning one of those things.  We will think about how we can deal with the frustration of learning during the action plan. 

5th graders are finishing up their Vision Board projects and will start sharing them with their groups at their next meetings.  

Camp GT 

In December we did a service project and talked about why and how we can help different members of our community.  We made birthday boxes and cookie decorating kits for community members.  We also made cards for a local nursing home to cheer them up during the holidays.  

PERFECTIONISM

Does your child struggle with Perfectionism?  Lisa Van Gemert is an amazing resource for information on giftedness.  She wrote a book called Perfectionism that is really great.  You can order it on Amazon or I also have a copy at school that I would be willing to loan out if anyone is interested in reading it-just let me know!

Classroom Teachers and GT Advocate (GTA) Collaborative Support of GT Students

In addition to the extensions that take place outside of class, Rachel Haas (GTA) also works with teachers to support students in the classroom. This collaborative effort is multifaceted, including professional learning about giftedness and gifted best practices, GTA classroom visits to stay connected with instruction and learning that is taking place, etc... 

Newly Identified? Spring is a time when many parents have received a letter from the school district to let them know that their student has been identified as GT or Gifted and Talented.  The world of gifted education can be confusing at first.  If you are new to the GT world, here are some resources that are a good place to start. 

-Two short videos that provide a great introduction to GT

- Video presentation on ALPs.  This is from 2020 but provides a good intro. Check out other information from our Parent Education Series.

- Reading: A Parents Guide to Gifted Children and The Survival Guide for Parents of Gifted Kids are great places to start.  

-Prefer to watch rather than read? Check out these 45-60 min conversations from a variety of gifted experts

MVE GT In the Know

Suggested Reading for Parents

• 101 Success Secrets for Gifted Kids by Christine Fonseca
• Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students 3rd Edition by Christine Fonseca 
• Overexcitability and the Gifted By Sharon Lind *senggifted.org
• Overexcitabilities: Five Unexpected Intensities 
• All About Intensities (a bit of a rabbit hole of interesting articles)
• Three Images to Explain Giftedness
• Embracing the Whole Gifted Self by Patricia Gatto-Walden, Ph.D

Upcoming Events from the Adams 12 GT Parent Group

• Jan 16th, Thursday - Social Hour

• Jan 27th, Monday - Leadership / Planning Meeting

• Feb 4th, Tuesday - GT College Planning Night

• Feb 20th, Thursday - CAGT Legislative Day (applications due 1/20/25)

• Living Documents Advanced Learning Plan (ALP) goals are part of a “living document” that is shared with parents, students, and all teachers who work with the student. . This living document has been shared digitally with parents and guardians and will follow students through elementary school and ideally, into middle school. This Living Document is a tool to make sure that all stakeholders know each student well, and that students know their goals and have the opportunity to revisit them in order to reflect and revise with their teacher’s support and guidance. If you as a family have things to add, please email me and the teacher and we can talk about those things. 

• Recommended Listen:  Mind Matters Neurodiversity Podcast Episode 12  All the Feels (And Then Some) “Emotional intensity varies from person to person, but among gifted people, it’s often markedly higher, and more of a challenge to understand and control. Critically-acclaimed author and former school psychologist Christine Fonseca joins us with her insight into emotional intensity among gifted people, on episode 12 of Mind Matters.

  • About the guest - Christine Fonseca works to help children and adults explore the authenticity of their own voices. She’s the author of several books in the area of giftedness and emotional intensity, including Emotional Intensity in Gifted Students. Christine provides professional development to help educators understand the social and emotional needs of the gifted. She has worked as a school psychologist in the elementary, middle, and high school levels, and currently works as a consultant to school districts on the behavioral and social-emotional needs of students.”

• Booklist for Kids - Looking for multicultural, engaging book recommendations for your gifted readers? Be sure to bookmark We Need Diverse Books for some great suggestions! 

• Recommended for parents -  Embracing the Whole Gifted Self by Patricia Gatto-Walden, Ph.D  I have this book in my professional library and have read through it and parts of it several times. It is a short, but highly informative read that provides a window into the minds of gifted people, and how they are more than just their intellect. I highly recommend reading or listening to this eye opening book.

• Here are a few short videos about the different essential skills that academic goals are based around for students. 

  • Creativity and Innovation essential skill

  • Critical Thinking and Problem Solving essential skill

  • Inquiry and Analysis essential skill

  • Information Literacy essential skill

  • Academic/Informed Risk Taking essential skill

Helpful Links & Resources

• Parent Portal - GT Identification results

• Parent Portal - ALP Process

• Adams 12 GT Parent Facebook Group

• AD12 GT Page loads of great info and resources

• Adams12 GT Parent Group 

• Mental Health Wellness

• Code.org Parent Letter & Scratch - For Parents  Students may go to these free coding sites for enrichment by choice with permission from their teacher or at home