PIEDMONT MIDDLE SCHOOL
an IB World School
Talent Development News
Volume 1, Issue 36 June 6, 2016
6th Grade Math
As the year winds down and summer approaches, the 6th grade math team cannot help but reflect on
what an amazing year this has been at Piedmont. We hope that all of our scholars learned a lot about math, in
addition to developing stronger communication, critical thinking, and teamwork skills…and hopefully had
some fun doing it. Our students have constantly shown us how incredible they are, whether it be turning in
AMAZING projects, acing difficult tests, or helping us out in the classroom. In the 4th quarter, we have been
reviewing everything we learned this year about Number Sense, Algebra, Geometry, Statistics, Ratios, and
Proportions…wow, that’s a lot of MATH! We are confident that the vast majority of our scholars have put in
the time and effort of mastering these skills, and we think that all of that hard work will pay off on the Math
EOG. We can only hope that next year’s group of 6th graders can be as great as this year’s!
6th Grade Language Arts
In Language Arts, we are wrapping up our year by preparing for the End of Grade Tests. We are
confident that our students are more than prepared for this year’s EOG. We have been preparing through
review charades, games, passages, and a culminating booklet that each student is creating. We have also been
rotating amongst our entire team to review important concepts that the students will encounter on the EOG.
We are extremely proud of our students and all that they have accomplished this year.
7th Grade Math
It has been a very busy 4th quarter for our 7th graders. They have been creating projects, completing
final IB assessments, taking their End-of-Grade Exams, and more!
This quarter, students learned all about applying area formulas that they learned last year to new 3Dimensional figures so they could calculate the surface areas. It was very common to see the students
deconstructing their math work into various pieces, nets, or even developing a formula of their own to solve
the math problems they were challenged with in class. Not only was area used to find the entire (or partial)
surface areas, but they also learned how to incorporate area when finding the volume of 3-Dimensional
objects. Students were challenged with varying levels of problems (Level 1 through 5 difficulty) so they could
work at their own pace. Our students love to be at their best, and this allowed them to show us how deep
their understanding actually was on particular concepts.
Our final unit this year was on probability. Students had various ways they were learning about this
topic. They watched videos on Compass Learning, created experiments to test the results and compared them
to the theoretical probability, and then they applied it to real world probabilities (weather predications,
basketball outcomes, and more!)
We wrapped up the year with review for the EOG’s! Our students were analyzing their own data from a
pre-assessment to determine their strengths and weaknesses of the math standards. Once they found those,
they used the data to focus their studying around those concepts to be better prepared for the final exams. It
was beautiful!
We are so proud of the students this year and all they have accomplished to prepare themselves for the
8th grade. Go Pirates!
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PIEDMONT MIDDLE SCHOOL, an IB world School
Talent Development News
7th Grade Language Arts
As the 4th quarter began, the 7th grade students worked on the poetry unit. They created poetry books
that included original poems written by the students. In addition, the students researched and analyzed the
works of famous poets. Leading up to the EOG's, the students reviewed all of the important topics that were
worked on throughout the year. The teachers used the EOG workbooks, Castle Learning, tutorials from the
online textbook and mini assessments to prepare the students for the exam.
8th Grade Language Arts
The eighth grade Language Arts team is excited to wrap up an exciting and successful year with our stud
ents. They are prepared for high school.
We have been extremely busy and highly productive this quarter. Each student read at leas on novel in
class. Students chose between Nazi Hunters and Bomb, two literary nonfiction novels which explore different
perspectives of World War II. Honors students were also expected to read the highly acclaimed novel
Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand. We gathered information on World War II, worked on identifying vocabulary
meaning based on context, and practiced literary analysis. By exploring different “stories” during World War
II, we aimed to get a move complete understanding of this important time period (and supplement the social
studies curriculum).
In addition to our World War II inquiry, we completed an extensive poetry inquiry this quarter. We
started our poetry analysis by completing TPCASTT – a helpful acronym to remind students of important
poetry elements (Title, Paraphrase, Connotation, Attitude, Shift, Title (revisited), Theme. Students closely
analyzed poems looking at sound devices, form, style, mood and theme. We saw great gains in poetry reading
comprehension and appreciation.
Finally, as part of the Piedmont tradition, students created a Piedmont poem to share at the end of the
year ceremony. We collaboratively wrote in each Language Arts class about our Piedmont journey. Students
thought critically and creatively to select an extended metaphor that represents Piedmont. Then the three
language arts teachers combined all of the poems into one Piedmont poem, which all students will memorize
and recite at the recognition.
8th Grade Math
Fourth quarter found us finishing the Math 8 curriculum with data and statistics. Students learned
about scatter plots and bivariate data (two-way tables). Our EOG review began with creating racecars.
Students then completed various EOG practice to move their car along the racetrack. Students earned prizes
as they completed tasks. Math I began preparing for two tests. The 8th grade EOG and the Math I EOC.
Math II students still had the entire trigonometry unit to complete. Ask your TD student about Pythagoras
and SOH-CAH-TOA, all triangle concepts that work with right triangles.
Finally, the students left campus one day for a field trip to UNC Charlotte to work on the Math I EOC
and Math II NCFE. Students worked very hard. Prizes were given out and it was a fun day of math.
It has been a pleasure teaching your TD student this year. We wish them much success in high school.
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PIEDMONT MIDDLE SCHOOL, an IB world School
Talent Development News
PIEDMONT MIDDLE SCHOOL
an IB World School
Talent Development News
1241 East 10th Street
Charlotte, NC 28204
Phone: 980-343-5435
Fax: 980-343-5557
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: http://pages.cms.k12.nc.us/piedmont/
Mission Statement
Piedmont exists to inspire in its students a passion for
learning and a commitment to personal integrity and
academic excellence.
Students demonstrate selfconfidence and creativity, are open-minded and
inquisitive, and display a sense of social responsibility
and global awareness.
Piedmont … You Know … We Care!
What is Talent Development?
The Talent Development Program for gifted
services is based on consultation and
collaboration between the talent development
and classroom teachers. They work together to
meet the needs of the high achieving student.
Program Benefits
 Gifted education and general education are
related, connected and integrated.
 Out of class sessions are scheduled when
needed most.
 The pace of learning is enhanced.
 High achieving students receive more
challenging tasks within the classroom.
 Classroom and TD teachers work together to
maximize student learning.
Did you know?
 Research on the TD Program indicates that
students receive at least three times the
amount of services using this model
compared to the old pullout, once a week
program.
 The TD model is most effective when high
achieving students are flexibly grouped
together based on their instructional needs.
 Every school has a Talent Development
teacher.
 The TD teacher at your child’s school can tell
you how they work with your child and your
child’s teacher.
TALENT DEVELOPMENT TEAM

Academic Facilitator
Dawn Johnston

6th Grade Team
Language Arts
Ann Tapia
Molly McCarthy
Shelley Lyttle
Math
Emily Burrell
Aaron Kolla r
Emily Swift
7th Grade Team
Language Arts
Patrice Frilot
David Milligan
Cynthia Alexander-Brown
Math
Karen Gorman
Teresa Peterson
Susie Palgut
8th Grade Team
Language Arts
Elizabeth Immel
Caleb Chandler
Kelly Hanson
Math
Cheryl Lamb
Janet Delery
Stacey Callahan


TALENT DEVELOPMENT NEWSLETTER
Piedmont Middle School
March 2016
Happy spring to you all!! It’s the middle of March, but already time to think about summer camp! There are many
opportunities created especially for gifted students –great ways for students to “keep on learning” all year long! The
following list offers just a sample of what is available for summer 2016:
WHAT: Discovery Place
WHERE: 301 N. Tryon Street
CONTACT: Phone: 704-372-6261 x 300
Charlotte, NC 28202
Discovery Place camps: http://www.discoveryplace.org/education/summer_camps/
Nature Museum camps: http://www.charlottenaturemuseum.org/education/summer_camps/
INFO: Camps outlined by Discovery Place are focused on nature, science and/or math with specific topics in each
category. Camps are being held at 4 different locations this year so check it out!
WHAT: UNC-Charlotte Camps on Campus
WHERE: 9201 University City Blvd, Charlotte 28223
CONTACT: http://summercamps.uncc.edu/camps
http://www.discoveryplace.org/education/summer_camps/
INFO: UNC-Charlotte Camps on Campus strives to offer a safe, fun, hands-on, and educational summer
enrichment experience for campers in rising grades 1-12. Middle school-age offerings include: Business, Law,
Engineering, Robotics, and more.
WHAT: Providence Day School Summer Programs WHERE: 5800 Sardis Rd, Charlotte, 28270
CONTACT: http://www.providenceday.org/summerprograms, or call for catalog 704.887.7006
INFO: Providence Day summer programs offer something for everyone –sports, arts, drama, cooking, service,
science, technology and many more! Browse through program offerings and sign up early using the
registration form on-line.
WHAT: Summer Programs at Charlotte Latin School
WHERE: 9502 Providence Rd, Charlotte 28277
CONTACT: http://www.charlottelatin.org/page.cfm?p=1651
INFO: “…promotes a joy for learning and where campers can develop cognitively, socially, emotionally, and physically
through growth-promoting experiences. Our coeducational day programs foster a passion for lifelong learning...”
Offerings include: sports, cooking, video games, chess, robots and theatre.
WHAT: Summer Programs at The Green River Preserve
WHERE: 301 Green River Rd
CONTACT: Phone: 828-698-8828
Cedar Mountain, NC 28718
Fax: 828-698-9201
[email protected]
http://www.greenriverpreserve.org/summer-camp/
INFO: Focused on environmental education and located in western NC near Hendersonville and
Brevard. “Green River Preserve is a non-competitive, coed summer camp connecting children with
nature. Located on a 3,400 acre private wildlife preserve in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Western
North Carolina, this extraordinary natural setting inspires campers to have a greater understanding
of themselves, their environment, and their fellow man. Designed for bright, curious, and creative
children, our program nurtures character development and fosters skills like perseverance,
curiosity, communication, optimism, creativity, and GRIT.”
WHAT: Kids for Conservation Summer Day Camp
WHERE: Carolina Raptor Center
CONTACT: http://www.carolinaraptorcenter.org/learn/summer-camp Huntersville, NC
INFO: Camps include:
Raptors of the Silver Screen, Young Veterinarians Camp and Birds and Beasties Camp
WHAT: All-Arts, Sciences & Technology Camp
WHERE: 1-week residential experience at either participating college campuses- NC State or UNCGreensboro
CONTACT: http://allarts.uncg.edu/index.php or email [email protected], or call (336) 315-7044 or
(866) 334-2255
INFO: Designed to give in-depth, hands-on instruction in the arts, sciences, and technology, the camp also
includes recreation, citizenship, and multi-cultural entertainment. During camp, each camper attends a morning
class and an afternoon class, chosen from a wide variety of course offerings that suit individual tastes and
preference. Our class size is small, and the curriculum encourages problem solving and critical thinking, all while
spending time on a college campus.
WHAT: iD Tech Camps
WHERE: UNC Chapel Hill or NC State University in Raleigh
CONTACT: https://www.idtech.com/locations/north-carolina-summer-camps/#!
INFO: week-long camps, ages 7-17, focus on STEM, hands-on, high-energy summer computer
programs for kids and teens. “Our NC summer camps immerse students in a STEM learning
experience unlike any other. Choose from courses in game design, web design, coding,
programming in Java™ and C++, Minecraft modding, filmmaking, robotics, photography, and more.
With 8 students maximum per instructor, we customize our curriculum around you. You’ll build
real-world skills, make new friends, and discover how your talents and passions can lead to a
future career.”
WHAT: MarineQuest
WHERE: University of North Carolina Wilmington
CONTACT: http://www.uncw.edu/marinequest/summercamps.html
INFO: Camps and programs designed around marine science, biology, leadership, diving and coastal
environments. To explore, discover and value our marine habitats through week-long camps for ages 10-17.
WHAT: Summer Enrichment Camp
WHERE: Ferrum College in Virginia
CONTACT: http://www2.ferrum.edu/fcsec/
INFO: Academics with social and recreational activities, ages 9-13
Select from Two One-Week Sessions July 12-18 or July 19-July 25, 2015
“Located at Ferrum College in the beautiful foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains, this residential camp offers an exciting
opportunity to: pursue academic interests, explore new ideas, experience campus life, make new friends, and have
traditional summer-camp fun.” Classes involve ACTIVE PARTICIPATION with a variety of daily projects and group activities.
Instructors are specially chosen for their unique abilities to make learning come alive.
WHAT: Camp Summit for the Gifted
WHERE: Blue Ridge Mountains near Newland, NC
CONTACT: www.campsummitforthegifted.com
INFO: Do you know any children that love: LARP, Philosophy, Rube Goldberg, Astronomy,
Spelunking, and Strategy Games? Ages: 9-15. Save the date: August 7-13, Camp Lutherock:
Newland, NC
I hope this information is helpful to you and your gifted child. Please contact me if you have any questions or
require further information, [email protected] or 980-343-5435.
Dawn Johnston
Academic Facilitator