STAFF COMMUNIQUE
December 2016
It’s hard to believe we have already completed our first
semester. I want to thank you for sharing your classrooms
with us and working together as colleagues to bring
consistency within our GATE programs. It’s been a
pleasure to meet with you all and to visit your sites.
Jane Martin, a long time teacher providing itinerant GATE
services, will be retiring in December and spending much
more time with her new grandchild. I would like to thank
Jane for her many years of service and the contribution she
has made for our program and students.
As we prepare for the holidays and winter break enjoy your
family and friends. Take time for yourself, rest and
rejuvenate. Be safe and we look forward to our next
semester and continuing the work we have begun.
Happy Holidays!
Frances Banales
Sr. Gate Coordinator
IMPORTANT DATES
1/10-1/31/17 GATE Testing
Kindergarten
1/11-1/25/2017 Site GATE Open
Houses
1/28/17 Make-Up GATE Testing
Hollinger Elementary
2/4/17 Make-Up GATE Testing
Cavett Elementary
3/8/17 Elementary Articulation
4/5/17 Middle School Articulation
Know anyone interested in joining the GATE department as a self-contained
or itinerant GATE teacher?
One of our department goals is to build teacher capacity to support our programs. As
you know we have two expansion sites that will need teachers next year and due to
retirement we will have both a middle school and elementary itinerant position open next
year. The best recruiting strategies come from conversations with fellow colleagues. If
you know anyone interested in a GATE teaching position, have them contact:
Frances Banales @ 225-1309 or
Louise Till @ 225-1310 for more information.
Department Goals for 2016-17
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Review our current GATE services to establish best practices.
Build the teaching capacity for GATE services.
Create strategies for parent outreach to share information
regarding the GATE program as an advanced learning
opportunity for their students.
Put into practice strategies to recruit and support families
whose students are offered GATE services.
Put into place strategies to respond to families who choose
to decline, withdraw or not accept GATE services.
Spring GATE Articulation Training
If you are a self-contained or cluster GATE teacher, you have been registered on True North Logic to attend our
mandatory spring articulation training on Wednesday, March 8, 2017 for K-5 teachers and Wednesday, April
5th for Middle School teachers. These trainings will be held in the Cavett Library from 8:00-3:30. Please make
sure to be on time and ready to begin by 8:00 a.m. The GATE Department is funding substitutes for this day.
However, you must request the day off using the ALE GATE code on AESOP and reserve your own substitute.
Please email [email protected] if you have any questions about the training.
Please bring upcoming lesson plans and a skeleton calendar with units, themes or projects listed. Bring a lesson
plan that has strong evidence of GATE strategies identified. Also, bring a lesson that you’d like support with
identifying GATE strategies.
ELA 4.0/GATE Curriculum Mapping Opportunity
The ELA department is currently hiring GATE teachers to infuse GATE standards into the ELA curriculum with
the intention of providing differentiated strategies for all of the highly-leveraged ELA standards. The ELA
department is looking for GATE teachers to be part of this process. The compensation is $25.00 per hour for
approximately 2 hours per standard. This is a great opportunity since teachers have already written many of the
standards-based activities in their lesson plans. It is a self-paced and flexible opportunity. Please email both
Michelle Mathews ([email protected] ) and Louise Till ([email protected]) if you are interested.
GATE Professional Development Opportunities
The GATE Department is offering professional development for current GATE teachers and for
teachers pursuing their GATE endorsement. Sign up for classes on True North Logic. Teachers
will be compensated $25 per hour for attending trainings. Each class is a stand alone for those
who are interested in specific topics, however all classes will assist in building consistency within
the GATE program. For more information, call the GATE Department at 225-1310. All sessions
listed below will be located at Cavett Elementary School – 2120 E Naco Vista.
Session 1
Social and Emotional
Characteristics and
Needs of Gifted
Students
Tuesday January 17th,
2017 4:00-6:00
Session 2
Session 3
Project Based Learning
Saturday 8:00-12:00
February 18th, 2017
Formative
Assessments in the
Gifted Classroom
Tuesday, February
28th, 2017 4:00-6:00
The focus of this session will
be on creating an optimal
learning environment for
PBL where students are selfdirected learners.
Participants will receive
information on rubrics,
project examples and
management.
During this session we
will look at a variety of
formative assessments
best suited for the
gifted learner including
rubrics, questioning,
portfolios, selfassessments,
observation logs and
more.
.
This session will look
at strategies to best
support the emotional
and social needs of
gifted students. We
will address twice
exceptional students
as well as gifted
students with other
special needs.
Together we will
explore best practices
for these students’
emotional and social
as well as academic
needs.
Session 4
Higher Level
Thinking/Questioning
in the GATE
Classroom
Saturday, April 8th,
2017 8:00-12:00
During this session
we will examine a
variety of strategies
to engage students in
higher level thinking
and questioning skills.
We will explore
Bloom’s taxonomy,
brain-based learning,
student-generated
questions, analogies,
and more.
Session 5
Engagement
Strategies for
the Gifted
Student
Tuesday, May
2nd, 2017 4:006:00
During this
session, we will
share a variety
of engagement
strategies best
suited for gifted
students. We
will look at the
benefit of
interactive and
authentic
learning tasks,
choice, and
student
motivation.
Summer GATE Professional Development
Save the Date! There will be an upcoming summer professional development training, tentatively scheduled for
June 5, 6 and 7 from 8:00-2:00 which will be 18 hours of PD towards the GATE endorsement. This will open up
by the beginning of third quarter on True North Logic. More details will follow!
Desert AP SUMMER INSTITUTES:
Tucson Session
June 20-23, 2017
(Tuesday – Friday 8:00-4:00)
Phoenix Session
July 17-20, 2017
(Monday-Thursday 8:00-4:00)
At: Tucson High Magnet School
400 N. 2nd Avenue
Tucson, AZ 85705
At: Pinnacle High School
3535 E Mayo Blvd
Phoenix, AZ 85050
Cost for four day workshop is
$695.00 (ALE Department will provide funding)
Cost for four day workshop is
$695.00 (ALE Department will provide funding)
30 hours towards GATE
Endorsement
30 hours towards GATE
Endorsement
Registration is now open for the Desert AP Summer Institutes. If you are interested in attending the Tucson
session, please email [email protected] by Friday, January 13th. Open seats will be filled on a first come, first
serve basis. Priority will be given to teachers who are working towards their gifted endorsement.
From the Flyer: Gifted Strategies for Teachers Grades K- 8*: These four day institutes are designed for the
classroom teacher who has the responsibility to “differentiate instruction” for the gifted learner in their classroom.
It would also be appropriate for gifted teachers who want to add new tools to their instructional skill set for
working with gifted students. In either case the participants will learn about the specific and unique needs of gifted
students, strategies for working with these students, teaching methods and specific classroom activities with
proven effectiveness. (Course may be used toward the gifted endorsement)
*Gifted Strategies K-6 offered in Tucson & Phoenix
*Gifted Strategies 6-8 Offered only in Tucson
The following are newly designed workshop sessions. These are designed for any teacher in grades 3-10.
Advanced/Honors Strategies: Implementing Culturally Relevant materials in a Diverse Classroom
Advanced/Honors Strategies: Integrating S.T.E.M. Strategies for all Students
Advanced/Honors Strategies: Problem Solving, Critical Thinking and Analysis for Students
Testing (Screening & Evaluation) Information
We have completed our first round of GATE testing for grades 1st through 6th and
we will be completing kindergarten testing in January. Please share with families
that we will be holding make-up testing for students who missed the assessment
during the site testing. Families may RSVP for make-up testing by calling the
GATE office.
GATE Testing Window
January 10-27, 2017 – Kindergarten
Pre GATE Kindergarten for SY2017-18 - Please call the GATE office to schedule screening.
Make-Up Testing Grades K through 6th Grade
January 28, 2017 Hollinger Elementary
February 4, 2017 Cavett Elementary
Results and Placements
1st through 6th grade - Test results will be mailed to the student’s home address in January of 2017, along with
placement invitations for qualifying students.
Kindergarten - Test results will be mailed to the student’s home address in February of 2017, along with
placement invitations for qualifying students.
The GATE department has a variety of high level
literacy kits and resources that are intended to support
students in your classrooms. We want to continue to
provide this service. Please remember to review the
procedures for checking out and in the GATE literacy
kits. These kits are extremely time consuming to
inventory and prepare for the next check out route. If
kits are not returned following the inventory
procedures it may cause a delay or suspension of your kit request for the next route.
Any questions please contact [email protected] for questions concerning, GATE Grade
Level Literacy Kits, Spanish Literacy Kits, Games, and Teacher Resource Books.