Tuesday, August 29, 2017

Week of 8/28

Thanks so much to all of you who were able to make it out to our annual gifted parent meeting last week! I hope that you found our meeting informative!

If you have a 6th grade gifted learner and were unable to make it, I will be sending home an envelope with a couple of forms that I would love for you to fill out and return! I am asking all the students whose parents did not make the meeting bring the forms back signed by Friday, September 1! If you have any questions about any of the forms or would like to know more about Enrichment at HMS, please feel free to send me an e-mail!

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As most of you know, last week was our first day for Enrichment in 6th grade and this week will be our first full week! I am incredibly excited to get to know all of you and learn with you this year!

Please know that your teachers are very supportive and respectful of your time in our Enrichment classroom. Be sure to continue communicating with them about what went on in class and if there is any homework that you need to do. Be sure to write in your planners so that you don't forget!

This week in Enrichment, we are continuing to get to know one another with a variety of activities and challenges to get us thinking in various ways. As we've discussed in class, Enrichment is a time in which we learn about ourselves as people and as learners. Each challenge, experiment, exercise, and project that we do is an opportunity to strengthen our strengths and work through our challenges!

Next week, we will begin our Technology and Innovation unit by looking at various types of technologies and how they affect our world in today's society! We will also slowly introduce our expectations for Genius Hour (or our Passion Projects). I can't wait to see what you guys are passionate about!

Again, if any of you have any questions, please feel free to send me an e-mail! Thanks, and have a great week!

Thursday, August 10, 2017

2017-2018 School Year!

Happy new school year!

I just wanted to let everyone know that we are holding a Gifted Parent Meeting on Wednesday, August 23 from 6:00-7:00 PM. At the meeting, I will discuss what gifted/enrichment looks like at the middle school for 6th and 7th grade. I will also be discussing enriching extracurricular activities that are offered by the school along with other information pertinent to gifted learners.

I will be sending home a reminder note with our 6th grade gifted learners on Monday, August 14!

EDIT: The meeting will be in the Media Center/Library at HMS

Thanks!


Wednesday, January 4, 2017

Happy New Year!

I hope that you all had a wonderful winter break! I cannot believe that this school year is already half-way over!

Before we dismissed for the break, we had many students present either their Genius Hour projects, which are their self-selected projects, or their group projects about Acceptance!

I must say, that I have been very impressed with the many presentations that have  gone above and beyond our rubric that we created. We had students create trivia games and hand out prizes to audience members after their presentations, we had students give tutorials on how to create and decorate various treats, and we had many students present in very original and creative ways!

As the new year begins, some students will still need to present their learning as we continue to work through our unit on Acceptance. Throughout this semester, Genius Hour will continue as the students are greatly engaged in their topics of interest!

I am very excited to see what this semester will bring!

Monday, October 17, 2016

End of the 9 weeks!

Hello All!

Hope you all are enjoying this beautiful October weather!

Enrichment has been going extremely well, and I am greatly enjoying getting to know all of you!

Currently in 6th grade, we are working on our Genius Hour projects. Last week, we completed and signed our Genius Hour Contracts which locked in our topics, how we're presenting it, and when we'll present.

We are also continuing with our Acceptance Unit. Currently, we are working individually or in small groups to explore past historical events. Each group picked a historical event of interest, will explore the topic, and then present their findings. They will also be presenting examples and nonexamples of acceptance during this particular time period. Some of the topics being researched include: 9/11, women's rights, Civil Rights Movement, slavery, World War II, Pearl Harbor and Japanese Internment Camps, and the list goes on!

On Thursday and Friday, we reflected on our first 9 weeks as 6th graders and made goals for the new 9 weeks. I will be checking in intermittently throughout this 9 weeks to keep track with our progress on the goals.

Just wanted to send an update your way!

Thanks!

Monday, September 12, 2016

9/12-9/16

Hello All!

I am proud to say that I *almost* have all of the Gifted forms that I need from you guys! Please have them signed and returned as soon as possible!

In class, we are organizing our week into two different sessions: one day is completely centered around personal interests and strengths while the other day is focused around our current unit, Acceptance.

Last week, we made "Expert Lists" as a way to explore things we are passionate about and which of those we would like to become more of an "expert" in. We also looked at all the ways humans can be different and alike. Much to our surprise, we discovered that despite the millions of ways we can be different, humans are actually more genetically similar than we thought!

This week, we will learn the expectations of "Genius Hour," which is our exploration of personal interests and questions. We will also be looking more into why humans are so similar when we all seem so different as we head into the idea of acceptance!

Please let me know if you have any questions! Hopefully, once we get all of our forms and press releases signed, I can start posting pictures!

Have a great week!

Monday, August 29, 2016

Enrichment Forms!

I hope that you all had a wonderful weekend!

By Wednesday, I will have handed out all forms pertaining to our Gifted Program to your kiddos. Please look those over, sign them, and send them back my way by Friday!

I greatly appreciate it!

In class, we have been exploring the importance of communication. We created a list of communication guidelines for a successful conversation. Some of our guidelines include: eye contact, positive body language, appropriate tone of voice, listening fully, ask follow up questions, etc. Many misconceptions and disagreements stem from issues with communication, which will be discussed throughout the year.

We are also beginning to explore our interests and strengths. From there, we will eventually pick our first research topic! Each student will select a topic of interest to research and present to the class.

Please feel free to e-mail if you have any questions or concerns!

Thursday, August 25, 2016

Gifted Meeting 8/24

I greatly appreciate all of you who were able to come out and learn more about the Gifted Program here at HMS! I hope that you found it informational and helpful when thinking about your child and his/her journey through middle school.

If you were unable to attend, we missed you!
 I will be sending home some paperwork and handouts with your child in the next few days. Please fill them out and return them as quickly as possible! I am more than happy to answer any questions you may have about the forms, handouts, or anything pertaining to the Gifted Program!

emeacham@homewood.k12.al.us

Thanks again!