Advanced Curriculum & Extended Learning: “The Vehicle”
Provides the depth and complexity needed to ensure meaningful academic growth
Our school offerings include:
At Thunder Vista, this looks like teachers meeting weekly in data teams to review student data and create unit plans that offer advanced learning opportunities embedded into units of study. Students have opportunities to earn a 4 and show advanced understanding of the standards.
Differentiated Learning Pathways: “The Roadmap”
Provides an education at the appropriate level of readiness and challenge
At Thunder Vista, this looks like teachers providing choice and challenge within their lessons through differentiation. Acceleration is offered through Honors math or grade skipping.
Individualized Opportunities & Enrichment: “The Customized Options”
Actively engages and motivates through interests and meaningful learning opportunities
At Thunder Vista, this looks like the extra curricular and elective class offerings as well as using student interview information to integrate their interests into regular instruction.
Please visit the Clubs and Activities tab for details on each club and activity.
Our school offerings include:
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Battle of the Books
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Community Service Club
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Coding Club
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Gay-Straight Alliance Club
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Kindness Club
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Science Matters
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Math Counts
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Middle School Athletics
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Mile High Chess Club
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Noetic Math Club
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Thunderstruck grades 4 and 5 percussion ensemble
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Stretch and Grow Yoga Stars
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Student Leadership
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Yearbook Club
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Kids Create Studio Glitter and Glow
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Spanish Language Learning
Offered only for middle school selected students:
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Honor Choir
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Honor Band
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Honor Orchestra
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Student Leadership
Social-Emotional Learning: “The Destination”
Focuses on developing the whole child by balancing empowerment and accountability
At Thunder Vista, this looks like:
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Advisory classes in middle school to support social and emotional growth
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Second Step Social and Emotional Curriculum
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Restorative, instructional, proactive, and regulatory approach to discipline (i.e. Conscious Discipline)
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Cultures of Dignity Social and Emotional Curriculum
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Access to student family outreach programs
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Positive Behavior Intervention Systems including the common language of Buffalo Beliefs
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House systems with assemblies
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A robust mental wellness team with 2 counselors, a psychologist, and a Social Emotional Learning Specialist (SELS)
What is the approach to meeting the needs of students identified as Gifted and Talented and/or in the talent pool? What does the G/T programming look like at Thunder Vista?
G/T programming emphasizes differentiation, extension, and enrichment within the classroom. Because inclusive practices allow for students to benefit from depth and complexity, extension, and enrichment throughout the school day, integrating ALP goal instruction into the general education classroom provides the largest impact.
How are ALP goals selected?
Each student has an affective goal and an academic goal for each identified area of giftedness. Student motivation is highest when the goals are meaningful to the student and align with their learning preferences, interests, and readiness. Teachers will propose goals that target skills across content areas and standards that are addressed throughout the school year.
Can students complete a passion project as part of their ALP?
Differentiation includes providing choices and individualizing when it comes to content, process, products, and environment. Passion projects can be one way to demonstrate learning as a product. There are several other ways to demonstrate learning as well, so it depends on the student strengths and interests. It is important to ensure the ALP is connected to the standards, so if a passion project is selected as the method of demonstrating learning, that it connects to standards and evidenced based practices for Gifted instruction and can be integrated into curriculum regularly throughout the school year.
Does Thunder Vista offer services outside of the general education classroom to meet the needs of students who are identified as Gifted and Talented?
Adams 12’s approach to writing Advanced Learning Plans is to select goals and instructional strategies that can be integrated throughout every school day and throughout the school year. Thunder Vista’s Gifted and Talented program is in alignment with the district Gifted and Talented framework in that classroom teachers implement the ALP’s inside the classroom throughout the school day.
How are parent perspectives included in the ALP process?
During September, teachers at Thunder Vista send home a parent-school partnership document to gather parent input on their child’s strengths and needs. On October 1st, parents can access their child’s draft ALP documents on Infinite Campus to review the teacher’s proposed goals and plan for students based on a variety of data they collect in academics, social emotional competencies, student and parent input. At conferences, parents and teachers can discuss the draft and make any changes as needed before finalizing the ALP before 10/30. If parents have a question, idea, or concern, they are also welcome to email the teacher and/or the G/T Advocate at any time.
How will ALP progress be measured and communicated with families?
Each ALP is individualized to determine how progress will be measured. Possibilities include rubrics based on the standards, observational data, and/or portfolios with evidence and artifacts of learning. Families will get updates on the student’s progress towards their goals at parent teacher conferences in the fall and spring. Additionally, families can check the progress monitoring information in the student’s ALP in December, February, and May.
Gifted and Talented Parent Group Information for Adams 12 Parents: Gifted Parents Group facilitates the growth and success of Adams 12 Five Star Schools Gifted and Talented (GT) students by addressing the unique needs of this student population and their families. We hope you will join us and become involved for the benefit of your family and all Five Star District GT families.
Purpose: As the organization was formed, discussions around important potential activities that would be beneficial to the Gifted and Talented (GT) community were grouped into the following five areas of focus:
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Resources: identification of GT resource gaps and work to provide needed resources through collaboration with parents, schools, the school district and the community
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Policy: participation in the development, implementation and communication of GT-related district guidelines and policies in conjunction with district staff
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Advocacy: act as advocates for GT students, families, parent groups, schools and GT programs to affect change at the school, district or state level
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Education: facilitate unique educational opportunities for advanced learning and GT-related topics for students and their families
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Community: cultivate a strong GT community in Adams 12 Five Star Schools by creating opportunities for interactions between families, schools and the community
Link to Website: https://www.a12gifted.org/
