Our Definition of ‘gifted and talented’: A student possessing outstanding abilities in a specific area/s and/or a student who demonstrates they are capable of working at a significantly higher level than that of his/her age peers. Alison Coats – GATEs Co-ordinator

Children are identified by their outstanding ability, by their teachers, their parents or by psychological assessment. Children are clustered with “like minded” children in a regular classroom. They are placed with a teacher empathetic to their special needs and are accelerated if they meet the required criteria.They are moved with appropriate speed, laterally and vertically, through the curriculum and work in a classroom programme that encourages higher level thinking, inquiry questioning, exploration of personal interests and the opportunity for children to interact with experts beyond the school. They are encouraged to become autonomous learners, using their own unique blend of intelligences. Enabling skills, which include thinking skills, multiple intelligences and goal setting are taught to all children across the school and particularly enhance the learning of gifted children.

We Believe

• That, with nurturing from home and school, appropriate support and specific intervention when required, all students can learn successfully in a normal classroom. However, there are times when we offer additional programmes. Our extension programmes this year include:

• Extension Maths (Problem Solving)

• Future Problem Solving

• Creative Writing

• Languages (Spanish)

• Science Extension

• Music

• Chess

• Coding Clubs

• Robotics

Our Staff

The whole staff is constantly committed to building professional growth in the area of ‘Gifted Education Professional Development’ and all new teachers are given extra training and support. A specialist teacher is employed solely to co-ordinate the programme and provide support for the teachers, children and parents. This is currently our valued staff member, Alison Coats.

Programmes Offered

If your child has been selected for a GATEs programme  please return the blue permission slip to the dropbox labelled “GATEs Forms” in the Administration area.

Global Issues Problem Solving (FPS)

Future Problem Solving is an international programme developed by Paul Torrance in the USA. It has now been running successfully for several years in New Zealand as GIPS. Working in teams, students carry out a three to six-step problem-solving exercise, to find creative solutions to a scenario set in the future. Recently, topics covered have included Desertification, Impacts of Social Media, Megacities and Recovering From Natural Disaster.

The programme involves a large degree of lateral and creative thinking, balanced with research. It provides the scope for children remain constantly challenged and as they get older and more familiar with GIPS, it can be competitive for some teams. In Year 6 we usually enter 2 teams in the Competitive section. The most successful teams compete at the NZ National Finals and then, possibly, from Year 7 onwards, internationally. All team booklets are evaluated by FPSNZ evaluators in Auckland.

GIPS teams meet for coaching once a week, with Alison Coats, our GATES co-ordinator.

Extension Maths

This programme is for Year 4-6 children who show a high ability in mathematical problem-solving. In Year 6, the students participate in the Australasian Maths Olympiad (a 5 competition programme designed for Year 7-8 children). They also compete in the Otago Problem Solving Challenges. Alison Coats takes these programmes once a week. The Year 6 programme runs for four terms, the Year 5 programme for 3 terms and the Year 4 programme begins in Term 4.

Extension Science

This is an extension programme for interested Year 5 and 6 students. Topics are studied for 8 weeks each term and include such areas of learning as Electricity, Plant Biology and Chemistry. The children gain an understanding through many “hands-on” experiences. The teacher for this programme is Dr William Joyce from Lifted Learning.

Extension Writing

This programme has a strongly poetic focus with some short story writing, and students work once a week with published poet, Kerrin Davidson. Kerrin encourages and challenges children to extend their creative writing skills in original ways. Students have many opportunities to enter different competitions during the year and to submit their work to be chosen for publication in such places as Toitoi Journal for Young Writers and Artists and the NZ Poetry Society. This programme is for Year 5-6 students in Terms 1 and 2, and Year 4-6 students in Terms 3 and 4.

Robotics

This is an extension programme for Year 5 and 6 students. An outside expert, Anna Robb, works with these students weekly, using Lego NXT Robotic Kits. Anna has a background in science, design and classroom teaching. She is currently working as the Operations Manager at Imagination Station. This programme aims to teach children programming skills using robots. Some students may have the opportunity to enter the annual Canterbury Junior RoboCup Competition.

Music

Choir and music groups are offered and tuition is available in several different instruments, with itinerant teachers. These include singing, violin, drums, piano and guitar. 

Sport

Team sports play a big part in the school programme. Able sports persons are highly challenged. We offer what we can in this area. However, childrens’ real gifts and talents in the sporting arena usually require joining outside sporting bodies with the specialised coaches and their expertise. We welcome parents with their own experience and skills to be involved with school teams as mentors and/or coaches.

Art

This is an evolving programme and is taken after school by talented art teachers.

Chess Club

Chess Club runs at lunchtime for Year 3-6 children in Terms 2 and 3. This club is for children of all abilities and a beginners club will begin in Week 6 of Term 1. There are opportunities for the more able players to compete against other schools in the Canterbury Inter-School Chess Competitions.