Au Revoir

In the fall of 2000 I interviewed with Linda Ferguson, Marie Kernodle and others for a position with the AIG program for Asheville City Schools.

To my delight, I was hired and began my assignment at Claxton Elementary.

It has been an absolute delight. "Has been" because it is time to move on.

Many of you may have noticed the hectic nature of my time last year.  I was constantly in motion, travelling every day and juggling the demands of two large populations. In an attempt to more equitably serve gifted students, I will be at Jones Elementary with additional duties at AHS/SILSA in the 15-16 season.

As I have hopefully mentioned many times, it has been my honor to work with so many cool kids and supportive families at Claxton. Thanks to all of them (many now in college and beyond!) and the parents, administrators,  and teachers who so supported me! I am also indebted to ACS - a system that has allowed me such great opportunity!

I leave knowing that Claxton will remain in the good hands of Marti Sullivan and Shannon Hunt.

I wish you all the very best!

AIG Update

Here’s a couple of highlights from our year’s end:

THIRD:

Hopefully you’ve talked with your kids about our CSG group’s thinking games. These ThinkFun games were helpful in helping students understand the perseverance needed not only in these tasks, but so many aspects of their lives.  We will continue with such activities (and many others!) at the first of next year.

ESG students hopefully made it home with geometry review sheets (lots of Pentomino work) as well as the famous “Fat Cat” decoding activity. Check them out. These groups, too, will be up-and-running early in the school year!

FOURTH:

Other groups plumbed a hands-on approach to algebra, worked with Think Fun games, and read a couple of great novels. Our readers also had some great discussions about short stories. I learned from these students every day!

Looking forward to fifth grade!

FIFTH :

Quite a range of activities for our Claxton ‘seniors’ as well. The math simulation Adrift brought about some great discussions.  I also can’t forget the ESG work with Great Ocean Rescue. Our reading of Freak the Mighty led to some fascinating student dictionaries!  A couple of online thinking resources seemed to resonate with students, as well. Ask them if they ever played Trap the Mouse or The Warehouse. 

We’ll kick off student services for 4^th and 5^th graders at the first of next year. They may be some re-assessments of services in the new school year, but those folks will hear from me then.

As always, it has been my honor to work with the wonderful teachers, families, and students at Claxton.

Thank you all for your kindness and support! Have a great summer!

Brother Wolf

Here's a snap of some of our student government and their service project for Brother Wolf.

CSG 3

Our third grade CSG students got a chance to use their art skills in a direction-following activity. Students had to draw specific things in specific places in a fairly short period of time. Here are some examples of their work!

5th Grade Math Video

This video is from earlier in the year. Just chanced upon it and thought I'd share.

Bridge and Golf Camp

The fine folks at Blue Ridge Youth Bridge are offering the following camp for this summer. It comes highly recommended from staff at Asheville Middle School.
If you've never played bridge, it's a fascinating game that would be challenging for students in fifth grade or higher. Throw in some golf and a country club lunch, and you've got a winner. Check it out!

                                                                                                        

SUMMER YOUTH

BRIDGE AND GOLF CAMP

ANNOUNCEMENT

WEEKS OF JUNE 15 and JUNE 22, 2015

The 2015 Blue Ridge Youth Bridge summer day camp program will combine two great learning experiences, duplicate bridge and golf. Campers should be in grades 5 and higher.

*  In the morning campers will learn how to play Duplicate Bridge.

*   Following a lunch break, the group will receive instruction and practice in golf by professionals at the well-known area golf center, Broadmoor Links.

      * After one and a half hours of golf,  campers will return to the bridge area for an hour of instruction

          and review. Closed toed shoes are required for golfing.

     *Lunches, snacks and the use of golf clubs and golf balls are included in the registration fee.

          (campers may bring their own clubs if they wish)

Campers must arrive at Broadmoor Links clubhouse by 8:50 AM. They will be ready for pickup at the same location at 3:00 PM. Broadmoor Links is located next to the WNC AG center on Airport Road across from the airport.

Camp Fees:  $90 per camper, per week. ($80 per week if attending both weeks}, and an additional

$5 per week discount for families with more than one child.  A limited number of financial aid

scholarships are available. (please contact Linda for more information -828-658-9398)

Registration deadline is June 1 . Refunds for cancellation are $60.00. There will be no refunds after the registration deadline. Campers are encouraged to attend both weeks. Sign up now, space is limited.

 

Camp Registration: Please complete a registration form for each camper along with your check made out to BLUE RIDGE YOUTH BRIDGE and mail to Linda Brown, 205 Forest Knoll Ct., Weaverville, NC 28787.  Questions? Call Dan and Linda Brown (828) 658-9398.

Parent/Guardian name: (First) ________________ (MI) ____ (Last) ______________________

Your contact info: (number and street) _______________(City) ________________ ZIP_____

Phone ___ - _______ -_________           Email address:  _____________________

Camper(s) Name: (First) _____________ (MI) _____ (Last) ______________________ Camper’s age ______Grade in School ____ ,                 Attending:     Week 1 ____  , Week 2_____ , Both _____Limited meal selections are available.  If your campers have special dietary restrictions we suggest  they bring their own lunch.  Please lists any allergies that we should be aware of:

AIG Transition to Middle School

Today Ms. Jo Landreth and Mr. Keith Buff, AIG specialists at Asheville Middle School, visited with Claxton's AIG students today. These teachers shared lots of information about AMS and what the AIG program looks like there.
It was an extremely interesting conversation! AMS is packed with challenging and fascinating programming for gifted students!