For the school year 2020-2021, many school districts opted to offer virtual learning for the fall semester. Some schools reopened for in-person learning, and then had to close down due to spikes in COVID-19 cases, and some schools chose to provide a hybrid learning program.

Hybrid learning is an educational model where some students attend class in-person, while others join the class virtually from home. Educators teach remote and in-person students at the same time using tools like video conferencing hardware and software. In some cases, hybrid classes include asynchronous learning elements, like online exercises and pre-recorded video instruction, to support face-to-face classroom sessions. Some schools are preparing to transition from virtual learning to hybrid learning, provided health authorities report that it is safe to return to school in small groups.

As a parent of a 16 year old, I have questions as to how my school district will implement the hybrid model, whether or not families have options of staying on to full time virtual learning, or If I should send my daughter for in person learning.

Below are some resources and information on how to understand and prepare for the transition.

1.

For many families, back to school planning will look different this year than it has in previous years. Schools will have new policies in place to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Some are starting the school year with virtual learning components. Whatever the situation, these checklists are intended to help parents, guardians, and caregivers, plan and prepare for the upcoming school year.

The checklist includes:

• Decision making tool for parents and guardians
• Planning for in-person classes
• Planning for virtual or at-home learning
• Resources to navigate stress and uncertainty

2. (Education Week, November 11, 2020)

This article explains the many forms of a hybrid schedule. It explains how a hybrid schedule may offer schools the most flexibility, and the associated risks of putting people indoors together, even when it鈥檚 in smaller, socially distanced groups. According to the article, the logistics will not be simple and the learning curves for everyone will be steep.

3.

During this pandemic, families and their children are engaged in a variety of different school formats and , powered by Southern New Hampshire Services, hopes to provide support and resources for all families that may be grappling with a variety of learning options, including remote learning, a hybrid model and/or full-time in-person attendance.

4.

Parents of students in blended learning programs should understand the changing roles of technology and teachers, and make an effort to stay informed about edtech.

5. , with companion and sheet.

With the pandemic still spiking in many states across the country, parents are stressed and confused as to how they should plan for their gifted children’s education. In-person learning, hybrid, online schools and classes, pandemic pods, microschools, and homeschooling are among the various options that come up in the news and on social media. Which option is right for your family? How do you work with your district or school if you seek an alternative to full-time in-person instruction this year?

6. School Districts and Your State’s Department of Education

Access your school district鈥檚 and your state’s Department of Education websites where hybrid/return to school information and resources are provided. Some school districts currently have surveys to be completed in order to plan for hybrid learning; other school districts have outlined detailed information on how hybrid learning will be implemented, such as which schools are more likely to offer in-person learning first, what grades, and the schedule. You can also find out if the school district will be offering alternative options.

Additional Resources on How to Advocate for Your Child鈥檚 Education During the Transition Process:

1.

Many of parents are learning firsthand how different remote learning is from face-to-face learning. It affects content delivery, socialization, and the school-life balance. As a result, the advocacy related to remote learning may also look different. Many parents may have relied on the traditional parent-teacher conferences, physical report cards, or in-school IEP meetings to discuss how to best support their child. Now that many of these face-to-face opportunities have been limited or altogether removed from advocacy efforts, it may be a brave new virtual world that parents must navigate to receive services and supports for their student. In addition to traditional advocacy strategies, other the tools and strategies to help online advocacy be more effective are provided.

2. :

As the year begins with distance or hybrid learning at most schools, many parents are worried that pre-pandemic IEP plans may leave kids without vital services. Luckily, IEP or 504 plans aren鈥檛 set in stone. If you鈥檙e concerned your child is struggling (or that they will be once class gets underway), it might be time to make some additions to your child鈥檚 plan to incorporate remote learning accommodations. Here鈥檚 how you can help your child get the support they need, whatever this school year brings. (Also Available in Spanish.)

How do you feel about going back to in-person learning? If your district is already providing hybrid learning, how is it working for your child?

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10. Flexible schedule: We offer four classes per session for each of three age groups 鈥� and the choice is up to you! From just one class to a full-day option, you can customize your schedule to best meet your interests and learning needs. The Academy Team would be happy to answer any questions and discuss the different course options with you, so please don鈥檛 hesitate to give us a call: (626) 403-8900.

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Summer is here! Whether you or your gifted child are taking summer school courses, attending camp, traveling or enjoying activities with family and friends, summertime is a great opportunity to enjoy some extra reading. Do you have a long road trip coming up? Listen to an audiobook. Will you have time to kill at the airport? Reading a book will help pass the time. Are you and your friends on the hunt for a new endeavor? Start a book club to read and discuss novels together. In case you need some convincing to read beyond your assigned summer reading for school, here are you should be reading more:

1. Reading reduces stress.
2. Reading, especially books, may add years to your life.
3. Reading improves your language skills and knowledge of the world.
4. Reading enhances empathy.
5. Reading boosts creativity and flexibility.
6. Reading can help you transform as a person.

I personally enjoy reading because it鈥檚 a gratifying and necessary way for me to unplug. I love the moment when I discover I鈥檝e been reading for hours on end because I鈥檝e been so enveloped in a story and lost track of time. Sometimes there鈥檚 nothing better than devouring a good book!

Here are a few summer reads I鈥檝e compiled to help inspire your and your gifted child鈥檚 summer reading list:

• Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers (Gr K鈥�3): A moving and conversational description of the history of the Statue of Liberty and how some of the smallest details contribute to her symbolism as a welcoming beacon to the world.
• Hello, Universe by Erin Entrada Kelly (Gr 3鈥�7): Told from four intertwining points of view鈥攖wo boys and two girls鈥攖he novel celebrates bravery, being different and finding your inner bayani (hero).
• The Miscalculations of Lightning Girl by Stacy McAnulty (Gr 4鈥�6): Lucy Callahan was struck by lightning. She doesn’t remember it, but it changed her life forever. The zap gave her genius-level math skills and, ever since, Lucy has been homeschooled. Now, at 12-years-old, she’s technically ready for college. She just has to pass one more test鈥攎iddle school!
• Fish in a Tree by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (Gr 5鈥�6): Ally struggles to hide her dyslexia by continually getting in trouble, until a substitute teacher discovers what she is really hiding.
• Boying Up: How to Be Brave, Bold and Brilliant by Mayim Bialik (Gr 7鈥�9): Mayim Bialik, star of The Big Bang Theory and author of the #1 bestseller Girling Up, puts her Ph.D. to work to talk to teen boys about the science and pressures of growing up male in today’s world.

Happy reading!

Do you have a favorite novel or book you are looking forward to reading this summer? Share it with us in the comments below!

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You know that your child is different, and you may or may not know why or how. You search for answers and find out that your child is gifted. But what does that mean? How do you accommodate your child鈥檚 needs now that you know what they are?

Identifying and Acknowledging Your Child鈥檚 Gifts

Because you as a parent know your child best and see your child the most, you are the most likely person to notice your child鈥檚 gifts. Parents usually notice signs of giftedness in the first five years of their child鈥檚 life. 50%-90% of parents are proficient at recognizing early intellectual advancement in their children. As children near the age of 5, the accuracy improves.

Giftedness is fairly evenly distributed between genders. However, more girls are identified for school gifted programs than boys. As a parent, you know your child. If you suspect that your child is gifted, do something about it.

Some are skeptical of early identification. This is often associated with the assumption that giftedness equals extraordinary achievement. As many parents pointed out at our most recent parent support group meeting, this skepticism can also be due to a parent鈥檚 fear of what 鈥済iftedness鈥� means or a belief that the child is 鈥渨eird鈥� or 鈥渏ust smart.鈥� However, signs of giftedness do appear early in gifted children, and the earlier you notice and address them, the more support your child is going to have throughout his or her childhood. This is important, as giftedness rarely evolves into achievement unless there is a combination of cognitive ability, motivation, and an enriched environment.

What You Can Do At Home

• Compliment your child for his or her abilities and efforts. Recognize real accomplishments.
• Demonstrate how to prioritize. Assist your child in learning how to pick and choose activities. Demonstrate and stress the importance of down time and balance.
• Share data relevant to your child. If a child takes an assessment, he should be told the results and what they mean. It is really important that your children understand who they are. This includes their abilities and needs as gifted kids.
• Enjoy. As challenging as it is to have a child that is different from the norm, some of the hallmarks of giftedness are a sense of humor, an excellent vocabulary, and high levels of perceptivity. No matter what your child鈥檚 level of giftedness or your school鈥檚 level of support, do your best to end most days looking at the positives and saying to yourself, 鈥淲ow! Am I ever lucky!鈥�

The Gifted Child at School

The traditional school system can be difficult for your gifted child. If you walk into a doctor鈥檚 office, they examine you, talk to you about your symptoms, and run tests in order to diagnose you. If you walk into a school, they ask how old you are. Nothing else is taken into consideration. This is a problem when your child is outside the norm.

Just as the human body needs nourishment to survive, the gifted child鈥檚 mind needs to be fed. When gifted kids are not learning, their minds are not being fed, and they get anxious, tired, and worked up.

Highly gifted kids will typically change educational environments 3 to 4 times over the course of their K-12 education in attempts to find the right accommodations or fit between the school system and the student. When a highly gifted child is successful in a single school system, it is often thanks to acceleration.

Acceleration is an extremely viable option for students who need additional challenge in classroom. This can take several forms, including grade-skipping, single-subject acceleration, or classwork performed in more depth or at a quicker pace. Advanced online resources are also becoming a more and more viable option. If your child鈥檚 school will allow use of such resources, take them up on it.

There are a few concerns that parents and educators sometimes have with acceleration. It is important for you to know that studies show that acceleration works well and that students who have been accelerated rarely regret it. In fact, most kids who were accelerated wish they were accelerated even more. Will there be social differences between a child who was accelerated and his or her classmates? Absolutely. But many families feel the benefits of acceleration outweigh the emotional challenges that come with such a transition. These are not barriers that should stop your child from getting the education he or she needs. Acceleration is about meeting your child鈥檚 educational needs, and this is important to your child, as well.

When talking to the school about your child鈥檚 abilities and needs, bring a sample of your child鈥檚 advanced work to demonstrate the level at which your child is performing. This will resonate with teachers and administrators more than test scores 鈥� although those help, as well 鈥� and your word that your child is advanced.

Do your best to help make schoolwork challenging and interesting for your child. For many parents of gifted children, it is like pulling teeth getting their kids to do homework. Many gifted children also make silly mistakes on homework and tests because they rush through, knowing it is easy for them. Help make assignments interesting. There are unconventional ways to make your child pause, pay attention, and think, like doing multiple things at once. For example:

• Integrate movement of the body while completing the assignment. For reading assignments, draw a line on the floor of the hall with masking tape. Have your child walk the line while reading the textbook.
• If the assignment is not a linear progression, alter the order of activities in an assignment. For math problem worksheets, have your child start at the bottom of the page and work upward (or right of the page and work toward left) or make a design on the page rather than doing the normal left to right, top to bottom progression.

Everyone will see your child differently. It is important to recognize this early on. No two teachers will be the same, and you will likely have to advocate for your child鈥檚 needs often and in different ways. Most educators want to have the best interest of your child and your child鈥檚 education in mind; sometimes it is just difficult for them to understand what that means. Be patient, and be flexible.

To be notified of future 优蜜视频 Gifted Child Parent Support Group meetings in the Los Angeles area, please contact us or sign up for our email newsletter and make sure to enter your zip code in the form.