New Parent Meeting

We are so excited to have new Target students! We will be holding a meeting for parents of new Target students on Wednesday, January 9th at 8:30am in the Learning Commons.
Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays and a Happy New Year!
                          Mrs. Sanders and Mrs. Parsons

Gifts for the Gifted

Hi Parents,
    It's that of year again...testing! We will not be updating the blog for a few weeks as we are busily testing students. Thank you for your patience with this process!
   And of course, the holidays are upon us as well! Looking for some gifts to challenge your gifted child? Check out these links for some great ideas! 

http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/shopping_guide.htm

https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/gifted-ed-guru/201212/great-gift-ideas-the-gifted

https://www.nagc.org/resources-publications/resources-parents/games-and-toys-gifted-children

                Happy shopping! 

                          Mrs. Sanders and Mrs. Parsons

Audrey Party!

Hi Parents,
    2nd grade had a great time at the Carlos Museum on Thursday! We were able to see and learn more about many of the art pieces we have been studying in our unit.
    Our "Audrey Party" will be on Monday, November 5th. Please see the rubric and Multiple Intelligence grid for assignment directions and expectations. We look forward to seeing Audrey one last time!
     Thanks for your support,
              Mrs. Sanders and Mrs. Parsons

Barbies, Fire-making and "Ideate"ing!

Dear Parents,

We have had a very exciting few weeks as we reach the end of our Fall units.

1^st graders culminated their Amelia Earhart unit by making commemorative Amelia Earhart Barbie dolls. They designed the packaging to include facts about Amelia and her life and accomplishments. They also included a side panel of ‘What’s in the Box’ that included information about Amelia’s accessories (goggles, hat, map, etc.). They then designed clothes, accessories and background for Amelia. The kids had a blast showing what they’ve learned!

2^nd graders will be culminating our Audrey Aims unit with an Audrey Party! Please see the most recent 2^nd grade tally for more information. We’re looking forward to going to the Carlos Museum next week and celebrating with Audrey and our multiple intelligence projects the following week!

3^rd graders are creating their very own themed chess sets! We have brainstormed ideas and started the process of creating the king and queen pieces. Emoji chess, anyone?

4^th grade had an amazing day at Red Top Mountain! They learned orienteering and shelter-building skills and even started their own fires using flint and steel! They made some very impressive shelters and persevered during fire building. We are so proud of our 4^th graders and their mental and physical survival skills!

5^th graders have begun working with their Inventure groups! The most exciting (and sometimes frustrating) portion of Inventure is beginning – the ideate phase. The students have individually brainstormed problems and now they will be working with their teams to solve them. We are very impressed with the level of empathy and compassion being displayed by our 5^th graders!

Thanks for your support,

              Mrs. Sanders and Mrs. Parsons

Testing Information

Hi Parents,

   We are gearing up for the upcoming testing season! We are excited to get new Target students!

   If you have any questions or were unable to make it to our recent gifted eligibility meeting, please see the following resources:

Gifted Eligibility in Cobb

At the top, click on 'eligibility process presentation' and 'eligibility FAQs'. 

Gifted Evaluation Process

We hope you find this information helpful! As always, please don't hestitae to contact us with any questions.
      Thanks for your support,
              Nora Sanders and Nancy Parsons

Conferences, events and schedule changes

Hi Parents,
    Please let us know if you would like to have a conference with us or if you would like us to be included in your child's conference with the homeroom teacher. Of course, if there is any point in the year that you would like to meet with us, we are happy to set up a time to talk with you.
    We have a lot of events and schedule changes coming up! Here is a brief run-down:
               -The Buck Bash is next week!
               -Oct 25th: 4th Grade to Red Top Mountain
               -Nov 1st: 2nd grade to Carlos Museum (Thurs)
               -4th and 2nd will switch days the week of 10/29. 4th grade Target day will be 10/29, 2nd grade will be 11/1.
               -Target testing will begin in mid-November. Regular Target classes will be cancelled and/ or reduced to half-days so we can test. It is all worth it to get new friends in Target! We appreciate your understanding and flexibility!
              Have a wonderful weekend!
                             Mrs. Sanders and Mrs. Parsons
               

Weaving, Dancing and Surviving

Hi Parents,
    We have had another amazing week in Target!
     1st grade TD and Target students did their first logic puzzles! So exciting! We have continued to learn about the incredible Amelia Earhart and the history of flight. We completed a STEM challenge in which students created models of the types of airplanes flown by Amelia. They look beautiful flying in our classroom!
     2nd graders have continued our study of ancient cultures and art conservation. This week, we learned about fabric science and identifying fabrics through microscopy. We are now re-creating an Incan belt. The students are really enjoying the weaving. We are excited about our upcoming field trip to the Carlos Museum! If you have not already done so, please return the field trip permission form ASAP!
      3rd graders are becoming Chess Masters! It's hard to pull them away from the board! We continued to learn about the fascinating (and mysterious) origins of Chess. We also had some kinesthetic fun creating dance moves for all the chess pieces on our life-sized chess board. =)
    4th graders shared their survival projects! It was fun to see the divergent thinking skills the students used in coming up with unique ways to survive the elements. Next week, we will dive into the character qualities involved in survival and research some famous people throughout history who survived. We are excited about our upcoming field trip to Red Top Mountain! If you have not already returned the field trip permission form, please do so ASAP!
     Many of our 5th grade Target students came on our TMW field trip to WSB on Friday! It was an incredible learning experience. We were able to go behind the scenes and meet the people who keep us informed in Atlanta - Dyron Ducati, Brad Nitz and Fred Blankenship! We were also able to see the technology and innovation used behind the scenes. Hopefully, this inspired some of our TMW students to consider a career in broadcasting!
     5th grade Target students have a project assigned for homework - due 10/12. Assignment directions are on a page entitled 'Gift Bag Gadgets' that went home in their folders this past week.
                     Thanks for your support!
                             Mrs. Sanders and Mrs. Parsons

Gifted Eligbility Meeting

Questions about the gifted eligibility process? We have the answers!

Our annual Gifted Eligibility Meeting will be held on October 3rd at 8:30am in the Learning Commons.

This meeting would be most applicable to parents of students in 1st, 3rd and 5th grades who are not currently enrolled in the Target program and have questions about the upcoming testing process.

East Cobber Parade!

Did you know Mrs. Parsons is Teacher of the Year!?! She will be riding in the East Cobber Parade on Saturday September 15th from 9-12! I know she would love to see some of her current and former Target students cheering her on! Please come if you can!

Dear Parents,

    We've had another successful week in Target!

     1st graders have continued their study of Amelia Earhart. We have discussed her childhood and what life in America was like when Amelia was growing up. Next week, we'll be creating a timeline of her life and important events in American history.

      2nd graders have been studying ancient Egypt with Audrey Aims. Our papyrus is dry and ready for Hieroglyphics! We'll be taking a field trip in November to see the artwork we are studying in person! Be on the lookout for a field trip permission form coming soon.

     3rd grade had a visit from Kid Chess to help kick off our Chess unit. The students who did not know how to play got an intro lesson while more advanced students competed against the coaches!

      4th graders dream vacations were derailed! Now how will they survive in the wilderness with only their clothes, a few bottles of water and a tin of crackers?!? We can't wait to see their divergent thinking next week!

      5th graders are diving deeper into the Ignite unit! We have continued studying empathy and global issues. This week, the students created news reports about major world issues. We are really looking forward to seeing their world-changing ideas take shape!

      Thanks for your support,
                Mrs. Sanders and Mrs. Parsons

CRTC

   We have a great opportunity to share for our gifted students! CRTC is a digital technology competition for students in grades 3-12. It is an at-home, student-driven showcase. The following link has more information:  https://cobbrtc.weebly.com/

   =)

Snacks in the dark, cardboard castles and surviving your dream vacation!

    We've had another awesome week with our Target students!

    1st graders are learning how to be awesome Target thinkers! We are so proud of our youngest Target students! This week, they became convergent thinking detectives as we learned about how to think about clues and find the 'one right answer'. We were able to decode Amelia Earhart's secret message!

    2nd graders are still traveling the world with Audrey Aims! She even paid us a visit this past week and told us about being an art conservator! Your children may have told you about our "stinky" acids and bases lab. Cabbage juice works very well as a pH indicator solution - but it sure does smell bad! Our next task will be to use our knowledge of acids and bases to create an authentic Egyptian Papyrus!

     3rd graders finished our STEM mini-unit with catapults and cardboard castles! We began learning about the relationship between feudalism and the game of chess as we know it today. We will continue to learn about the history of Chess and it spread throughout the ancient world! Kid Chess will be coming soon to teach the children how to play. Be prepared for your child to become "chess-obsessed!"

    4th grade tribes are learning how to 'survive'! They began planning their dream vacations this past week. We can't tell the details yet, but there will be surprise twist in their dream vacation plans! =)

    5th grade is focusing on empathy as the first phase of the Ignite unit. We enjoyed a 'snack in the dark' to spark conversation and reflection about people with differences and how they might experience the world in a unique way.
 
     Thank you so much for all the donations of supplies and unit materials. We couldn't do it without you! Have a great weekend!

First week!

We have had a great first week in Target!

1st graders had their very first of Target - EVER! We love to see the excitement on their faces when we come to pick them up for the first time. We began our Amelia Earhart unit. Students got to meet Amelia and experiment with creating their own paper airplanes. We learned about how wing size, angle and proportions can affect the flight path of a plane.

2nd graders met "Detective McTarget" and completed a breakout edu activity to find the first clue in tracking down Audrey Aims. Audrey Aims is a problem-based learning unit that follows Audrey Aims, an art conservator, around the world as she collects pieces of art and learns about ancient cultures. Students will re-create art and learn about the science behind art conservation.

3rd graders are so excited about our chess unit! We are beginning with an introductory STEM unit in which students will make catapults and cardboard castles. We will be learning about the history of chess and applying critical thinking strategies to master the game!

4th grade has begun our survival unit! We created our "tribes" and completed our first tribal challenge. Survival is an engaging unit which teaches students to use creative problem-solving strategies to survive in various scenarios.

5th grade is beginning our recently-updated unit, Ignite! Our goal is to teach students to be empathetic, global thinkers. They will learn about the engineering design process, patents and how to 'pitch' a product. Ignite will culminate with our Inventure competition projects.

We are so excited to have our students back! Please remember to complete and return the parent contact info on the bottom of the welcome letter if you have not already done so. Welcome back to Target!

We're ready!

We enjoyed seeing so many of our Target families at Open House. All Target classes will begin the week of August 13th. Please make sure your child has the needed supplies. Check back regularly for weekly updates on all the fun happenings in Davis Target!

Welcome Back!

     We are so excited for the 2018-2019 school year! We have been hard at work selecting units and planning for a challenging and fun year in Target.
    Target classes will begin on August 13th. Please be on the lookout for our beginning of the year letter and supply list.
    Our parent orientation meeting will be held on August 8th at 8:30 am in the learning commons.
                  See you soon!
                                Mrs. Parsons and Mrs. Sanders

April 2018

Dear Parents,

   Wow...is it almost the end of the year already?! Our students have done such a phenomenal job in Target this year. We are so proud of them.

    We're looking forward to seeing Genius Hour Projects! We know the students have been working hard on finalizing their research and creating their products at home. Please be sure your child is ready to present on their due date.

     5th grade wrapped up Inventure with some truly amazing products and presentations. Team Rainbow Tire took second place at the Ga Tech state competition! Congratulations Aria C., Jack D. and Anisha S.! Fifth grade is ending the year with Target Talks, a researched public message similar to a TED Talk. We’re looking forward to hearing their ideas on making the world a better place!

     4th graders are working through a mini-unit based on the work of Shakespeare. Students have been learning about communication through voice, body and mind. Thursdays are getting very dramatic! We will conclude the year with a STEM unit called ‘Bridging to 5^th grade!’, in which we will research and design bridges.

     3^rd graders are wrapping up our coding and programming unit, Mission Possible!

Our rovers have completed several successful missions already, including Basic Field Maneuvering and Messaging Protocol. In the next couple weeks our rovers will be ready to leave the safety of our classroom for some new adventures!

    2nd graders will complete our Cubism unit by creating their own Picasso-style sculpture. The students have done a wonderful job in both the math and creativity components of the unit. We’ve also made great strides in solving the Rubik’s cube!

    1st graders will be wrapping up the year with DaVinci with STEM! Last week, we used the engineering design process to create parachutes. Over the next few weeks, we will be creating bridges from various types of pasta! We are very proud of our youngest Target students. They have grown into Target thinkers this year!  

   Kindergartners who qualify for testing will be tested in early May. This will affect Target schedules for all grade levels. Please check your child’s tally for schedule changes. Testing results will be mailed in late May.

     As always, please let us know if you have any questions or concerns.

                Thanks for your support,

                          Mrs. Parsons and Mrs. Sanders

February 2018

Dear Parents,

      We enjoyed meeting many of our new parents at the Orientation meeting! If you weren’t able to attend the meeting and would like the PowerPoint presentation, please let us know. We’ll be happy to send it to you.

       Our 1^st grade Target students have had a great start! We have been working on building a Target community which includes recognizing individual strengths and weaknesses, listening to the input of others and taking shared responsibility for group activities. The students have really enjoyed learning about the life of DaVinci. They can certainly relate to his many interests as a Renaissance man. DaVinci will be coming home with your child sometime this semester. Instructions for the DaVinci journal will be included in the bag. If you have any questions, please feel free to send us an e-mail.

       Our fifth graders are working very hard on Inventure! Inventure is an annual STEM competition sponsored by Georgia Tech. We are entering the planning and creating phase of the engineering design process. Be on the lookout for information about our local competition on February 13^th, where you will have the opportunity to see your child’s project on display!

       4^th graders did an amazing job on their service learning project! We were so proud of them for ‘reaching beyond themselves’ to make over 50 lunches and warmth kits for people in need! Thank you so much for the support and donations. Our next unit will be Genius Hour. The students have begun their topic selection and initial research. Please be on the lookout for the Genius Hour letter and calendar coming home soon. Genius Hour is our focus for Spring semester in 4^th grade, so it is very important that they stay on track with deadlines to create a quality presentation. We can’t wait to see their creativity shine in their presentations!

       3^rd graders have had a great start to Mission Possible! They have learned the basics of programming and coding, so we’re ready to get our Reacon Rovers moving! We have arranged for the Cobb County Police Department to do a demonstration of their bomb-detecting robots. The students are so excited to see how the police use this highly sophisticated technology to improve public safety. 3^rd graders will also have an upcoming homework assignment to research and create a robot trading card. Be on the lookout for more information. 

      2^nd grade students are finishing Audrey Aims and will soon begin the cubism unit. The students have had so much fun following Audrey around the world! They have learned about fiber identification through microscopy and the solubility of adhesives, while also using their creative thinking skills to re-create famous works of art. We will continue the creative thinking during the Cubism unit as we study the life and works of Picasso. The underlying theme to the unit is ‘letting go of perfection’. Such an important lesson for all of us!

       Genius Hour presentations will be due in April and May. Letters and calendars with your child’s specific date for Genius Hour will be going home for 3^rd and 4^th grades soon. 1^st and 2^nd graders will be doing Genius Hour Jr. Their letters will go home at a later date.  

      As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact us.

                     Thanks for your support,

                             Mrs. Parsons and Mrs. Sanders

January 2018

Dear Parents,

    We are excited to have new friends joining our Target classes! Our new parent orientation meeting will be Wednesday, January 10^th at 8:00am. Please attend if you are able. We’ll have some information about our program curriculum, routines and expectations to share with you. For now, new students need to bring 2 pocket folders and a composition book. 

    We’re also excited to have our old friends back after a long break. We are looking forward to continuing the fun and learning with our spring units.

     5^th grade will continue with Inventure, focusing on the latter stages of the engineering design process. We’re looking forward to putting our plans into action! Please be on the lookout for information about our local competition and needed supplies for prototypes.

     4^th graders will be wrapping up Survivor with a service learning project. Please be on the lookout for information about needed donations. After our service learning project, students will delve into Genius Hour. In 4^th grade, we focus on a comprehensive body of research and bringing our information to a wider audience. We are looking forward to selecting topics and starting our research. Looking ahead, we will be completing a STEM mini-unit at the end of the year involving bridge construction called “Bridging into 5th Grade”.

     3^rd grade students will be working on a programming and coding unit called Mission Possible. Students will learn programming and coding skills and apply their knowledge to program real robot. Our ReCon Rovers are charged up and ready to go!

     2^nd graders will be wrapping up our Audrey Aims: PBL unit for the next few weeks. After that, we will begin problem-based learning unit, Cubism. We will study art (mosaics) and art history (Cubism), while incorporating math-based lessons about perimeter and area. Students will also learn strategies to solve the Rubik’s cube! Students who have done this unit in the past have become OBSESSED with the cube, so we have plenty of 4^th grade experts to help.

     Our first graders are being introduced to one of the most notable geniuses in history – Leonardo da Vinci! Students are discovering the work, times and continuing impact of the ultimate Renaissance man. He may even make a special visit to your house! They will read, write, discuss, observe, draw, analyze and create as they learn how to be successful Target students!

   1^st, 2^nd, 3^rd and 4^th graders will receive information on Genius Hour expectations soon.

   As always, please feel free to contact us with questions or concerns.

              Welcome back!

                  Mrs. Parsons and Mrs. Sanders