McAuliffe International School is a high achieving Innovation School. With a high percentage of identified students and a high number in the Talent Pool, teachers at McAuliffe teach to higher levels of rigor and scaffold down for students as necessary. Math classes use cross-grade grouping where appropriate and most classes offer extensions for a deeper conceptual dive. Teachers use ALP information to differentiate in their classrooms using a variety of rigorous academic strategies. Service learning trips and academic enrichments are offered as optional ways to develop higher order thinking skills and creativity. We have grade level counselors, two social workers and a school psychologist to help with students’ social/emotional health. Communication to families and staff will be sent out in the school newsletter. Parents will receive a welcome letter and additional communication and instructions for students to complete ALP goals and for parents to provide input into their student’s ALP. The GT teacher will have office hours during which time students can come to get help with their ALPs and progress monitoring. Assessment data is reviewed throughout the year to equitably identify students in need of GT services. There will be a GT folder on grade level homeroom pages on Schoology for information and forms around GT programming.
August 19, 2024
Dear Students and Families at McAuliffe International School,
I would like to introduce myself as the teacher/point of contact for gifted education services at McAuliffe International School. I am excited to begin my first year as a GT Itinerant teacher, after being a classroom teacher and instructional coach in DPS for more than 20 years. I wanted to reach out to let you know my responsibilities for Gifted and Talented (GT), my availability, and where to find more information about GT services in Denver Public Schools.
As you may be aware, a large percentage of our students at McAuliffe have been identified as GT and HGT. Therefore, we do not use a traditional “pull out” or “push in” model. Instead, the Advanced Learning Plan, or ALP, informs the classroom teachers of each student’s strengths and goals so that the teacher can differentiate through in-class flexible grouping, content extensions, or whatever strategy teachers deem appropriate. The ALP is written collaboratively with input from students, parents, and teachers. This model works very well for our students.
Your student’s involvement with the GT program is to participate in writing and monitoring their goals for the year, staying engaged in their classes, and attend any of the GT academic enrichment activities that are offered before school. Participation in enrichments is optional and fun. Examples of academic enrichments include Brain Bowl, Chess Club, Coding, and Math Team. Enrichment Link Use this link or read upcoming newsletters for information on which enrichments will be offered as well as sign-up instructions.
As the GT point of contact, my responsibilities this year will include:
In the next couple of weeks you will be receiving more information about the ALP process and how to help your student write their goals in their strength areas for the year.
Do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or want to learn more about the program for gifted students at our school. I am assigned to three different schools, and my days at McAuliffe are Mondays and Wednesdays. For additional information about gifted and talented services in DPS, please visit: http://gt.dpsk12.org.
Sincerely,
Jamie Johnson
jamie_johnson2@dpsk12.net
Gifted and Talented Itinerant Teacher
McAuliffe International School (Monday and Wednesday)