Gifted and Talented Program Mission Statement
The Gifted and Talented class is designed to give students a safe place to explore their interests and aptitudes. Our purpose is to provide students with dedicated time to feel heard and seen, explore their passions, collaborate with like-minded peers, and access resources related to their strengths and needs. We aim to empower these identified students to embrace their uniqueness and utilize their potential to find success in their educational career and beyond.
“Did You Know?”
Boltz GT Students Find Rigor and Social-Emotional Support Here
- All Gifted and Talented identified students receive at least 30 minutes of direct programming a day through our GT ELO.
- Phoenix Strings, Jazz Band, Chamber Orchestra at Boltz are “before school” select music groups that provide Boltz students a great chance for musical rigor.
- STEM is alive and well at Boltz. Ask our students in Lego Robotics, students that use the Maker Space, students in Science Olympiad, students who are doing engineering challenges in science class that are related to roller coasters, seismographs, and more.
- English classes around our building offer students choice so that they are reading novels of interest at their reading level. This happens in daily independent reading time and in leveled literature circle groups.
- Our math department has accelerated pathways with compacting of curriculum. We offer pathways that allow for both grade skipping (within the math curriculum) without skipping standards.
- The Boltz science department has a greenhouse. Our GT students have leadership opportunities in monitoring and adjusting variables in that greenhouse.
- In our Spanish classes, the teachers work on using 90-95% of the target language in class. With that, students are able to push themselves to understand partial or full sentences in the target language—not just individual words; differentiation is natural in this environment for learning.
- In classes all around our building our students are engaged in Socratic Seminars, Philosophical Chairs, and other AVID/college-ready strategies for learning.
- Boltz GT students are able to pursue mini-mentorships with community members who work in professions they find interesting.
- Students in our English classes develop individualized writing goals which can push them beyond grade-level writing standards and rubrics.
Follow Your Passion
GT Advanced Learning Plans (ALPs) at Boltz
Gifted and Talented (GT) students at Boltz Middle School work with GT staff, teachers, and parents to choose goals for their annual Advanced Learning Plan (ALP). ALP Goals are a directed way to guide our GT students to follow a passion, make a difference, and/or work towards a personal goal throughout the year.
An ALP is an opportunity driven experience. Therefore, students will get out of their ALP what they put into it. So, we ask that students choose their ALP goal with thought and care. We want them to pick something they are passionate about. The ALP isn’t about extra work, it is about taking advantage of provided opportunities for further growth here at Boltz. To encourage students to explore different options during their time here at Boltz, students may not repeat goals from year to year.
All of our ALP goal choices tie to one (or more) of the national 21st Century Skills. At Boltz, our whole staff works very hard to help guide all students towards attaining these 21st Century Skills to make sure we prepare them for high school, college, and the workplace.
Gifted Identification in Poudre School District
The Gifted and Talented (GT) program in Poudre School District is committed to identifying and serving gifted learners.
- GT learners are students between five and 21 whose abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishment are so outstanding that they require special provisions to meet their educational programming needs.
- GT learners include gifted students with disabilities (i.e. twice exceptional) and students with exceptional abilities or potential from all socio-economic and ethnic, cultural populations. Please visit the district link below to learn more regarding GT identification procedures in PSD.
Link to PSD Gifted and Talented page - https://www.psdschools.org/academics/gifted-and-talented
Boltz GT Contacts
Boltz Gifted and Talented Site Coordinator: Sierra Londenberg slondenberg@psdschools.org (970) 472-3756
Poudre School District Gifted and Talented Coordinator: Kirstan Morris kirstanm@psdschools.org
Boltz Middle School Identification Specialist: Emily Vangermeersch evangerm@psdschools.org