Enrichment Activities
Math Pentathlon students meet after school weekly to learn and play fun, challenging board games that emphasize critical thinking and basic math skills. This program welcomes all skill levels. A local tournament is held in the spring for each division (K-1, 2-3, 4-5) for interested participants. Parents are always welcome to assist in any (or all) weekly sessions.
Click here for the 2009-2010 Math Pentathlon Registration Forms. Return completed forms and $5.00 registration fee to the office by October 9th, 2009 (checks made to to Gill PTA). Registration Forms will also be included in next weeks Friday Folders.
Parent training sessions are offered the week of October 12th through the Math Pentathlon Institute -- see additional information of the back of the Registration Form.
Math Pentathlon Chair: Charlotte Jackson, email to:
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Reflections is PTA-sponsored artistic activity for all students. Each year a theme is chosen. Students then develop a creative interpretation of the theme using photography, art or writing as their medium. Students participate in the Reflections Program by submitting entries to the PTA. Click here to find out more about this rewarding program.
Check out the posting with the Gill Refections winners for 2008-2009. Also check out the 2009-2010 Reflections Packet.
Reflections Chair: Christle Thompson
"DI" helps students develop creativity and critical thinking skills. Students, kindergarten through fifth grade, work in teams to create products or performances that express the year’s theme. Areas of participation include design and construction, performance, and writing. The program is competitive above grade three with local participants competing at regional and state levels. Parents serve as team managers to assist teams of up to seven students complete the challenge.
This program develops vocabulary and verbal reasoning skills for students in grades 3-5. Students learn meaning, origins and variants of words. Coaching sessions are held during school to prepare for three by-mail competitive meets. Parents are trained in an informal setting by experienced Gill parents.
This program provides enhanced reading comprehension and analysis through inquiry-based discussions for students (grades 2-5) seeking additional challenges. High-quality short stories are read and discussed to further develop students comprehension and critical thinking skills. Parent volunteers complete a two-day training class to become certified discussion leaders.
Want to learn more? Watch one of these promotional videos created by the Great Books Foundation to explain the process of Shared Inquiry. The videos can be viewed in Windows Media Player or RealPlayer.
Grade 2 Sample: Jack & The Beanstalk (13:37)
Grade 5 Sample: A Game of Chance (6:41)
Math Olympiads is a worldwide problem solving and advanced mathematics program for students (grades 4-5) interested in expanding their math skills. Students meet after school weekly to study new concepts and complete practice problems. A parent volunteer leads the session. Five monthly “contests” are completed on-site to test students’ skills.
Parent writing workshops will be the first step in the new writing enrichment program. These workshops will provide you with hard data on the crucial need to address these skill gaps right now. They will also teach you the 6+1 writing traits, help you to recognize and encourage examples of good writing, provide you with hands-on exercises you can take home and practice with your children and give you tools to assess the success of your child’s writing progress.
The workshops will be taught in two sessions, the first session being an overview and understanding of the traits and the second a more in depth study of techniques and exercises that can be used at home with your family. Attendance at both workshops is important for a full understanding of the program.
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