Wildcat Gifted
May 2020
Quarterly
COVID-19 CAN’T SLOW US DOWN!
It was an unprecedented situation
for all of us when we first heard
the news that the governor was
shutting down schools in the state
of Kansas due to the Covid-19
outbreak. Who knew what the next
two months were going to be like?
LMS and LHS gifted students did
an amazing job keeping involved
with all of the online activities that
were provided. Whether it was
Cognitive Cardio puzzles, daily
writing challenge prompts,
Monday Motivation, or Toughness
Tuesday challenges, I think the
students did a phenomenal job
keeping their minds sharp during
these strange times.
In addition, students were
remarkable with how well they
completed their weekly check-ins
using the FlipGrid platform. Each
week, I asked students to keep in
touch and check-in with me to let
me know how they’re doing. They
were asked various questions to
which they would reflect and
respond. I asked them to make
suggestions for a “Quarantine
Bucket List (https://wildcat-
gifted.weebly.com/journal/covid-
19-bucket-list),” to consider how
life will be changing moving
forward, to reflect on positive
changes, and more.
I can’t express enough how proud I
am of all my students!
SPRING
WORKSHOPS
“She stood in the storm, and when
the wind did not blow her way,
she adjusted her sails.” –
Elizabeth Edwards.
Even though we couldn’t carry
out our plans for the 2nd semester
gifted workshops, we were still
able to get the job done as best as
we could, considering the
circumstances.
“American Pie”: We explored
this timeless classic song, its
origins, and its poetic merit.
View the slideshow by going to
www.wildcat-
gifted.weebly.com/home-
resources.html
“Break Out”: Even though we
couldn’t visit an actual escape
room, we were able to engage in
a couple of digital escape rooms
here:
www.mamateaches.com/digital-
escape-rooms/
Next Year: I plan on resuming
the Gifted Workshops again next
year. I will be asking parents
and students over the summer
for topic suggestions!
SUMMER 2020 AND BEYOND!
“Kaizen” = continuous improvement
In the spirit of Kaizen, or
“continuous improvement,” I plan to
keep going strong this summer and
into next year. Here are some
summer highlights and changes for
the 2020-21 school year.
LMS QUEST: I’m VERY excited for
Weebly Webpage: Since the Covid-
19 shutdown, I’ve been regularly
implementing my Wildcat Gifted
weebly page. Please continue to
visit this website for more
activities throughout the summer
months.
IEP Goal Post-Evaluations: In the
first quarter, I completed a pre-
evaluation of each gifted
student. Accompanying the final
progress reports of the school
year and this newsletter will be a
completed post-evaluation
rubric. Please review the email
for explanation of the rubric.
this opportunity next year. LMS
gifted students will have the
option to enroll in the QUEST
elective (Questioning,
Understanding, Exploring,
Synthesizing, and Thinking), a
class in which gifted students
will engage in daily activities to
promote critical thinking,
academic growth, and problem-
solving skills.

(left) Although we couldn’t meet in person for the “American Pie” Gifted Workshop, it was still a great
opportunity to explore the song online. (right) Whether it was a Philosophy Friday, a Gifted Workshop, or an
IEP meeting, we were able to get quite a bit done using the online Zoom platform.

Louisburg High School (913) 837-1747

202 Aquatic Dr. bovairdr@usd416.org
Louisburg, KS 66053 https://wildcat-gifted.weebly.com