Dear Families,

Welcome to our new web page dedicated to imparting information about Linkhorn Park's Gifted Programs. On this page you will find:

• Click here to read our current edition of GT News, GRT newsletter.
• Internet links with information on issues associated with the gifted population, project help, and interesting topics, and
• Exciting Linkhorn Park activities, including student products, new units of study, and success stories.

Check out our gifted resource Porta-Portal!  The Guest Access name is lpesgifted.  Have fun exploring the latest educational resources and Virginia’s very own local history sites as well. Click Here to Visit lpesgifted Porta-Portal.

Gifted services available at Linkhorn are provided through the cluster/resource model. Kindergarten and first-grade teachers, along with the gifted resource teachers and the building principal, collaborate to decide the appropriate level of instruction for the students. Instructional involvement may come through staff development services, extension activities, whole group lessons, or various configurations of small groupings of students. Identified students in grades two through five are placed in heterogeneous classrooms, and are taught by a cluster teacher trained in gifted education. A resource teacher, endorsed in gifted education, assists the cluster teacher in delivering instruction at a depth and rate conducive to the intellectual needs of gifted learners. The cluster/resource program is grounded in general education curriculum but is differentiated, modified and expanded, to provide appropriate learning challenges. Students are required to demonstrate mastery of the state-mandated Standards of Learning and their instruction is accelerated when they have already mastered a particular skill or unit.

2009 - 10 Gifted Program
Testing Dates

1st Quarter- October 6th

2nd Quarter- November 18th

1st Grade Screening- January 13th

ODC/KLMS- February 17th

1st grade testing- March 31

2nd HOLDS/4th Q- May 12th

All first graders are screened for gifted identification.  If your child passes the initial screening, he/she will continue further testing administrated by a testing specialist.  However, if a child does not pass the initial screening, parents or teachers may request a referral for further testing.  Students in grades 2-5 may apply to Old Donation Center for Gifted and Talented (ODC) for art, dance, or academic enrollment.  Please check the gifted calendar for specific deadlines regarding these applications.

All fifth graders may apply to Kemps Landing Magnet School; however, only students who are identified gifted through the eligibility process are candidates.  All fifth graders may also apply to Plaza Middle Years Program. All students are candidates for Plaza MYP.  Please return all applications to our school counselor, Mrs. Godwin.  Please check the gifted calendar for specific deadlines regarding these applications.

For additional information regarding the gifted program, you can go to www.vbschools.com or you may contact Kelly Hedrick, Director, Office of Gifted Education and Academy Programs at kelly.hedrick@vbschools.com.