G/T In the Know

Grade 8 (going into Grade 9)
Summer Reading: There is no assigned summer reading for students going into GT Humanities I, but students still want to know “what to read”. I encourage you to read throughout the summer, focusing on the philosophies and the classics:

  • http://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/ap-literature
  • Anthem
  • Sophie’s World: A Novel About the History of Philosophy

Awards/Celebration: May 29
Field Day: June 1
Field Trips: June 2 (Team Cheetahs) & June 3 (Team Pumas)

Grade 7 (going into Grade 8)
Summer Reading: You will read The Hobbit.
Awards/Celebration: May 28
Field Day: June 1
Field Trip: Thursday, May 22

Barnes and Noble Bookfair for FISD
“Barnes and Noble is going to have a special “bookfair” the weekend of May 22-24 to sell summer reading books to our students.  The FISD libraries will get a portion of the sales from this weekend.  When students present the attached flyer (grade level specific) to the upstairs cashier at B&N, we will get credit for the sale and the student will be entered into a drawing for a free book.  If B&N runs out of a specific title during the designated weekend, they will ship the book to the student’s home free of charge.  It really is a win-win for all of us!”

Order Form (going into Grade 6 GT) – Stargirl
Order Form (going into Grade 7 GT) – Lone Star Reading List 2015
Order Form (going into Grade 8 GT) – The Hobbit
Order Form (going into 9th grade Pre-AP) – Anthem

Independent Study and Mentorship (ISM)
Final Presentation Night
ISM Teachers: Matthew V. Pirtle (Heritage HS); Kara Brittain (Independence HS)
Date: Friday, May 22, 2015
Time: 6:30pm – 8:30pm
Location: Heritage High School (Auditorium)
ISM Program Description
*Centennial/Independence ISM will be a part of HHS’s Final Night

Evening’s Schedule (Approximate):
6:30 – 7:00 Come and Go Student Showcase (cafeteria at most campuses)
7:10 – 7:45 Mentor Acknowledgment (Auditorium)
8:00 – 8:30 Individual Student Presentations (Classrooms)

* If you’re unable to attend our feeder high school’s ISM night, you may attend another high school’s event:
Frisco – May 19
Wakeland – May 20
Lone Star – May 20

**Extra Credit Opportunity: If you attend an ISM presentation, write about the one presentation that you found to be the most interesting and why. Be sure to include the student’s name and his/her topic. Your write-up should also reflect information that you gathered from having had a conversation with the student about his/her topic.

TEDxKids@SMU 2014 Auditions

Hi, kids!

You all know that one of the best days in G/T has been our day excursions to TEDxKids. I know that you all have super ideas and stories to share, so here’s an opportunity for a “pursuit”.

Hugs,
Ms. C

But first we are looking for a young person to delight us with a short talk or performance! We are holding our second annual Auditions for TEDxKids@SMU!
 
Boys and girls ages 10 to 18 are welcome to submit a video that is between 60 and 90 seconds. We want your best story, your latest invention, your funniest moment or your talented performance. Almost anything goes and the winner will be invited to perform during TEDxKids@SMU on October 31st!
 
Submissions will open July 21st and close on September 3rd. After submissions close, a panel of judges will review every video and select a group of finalists. Those videos will be posted on our website and open to the public to vote for their one favorite, one vote per email address. Voting will open September 8th and close September 12th and we will announce the winner on September 15th.For more information, guidelines and to submit your audition application click here:
http://www.tedxsmu.org/tedxkidssmu-auditions-2014/

If you have any questions please email us at tedxsmu@gmail.com or call 214-768-1558.

Best of Luck,

The TEDxSMU Team

 
 
 
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2014 ISM Final Presentation Night

Lone Star High School – May 14th
Liberty High School – May 16th
 Heritage/Centennial High Schools (at Heritage) – May 21st
Frisco High School – May 21st
Wakeland High School – May 21st
 
The schedule can vary slightly depending on how large the ISM program is at that school:
 
Showcase in Cafeteria – Starts at 6:15 – 6:30 pm (come-and-go style)
Mentor Acknowledgment – Auditorium – Begins around 7:00 pm
Individual Student Presentations – Begins around 7:45 pm – Various Classrooms

Let Your Teenager Sleep — the Brain Needs It

Via Huffington Post/Parents
Bobbi DePorter 

“It’s easy to think of sleep as a rude interruption. Who wouldn’t love to reclaim those seemingly lost hours in the name of productivity? Your house would be immaculate. Your email inbox would be empty. And you could finally finish reading that novel you’re only halfway through.

But if you’re a regular reader of this site, you know that sleep might very well be the most important part of our day. Studies show that adequate sleep supports ourphysical and mental health as well as our ability to learn and recall information.

What is true for adults is doubly true for teenagers, who are undergoing a period of concentrated learning and rapid biological change.

The More Teens Learn, the More Sleep They Need

In an experiment at Harvard Medical School and Trent University, for example, students were taught a complex new game and then told to “sleep on it.” Students who had a good night sleep performed significantly better the next day, while students who slept six hours or less failed to improve or performed worse than before.

Another study at Brigham and Women’s Hospital demonstrates that chronic sleep deprivation interferes with our ability to focus as well as task performance. The effects become even more pronounced after dark, the hours that teenagers are typically completing homework.

Why is sleep so important for learning? A new hypothesis published in Scientific American suggests that sleep helps the brain sort all of the trivia from the day from what is important to remember. As learning increases, so does the brain’s need for sleep. In fact, without enough sleep, the areas where the most intense learning has occurred will shut down, even as the rest of the brain is alert.

Boost Your Teen’s Learning Retention with Better Sleep Hygiene

Adequate sleep is a non-negotiable for effective learning. Yet many teenagers skimp on it. Part of this is biological — melatonin, the sleep hormone, is released later at night in adolescents — but there are a number of factors you can influence as a parent.

Here are a few thoughts:

  • Go dark. Even a small amount of light can disrupt your teen’s internal clock, so it’s best to remove night lights and glowing electronic devices from the room. At the very least, turn the light away from you. Some teens may also find it helpful to sleep with an eye mask.
  • Keep your cool. The body’s temperature drops to its lowest point during sleep. You can mimic this shift by keeping your teen’s bedroom between 60 and 68 degrees and by avoiding rigorous exercise late in the evening.
  • Schedule it. Going to bed and getting up around the same time every day — including weekends — does wonders for the body’s internal clock, as does a bedtime routine. Encourage your teen to end each day with deep breathing or listening to soft music to release tension and calm the mind.
  • Wind down, not up. Try turning off the TV and computer an hour before bed. The bright light and engaging content increases heart rate and perspiration, even as it decreases melatonin production. The same is true for texting in bed. Your teen will fall asleep much faster without these stimulants.

It’s easy for teen’s to forgo sleep because they have so many things competing for their time and attention, including homework, social functions and after-school activities. However, teens will ultimately function better in all of these areas — and especially in school — when they make time for adequate rest.

So go ahead, let your teenager sleep. The brain really does need it.”

Rising Freshmen Night @Heritage HS

As you know Monday January 27, is Rising Freshmen Night here at Heritage High School.  This is an opportunity for you to talk to students about our academic programs, extra-curricular activities, clubs and organizations, etc.  We want to make sure that students get to know us and the great things that are happening throughout the school. 

 Below is the agenda for the evening:
6:00-6:45 visit with students and parents about programs and the great things happening at Heritage.
6:45-7:00 students and parents make head to the auditorium for a presentation from Mr. Mimms and Mrs. Wilson.
In case our  G/T students were interested to learn about programs/activities offered at Heritage, several current ISM students will be in room B103 to answer any questions that might be on your student’s minds.