August 2, 2023
Dear Parents, Guardians, and Students:
Welcome to an exciting year of Gifted/ Talented activities! I am Mary Alice George, the G/T Coordinator in Weld RE1. I’m really looking forward to working with these great kids! My background in GT includes eight years of self-contained GT instruction in Kearney Public Schools (Nebraska), plus one year of teaching/ administrating the program in RE1. My Master’s degree is in English education, with a licensed endorsement in Gifted Education. This is my 41st year of teaching.
I am easiest to reach by email, which I see several times a day: georgem@wcsdre1.org . For emergencies, my cell number is 303-990-4966.
A G/T Parent/ Student Information Night for grades 3-8 will be held on Tuesday, August 15th, at 6 p.m. at Valley High School room 141. Much excellent information will be shared, and I hope you can make it.
I believe a high ability learner program must have rigor. Students come to GT for enrichment, to learn above and beyond the grade-level curriculum. GT is ambitious: it’s acceleration, differentiation, critical thinking, confidence-building. It should NOT be a cakewalk for the student! Many GT students find school easy and effortless and believe it should always be so. The goal of GT services is to provide the appropriate level of work that will challenge them. If we don’t raise the bar for them now, we can set them up for failure once the classwork truly gets difficult. Middle and high school will present GT students with opportunities to pursue accelerated math, honors, AP, and dual-credit college courses (for free!). Over the years it’s been thrilling to see many high ability learners go on to successful careers in medicine, law, politics, architecture, engineering, and fine arts, to name a few. But…they learned how to overcome struggles. As a parent of two GT children, I can promise you that was the most important thing they learned in advanced instruction.
I look forward to visiting with you on the 15th.
Sincerely,
Mary Alice George
GT Coordinator
Weld School District RE1