Welcome Gifted Falcons !
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I
August 28, 2023
Dear Parents and Students,
Welcome back to a great new year at Frank W. Cox High School! I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome all new and returning gifted students. As the Gifted Resource Teacher at Cox High School, I am very much looking forward to getting to know each of you this year as I strive to share with your child the benefits of the gifted program at Cox High School. I thought that it would be helpful to provide a brief overview of the program.
The Gifted Program at Cox supports gifted students in several ways. Three elective courses specially designed for gifted students are offered on campus in a blended format with both virtual and face-to-face components. These courses include: Think Tank for Super Thinkers for 9th and 10th graders, SPARKS for 11th and 12th graders, and Independent Study for 9th – 12th graders.
As the Gifted Resource Teacher, my office is located in the Library Media Center which offers a unique environment for individual conferences while also providing students a quiet study space, as well as a chance to take advantage of the gifted resource library collection. Parents and students are able to borrow books and resource materials curated especially to address gifted family concerns with topics ranging from growth mindset to overcoming twice-exceptional challenges. Additionally, gifted enrichment seminars and assemblies are provided to tackle topics of interest for each grade level such as career planning, academic planning, college preparation, scholarship information, and social-emotional concerns. A group has been created to include all gifted students in Canvas, Remind (join here https://www.remind.com/join/838e9d ) and Band (join here https://band.us/n/aeae75ja40x8C ). Students should check these often to receive updates, announcements, and helpful information.
A variety of enrichment opportunities are offered throughout the year and are based on student interest and need on topics ranging from community service opportunities to academic camps. The Summer Residential Governor’s School is one of the most prominent of these programs and is an amazing opportunity designed for gifted 10th and 11th graders. Gifted cluster classes in 9th and 10th grades core subjects are organized intentionally, to allow gifted students to benefit from working with their intellectual and talented peers. Additional instructional support is provided to classroom teachers of identified gifted students to ensure that these students are receiving sufficient rigor in their coursework. The Governor’s School for the Arts, the premier Magnet Visual and Performing Arts Academy in Hampton Roads, is a fixture of the gifted program. As a Gifted Resource Teacher, I serve as additional support for our GSARTS students and liaison between their teachers in Cox and at GSARTS. Workshops are provided at Cox throughout the year covering issues that concern the unique needs of gifted learners and are a part of the job-embedded schedule of teacher professional development. Advocacy for the cognitive, social, and emotional needs of all gifted students is a crucial component of our program. Finally, the Gifted Advisory Board, a club whose mission is to provide a gifted voice at Cox High School, is one more way that gifted students can find a welcoming place to land at Cox. We hope that all gifted students will join us at our monthly meetings and events, the first of which will occur in conjunction with the first quarterly gifted assembly on Sept. 8 one lunch in the auditorium.
It is important to me to be able to develop supportive and caring relationships with each of our gifted students at Cox High School and their families. To that end, I hope that you will take a moment to complete the linked questionnaire with your student https://goo.gl/forms/41aXQcE12HOCMdHh2 to assist me in getting an idea of your child’s goals, interests, and needs in advance. I would like to encourage all gifted students to reach out to me virtually via Canvas message, email, in-person or zoom visits to share their goals and ask questions that they may have about the program and how they may best take advantage of the program during their high school career. My office hours are from 11:50-12:30 am M, T, W, & F in the Library Media Center. On Thursdays students can find me at my duty in the auditorium foyer. Parents and students can find information about the gifted program through the PTSA newsletter, monthly canvas email newsletter, gifted website giftedfalcons.weebly.com and our twitter account @giftedfalcons1.
I hope that you will not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or at (757)648-5250, ext. 85269 with any questions or concerns that you may have. I look forward to working with you and your child this year!
Most Respectfully,
Lydia K. S. Roberson
Lydia K. S. Roberson
Gifted Resource Teacher
Frank W. Cox High School
Dear Parents and Students,
Welcome back to a great new year at Frank W. Cox High School! I wanted to take this opportunity to welcome all new and returning gifted students. As the Gifted Resource Teacher at Cox High School, I am very much looking forward to getting to know each of you this year as I strive to share with your child the benefits of the gifted program at Cox High School. I thought that it would be helpful to provide a brief overview of the program.
The Gifted Program at Cox supports gifted students in several ways. Three elective courses specially designed for gifted students are offered on campus in a blended format with both virtual and face-to-face components. These courses include: Think Tank for Super Thinkers for 9th and 10th graders, SPARKS for 11th and 12th graders, and Independent Study for 9th – 12th graders.
As the Gifted Resource Teacher, my office is located in the Library Media Center which offers a unique environment for individual conferences while also providing students a quiet study space, as well as a chance to take advantage of the gifted resource library collection. Parents and students are able to borrow books and resource materials curated especially to address gifted family concerns with topics ranging from growth mindset to overcoming twice-exceptional challenges. Additionally, gifted enrichment seminars and assemblies are provided to tackle topics of interest for each grade level such as career planning, academic planning, college preparation, scholarship information, and social-emotional concerns. A group has been created to include all gifted students in Canvas, Remind (join here https://www.remind.com/join/838e9d ) and Band (join here https://band.us/n/aeae75ja40x8C ). Students should check these often to receive updates, announcements, and helpful information.
A variety of enrichment opportunities are offered throughout the year and are based on student interest and need on topics ranging from community service opportunities to academic camps. The Summer Residential Governor’s School is one of the most prominent of these programs and is an amazing opportunity designed for gifted 10th and 11th graders. Gifted cluster classes in 9th and 10th grades core subjects are organized intentionally, to allow gifted students to benefit from working with their intellectual and talented peers. Additional instructional support is provided to classroom teachers of identified gifted students to ensure that these students are receiving sufficient rigor in their coursework. The Governor’s School for the Arts, the premier Magnet Visual and Performing Arts Academy in Hampton Roads, is a fixture of the gifted program. As a Gifted Resource Teacher, I serve as additional support for our GSARTS students and liaison between their teachers in Cox and at GSARTS. Workshops are provided at Cox throughout the year covering issues that concern the unique needs of gifted learners and are a part of the job-embedded schedule of teacher professional development. Advocacy for the cognitive, social, and emotional needs of all gifted students is a crucial component of our program. Finally, the Gifted Advisory Board, a club whose mission is to provide a gifted voice at Cox High School, is one more way that gifted students can find a welcoming place to land at Cox. We hope that all gifted students will join us at our monthly meetings and events, the first of which will occur in conjunction with the first quarterly gifted assembly on Sept. 8 one lunch in the auditorium.
It is important to me to be able to develop supportive and caring relationships with each of our gifted students at Cox High School and their families. To that end, I hope that you will take a moment to complete the linked questionnaire with your student https://goo.gl/forms/41aXQcE12HOCMdHh2 to assist me in getting an idea of your child’s goals, interests, and needs in advance. I would like to encourage all gifted students to reach out to me virtually via Canvas message, email, in-person or zoom visits to share their goals and ask questions that they may have about the program and how they may best take advantage of the program during their high school career. My office hours are from 11:50-12:30 am M, T, W, & F in the Library Media Center. On Thursdays students can find me at my duty in the auditorium foyer. Parents and students can find information about the gifted program through the PTSA newsletter, monthly canvas email newsletter, gifted website giftedfalcons.weebly.com and our twitter account @giftedfalcons1.
I hope that you will not hesitate to contact me at [email protected] or at (757)648-5250, ext. 85269 with any questions or concerns that you may have. I look forward to working with you and your child this year!
Most Respectfully,
Lydia K. S. Roberson
Lydia K. S. Roberson
Gifted Resource Teacher
Frank W. Cox High School