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Dear Parents and Incoming 6th Grade Gifted Students,
We are excited to welcome you and your child to the Apogee gifted program at Ladue Middle School. This page will give you some information about our gifted program. Please contact us if you have any further questions.
The Middle School Gifted program is called Apogee, and is taught by Ms. Donna Matthews, Dr. Akilah Smith and Mrs. Stephanie Wilson. If your child is currently in Idea Lab, they automatically qualify for Apogee. (If you have any questions about identification for the gifted program, email Mrs. Brooke Bilby, the Gifted Program Coordinator, at bbilby@ladueschools.net).
Our program, like Idea Lab, takes a multi-disciplinary approach to teaching essential skills. Apogee students are assessed on knowledge development, communication, product development, technology usage, intra-personal skills, interpersonal skills, and thinking skills.
Apogee is a scheduled class that meets every day at the same time.
Units of study might include...
Who Am I, a personal investigation into each child's strengths and skills, complemented by reading Jonathan Livingston Seagull.
The Hero's Journey, an in-depth study of the monomyth archetype across art forms and cultures
Me & My Brain, a study of the brain's structures, functions, and changes during adolescence that can help students understand their sense of self
Monsters, a study of monsters and the symbolic use of monsters throughout history and popular culture.
Work time for projects is included in class as much as possible. Homework is given as needed to finish projects and complete readings. Student work will be assessed using the Apogee Assessment Tool in addition to specific criteria for each unit.
In addition to the class, we want to be an advocate for your child, and provide resources for you and your child as you make the transition to middle school. We provide periodic Parent Support Meetings that allow parents to learn more about the needs of gifted children while networking with other parents of gifted children. These meetings occur once a quarter. At each meeting, we present a topic of relevance to our gifted parents reflecting current research about issues related to gifted children.
Feel free to take a look at our other pages on this site to see what else we're doing. We're passionate about working with gifted kids and we love to share what we do!
Sincerely,
Donna Matthews (dmatthews@ladueschools.net)
Stephanie Wilson (swilson@ladueschools.net
Akilah Smith
Teachers of the Gifted: Ladue Middle School
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