Latest News: In an effort to ease your search for upcoming events and dates concerning gifted education, the most recent news/dates will be posted here.
Friday, October 11, 2024: ODS applications will be available for students entering 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th grades in 2025.
Friday, October 11, 2024: International Baccalaureate (IB) MYP (Middle Years Program) Applications available. Deadline to apply: January 7, 2025.
Thursday, October 24, 2024, 6 - 8 pm: Information Night at Plaza Middle School on South Lynnhaven Road.
Wednesday, November 13, Beginning at 5:00 pm. Information Night at ODS for gifted art (current grades 2+) and gifted dance (current grades 2-7).
Deadline for Current Grades 5-8: by 4 p.m. on Jan. 7, 2025 - Gifted identification and the Resource-Cluster program; and Old Donation School.
Deadline for Current Grades 5-8: by 4 p.m. on Jan. 7, 2025 - Gifted identification and the Resource-Cluster program; and Old Donation School.
Deadline for Grades 2-7 (4:00 pm) Gifted Art and Dance applications for ODS programs.
Thursday, January 16, 2025: Grade 5 Applications for ODS and Gifted Identification Testing at KMES (NNAT3 and CogAT).
Monday, March 13, 2025: Grades 2-4 Applications for ODS and Gifted Identification Testing at KMES (NNAT3 and CogAT).
2024 - 2025 is bringing many new challenges to Virginia Beach City Public Schools. We here at Kempsville Meadows Elementary School are so very proud of all our students and how they are rising to the challenges presented. It is our intention to ensure that all students here at KMES are receiving educational services commensurate with their unique abilities.
Hands-on Science learning is currently a hot topic in VBCPS, as in most schools in the country. The Science Lab is up and running and ready for exploration. Take comfort in knowing that we follow the strictest sanitation guidelines concerning student safety.
We will continue working with the fabulous stories in the Junior Great Books and Jacob's Ladder programs, giving the students opportunities to explore rich text and shared inquiry. Additionally, we will be working more with Performance Tasks and Performance Based Assessments, allowing for more authenticity in the classroom.
I am very excited about Math this year and how we can incorporate programs like Red Bird, Khan Academy, Three Act Tasks, Hands-on-Equations and Hands-on-Fractions into the daily routines of Math.
And let's not forget about Social Studies. K - 3 will focus heavily on Citizenship this year, one of our 5 Cs, along with ancient civilizations and historic biographies. Forth and Fifth grades will explore Virginia Studies, including Jamestown, Virginia's Native American heritage, Colonial Virginia, the American Revolution and Civil War, and much more. Students will be using critical thinking skills and studying primary documents to determine cause and effect, historical importance and many other ideas. It is going to be an exciting year!
We are renewing our focus on balanced assessment and are zeroing in on Performance Tasks this year. Rather than a paper/pencil test or an on-line multiple choice test, students are asked to create a product in the classroom that will demonstrate their learning. This can be in the form of a written/oral report, a web based document (web page or infographic), a recorded video of a newscast, on-the-spot reporting, a brochure, or other product. Be on the lookout for some of these product examples in your student's work.