Welcome back to a great new school year where CREATIVITY is not an option...it's essential!  I am so excited to open my classroom door next week to see my bright, excited, creative, fun students arrive!  I've enjoyed seeing all of the GATE kiddos in the hallway and now it's TIME TO GET STARTED!  GATE classes will begin on Monday!  

What are you most excited about this year in GATE?  Our essential concept will be SELFIES!  Who doesn't like to take a SELFIE!?  We will be looking at selfies by creating self-portraits, deciding which learning style each of us prefers, finding our personality style, filling in interest inventories, selfie-expression through art and writing, selfie-selected topics for research using the Independent Investigation Method (IIM), selfie/groupie-selected technology categories for TECHNOLOGY COMPETITION PROJECTS (WOOOOO HOOOOO!), and more!

And....one more thing I think you'll be excited about....

DASH AND DOT ARE HERE!  Miss Rogers and I were awarded a grant through the Albertville City Schools Foundation (THANK YOU, FOUNDATION!!!) to purchase 2 sets of Dash and Dot along with all the accessories!  We can't wait to dive into computer programming with these fun robots!  (We actually didn't wait....we opened the boxes and started to play/program with them yesterday!  So fun!)  

This begins year 26 as a school teacher for me...and I still love coming to school each day and I love what I can experience and learn with my students!  After 12 years of teaching GATE in room 408, I have moved to room 323.  This was a picture of my room in July...

...however, now it looks a little different and I am ready for students!

My ladder of TALENTS UNLIMITED thinking skills is ready to go!  Who will be a great PRODUCTIVE THINKER this year!?  (YOU!)

Science, math, social studies, writing, and art interest centers are ready....as well as the MacBooks in the cart!

Next week these pictures will be a little more "alive"....with STUDENTS!  Yea!  I'm looking forward to a great school year with my GREAT GATE kids!

Be sure to check back on this blog from time to time as well as follow us on Instagram:  aesgate

Coming soon.....Global Cardboard Challenge, International Dot Day, origami crane making class, art, research, technology.....and more!