ACCESS Academy

ACCESS Academy provides an alternative program for PPS students who are highly gifted (99th percentile in Reading, Math or Cognitive) AND in need of an alternative educational program based on various factors.  Some possible factors that could indicate a need for alternative placement might include disengagement from school, social-emotional challenges, etc.  If you feel that ACCESS might be the right placement for your child, please find more information about the school and application process HERE.

Expected number of openings per grade level:
1st = 12-13
2nd  = 2-3
3rd = 40-42
4th = 2-3
5th = 1-2
6th = 2-4
7th = 2-4
8th = 2-3

ACCESS INFORMATION for 2016-2017

Informational Sessions:  March 2 (am), March 16 (pm), April 7 (pm)

Application Deadline:  April 15, 2016

Decisions Expected:  May 15, 2016

Learning in Depth Sign Up

If you are interested in signing your child up for Learning in Depth, please click this link:
SIGN UP.   Please sign up by Friday, February 26.

If you were unable to attend the informational meeting and would like to learn more, please click this link to go to the LiD page:  LiD Information.


At Atkinson, we plan to hold our choosing ceremony for topics in early March.  Students will work independently on their topics at home, although we will offer in school check-ins and after school work sessions twice a month.

Our final celebration will occur in late May or early June.

We would like the students and families who participate in this "trial run" of the program to give ongoing, informal feedback.  We will also have an opportunity for formal feedback at the end of the school year.  Thank you.

If you would like more information, have questions or would like to give feedback, please contact Beth Essex or Lori Cully.  Thank you.

Math Night - A Success!

1st grade immersion teacher, Christine Klein, has been working to offer students and families an opportunity to come together and practice math skills and games.  It is also a great chance for TAG (and all) students to check out math skills at a variety of levels.  This year's second math night was last week.  Students and parents had a great time exploring our math curriculum through hands on activities at a variety of grade levels. 

The date of the next Math Night will be announced soon.  Join us if you can!

Teacher Feature: Mr. Ford and Ms. Smith!

Teachers at Atkinson Elementary work hard to provide exciting and relevant curriculum for all students to reach their full potential. Two such teachers are Rian Ford and Nicolette Smith, 5th grade teachers who strive to differentiate instruction for all of their students.  In addition to partnering with Franklin High School to introduce students to Socratic Seminar, conducting reading marathons and collecting food/supplies for families in need, Ms. Smith and Mr. Ford have recently designed and implemented a science unit around the magic of Harry Potter. The excitement was palpable as Mr. Ford's students shared their magic with 2nd graders from Ms. Essex's room:

 

 

 

OTAG Spelling Bee

This year, several classrooms at Atkinson will be participating in the Oregon TAG statewide spelling bee!  The contest will all be written.  Students will begin by taking the test (with words supplied by OTAG) in their classrooms.  Classroom winners will advance to the school wide contest (date TBD), and the school winner will advance to the district competition.

If your child's teacher is not participating as a whole class and you would like your child to have the opportunity, please talk to your teacher about allowing your child to participate with another classroom for the first round.  I will update this blog soon with more specific information about the dates.

Thank you!

Spelling Bee Schedule:

Feb/March  =  Classroom and School Spelling Contests

Mar/Apr = District Spelling Contest

Apr/May = County or Regional Spelling Contest

Sat. Sept. 3, 2016 = Oregon Statewide Spelling Championship,

Oregon State Fairgrounds.

Updated School Wide TAG Plan

Our school wide TAG plan has been updated and submitted to the TAG office.  If you would like to take a look, please click this link:  ATKINSON TAG PLAN.

You can also find copies outside of the main office beside the TAG bulletin board.

Any feedback can be sent to Ivonne Dibblee, Beth Essex or Lori Culley.

Thank you!