Welcome to Gifted Education

Unlock Your Child's Potential with Thompson School District's Gifted Education Program!

At Thompson School District, we recognize that gifted students possess unique talents and require specialized educational experiences to thrive. Our Gifted Education Program is dedicated to nurturing these exceptional abilities, ensuring that each student reaches their full potential.

What to expect from gifted program?

Tailored Learning Experiences: We provide differentiated instruction that challenges and engages gifted learners, fostering a love for learning and critical thinking skills.
Holistic Development: Beyond academics, our program supports the social and emotional well-being of gifted students, preparing them for future success.
Qualified Educators: Our team consists of trained professionals passionate about guiding gifted students through enriched and accelerated learning paths.

Program Highlights:

Advanced Curriculum: Engage in rigorous coursework designed to stimulate intellectual growth and creativity.
Enrichment Opportunities: Participate in specialized projects, competitions, and extracurricular activities that align with students' interests and talents.
Community and Support: Join a community of like-minded peers, fostering collaboration and a sense of belonging.

In This Section

Resources

Living with Gifted Children

IF YOU LIVE WITH GIFTED, CREATIVE CHILDREN…

Do you answer your child’s questions with patience and good humor?

Encourage continual open and non-judgmental communication with your child.

Do you respect your child and allow him or her as much dignity as you would a friend?

Permit and enjoy your child’s individuality.

Do you help your child learn how to get along with children of all levels of ability and intelligence?

Help him or her to appreciate individual differences, both in self and others.

Do you set reasonable standards of behavior for your child and then see that he or she meets them?

Instruct by your actions more than your words.

Do you show your child that he or she is loved for his or her own sake and not merely for intellectual achievement?

Arrange back-to-nature times and quiet together and apart times; value reflection and daydreaming.

Do you provide places where your child can study, work at hobbies (passion areas), and display work?

Also provide an environment where your child feels safe. At times, your child will find being different very difficult.

Do you help your child set time and energy priorities?

Too often the work is so exciting for these children that they seem to need to do everything at once.

Do you participate in some of your child’s activities?

Include your child in activities that you enjoy doing, as well as those in which your child is interested. Don’t insist that every project have closure before other things can happen. Often, what the child wanted or needed to learn from an experience occurs before the project is “finished.”

Do you teach your child how to budget time, organize work, and improve study habits?

Help your child with his or her need for perfectionism. Serve as an example of how to accept mistakes and continue trying.

Do you give your child increasing independence as his or her ability to handle responsibility increases?

Allow your child to make many decisions. Consult your child on issues affecting him or her, if there is a clear understanding of the consequences.

Do you encourage your child to set high educational and vocational goals?

Help your child to understand his or her strengths. This is especially important for gifted girls.

A Creed for Gifted Learners

I am gifted. What does this mean?

Being Gifted means I learn faster than most students my age.

It does not mean I am smarter than they are.

Being Gifted means I learn easier than most students my age.

It does not mean that learning should be easy.

I am in control of what I learn. I must learn to challenge myself.

Being Gifted means that I have a head start in some areas.

I need to challenge myself to go further than my classmates,

If I am going to learn the same amount of information they do.

Being Gifted does NOT mean I have to be the fastest or the first one done.

Being first does not always mean being #1.

I must learn to work carefully and correctly.

When I win, I must win kindly. But I am not the best at everything.

When I lose, I must lose graciously.

Being Gifted does NOT mean I have to be perfect.

I must learn to choose when to strive for excellence and when to relax.

Superior work does not have to be perfect all the time.

Being Gifted is not all there is to me. I am much more than just my brain.

I must learn to tolerate people who expect too much from me,

because they do not understand me.

Being gifted does NOT mean life is always fair.

I will learn to make the best of all situations because… I am Gifted!

Written by Terri Semmler, parent and teacher of gifted children

from Chugiak, Alaska

Internet Resources

Bill Nye the Science Guy, http://www.billnye.com/
Center for Creative Learning, http://creativelearning.com/
Cool Math for Kids, http://coolmath4kids.com/index.html
Council for Exceptional Children, http://www.cec.sped.org/
Education Programs for Gifted Youth (EPGY), Stanford University, http://www-epgy.stanford.edu/
Eric Clearinghouse on Disabilities and Gifted Education, http://www.eric.ed.gov/
Gifted Development Center, http://gifteddevelopment.com/
Gifted Education Resource Institute, Purdue University, http://www.geri.soe.purdue.edu/
Glencoe Online Cool Math Links, http://glencoe.com/sec/math/cool/index.htm
GT World, http://www.gtworld.org/
Hoagie’s Gifted Education Page, http://www.hoagiesgifted.org/gift.htm
Hollingworth Center for Highly Gifted Children, http://www.hollingworth.org/
International Baccalaureate Organisation, http://www.ibo.org/
JASON Project, http://www.nationalgeographic.com/education/jason/index.html
Johns Hopkins University, http://www.cty.jhu.edu/
Just Write, http://www.justwrite.org/
Math (including games, puzzles and more):
- Brain Bashers, http://www.brainbashers.com/
- The Grey Labyrinth, http://www.greylabyrinth.com/index.htm
- The Ultimate Puzzle Site, http://www.puzzle.dse.nl/index_us.html
- The Math Forum, http://forum.swarthmore.edu/
- Math Archives, http://archives.math.utk.edu/index.html
- Math Counts, http://mathcounts.org/
- Mega-Math, http://www.c3.lanl.gov/mega-math/welcome.html
National Association for Gifted Children, http://www.nagc.org
National Geographic Kids Network, http://nationalgeographic.com
National Research Center on the Gifted and Talented, http://www.uconn.edu/NRCGT.html
Natural Math, http://naturalmath.com/
NEAG Center for Gifted Education & Talent Development, http://www.gifted.uconn.edu
Destination ImagiNation, http://www.destinationimagination.org/
Publishers:
- Arlie Books, http://arliebooks.com/
- Free Spirit Publishing, http://www.freespifit.com/
- Gifted Children Monthly, http://gifted-children.com
- Gifted Education Press, http://www.giftedpress.com/
- Patrick’s Press, http://patrickspress.com/
- Pieces of Learning, http://piecesoflearning.com/
- Prufrock Press, http://prufrock.com/index.cfm
- Riverside Publishing, http://www.riverpub.com/
- Zephyr Press, http://zephyrpress.com/
Science Hobbyist, http://www.eskimo.com/~billb/
Supporting the Emotional Needs of the Gifted (SENG), http://www.sengifted.org/

Enrichment Activities

Arvada Center for the Arts and Humanities: https://arvadacenter.org
Barnes & Noble: https://barnesandnoble.com
Black American West Museum: https://blackamericanwestmuseum.com
Boettcher Mansion: https://historicjeffco.org/boettcher-mansion/
Boulder History Museum: https://museumofboulder.org
Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art: https://bmoca.org
Boulder Public Library: https://boulderlibrary.org
Boy Scouts of America: https://scouting.org
Buffalo Bill Museum and Grave: https://buffalobill.org
Butterfly Pavilion: https://butterflies.org
City of Aurora: https://auroragov.org
Colorado 4-H: https://co4h.colostate.edu/
Colorado Historical Society: https://coloradohistory.org
Colorado Prison Museum: https://coloradoprisonmuseum.org
Colorado Railroad Museum: https://coloradorailroadmuseum.org
Colorado Talking Book Library: https://myctbl.cde.state.co.us
Denver Art Museum: https://denverartmuseum.org
Denver Botanic Gardens: https://botanicgardens.org
Denver Brass: https://denverbrass.org
Denver Civic Theater: https://johnhandtheater.com
Denver Firefighters Museum: https://denverfirefightersmuseum.org
Denver Museum of Miniatures, Dolls and Toys: https://dmmdt.org
Denver Museum of Nature & Science: https://dmns.org
Denver Public Library: https://denverlibrary.org
Denver Puppet Theater: https://denverpuppettheater.com
Denver Zoo: https://denverzoo.org
Enos Mills Cabin: https://enosmills.com
Environmental Learning Center: https://warnercnr.colostate.edu/elc/
Estes Park: https://estespark.colorado.gov
Fiske Planetarium: https://www.colorado.edu/fiske
Forney Museum of Transportation: https://forneymuseum.com
Four Mile Historic Park: https://fourmilepark.org
Girl Scouts of the USA: https://girlscouts.org
Larimer County Parks: https://larimer.org/naturalresources/parks
Leanin' Tree Museum of Western Art: https://leanintreemuseum.com
Molly Brown House Museum: https://mollybrown.org
Museo de las Americas: https://museo.org
National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR): https://ncar.ucar.edu
Plains Conservation Center: https://plainscenter.org
Poudre Landmarks Foundation: https://poudrelandmarks.com
Rocky Mountain National Park: https://nps.gov/romo
Tattered Cover Book Store: https://tatteredcover.com
Terry Bison Ranch: https://terrybisonranch.com
Tiny Town & Railroad: https://tinytownrailroad.com
United States Air Force Academy: https://usafa.af.mil
United States Mint: https://usmint.gov
Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum: https://wingsmuseum.org

Programs and Academic Competitions

Visual & Performing Arts

Journalism

Creative Writing

Essay Contests

Student Publication Awards

Where to Submit Your Writing

History

Language

Social Sciences

Speech and Debate

Math

Computer Science

Games

Quiz Bowls & Multidisciplinary Contests

Science

Biology & Marine Science

Environmental Science

Engineering & Robotics

Physics & Astronomy

Science Fair Project Sites