Director’s Corner Mrs. Gina Reichert,

Director The first semester of the 2014-15 school year has come to a close, and the students and staff of the Pittsburgh Gifted Center have demonstrated some amazing accomplishments!

Our school year began with our Back-to-School Event on September 3. Over 400 people attended this event and families had the opportunity to meet their teachers, tour the facility, and participate in fun activities. Families joined us again for our annual Fall Harvest in October and participated in our first PSCC meeting of the year.

PGC Saturday Enrichment Classes began on September 27 in areas including robotics, ceramics, book making, game design, and duct tape challenge.

Students in Mr. Nash’s Facts of Life course teamed up with the University of Pittsburgh and the Carnegie Science Center to conduct a Pittsburgh Drinking Water Microbiome Project. Students provided water and the Carnegie Science Center used these water samples and the data collected as part of a new exhibit called "H2O."

Students in Ms. Foster-Wilhelm’s Environmental Chemistry class participated in the School Flag Program in cooperation with GASP (Group Against Smog and Pollution) and SPAQP (Southwestern Pennsylvania Air Quality Partnership) helping to inform and notify the student body about outdoor air quality conditions.

In October, PGC was Passionately Pink honoring Breast Cancer Awareness Month. As a show of our support, students and staff wore pink ribbons during the week of October 27.

In November, GIEP Conferences took place from with 85% of parents participating!

In December, our first student-developed and created Swap Meet and Flea Market took place. At this event, visitors had the opportunity to purchase products created by our "student entrepreneurs" from Ms. Gomez' Kids Company class. All proceeds from the sale benefitted local charities. Students from Ms. Foster-Wilhelm's Friends of the Earth class planned a Swap Meet recycling gently used items. Remaining items were donated to charity. Also, students from Ms. Blackwell’s Ceramics classes and the Saturday Empty Bowls Club participated in the Pittsburgh International Airport Holiday Tree Decorating Contest. The PCG tree received over 25,000 votes and won $400 which was donated to the Greater Pittsburgh Food Bank.

In January, in celebration of MLK Day and Black History Month, the PGC sponsored a Creativity Contest. Students submitted entries which described or illustrated the positive impact an African American (contemporary or historical) had on their life.

February 2nd through 6th saw all of the Gifted Center students participating in “School for a Day” at the Carnegie Science Center. All classes conducted hands-on activities and learning.

New communication methods have been used including Constant Contact parent emails, Facebook, and Twitter.

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The Pittsburgh Public School District is an equal opportunity educational institution and will not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age or disability, in its activities, programs or employment practices as required by Title II of ADA, Title VI, Title IX and Section 504. It is the policy of the Pittsburgh Public School District to make all services, programs and activities available and to provide reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities. For more information regarding accommodations, civil rights or grievance procedures, contact: Ms. Susan Sinicki, Manager of Employee Relations, Office of Employee Relations, Pittsburgh Public School District, 341 S. Bellefield Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15213-3516; Phone: (412) 622-3691 (voice/TTY/TDD); Fax: 412-622-3691.

Pittsburgh Public Schools Excellence in Education

Volume 13, Issue 1 www.pghboe.net First Semester 14-15

Middle School Science Lives! Students at the middle school level (7th & 8th) have the opportunity each week of exploring courses such as Human Anatomy, Ask the Doctor and Using Technology and Geometric Shapes in Landscape Architecture during the first semester. Human Anatomy is an introductory level course which focuses on cells, anatomical structures of the human body, tissues, body systems and their functions, diseases and careers related to anatomy and physiology. Students performed a lab investigation using the leg of a chicken wing this semester to learn about the skeletal, muscular, circulatory and integumentary systems in our body. After a few squeamish moments, they scraped the red marrow out of the bones and were amazed at how beautiful it appeared under the microscope. Several class periods were devoted to learning about eukaryotic cells and the function of the organelles in plant and animal cells. Three dimensional models were constructed out of various materials that resulted in some pretty awesome cells. Students will end the semester by exploring the systems of the fetal pig.

Ask the Doctor is a course for students wishing to explore careers in the medical field. Students are given an opportunity to investigate medical careers and colleges which offer degrees in their interest areas. Students begin asking themselves whether they would enjoy working in a career that provides direct patient care such as a doctor or one that provides support services such as Dietitians, Physical Therapists, or Pharmacists. Students also work on developing skills and techniques in using various types of medical equipment such as blood pressure cuffs, scales, thermometers and calipers. After getting the techniques down, they team up as partners to go through several weeks of a “Clinic” where they perform eye tests to determine their patient’s visual acuity, listen to the heart, lungs, and learn how to take blood pressure readings. Laboratory investigations and dissections are also activities in this course. The fourth and last component pairs students together as mock

doctors as they diagnose fictitious patients for unknown bacterial and viral infections. This semester, the students completed the Cast Project after learning the names of the bones in the body and reviewing X-rays of broken bones. They worked as a team of doctors to construct a model of an arm or leg and construct a three-dimensional cast based on the type of fracture the X-ray revealed for their patient. The casts were displayed on foam board along with such information as the name of the particular cast, diagnosis, symptoms, and an explanation of how bones heal, plus a treatment plan for fractures. Landscape Architecture is a multidisciplinary profession that requires individuals with special skills and abilities to be truly successful. This course, Using Technology and Geometric Shapes in Landscape Architecture, provides a unique opportunity for students to explore an area of architecture that most have not been exposed to. It also allows students interested in the sciences, art, engineering, computers, math, graphic design, business and history to explore a new career possibility. Students taking this course spend the first four weeks researching everything there is to know about landscape architecture. Then they synthesize the facts into an interpretation of how landscape architects create such esthetic gardens. Computerized blueprints are produced, a storyboard illustrating a virtual tour and a three dimensional model of their design are created at the end of the semester.

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PGC Takes Off!

The 7th and 8th grade Math in Aviation program at the Pittsburgh Gifted Center is expanding in three new ways this year. First, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association, the largest pilot organization in the United States, has announced that they will feature the Gifted Center’s Math in Aviation students in an upcoming article in their Flight Training magazine. The article will focus on the training experiences of current students and the achievements of former students who have gone on to complete their private pilot training. The magazine has a monthly circulation of over 100,000. Second, Mr. Ponas is completing work on assembling a fully functional flight simulator cockpit that will include six video display screens, Saitek Pro Flight Instrument Panel equipment, and an actual airplane pilot seat. Once fully configured, the simulator will give students more immersive and realistic flight training experiences using both Microsoft Flight Simulator X and X-Plane 10 software. The equipment that will run the simulator was generously provided by the Pittsburgh Public Schools Office of Technology. Third, the program is acquiring and testing an Oculus VR Development Kit 2 for use in flight training. The Oculus VR is a head-mounted 3-D virtual reality simulator that allows students to experience 360 degree three-dimensional views of the airplane cockpit and the world around them, providing a new level of realism to the flight training portion of the class. Combined with updated ground school and flight school training modules that mirror elements of FAA part 61 private pilot and instrument pilot training, the technology upgrades will give students new and more realistic ways to experience the joy of flight!

Director’s Corner from page 1

As we move into the second semester, just a few reminders: Academic Expo Our Academic Expo which was scheduled for Thursday, February 19 was unfortunately cancelled due to the severe weather. The Academic Expo was designed to showcase the amazing and creative work of our students from the first semester. We will not be rescheduling the Expo, instead many student works will be on display during our Spring Fling in May. Upcoming PSCC Meetings

Thursday, March 5, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. (Science Fair will follow afterward)

Wednesday, April 8, from 5:30-6:30 p.m. (Math Mystery Night will follow afterward)

PGC Science Fair Our annual Science Fair will take place on Thursday, March 5, 2015. We have well over 100 students participating this year. Lastly, mark your calendars for our annual Spring Fling which will take place on May 29. The students and staff of the Pittsburgh Gifted Center thank you for your support of our efforts!

Students of the 1st Semester The following students were selected by the PCG faculty and staff for their outstanding work and dedication in and out of the classroom. Congratulations to all!

Yara Almoussa Shane Birkenfeld Cassie Boyle Hillary Boyzo-Magno Caleb Nesbit Jordan Catone Jared Chinman Isabella Crum Jayla Ellis Rory Garofalo Jaiden Gibson Mya Goldman Nathan Gonzalez Rebecca Gordon Gianna Griffin Amari Harbin Roan Hollander Jordan Holtz Ziola Jevack Tayshaun Johnson Madeline King Kaitlyn Mangiantini Lydia Maslow Alexis McElravy Ericka Morton

Sebastian Mueller Edgar O’Connell Destiny Perkins Kyra Phillips Kameron Rock Julian Satria-Junaindi Daniela Schafer Abigail Segel Caydence Siters-Stokes Brendan Sluk Elias Tew Thomas Torcasio Prishti Tyagi Connor Wise William Wurzel

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Looking to the Future with STEM If you picture careers of the future, many, if not all, are related to STEM. STEM is an acronym for Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. It is important for today’s youth to be exposed to STEM activities and become masters of collaboration, communication, creativity, and critical thinking. Ms. Tolliver’s classes are challenged to use math and science to solve real-world problems. In Meet Your Future, a semester-long interest course, students completed the following activities:

Perfected a lip-balm recipe Designed a prosthetic device for a broken bone Built a dance pad Developed an app for a mobile device Cleaned an oil spill and an oil-covered marine animal Enhanced lighting to create better special effects Used QR codes to diagnose and treat a sick patient

Also during the first semester, students in Ms. Tolliver’s math strength course, Algebra Mixer, completed these activities.

Competed to build the pentomino fence that contained the largest area Used spreadsheet formulas to develop a working cash register Raced others to ring up customers as quickly as possible and

determined their average time Determined the percentage of germs left behind after hand washing Designed and conducted a data collection experiment to study the

spread of germs Modeled the growth and decay of a common winter illness using

graphs and tables Created a public service announcement to help stop the spread of

winter illness germs

Creative Chemical Connections The students in Mr. Robb’s Creative Chemical Connections classes conducted 9-10 hands-on labs that gave them a basic understanding of Chemistry. The experiments dealt with various aspects of the chemical world, including matter, chemical and physical changes, solutions, reactions, and acids and bases. Each experiment stressed problem solving through the use of the Scientific Method, helped to improve self-directed learning and interaction skills, and further developed the student’s higher-level thinking skills. The students stated problems, conducted research, developed valid hypotheses, made observations and stated conclusions.

Ahead in the second semester, the students will gain an understanding of the “how’s and why’s” we taste foods the way we do; how our senses influence taste. Also to be explored are the chemical aspects of food composition. Emphasis will be given to the functional properties and chemical reactions of the major components of foods: carbohydrates, lipids, proteins and water. Food safety will also be investigated. Students will engage in challenging hands-on activities that link food science and food safety to their everyday lives.

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Dance Pad Mania

Hand Washing

Experiment

Shapes, Solids & Sketches In Ms. Lewis’s Shapes, Solids and Sketches Interest Course, students designed buildings using cubes, built them, and completed floor plans and isometric (3D) sketches. The buildings were allowed to be as fanciful as the students liked, as long as they were physically possible to create. The last class of the semester saw presentations of their buildings to their peers using the media of their choice. The photo is of the Wednesday class and their buildings.

World Cultures and Chinese

Students in the Chinese class learned to have simple conversations introducing themselves, their families and pets, as well as to describe animals and discuss the weather. They also had a guest lecturer who introduced Chinese characters. In addition, they learned to use chop sticks and sang Chinese songs. Students in the World Cultures class have been discussing current events and focused on food for the world of the future when they visited the Science Center. Each student completed a creative writing project which was presented to the class orally. Now all students are conducting research on the internet to prepare a series of oral reports to be presented to the class on the country they have chosen to study this year.

The Lego Movie?

Despite weather delays, home school testing and programs, most students in Mr. Robb’s Adventures in Animation classes have wrapped up their final projects; a two-three minute animated short film using Lego figurines and Lego settings. They brainstormed ideas for their story, created sets and backgrounds, and utilized Claymation Studio 3.0 to capture the animations. Many of the groups were able to edit their product using Pinnacle Studio video editing software. They were able to add titles, sound effects, transitions and music to give the show a “polished” look. All students will receive copies of their work to add to their portfolios.

Creative Writing and Thinking Converge!

Ms. Coleman’s Creative Writing Seminar, open to all fifth and sixth graders, is a humanities course which offers writing seminars in the genre of memoir, poetry, fiction, informative writing and non-fiction. It is a unique course, in that it gives students an assortment of writing seminars that allow them to explore their connectedness to society while learning and engaging in the writing process.

To encourage student’s creation of authentic pieces of writing, each class begins with a S.T.T.E.W (Students Time To Enjoy Writing) session. This session affords students an opportunity to free write or embrace a writing prompt as motivation to compose an original piece of writing in their classroom journals. The purpose of this activity is to jumpstart student’s desires and interest in writing daily by giving them time and choice to choose what they are passionate about, and a way for their words to be heard. Keep an eye out, in our upcoming newsletter, for selections of writing students have been “S.T.T.E.W.ing” about in this year’s Creative Writing Seminar.

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American Sign Language, a course about culture and community

Do you know that “American Sign Language is the fourth most popular language in the United States?” (New York Times, December 2008)

During the first semester at the Pittsburgh Gifted Center students enrolled in Ms. Coleman’s American Sign Language interest course have been challenged to enhance their understanding of Deaf Culture and their ability to communicate with the Deaf Community. The main objective of this fifth and sixth grade humanities course is to introduce students to basic vocabulary and sentence structure utilized to communicate in the 4th most popular language in the United States, American Sign Language (ASL). Throughout the course, there was an emphasis on learning both comprehension and expressive skills in ASL, as well as, detailed information about the Deaf community to foster the development of cultural awareness necessary for appropriate communication with the Deaf. Students had opportunities to participate in conversational situations utilizing fingerspelling, role play and engage in various games that allow opportunities of learning throughout the course. As they progressed through the course, they had the opportunity to learn 200-300 targeted sign vocabulary and were assessed on their ability to recall these signs weekly. As a cumulative final project, all students had an opportunity to create videos illustrating their language and the abilities they gained during the course. Students also captured their learning experience about the Deaf Community in a 2 – 3 page research paper about famous Deaf individuals.

Crime Scene Investigation

Students in Mr. Nash’s C.S.I. class have been working hard trying to solve “The Case of the Missing Millionaire”. The mystery is not simple, and there is no obvious culprit. The lack of a simple answer is intentional, both to make the mystery more realistic, and to force the students to use their creativity and higher-level thinking skills to develop their own theories for a solution. There is no right or wrong answer. There is evidence that points to each of the four suspects. Students may also come to the conclusion that there is not enough evidence to convict anyone. Almost any solution can be considered a success.

The Case of the Missing Millionaire is about Felix, a not-very-likable man, who has disappeared after throwing a weekend party at his beach house. It is even possible that Felix faked his own demise for ulterior motives of his own. The mystery is obviously fictional with the character’s humorous names and imaginary caricatures. The main goal is for students to become wrapped up in the excitement of collecting the clues and evidence from the crime scene and then putting the pieces of evidence together logically to create a plausible theory to explain Felix’s disappearance. Students are extremely excited when they walk into class and see the crime scene laid out in front of them. Almost every day students from previous CSI classes ask, “what was the answer to the Felix Mystery?”

Party for Pennsylvania

“A short time after the battle at Gettysburg, our honorable President, Abraham Lincoln sent me a letter stating he was a bit disappointed in me for not chasing after General Lee and defeating him right then and there…”

Athena Iverson (grade 4) writing as General George Meade The students in Ms. Rullo’s Party for Pennsylvania have been researching events in our state’s history and presenting that information creatively through the “eyes” of some well-known and not so well-known historical figures that were involved. Using writing, technology, and art, the students have combined originality with facts to present the signing of the Declaration of Independence in Philadelphia while celebrating Pennsylvania’s 333 birthday. Presently, the students are working on designing a “living” museum relating to the Battle of Gettysburg and Underground Railroad in Pennsylvania complete with a “voice” to each historical figure and artwork. Their writing is insightful and inspiring!

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Swap N’ Shop The first ever Swap N’ Shop was a collaborative event between Mrs. Foster-Wilhelm’s Friends of the Earth and Ms. Gomez’s Kids’ Company classes. All of the upper elementary classes (grades 3-4) were involved in the process. They engaged in tasks such as filling out a job applications, production workshops, and even becoming volunteer workers for a company of their interest. The day of the event surpassed everyone’s expectations. The Kids’ Company businesses made over $700 for their various charities! Members of the business called Speechless, made the most money of any group (over $100). They sold hand-crafted jewelry for their selected charity, Draven’s Dragsters. This charity receives money for Autism research. Robert Thomas, a 3rd grader from Concord, donated close to one hundred items. He also kept tallies on the number of swappers and the number of items swapped. Alexa Hogle, a 3rd grader from Carmalt, raised over $100 by setting up donation tables in front of her house to raise money for homeless people. She wanted to thank her friends and parents for their help. Her mother, Kelly Hogle, arranged for Trevor Smith, of Community Human Services, to receive the money from Alexa at the event and pick up the leftover donations. In addition, the Friday Friends of the Earth group presented the preschool with boxes of books, clothes, and toys leftover from the swap. All of the Kids’ Company businesses decided to save their leftover products to combine with their new and improved creations, which can be seen and purchased at a later date. The various student-developed businesses have held debriefing sessions after the event. These sessions allowed them to review their customer feedback, brainstorm revisions for their product(s), and work on the improvement of their marketing strategies. Lastly, the students made their first contact with the various charities who will be receiving the donations. We look forward to making improvements and doing it again next year!

Going Places

This year, Ms. Rullo’s second and third grade humanities students will be introduced to the humanities through cross curricular work that includes reading, writing, social studies, and art. Our class will “travel” around the world exploring different cultures using technology, books, magazines, newspapers, and various art mediums.

So far, the students have been busy learning about process skills such as self-directed learning and team building. They have been working on these skills which are essential to becoming a classroom community. Each student has a classroom job including a technology specialist, custodian, librarian, and more. The classroom student banker will “pay” the students at the end of each month. They will then be able to spend their “paycheck” in our classroom store run, of course, by students! The students will further develop their creative thinking, writing, and self-directed learning processes in their first project. This project will allow the students to synthesize information on Africa to design a cultural newspaper complete with

informative and imaginative writing pieces. The young journalists will also produce original artwork to accompany their unique writings in the newspaper. The classes have elected to sell their newspapers at lunchtime and turn their proceeds over to the students in Ms. Gomez’s Kids’ Company in support of their charities!

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Pittsburgh Gifted Center 1400 Crucible Street | Pittsburgh, PA 15205