Gifted & Talented Education
ACCESS Office 490 N. Diamond, Cañon City, CO 81212
Office number 719.276.6168
Gifted and Talented District Coordinator: Shyla Christiansen
2024-2025 School Year
NOTICE: Tuesday, February 4, 2025 will be our Annual Celebrate GATE Night!
"What makes a child gifted and talented may not always be good grades in school, but a different way of looking at the world and learning." Chuck Grassley
Calleigh Cornell (7th grade student): "GATE helps me take creativity to another level."
Gifted and Talented Education Philosophy Statement
"Gifted and talented children" means those persons between the ages of four and twenty-one whose abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishment are so exceptional or developmentally advanced that they require special provisions to meet their educational programming needs. Children under five who are gifted may also be provided with early childhood special educational services.
Mission Statement
Identify and nurture the development of exceptional academic and specific talent abilities so that all gifted students demonstrate growth in social-emotional awareness, critical-thinking, creativity, communication, and leadership skills.
EARLY ACCESS Application Deadline CLOSED! ~ February 1, 2025 (no exceptions)
P.A.G.E. ~
If you would like to become part of our Parent Advisory for Gifted Education (PAGE) group, then check out our Parent Advisory for Gifted Education Page for more information! We would love to have you join us.
Definition
Those persons between the ages of four and twenty-one whose aptitude or competence in abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishment in one or more domains are so exceptional or developmentally advanced that they require special provisions to meet their educational programming needs. Gifted children are hereafter referred to as gifted students. Children under five who are gifted may also be provided with early childhood special educational services. Gifted students include gifted students with disabilities (i.e. twice exceptional) and students with exceptional abilities or potential from all socio-economic, ethnic, and cultural populations. Gifted students are capable of high performance, exceptional production, or exceptional learning behavior by virtue of any or a combination of these areas of giftedness:
- General or specific intellectual ability
- Specific academic aptitude
- Creative or productive thinking
- Leadership abilities
- Visual arts, performing arts, musical or psychomotor abilities
At the elementary level, GATE students benefit from GATE pull out classes which center around critical thinking, creative problem solving, leadership, and social-emotional development. We hope you enjoy perusing the site and return frequently for updates. The GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) program for Cañon City Schools provides programs and programming for academic and arts identified GATE students.
Gifted services at the middle school occur during the regular school day through advanced classes and content extensions. Pull out is also used at the middle school level and is differentiated throughout our three middle schools. Additional activities available to middle school GATE students are Math Counts, Knowledge Bowl, Geography Bee, and Spelling Bee.
Programs at the high school include: Honors classes, Advanced Placement classes, advanced level subject classes, concurrent enrollment, and/or ability grouping (see CCHS course list for more detail).
Other extended activities for GATE students include school and district science fairs, experiential field trips, and SPLASh! (Summer Program Learning for Advanced Students) summer school held in June each year!
**Please check out our monthly GATE Grapevine for gifted websites, legislation, and parenting tips!
**See our GATE Calendar for monthly events!
"GATE takes you out of the regular classroom and encourages you to be who you really are."
"GATE stretches your thinking. GATE is fun!"
"GATE makes you think about your thinking while you’re upsidedown chewing bubble gum! WHEW!"
Link to CDE Gifted Education Site
Click here for a free SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted) Book
Click here for an AMAZING DIFFERENTIATION WEB TOOL!
Gifted Children's Bill of Rights
You have a right to...
know about your giftedness.
learn something new everyday.
be passionate about your talent area without apologies.
have an identity beyond your talent area.
feel good about your accomplishments.
make mistakes.
seek guidance in the development of your talent.
have multiple peer groups and a variety of friends.
choose which of your talent areas you wish to pursue.
not to be gifted at everything.
Definition
The Exceptional Children's Educational Act (ECEA) defines "gifted" children as:
Those persons between the ages of four and twenty-one whose aptitude or competence in abilities, talents, and potential for accomplishment in one or more domains are so exceptional or developmentally advanced that they require special provisions to meet their educational programming needs. Gifted children are hereafter referred to as gifted students. Children under five who are gifted may also be provided with early childhood special educational services. Gifted students include gifted students with disabilities (i.e. twice exceptional) and students with exceptional abilities or potential from all socio-economic, ethnic, and cultural populations. Gifted students are capable of high performance, exceptional production, or exceptional learning behavior by virtue of any or a combination of these areas of giftedness:
- General or specific intellectual ability
- Specific academic aptitude
- Creative or productive thinking
- Leadership abilities
- Visual arts, performing arts, musical or psychomotor abilities
At the elementary level, GATE students benefit from GATE pull out classes which center around critical thinking, creative problem solving, leadership, and social-emotional development. We hope you enjoy perusing the site and return frequently for updates. The GATE (Gifted and Talented Education) program for Cañon City Schools provides programs and programming for academic and arts identified GATE students.
Gifted services at the middle school occur during the regular school day through advanced classes and content extensions. Pull out is also used at the middle school level and is differentiated throughout our three middle schools. Additional activities available to middle school GATE students are Math Counts, Knowledge Bowl, Geography Bee, and Spelling Bee.
Programs at the high school include: Honors classes, Advanced Placement classes, advanced level subject classes, concurrent enrollment, and/or ability grouping (see CCHS course list for more detail).
Other extended activities for GATE students include school and district science fairs, experiential field trips, and SPLASh! (Summer Program Learning for Advanced Students) summer school held in June each year!
**Please check out our monthly GATE Grapevine for gifted websites, legislation, and parenting tips!
**See our GATE Calendar for monthly events!
GATE students say:
"GATE takes you out of the regular classroom and encourages you to be who you really are."
"GATE stretches your thinking. GATE is fun!"
"GATE makes you think about your thinking while you’re upsidedown chewing bubble gum! WHEW!"
Link to CDE Gifted Education Site
Click here for a free SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted) Book