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Midway GT 1 /2 Grade FAQ:

The curriculum is designed in GT pull-out around a
central concept. This semester, for first and
second grade, the theme is Structures.
When you think of structures, most people think
about buildings, right? This year, the students will
discover that the word has many meanings:
physical, symbolic, mathematical, scientific, etc.
Symbolic structures such as the railroad being the
bridge across America will be examined. Natural
structures inside and outside the earth will be
discovered as well. Students will begin the year
engineering a bridge using the Design Process.
See back of FAQ for additional information about
what your child will learn at GT!

This year, our program has grown so Mrs. Molnar will be

working with the First and Second grade students on
Mondays and Wednesdays. On Tuesdays, she will
continue to work with the Third and Fourth Grade
students. In the mornings, students will be given a
homeroom with either Mrs. Molnar or Mrs. Stevens. The
same focus will be instructed in both homerooms. In
the afternoon, Mini-Maker Time and Chess will be
differentiated so students can be in either classroom.

Late Arriving Students:

If the bus has already left the home
campus, please bring your child to
Woodgate Intermediate. This will
help us to stay on a timely schedule.
Thank you!

Lunch:

All elementary GT students eat from 10:45

a.m.-11:15 a.m. in the Woodgate Cafeteria.
They will have two line choices if they buy
their lunch: world line (similar to elementary
lunch) and the grill line (chicken nuggets,
hamburgers, etc.)
The intermediate lunch menu can be
accessed on the Midway Website. Quick
LinksLunch Menus
They will use the same lunch number as their
home campus.
Students may also bring an afternoon snack.

Home Campus:
On GT Days, your child will be riding the bus from their home
campus to Woodgate Intermediate. The bus will leave the home
campus at 8:00 a.m. sharp. Please make every effort to have
your child to school on time on GT days in order to maximize
learning time. The home campus teachers will coordinate with
the GT Teachers where students are to meet on GT days.

GT Teachers Riding Buses:

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Monday: Spring Valley (Carpenter), South Bosque 1 /2 (McNamara)

Tuesday: Speegleville (Molnar), Castleman Creek (Carpenter), and
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South Bosque 3 /4 (McNamara)
Wednesday: Woodway (McNamara), Hewitt (Stevens)

CHESS
Here are some great benefits to learning chess!
Focusing - Children are taught the benefits of observing carefully and concentrating. If they dont watch
what is happening, they cant respond to it, no matter how smart they are.
Thinking Ahead - Children are taught to think first, then act. We teach them to ask themselves If I do this,
what might happen then, and how can I respond? Over time, chess helps develop patience and
thoughtfulness.
Weighing Options - Children are taught that they dont have to do the first thing that pops into their mind.
They learn to identify alternatives and consider the pros and cons of various actions.
Analyzing Concretely - Children learn to evaluate the results of specific actions and sequences. Does this
sequence help me or hurt me? Decisions are better when guided by logic, rather than impulse.
Thinking Abstractly - Children are taught to step back periodically from details and consider the bigger
picture. They also learn to take patterns used in one context and apply them to different, but related
situations.
Planning - Children are taught to develop longer range goals and take steps toward bringing them about. They
are also taught of the need to reevaluate their plans as new developments change the situation.

Each child will be given a username on chesskid.com to use in GT and outside of the classroom as well! They can learn new chess
skills through interactive lessons, watch chess videos, and play chess with other students. ChessKid is accessible through the
web and an iPad app.

Mini Maker Time

Returning students will be excited to hear that Mini-Maker Time is coming back! We had great success with it
last year that we will continue to build upon the skills that were acquired during this time. This year, our
choices will be: Lego Building Challenge, Lego WeDo Robotics, weaving, coding (Dash and Dot, Code.org,
Kodable), and Keva Planks. We will explore Mini-Maker Time options during the school year based on student
interest. The hope is that students can explore and learn by doing something they are genuinely interested
in during this time. During the first few weeks of GT students will sample and learn about different options in
order to build interest and background knowledge. Parents, if you have any specific making experience or
specialty that you would like to share with our students, please let us know!