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What does PROPEL stand for?
PROPEL stands for Providing Resources and Opportunities to Purposefully Enrich Learning. The mission of our program is to provide students within South Sioux City Community Schools with the tools that they need to be successful. While we specialize in assisting students who are identified as talented and gifted, we provide services to all students within the district, as we realize that each student posesses unique gifts and talents.
How does my child qualify for PROPEL Academy?
Students are indentified as talented and gifted through a variety of assessment protocols, evaluations, teacher recomendations, and expert analysis. A team of school psychologists, enrichment specialists, classroom teachers, administrators, and counselors utilize a comprehensive rubric to determine eligibility for the program. For more information, contact
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, Director of Special Services for the district.
What are 'Launch Activities'?
Launch Activities, provided for students throughout the district, offer unique learning experiences for students in areas and subjects that usually aren't offered in the regular classroom setting. Middle School students have received a variety of different Launch Activities, including workshops from professional cartooning artist Paul Fell, a trip to see the Miami Ballet Company in Lincoln, and learning how to use GPS units to Geo-cache.
What services are offered for Elementary students?
Students in 1st-3rd grades receive eight enrichment activities per year from Rebecca Meier, the enrichment specialist. They also can receive additional activities based on their performance during specific lessons. Identified students in 4th and 5th grade receive 2.5 hours of pull-out instruction per week, including creative problem solving activities, higher level thinking skills, and advanced research topics. Mrs. Wilshire conducts the 4th and 5th grade activities. Students who are tested but do not qualify receive 2 'Elementary Launch Activities', which consist of similar activities as mentioned above.
All elementary students can participate in the monthly Poetry Publications, or take part in the yearly Invention Convention. Students may also attend the Family Fun Nights. Check the calendar for details.
What services are offered for Middle School students?
Sixth grade students involved in PROPEL at the middle school level attend class on an A-B rotation for 41 minutes per class period. Classes are small and are focused on enrichment activities in the areas of math, science, language arts, and social studies. Along with enrichment activities we also work on organizational skills, getting used to the middle school way of life and social skills.
Seventh and eighth grade students have the opportunity to take accelerated reading and math classes. The accelerated reading classes are an inquiry-based program where students are given many opportunities to interact with thought-provoking literature as they develop their reading, writing, oral communication, and critical-thinking skills. The accelerated math classes are set up for students to take pre-algebra in the 7th grade and Algebra 1, for high school credit, in the 8th grade.
Extracurricular activities that are offered to PROPEL students are Geography Bee, Spelling Bee, Math Counts, Math Olympiad, Knowledge Master Open, ExploraVision, and science fair.
What services are offered for High School students?
South Sioux City High School currently provides several opportunities for talented and gifted students. Academic competitions such as Quiz Bowl, Advanced Placement courses, ACT Prep classes, weighted courses, and individualized advising are all available to students enrolled in grades 9-12. New for the 2007-2008 school year is the addition of high school PROPEL instructor, Kathy Verschoor.
Where can I find more information?
Contact Kathy Verschoor at 402-494-2433 or Rozy Warder at 402-494-2440 for more information about PROPEL Academy and the high ability learner program the South Sioux City Community School District. |
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