Highly Gifted Center Kids....are they isolated from the rest of the school?
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Anonymous
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Hi!
We're currently at a small private, but switching to the HGC next year for 4th/5th. At the open house there was some concern about the Center kids being cut off from the rest of the school. Could anyone who has a kid in a HGC comment on this? I realize that they will have most of their classes with only the HGC students, but will have some time to mingle with the other students. Is there a rivalry between HGC and neighborhood kids? What about those that have learning disabled GT or deaf students? Are they pretty isolated too? Thanks everyone for your thoughts on this. |
Anonymous
| yes |
Anonymous
| no one? |
Anonymous
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Depends. My kid did a lot of interacting with non-HCG kids in gym and on the playground because he loves to play sports. He now goes to a MS magnet where there are lots of non-magnet kids from his old school, and he still socializes with them at school.
If your kid is the type who makes friends on the playground and in the lunchroom, he/she won't be isolated. If not, maybe. |
Anonymous
| At ours, the kids have one period a day of "specials" (art, music, media, computers, PE) where all the classes are mixed up, plus lunch and recess, so there is certainly the chance to meet other kids. |
Anonymous
| I assume you are referring the Barnsley since you mention GT/LD and deaf/HOH. Math is mixed (though not sure about under 2.0 since there will be fewer levels all around) The kids are together for lunch and recess. They also share a Friday afternoon elective choice. They go on field trips together and do a few joint projects (this year they all mixed to do an interview and present the information). Specials are not mixed though band is. My child knows neighborhood kids but we haven't done any playdates etc. |
Anonymous
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At our HGC the kids mix at recess. Specials they have with their homeroom class only, and at lunch they sit with their homeroom classes. They've done some field trips together, but the kids didn't really mix. My DD has made a friend she says she sometimes plays with at recess in the regular classes. It probably helped that DD had a friend from an outside activitiy in her homeroom whose homeschool was the center school, who probably helped with introductions. Or maybe not, that's an assumption on my part.
I'm happy if they mix, and I'm fine if they don't. DD has made many friends at the center, where at our homeschool she didn't really have friends. One reason I sent her is because I was hoping she'd socialize more if she went to the center and build up some social self-confidence before she goes to middle school. Unfortunately, after her 5th grade year she may not see many of the center kids - who knows if we'll get into the magnet, or if her friends will. The Center takes in a number of different clusters, and kids will be scattered to the winds. But I felt we needed to make the right decision for now, not what might happen later. |
Anonymous
| Based on the open house we attended it appears that except for lunch and recess they are pretty isolated from the rest of the school. This differs with other magnets (such as the language immersion programs) where the kids are mixed for all their specials. We like the mixing as it helps make the school more cohesive. |
Anonymous
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OP here.
Thanks for your thoughts all. Yes, we're at Barnsley. There were a couple of parents that were concerned about possibly bullying issues stemming from this isolation where the neighbor kids would perceive the center ones as being 'brainy'. I hope this is not the case. |
Anonymous
At Rock Creek Forest my kids really never mixed with other children, including specials. Certainly not any more than at the HGC. |
Anonymous
I think you are really overthinking it. If your kid got in, send him/her. All this worrying about cohesiveness is beside the point. It's an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and it would be foolish to make your decision based on something like this. |
Anonymous
Just remember that bullying issues can go both ways. HGC students can set themselves apart from neighborhood kids. The reality is most HGC kids will predominately socialize with kids from their classroom and the program and that is fine. The kids are happy, they have plenty of new friends to make and I have not heard of more or less bullying issues than what occurs in any elementary school. |
Anonymous
| OP here. Thanks! You're probably right. I am over thinking this. We're coming from a small private school so even having 80 kids in the HGC seems alot to me. |
Anonymous
| Just remember ... they are going to be the brainy kid in their home school too, and it gets more obvious hte older they get. The HCG will give them a peer group and it's a prety nurturing environment -- I would say that the chances of bullying are probably lower in the HCG. |
Anonymous
We're at Rock Creek Forest now and the immersion kids and English Academy kids are mixed for all their specials. It's nice to see to kids to develop friendships with kids from both programs. |