AAA/Gate Testing Information
Capistrano Unified School District (CUSD) is offering parents an opportunity to have their children take the fee-based Otis-Lennon School Abilities Test (OLSAT). The OLSAT is used by CUSD to identify students for the Accelerated Academic Achievement/Gifted and Talented Education (AAA/GATE) Program. The OLSAT tests both verbal and nonverbal reasoning. CUSD students who meet the CUSD AAA/GATE testing criteria* will be invited to take the OLSAT in January 2009 at their school site at no charge. Invitations to take the school site OLSAT will be mailed home during the month of December 2008. Parents who do not receive an invitation for their child to take the OLSAT may have their child take the fee-based OLSAT on a designated Saturday in February. (See dates for the fee-based tests at the website listed below) Test results will be mailed to parents approximately nine weeks after the test is administered. Students who score at or above the 95th percentile on the OLSAT qualify for the AAA/GATE program in the fall.
*For information regarding the CUSD AAA/GATE testing criteria, please refer to the CUSD AAA/GATE website at http://gate.schoolloop.com/ or call the CUSD AAA/GATE office at 949-234-9236.
AAA News
Parents of GATE students, please see the Fall Newsletter below. Katie Robinson and Susan Peterson, GATE Coordinators, Capistrano Unified School District, will now be serving the CUSD community of schools as AAA Coordinators. Please watch for their Newsletters and invitations to their quarterly meetings.
Melissa Hira has volunteered to assist with Arroyo Vista’s outside enrichment activities. If you are interested in receiving information regarding these, please e-mail Melissa at hirafamily@cox.net. I will work closely with Melissa this year to distribute information about different learning opportunities that may arise. Events, such as Destination Imagination and National History Day, are great opportunities for all students to enjoy unique academic experiences to enhance learning. I will continue to work to make sure Arroyo students have access to information on these types of opportunities. Thank you to Melissa for taking the lead in coordinating directly for our site.
Gifted and Talented Education (GATE) Fall Newsletter District-wide GATE Parent Meetings You are invited to attend the Fall CUSD GATE Parent Meeting on Wednesday, October 7, 2009, from 7:00-8:30 PM in the CUSD Education Center Board Room. The purpose of this meeting is to discuss the specific elements of the District's GATE program, provide GATE program updates, and share upcoming GATE conference and event information. In addition, all CUSD GATE parent meetings will include a current educational GATE topic. We will be presenting gifted educational research, and will give parents a chance to discuss the topic and share ideas with one another. The focus topic of our fall parent meeting will be "Inside the Gifted Mind: Understanding and Supporting Your Gifted Child." Due to the current fiscal crisis, funding for the CUSD GATE program is limited. Therefore, instead of individual school site GATE parent meetings, the CUSD GATE department will be offering three District-wide GATE parent meetings in the CUSD Education Center Board Room. The two other CUSD GATE Parent Meetings are as follows: Winter GATE Parent Meeting: Wednesday, February 24, 2010 Spring GATE Parent Meeting: Wednesday, May 5, 2010 If your child would like to participate in Destination Imagination (DI) this year, CUSD is offering two DI Information Nights to CUSD students and their parents. The meetings will be held on October 8, 2009 at Tijeras Creek Elementary School and October 12, 2009 in the CUSD Education Center Board Room. The meetings will last from 7:00-8:00 PM and the same information will be shared at each meeting. To view the DI Information Night flyer, please go to the CUSD GATE website at
Destination ImagiNation
:http://gate.schoolloop.com and click on Parent Newsletters under the Parent Resources tab. To view this year's DI Challenges, please visit the DI website at www.californiacreativity.org . th-12th grade child is interested in participating in the National History Day competition this year, CUSD is hosting an informational meeting for students and parents on Wednesday, October 21, 2009 from 6:30-7:30 PM at Vista Del Mar Middle School. Debbie Granger, the Coordinator of History/Social Sciences at the Orange County Department of Education will be the guest speaker at this event. To view the National History Day flyer, please go to the CUSD GATE website at http://gate.schoolloop.com and click on Parent Newsletters under the Parent Resources tab. For more information on National History Day, please visit http://www.nationalhistoryday.org .http://www.abcsignup.com/reg/event_page.aspx?ek=0060-0006-e2ee4202d25e49fdb22c76fb8cb3ba85 . The conference registration deadline is October 17, 2009.http://gate.schoolloop.com . Once you are on the website, simply click on the GATE Calendar to view all upcoming CUSD GATE activities planned for the year or click on the tabs at the top of the site for specific GATE topics.
Orange County Council for Gifted and Talented Education (OCC GATE) Conference:
The annual OCC GATE Conference will be held on Saturday, October 24, 2009 from 8:00 am to 1:30 PM at University of California Irvine. The theme of this year’s conference is "Gifted Education: Riding the Wave of Change". GATE parents are welcome to attend the GATE parent and/or teacher seminars at this conference. To register for the conference, please visit
CUSD GATE Website:
For information on all CUSD GATE topics and events, please visit the CUSD GATE website at
Best regards,
Katie Robinson and Susan Peterson
GATE Coordinators, Capistrano Unified School District
Due to the current budget crisis, there will be no GATE funds allotted to individual school sites for programs such as DI and National History Day. Therefore, registration and material fees need to be covered by your school’s Booster Club, PTA, or parent donations.
National History Day:
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