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BRIGHT BEGINNINGS
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Deer Valley’s Bright Beginnings program provides hands-on learning opportunities for our early childhood learners in grades Pre-K, K-2.
Deer Valley's Gifted Pre-K Academy at Las Brisas provides an enriched academic foundation for gifted and talented learners. Gifted Pre-K Academy serves as a foundation for nurturing the development of our youngest scholars who require advanced learning opportunities. The Gifted Pre-K Academy environment is structured to provide a personalized approach to learning within socially appropriate contexts. Instruction is hands-on to promote discovery learning and FUN!
Bright Beginnings Kindergarten is available at Canyon Springs, Highland Lakes and Las Brisas. Qualifying students are placed in a Bright Beginnings Kindergarten classroom with children of similar abilities. Students participating in Bright Beginnings are taught by a gifted endorsed teacher. During their time in Bright Beginnings Kindergarten, students work and learn at a pace commensurate with their advanced abilities. Instruction is project and problem-based to support critical and creative thinking within an inquiry learning environment.
Las Brisas Gifted Academy offers Bright Beginnings throughout K-2 grades. The primary age experience within the Bright Beginnings classroom is enriched to ensure growth and development. Primary age students explore academic content above grade level. Students benefit from a thematic approach to learning, fostering depth and complexity across each of the core content areas. Students participating in Las Brisas' K-2 Bright Beginnings Program are placed in a cohort. This means they automatically progress to the next grade throughout their K-2 academic journey. At the end of 2nd grade, students will be re-assessed to determine future gifted programming options for third grade and above. The programming options may include Gifted Cluster, SAGE, Walk-Up Math or Renaissance placements.
K-2 PROGRAM OPTIONS
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Kindergarten
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Deer Valley Gifted Services is pleased to continue to offer our full-day, self-contained Bright Beginnings Kindergarten programs for the 2023-24 school year. Bright Beginnings Kindergarten is offered at Canyon Springs STEM Academy, Highland Lakes School, and Las Brisas Gifted Academy. Bright Beginnings Kindergarten is taught by an experienced, Highly Qualified, and Gifted Endorsed teacher. The program builds from all of our standard Deer Valley curriculum as well as supplemental gifted and advanced materials to provide an enriched learning environment for students. Content areas of emphasis include: STEM (Canyon Springs), Music (Highland Lakes), and Global Studies (Las Brisas). In Bright Beginnings, individualized approaches to instruction are the norm, ALL within a smaller than average class size.
NOTE: The Bright Beginnings Kindergarten Program is designed for children who are identified as gifted or demonstrate gifted potential according to a state-approved gifted assessment. Although not part of the Renaissance Highly Gifted Academies, the Bright Beginnings Kindergarten program provides an excellent starting point for future placement within one of our many DVUSD Gifted Programs.
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Entry Criteria
- Be age 5 by August 31st
- Students must test at or above the 90% percentile on a state-approved gifted identification test.
Approval Process:
If your child has gifted test scores on a state-approved test at or above the 90% percentile:
- Email your gifted test scores to Giftedservices@dvusd.org
- Complete the online application
- Gifted Services will review the online application and gifted testing documents
- If Gifted Services approves placement, our office will:
- contact the school to share placement (Canyon Springs, Highland Lakes, or Las Brisas)
- provide families with a confirmation letter
- Once approved, parents should register at the school
Register at the School:
- Register at any of our schools www.dvusd.org/registration
- Use the results letter to verify gifted placement
- Bright Beginnings Kindergarten will place the first 20 qualified students. Students are placed on a first-come, first-serve basis.
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Grades 1-2
AVAILABLE AT LAS BRISAS GIFTED ACADEMY – Students who score at the 90th percentile in any of the three content areas (Verbal, Quantitative, Nonverbal), are eligible for placement into this program.
Las Brisas Gifted Academy’s 1-2 Bright Beginnings program provides hands-on learning opportunities for our early childhood learners. Qualifying students are placed in a classroom with children of similar abilities and with a gifted endorsed teacher. During their time in Bright Beginnings, students are immersed in a literacy-rich classroom, engage in inquiry-based learning, and are exposed to world languages. Bright Beginnings students in grades 1-2 participate in unique STEAM enrichment classes and explore unique themes related to being a global learner -- all within a smaller than average class size.
Students who qualify for a Bright Beginnings Program at Las Brias are eligible to remain in the program throughout K-2 grades. At the end of 2nd grade, students will be re-assessed on a state-approved gifted assessment to determine future eligibility for one of our premier Deer Valley Gifted Programs. Program possibilities may include the Renaissance Highly Gifted & Global Studies Academy, Gifted Cluster, SAGE ELA, SPARK Enrichment, Walk-Up Math, and more!
CAMPUS OPTIONS
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Canyon Springs - STEM
Gifted Cluster (Kindergarten)
Renaissance (Grades 1 – 8)
Highland Lakes - MUSIC
Bright Beginnings (Kindergarten)
Renaissance (Grades 1 – 8)
Las Brisas – GLOBAL STUDIES
Gifted Pre-K Academy
Bright Beginnings (Pre-K – 2)
Renaissance (Grades 3 – 6)