VS Program FAQ's

In addition to the curriculum resources provided by the district, the VS teachers use the William & Mary Curriculum to enhance the learning experience for our VS students. The William & Mary Curriculum provides a framework specifically designed for high-ability learners. The William & Mary Curriculum is based on an integrated curriculum model designed to respond to gifted learners’ characteristics of precocity, intensity, and complexity. The William & Mary units provide advanced content, higher level processes and product development, and issues and themes connected to interdisciplinary concepts. In addition to the district’s provided resources and the William & Mary Curriculum resources, our VS teachers use other resources, as needed, to curate lessons that meet the needs of
highly gifted learners.

Encore classes (referred to as “Specials” at the elementary level) are non-core content classes. The VS Program is housed at the Academy at Lincoln, which also houses Global Studies and Performing Arts choice programs. As such, students in the VS program are scheduled for specials/encores based on the availability of classes after students participating in the choice programs have been scheduled. The Academy at Lincoln has offered the following encore classes: dance, theater, visual art, Spanish, chorus, piano, band, orchestra, PE, computer science, and career and life skills. Please note that course selections are dependent upon student enrollment/interest and other district guidelines that impact scheduling. Additionally, at grades 4 and 5, the elementary rotation is based upon district guidelines but will always include time for PE and recess.

Homework consists of various combinations of online learning assignments, math problems, daily reading, completion of class work, and test/quiz preparation. You can expect your child to spend more time on homework than in the past (approximately 30-45 minutes more). Due to the later start of the school day, some children have time to work on assignments before school including reading on the bus/car ride to school. In addition to traditional homework your child will be assigned projects and papers. There is dedicated class time for these assignments so that teachers can track their progress; however, a portion of these assignments will be completed at home. The expectation is that each major assignment comes with a rubric (syllabus) outlining requirements. Students are
usually given a couple of weeks to complete the assignment and the teachers try not to have overlapping “big” assignments. This may be a learning curve for your child and for you, as a parent. The students are learning how to research, write essays, study, and manage their time. It is a new skill and may take time to master. The teachers want your child to be successful and will help you and your child reach that goal. Supports for developing those skills include beginning of year lessons on habits of mind, locker checklists (elementary), guidance on using the Canvas learning management platform, and ongoing SEL and life skills lessons during HIVE time.

The teachers do a great job of giving just enough responsibility – building and challenging without overloading the child. The students have a friendly level of competition that is healthy. The teachers instruct the students about developing a Growth Mindset and encourage that kind of thinking as they approach new challenges. In addition to the support provided by our classroom teachers, the administrators of the Academy at Lincoln ensure that one of the school’s counselors is dedicated to serving the students in the VS program. Additionally, the AG Department assigns a VS Nurture Specialist to work at the school to help teachers and administrators build a VS environment that is collaborative in nature. We also ask our families to take an active role in helping their child adjust to this unique learning environment. For many students, the VS Program is the first time that they have had the opportunity to be in a class setting with other like-minded students. As such, many students must adjust to their new “normal” of being with others who are as equally talented in core content areas. Anytime a student, parent, or teacher has a concern about the learning environment, we ask that they share their concern with the VS Specialist.

The Academy at Lincoln offers a variety of clubs for both elementary and middle school students. Please visit the school website at the beginning of the year to review the full list. Typical elementary clubs offered each year include Battle of the Books, Lego Robotics, Math Club (which includes Math Olympiad and MathCounts), and Chess Club. Middle school exclusive opportunities include Debate, FutureCity, Quiz Bowl and participation in school-sponsored sports. All students are welcome to try out for the fall and spring plays (one of which is a musical). The availability of clubs is dependent on having staff or adult volunteers willing to serve as club sponsors.

The VS students (4th-8th) are housed in the annex along one hallway. They have their own bathrooms and doors to the outside. All elementary students are escorted to encores, lunch, and the Media Center by a teacher. The school itself has extensive security measures. All exterior doors are locked at all times. Teachers and staff carry fobs that allow them to access locked doors as they are escorting the students. There is also a full-time Security Resource Officer (SRO) on campus.

In core content areas (math, reading, science, and social studies), VS students are only with other VS students. At  grades 4 and 5, the elementary students are only with the VS elementary students for their encore classes as well. At grades 6 – 8, the VS students attend encore classes with non-VS students who attend school at The Academy at Lincoln. Such class structure allows VS students to make friendships with students from across the district while building the social skills needed to function in a diverse city, state, and country.

Bus transportation is provided by the district. The buses have students riding from grades 4-8. The elementary students are assigned seats in the front of the bus. If a concern is raised, both the school and the bus driver take it seriously and respond accordingly. Additionally, on their own or with the support of the PTA, some families create carpools.

Once your student is accepted and enrolled at Lincoln, they do not have to qualify again. However, they are required to maintain high performance. If a VS student begins to experience challenges, the school may initiate an MTSS referral so that the teacher can access support designed to promote student success and learning. The teachers and staff will work with the student and their parents/guardians to achieve a positive outcome, even if such an outcome may mean returning to the student’s districted school.

Note: Should you decline VS services this year, your child would have to requalify in subsequent years.

In the board-approved AIG Plan, it states that all VS teachers are to hold their AIG add-on licensure. Since undergraduate programs do not directly focus on the needs of gifted and advanced learners, it is possible that a dynamic teacher may be in the field of education without having their AIG licensure, since it is not a part of the initial licensing process. As such, should a teacher be hired that does not hold their AIG licensure, but they are otherwise a great fit for the students, they are given a specific timeframe to obtain their licensure.