| Neighborhood Vanguard/Gifted & Talented
Walnut Bend's Neighborhood Vanguard (Gifted & Talented) program is offered at Walnut Bend to provide G/T services for all G/T students who are zoned to our campus and for any non-zoned G/T student on a valid transfer. All G/T students on our campus are served with appropriately trained/qualified G/T teachers. Our program follows HISD’ core curriculum, Clarifying Learning to Enhance Achievement Results (CLEAR) but differentiates with the G/T Curriculum Framework Scholars & Knowledge. This framework overlays CLEAR providing escalating levels of challenge, connections to a universal concept, and advanced level products through an interdisciplinary approach to learning.
Students may be nominated for the Vanguard program by parents, teachers, or other staff members to participate in the formal assessment process. If you would like to request an application for the program, please contact Sandra Hagins in the Walnut Bend school office. Parents of children zoned to Walnut Bend, but not currently attending the school may also request an application and assessment of their child. When the application process is completed, you will receive information regarding assessment dates.
If you have any questions about our program or would like to visit the classes, please contact the Neighborhood Vanguard coordinator, Sandra Hagins, at Walnut Bend by email at shagins@houstonisd.org or phone, 713-917-3540. Children show characteristics of giftedness in many ways.
They may show skill in cognitive, academic, creative, leadership, or visual/performing arts areas. Please examine these behaviors in your own child and call today.
Children may be showing giftedness cognitively when they do the following:
- Ask a lot of questions
- Show interest in progress
- Have lots of information on many topics
- Like solving puzzles and problems
- Love to debate issues
Children may be showing giftedness academically when they do the following:
- Show unusual ability at something
- Show fascination in one field of interest
- Invent a new obscure system
- Get math answers correct, but can’t tell you how
Children may show giftedness creatively when they do the following:
Try to do things differently or in an original way
- Have a zany sense of humor
- Enjoy spontaneous activities
- Love new adventures
- Create problems with no apparent solutions
- Don’t proceed sequentially
Children may be showing giftedness through leadership when they do the following:
- Organize and lead group activities
- Enjoy taking risks
- Synthesize information from lots of different sources
- Enjoy decision-making
Children may show giftedness through visual or performing arts when they:
- Quickly learn skills in music or art
- See minute details in products or performances
- Invent new techniques or experiments
If you see these behaviors in your child, he or she might be a candidate for the Gifted & Talented program.
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