Gifted Education

Welcome to the Gifted Program

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Hello! My name is Nicole Boissière, and I'm the Gifted Education Teacher (grades K-5) at John D. Jenkins Elementary.
I am so excited to begin my twenty-eighth year of teaching and my 17th year as a gifted education teacher! Before becoming a gifted education teacher, I taught fourth and fifth grade in Prince William County, and I also taught third grade in Fairfax County.
I am a product of Prince William County Public Schools (Dale City Elementary, Godwin, now Hampton Middle School, and Gar-Field High School. I have a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish from the University of Virginia (Go Wahoos!), a Master of Science degree in Elementary Education from Old Dominion University, licensure in K-12 gifted education from the University of Virginia, and I'm a National Board-Certified Teacher (Middle Childhood Generalist).
I absolutely love teaching, learning, traveling, and spending time with my husband and daughter who is a senior at James Madison University. I look forward to meeting and working with all my students and families this year!
Sincerely, Nicole Boissiere
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Gifted students are those students who demonstrate high levels of academic accomplishment or show exceptional academic potential beyond their age peers of similar experience or environment. These students need advanced and complex content that is paced and sequenced to respond to their intellectual curiosity, exceptional problem-solving abilities, and rapid acquisition and mastery of information.

The PWCS Gifted Education Program offers pull-out resource services in kindergarten through 12th grade for students whose learning needs cannot be entirely met in the general education classroom setting.

Gifted students typically have one or more of the following characteristics.

Curious, questioning attitude

Keen observer

Vivid imagination

Learns quickly

Sophisticated sense of humor

Exceptional memory

Sensitive to human issues, fairness, justice

Strong communication skills

Motivated to learn or develop a skill

Quick to learn a second language

Intense interests

Enjoys problem-solving

 

The gifted education identification process is ongoing throughout the school year. A student may be referred at any time by a parent, professional, divisionwide screening tool, or self-referral. The process begins with the completion of a referral form. These forms are available below.

Gifted referral form - English (PDF) Referral Form English

Gifted referral form - Spanish (PDF) Referral Form Spanish

 Please return your referral form to Nicole Boissière, the gifted education resource teacher at John D. Jenkins Elementary. If you would like a printed copy of the referral form, if you have any questions about gifted services, or if you would like more information, please contact Mrs. Boissière at [email protected].

More information about the gifted identification process and gifted services can also be found on the PWCS Gifted Education website.