GATE
Gifted and Talented Education (GATE)
Gifted and Talented Education (GATE)![]()
Gifted and Talented Education (GATE)
GATE Announcements
Spring Cooking in the Garden - Wednesday, May 6 - REGISTRATION IS OPEN
Calling ALL High-Schoolers! Join us for another spectacular Field Trip to La Tourangelle Community Garden. In partnership with Yolo Farm to Fork, tour the beautiful grounds, learn about crops, irrigation, and seasonal agriculture. You will get a tour of their Olive Oil Facility and cook a meal with a fresh garden harvest! Don't miss out on this fun After School event!
What do rockets, chess, puzzles, and art have in common? Math! Students will explore creative and surprising connections to math while playing games, solving logic challenges, building projects, and creating art inspired by mathematical ideas.
Enrichment Academy is for students in grades 4-8.
LOCATION: Woodland High School
TWO SESSIONS:
Session A: June 9-12, 8:00 - 11:30 am
Session B: June 15-18, 8:00-11:30 am
Join us for the 2026 GATE Art Show on Friday, May 1st, Downtown Woodland. See the creativity of our teachers & students - Ceramics, Watercolor, Chalk Pastels, Miniature Art Galleries, Yolo Nature, STEAM, Wire Tree Sculptures, Zentangle Art & More. And...Enjoy Special Art displayed by Woodland and Pioneer High School Art Programs
Family Ag Night - May 12, 2026 - 5:30 - 7:00 pm - at the District Office
For students in grades 3-8
Join us to learn about the Agriculture around us - right here in Yolo County!
explore local crops, learn where your food comes from, sample taste tests, see demonstrations, play games... REGISTER HERE!
SAVE THE DATES - Registration & Details coming soon!
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May 20 - Family Paint Night II - Join us for another fun family paint night - more info coming soon
RECENT:
Annual Geography Bee - Amazing Job Students!
The GeoBee took place on February 24 at Pioneer High School. Sixty students took classes for four weeks to prepare for the final competition. Categories included Physical Geography, Amazing Animals, Continents, Countries, Oceans, and World Civilizations. Congratulations to everyone for participating!
Family Paint Night: Cozy Burrowing Animals!
On January 27, families from across the district enjoyed painting adorable winter animals while enjoying hot chocolate and treats. Our very own WJUSD teacher Ms. Meyer led the evening! Look for more Family Nights coming this year...
Cooking in the Garden Fall Field Trip Fun!
On November 12, students from Pioneer and Woodland High Schools joined together for another Cooking in the Garden Field Trip at La Tourangelle Community Garden. Students learned about sustainable agriculture, harvesting vegetables, planting fall crops, and making spring rolls to eat! We'll have another Cooking in the Garden field trip next spring.
Fall Family Math Night - Games, Puzzles, Fun!
Nearly 100 people turned out for the Fall Family Math Night at the District Office on October 22. Families played games, solved puzzles, and used their creativity to build designs with klikkos and strawbees. Thank you to Pioneer and Woodland High School volunteers for helping with this fun event.
If you are in High School and interested in volunteering for a GATE Family Night and earning volunteer hours, email deann.tenhunfeld@wjusd.org.
UPCOMING:
TEACHER GATE TRAININGS for 2025-2026:
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Class #6: Advanced Differentiation - June 22 & 23, 2026 - IN PERSON - REGISTRATION IS OPEN
THE FOLLOWING CLASS OFFERINGS WILL BE HELD NEXT YEAR (26-27):
- GATE Intro - Learning About the CogAT for Classroom Teachers
- Class #3 - Differentiating Instruction Part II - Application to Core
- Class #5 - GATE Program Design & Administration
- GATE Review
GATE EVENTS FROM LAST SUMMER & SCHOOL YEAR:
SUMMER ENRICHMENT ACADEMY - The sky's the limit!!
Students from across the district participated in the GATE Program's Summer Enrichment Academy in June. Highlights this year included hot air balloons, robotics, math games, straw towers, and chess.
Annual GATE Art Show
Friday, May 2, Downtown Woodland - 427 Main Street
Nearly 400 people visited the Art Show in the Historic Roth Building. Art from 130 students who participated in 9 different art classes was exhibited. WHS art was also featured. Save the date for next year, Friday, May 1, 2026
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Parent Night Resources
- GATE FAMILY EVENT - Looking at Nature - An Investigation with Jessica Friedman
- View Jessica's Presentation
- VIRTUAL PARENT NIGHT WITH ADRIANNE GO-MILLER
- View Adrianne's Presentation
- VIRTUAL PARENT NIGHT WITH KARI LOFING
- VIRTUAL PARENT NIGHT WITH MELISSA LAWSON
- View Melissa's Presentation and Resource Flyer
PARENT NIGHT Presentations
- Virtual GATE Parent Night #1 featured guest speaker Melissa Lawson: GATE resources shared by our guest speaker are here.
- Virtual GATE Parent Night #2 featured guest speaker Kari Lofing: GATE Parent Night Presentation
- Virtual GATE Parent Night #3 featured guest speaker, Jessica Friedman: GATE NIGHT: Curiosity and Investigation
FOR TEACHERS
- GATE Testing - CogAT (Cognitive Abilities Test) returns this year as our GATE identification tool. We test all 3rd grade students in the district. Testing will take place in the fall. GATE notifications will be sent in the winter.
- Student GATE Testing Referral Form - Please complete this form to refer a student in grade 4-8 for GATE testing or retesting. This form is for parents, teachers, and administrators to refer students that they believe could qualify for GATE or are new to the district. Students in grades 4-8 will be tested by referral and appointment only. Students may be tested more than once but only tested once per year.
GATE General Information & Resources
The purpose of the GATE program is to provide challenging curriculum and instruction for students who are capable of achieving at a level significantly beyond that of their grade level. Each year a GATE identification test is given to every third grade student in the district to determine whether the student may be eligible for this program. Absent students are able to take a make up test. Parents are notified in writing if their child is determined to be GATE eligible.
GATE identified students, along with all students in grades 4-8, are invited to participate in after school GATE enrichment classes. Annually we host a Geography Bee, Art classes, and the summer Enrichment Academy.
GATE identified students, along with all students in grades 4-8, are invited to participate in after school GATE enrichment classes. Annually we host a Geography Bee, Art classes, and the summer Enrichment Academy.
For a list of GATE resources, please visit the California Department of Education's GATE website.
Additional resources:
www.hoagiesgifted.org (Hoagie’s Gifted Education Page)
www.cagifted.org (California Association for the Gifted)
www.nagc.org (National Association for Gifted Children)
www.sengifted.org (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted)
www.cagifted.org (California Association for the Gifted)
www.nagc.org (National Association for Gifted Children)
www.sengifted.org (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted)
www.byrdseed.com (Ian Byrd's webpage with GATE resources)
Contacts
For information about district GATE programs, please contact:
DeAnn Tenhunfeld, District TOSA, Expanded Learning and GATE (530) 406-3252 Email
For school site services, please contact your school site Principal or GATE liaison.
