November 2012

Dear GATE Parent/Guardian,

I am writing to inform you that I am now the GATE coordinator at Temecula Middle School.  For those of you who do not know me, this is my 6^th year teaching math at TMS and my 16^th year as an educator.  I am excited about this assignment and happy to serve the TMS GATE community.

A couple parents have inquired about the current GATE program at TMS.  Generally speaking, GATE clustering occurs at the 6^th grade level.  Students are placed in groups of 5-12 and stay together for most of the day; some students leave their cluster for math.  In the 7^th and 8^th grades, GATE students are not clustered, but they do have an opportunity to participate in advanced math classes.  Placement in these advanced classes is based on performance and is open to GATE and non-GATE students alike.  At TMS, individual teachers decide the level of differentiation for GATE students in the classroom.

My role as a GATE coordinator is to orchestrate the identification/testing process, help teachers to identify their GATE students and provide ways to differentiate instruction.  These things I will do as well as being open for other ideas for providing unique educational experiences for our GATE students.

Again, I am very happy to be your GATE coordinator.  Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.  My email address is ecarbajal@tvusd.k12.ca.us.  My ext. is 3920.  I wish you all a happy and successful year!

Sincerely,

Edward Carbajal / TMS GATE Coordinator