Town Center Challenge
I would love to begin by introducing myself. My name is Brooke Barad and I am new to Town Center and to
Coppell. I moved from Wichita Falls, located in near the Texas/Oklahoma border. Although I am new to teaching the
gifted population, I am not new to teaching. My background is in teaching 3rd grade. I am thrilled to have been given
the privilege to work with your child this year.
My vision of a gifted and talented classroom is one that will foster your child’s natural aptitudes. I plan to
extend what they are learning in their regular classroom by providing rigor through inquiry and research based learning.
Your child will be provided with an environment that embraces exceptionality – because your child is exceptional and I
believe that their gifts should be cultivated through numerous opportunities to display their greatness.
The Challenge program at Town Center is a combination of both a pull-out program and collaborative efforts
between me and the grade level teachers. What this means is that your child will not only be pulled from their regular
education classroom for time spent in our classroom – but I will also go to visit the regular classrooms in an attempt to
enrich what they are learning right and there!
We will work on Texas Performance Standards Projects (www.texaspsp.org), which are ongoing research
projects that will be graded using a state designed rubric. Our math curriculum is developed collaboratively with the
classroom teacher in grades 1-2. In grades 3-5, I will continue to use the MCubed curriculum which combines problem
solving and journaling to develop depth in mathematical learning. Students in grades 4 and 5 will still be exposed to
the Hands-On Equations in their regular classroom. In addition to the math enrichment your child will receive during
school, Math Olympiad is an after school math team in which students in grades 4 and 5 can join. The cost is minimal
and students will participate in campus math competitions.
Students will receive two progress reports a year. You will receive one mid-year and the other at the end of the
school year. Pertinent information will be accessible via my school webpage – but keep an eye out for letters which will
be sent home periodically as well.
Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at anytime. My conference time will vary from
day to day, so the simplest way to reach me will be via e-mail or voicemail. I look forward to working with you and your
child. It’s going to be a GREAT year here in Challenge!
Respectfully,
Brooke Barad
GT Specialist
bbarad@coppellisd.com
214-496-7864