TLI and High Ability @ HEPS

High-Abilility games session 

Last Sunday, we held our High-Ability games morning here at HEPS. Those involved were challenged to solve puzzles such as Rebuses, word chains and 9 -letter word problems, as well as a couple of strategic maths games (Nim and reverse Nim). At the conclusion of the morning, families were invited to the Working Bee BBQ and joined for a tasty sausage and icy-pole.  

What was a highlight for me was the social aspect of this morning - mixing and socialising with peers and adults, through a competitive yet enriched and engaging games based program. The competitive nature of event was clearly evident with parents respectfully challenging answers, only to find out they had perhaps made an error or two themselves.  

We had a number of families from other schools engage with us on the morning. A big thank you to those who attended on the day and actively participated. 

If you interested in any of these high-order thinking games and activities, or would like some ideas, feel free to contact me. 

MENSA testing - 16th Oct

Once again, we will be facilitating MENSA testing for selected students here at HEPS. We have locked in with MENSA the 16th of October. This is a Friday and therefore a school day, with selected students being withdrawn from their class to participate. 

Why MENSA testing? 

There are many reasons why some people seek an IQ test. Here are a couple for you - 

• Giftedness assessment context - parents sometimes pursue it (or a similar test) for a child suspected of being gifted, to inform school placement decisions and ot help with support and targeted needs.
• Validation - some people take it to confirm a suspicion (e.g., they've always felt "different" academically) or to settle a personal question.
• Curiosity - wanting an objective measure of cognitive ability, out of pure interest.

The test takes about 75 mins and is only in English. A candidate must be between 10 years to 75 years old to take the test. There are 6 sections to the test (6 intelligence areas), with each area being multiple choice style questions. 

Please note - Invites for this have gone out. Please check your emails with regards to this. 

If you have any questions or would like further information about this, please don't hestitate in contacting me or come and see me. 

Jason Mulder 

High-Ability Practice Leader (HAPL) and Acting Assistant Principal