Gifted students at Budgewoi Public School are receiving a creative boost to their education from a specially designed enrichment program.

Budgewoi Public principal Kerry Moore said she identified the need to provide extra support to gifted students as an “area of priority” when she was appointed to the school in mid-2007.

“Not all teachers have the experience of enriching students with specific talents – we were lucky to have a resource in the school with that expertise,” Ms Moore said.

That expertise came in the form of staff member Kerrie Zaccar, who has a long-standing interest in teaching gifted students, Ms Moore said.

The program targets Stage 2 and 3 students who have been identified as working at or beyond stage outcomes but who would benefit from extension.

“These are the kids that ‘get it’ by Monday and by Friday they’re bored,” Ms Zaccar said.

The enrichment students are withdrawn from their class for hour-long blocks twice a week.

Ms Zaccar said the program was different to typical gifted and talented programs.

“It’s not just harder work – it’s different work,” she said.

A Term 2 task demonstrated Ms Zaccar’s approach to develop structured thinking skills.

The students studied the Dutch artist Piet Mondrian’s geometrical paintings. In making their own art “after Mondrian”, the students needed to understand artistic and mathematical principles.

“They needed to understand perpendicular as opposed to parallel … they looked at contrasting colour and asymmetry,” Ms Zaccar said.

This approach, Ms Zaccar said, allowed students to “synthesise and transform their learning across KLAs”.

“It consolidates their knowledge in a real-world activity,” she said.