Hi, I'm another parent from RMS. I had two children there-my son attended for 5 years and my daughter for three years. I concur with everything that mnsell has posted...RMS has serious financial issues and I'm not sure what would happen with any deposits received in the event that they do not open.

I have heard the same things about Stargate from multiple sources. While you need to have a child tested as part of the enrollment process, there is no IQ limit established--bc that would be discriminatory. Their evaluation process, in my experience, was nebulous/ethereal--nothing concrete--as the applications are reviewed by a parent board using subjective criteria. Siblings are given a preference. Thus, a gifted student would be enrolled as well as a non-gifted sibling. I have a friend that was a substitute teacher there and stated that there were some children that really struggled as a result. I had my son tested by a psychologist that Stargate recommended. He scored a fs 145, but hit many ceilings, I never had him tested using the SB, but understand that his IQ is probably higher. When I specifically asked if that was an acceptable range for Stargate student, she replied that it was higher than most students at Stargate. Additionally, I know of at least one boy who is probably profoundly gifted that was in district that was not accepted. They strive to maintain a 50-50 gender ratio for the classes, regardless of gender breakdown of the applications they receive (they receive many more apps for perspective male students than female students)--thus, it's easier to get a daughter enrolled than a son.

Westgate is an option that a lot of ex-RMS students were looking into-there were out of district students that were able to enroll *this year*. However, that's just because it was the first year. I'm thinking that 2nd year and beyond it will just be more and more difficult to enroll if you are out of district. Still, I'm not so sure given the non-discrimination policy in effect, that it would truly be able to serve gifted students for the same reasons that Stargate's hands are tied.

There are charter schools in Longmont, if you are that far north. Flagstaff Academy has received excellent reviews and I think I saw that 3 of their students scored the highest in some state science fair (3 out of 5 students who placed in this science competition were from Flagstaff). I also received a survey recently that suggests that parents are moving forward with the paperwork required for *another* charter school in the St. Vrain Valley SD-which would specifically address the needs of gifted children. That school would not open this year, but for 2010-2011 school year...so, there is hope.