Gifted Accommodations.. Say What?

I don't know if I've every really shared with you the loveliness of the school I work at.  Anyway... it's not uncommon for our kiddos to come to school without breakfast (we have a free breakfast/lunch program that I'd say 95% of the students qualify for and receive).  They sometimes come in the same uniform clothes from the day before.  And, at the beginning of the year, I'm lucky if half of my students bring in all of their supplies from the supply list.  It's not the best area.  There are many, many families that struggle.  It's definitely normal that my firsties come in at a preschool or Kindergarten level.  I'm used to working with those students because that seems like my norm.  But...... this year I have a SMARTY PANTS in my class.  I just don't know what to do with the guy! 

This student read all of the Dolch sight word lists... pre-primer, primer, first, second, and third.  NO mistakes.  I got a list of 4th grade words of the internet, thinking to myself "ahhh, this will be challenging for him!"... but, finding out that he could read right through those words.  The ONLY mistakes he made was emphasizing the wrong syllable of the word.  I'm talkin' words like: experience, molecule, although, experiment, Europe, necessary.  I mean, COME ON!  He also BREEZED right through the 2nd grade  Math diagnostic.  In fact, he did better than all of our 2nd graders.  He could spell all of the 2nd grade "challenge" words I gave him, too. I'm stuck.  Completely stuck.  

After speaking with the principal, I was told that I had to provide him with gifted accommodations in the classroom.   I was trying to get him moved up a grade or two for big subjects like Reading and Math.... but, I can't.   To be honest, it made me kind of mad.  I feel like we are doing a disservice to this student.  We do anything and everything for our struggling learners... why can't we do more for him?  We're a charter school... so we don't really follow the same rules as public schools, but I still think there should be some kind of resource for him.  

Now, it's up to ME to push his brain so he doesn't get bored.  Basically, I have to create his own curriculum.  He'll get his own set of sight words, his own spelling list, his own Math activities, and his own Reading activities.  And, I'm supposed to be teaching him these things while I'm trying to teach my other students (who are all pretty much at a Kindergarten level).   Can you sense my frustration?! 

I've been working on making activities for the A-Z Mysteries series books.  I feel like these books have some challenging words for him but he can still read them independently.   Hopefully that's enough for him.  I'm so fearful that I won't push him hard enough.  I feel like if he comes to me at a 4th grade Reading level, he should leave me at a 5th/6th grade level.  So, I definitely have my work cut out for me! 

I'm so sorry to rant and ramble... I just had to get that off my chest!  Has anyone else ever been in a similar situation?  

Thanks for stopping by (and listening to my complaints)!