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Alpharetta mom seeks homeschooled girls for a LEGO robotics team
I am passing along a note I received last week. I’ve heard only good things about the FIRST LEGO League.
I am Sunitha Jayakumar, homeschooling mom to a 10 year old gifted girl. I am looking to start a Girl Scouts Robotics FLL team (First Lego League), for the coming year. The team can have a maximum of 6-7 girls. The meetings will be at my place in Alpharetta (near McGinnis Ferry Rd). Please pass on this information to any homeschooling girls interested in joining the team. The age group is 9-14 years.
Thanks for your help.
You can contact Sunitha by reconstructing this e-mail address:
sunitha_jay AT yahoo DOT com
QuestBridge scholarship helps low-income students prepare for top tier colleges
Of all the scholarships out there, the QuestBridge College Prep Scholarship is one of my favorites.
QuestBridge recognizes that giftedness knows no racial, ethnic or socio-economic barriers. Its College Prep Scholarship program reaches out to high-school juniors who have amazing academic potential, but whose gifts are at risk of being squandered because their families cannot afford to send them to a top-tier college.
The College Prep Scholarship provides full scholarships to summer programs on elite college campuses, helps students navigate the admissions and financial aid application processes required by the best schools, and even provides all-expenses-paid visits to QuestBridge partner schools — colleges including Brown, Columbia, Princeton, Yale, Stanford, and their peers.
Finally, the College Prep Scholarship prepares students to apply during their senior year for the QuestBridge National College Match program, which pairs exceptional high-school seniors with prestigious colleges that will provide them full scholarships.
Current juniors can fill out the free application now through March 27, 2013. The application is long and involved, so leave time to gather the requested information and documentation.
Teachers, if you know a student who deserves to be considered for this scholarship, won’t you encourage them to apply?
Scholarships for current 7th graders with financial need
High-achieving, seventh-grade students whose families have limited incomes are encouraged to apply for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s Young Scholars program. Applications are being accepted through March 21, 2013.
The Young Scholars program pays for enrichment activities — such as summer camps, music lessons, and distance learning classes — for students who are academically solid and financially challenged. (Wondering what “financially challenged” means? Applicants must have adjusted family income of $95,000 or less, and the Foundation reports that the average family income of its scholars is $25,000 a year.)
Students must apply during their seventh-grade year. Those selected enter the program in 8th grade and continue as Young Scholars through high school.
The application package requires tax forms and teacher recommendations, so give yourself time to get everything together.
Your child could represent the U.S. in the International Physics Olympiad
Registration is now open for the U.S. Physics Team competition.
Each year, the American Association of Physics Teachers assembles a team of pre-college students who excel in solving physics problems. The top five students represent the United States at the annual International Physics Olympiad, being held in July 2013 in Copenhagen, Denmark.
To qualify, students first take a preliminary, multiple choice exam at their school. Those who score in the top 300 to 400 of all test takers will be invited to take a more intensive exam. Twenty top students are then chosen to attend an intensive, 10-day training camp at the University of Maryland, and five of those students will be selected to represent the nation in Copenhagen.
Students can’t register for the qualifying exam on their own. They must have a faculty member register on behalf of their school. Registration deadline is Dec. 10, 2012.
Ever wondered about Odyssey of the Mind? See it in action this Saturday.
A couple of years ago, when I first became interested in starting an Odyssey of the Mind team at my kids’ school, the best advice I got was to go see a competition. It was a day well-spent. You can read the OotM materials to try to understand what the program is like, but phrases like “team members apply their creativity to solve problems” and “teams present solutions” don’t really provide a clear picture of the nuts and bolts.
This Saturday, you can come watch as more than 100 teams, from kindergarten kids to high-school students, compete in the regional Odyssey of the Mind tournament at Parkview High School in Lilburn. You’ll see the structures they’ve built, and the plays they’ve created. You’ll also see how excited the kids are and what a great vibe there is, as the judges and parents and competitors all salute the kids’ efforts. It is an amazing thing to see these kids in their element.
For a complete schedule of this Saturday’s tournament, visit the Georgia Odyssey of the Mind web site.
Current 7th graders can apply for scholarship that will pay high-school tuition
Parents of exceptional 7th graders: If you’re evaluating your high school options, consider applying for a scholarship that could pay tuition for the kind of school your gifted child needs.
The Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship is a program of the Institute for Educational Advancement, aimed at helping elite students get the most out of their high-school experience.
Students who are selected as CDB Scholars are notified in the fall of their 8th grade year. Then, the organization provides guidance in applying to high schools that would help the scholars realize their intellectual potential. Finally, IEA pays for tuition for all four years of high school.
The application, which is rather involved, must be submitted by May 14, 2012. In order to be considered for this scholarship, a student must take the SAT. The last SAT date for this year is May 5, and you must register for that testing date by April 6.
“College Prep Scholarship” helps bright, low-income juniors apply to elite schools
If you’re a high-school junior whose family is just getting by financially, you might not let yourself think about attending Dartmouth or Yale. But an unusual scholarship is reason to think again.
The QuestBridge College Prep Scholarship comes to the aid of high-achieving, lower-income students, to help them navigate the admissions and financial aid application processes required by the best schools. The College Prep Scholarship also gives students the chance to experience college life on elite campuses, through full scholarships to summer programs, and all-expenses-paid visits to QuestBridge partner schools. (These include some of the most respected names in higher education — Brown, Columbia, Princeton, Stanford and their peers.)
The QuestBridge scholarship program also prepares students to apply in their senior year for the QuestBridge National College Match program, which pairs exceptional high-school seniors with prestigious colleges that will provide them full scholarships.
Current juniors can fill out the free application now through March 27, 2012.
Scholarships for 7th graders with high ability, low incomes
To meet their full potential, bright young kids often need enrichment, such as summer programs or music instruction. Yet the expense of such activities puts them beyond the reach of some bright kids’ families.
The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation wants to help. Its Young Scholars program provides scholarships to pay for the enrichment activities — and occasionally even private-school tuition — for students who are academically solid and financially challenged. (Wondering what “financially challenged” means? Applicants must have gross family income of $80,000 or less, and the Foundation reports that more than 90 percent of its scholar families earn under $60,000 a year.)
Students must apply during their 7th grade year. Those selected enter the program in 8th grade and continue as Young Scholars through high school.
Applications for current 7th graders are due April 16, 2012. The application package requires tax forms and teacher recommendations, so give yourself time to get everything together.
Programs for young photographers and writers at Sandy Springs library
So many of the enrichment opportunities I find are geared at science and technology that I’m always excited to find something designed for the gifted child with an artistic bent. Two such programs can be found at the Sandy Springs branch of the Atlanta-Fulton County Public Library System:
- Teen writer’s workshop, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012, 12:30 – 2 p.m. For middle-school and high-school students who write in any literary form. Free and open to the public.
- Teen photo contest, open through April 30, 2012. Open to students who either live in Fulton County or attend a middle- or high-school in Fulton County. $100 grand prize.
Toothpick bridge building contest for engineers of all ages
Does your child like to build? Here’s a chance for them to build their best bridge and see how it holds up compared to other structures built by kids, adults, even engineers.
The Toothpick Bridge Contest is open to all, and you can bet there will be some surprisingly strong entries from the sponsoring engineers — representing the American Society of Civil Engineers, the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, and the Structural Engineers Association of Georgia.
Bridges in the traditional toothpick category may be built from only toothpicks and glue, while bridges entered in the open category can be made of any materials you choose. Entrants build their bridges ahead of time, then bring them to Fernbank Science Center in Decatur on Saturday, Feb. 25 for testing.
There is no need to register in advance, and there is no cost to participate. Admission to Fernbank is, as always, free.
One note: Don’t let your little engineers get too attached to their structures, as they will be tested to the point of failure (i.e., broken) during the contest.
