Archive
Brenau University in Gainesville now offers early college for young women
Exciting news for parents of high-school girls who are ready to tackle college academics:
Brenau University will open its Early College Academy in fall 2012 to rising 11th and 12th graders. Young women admitted to the academy will take college-level courses which will count toward both their high-school graduation requirements and a college degree.
Students who complete the two-year program, beginning in what would be their junior year of high school, can earn their high-school diploma and an associate of arts degree. (Those who start in their senior year of high school will earn their diploma and one year of college credits.) The credits can serve as the start of a full bachelor’s degree program at Brenau, or can be transferred toward a degree at most colleges or universities.
Early College Academy is part of the Women’s College, and that’s part of what I love about this opportunity. First, research has shown that bright young women feel more comfortable using their full range of talents in all-female environments. And second, I like the idea of giving a high-school-aged girl access to college without throwing her into a world of — pardon me for saying it bluntly, but — college boys.
I also like that Brenau will let Early College students take honors sections of classes, which is ideal for gifted students.
The young women in the program can live in a residence hall that’s just for Early College students, or can commute to the campus, located in Gainesville.
If you’d like to learn more, visit the Early College web site or contact the director of the academy, Lenna Applebee, either by e-mail or by calling (770) 534-6286.
Registration open for GSU Saturday School Spring 2012 session
Georgia State University’s
Saturday School for Scholars and Leaders has released its class list for the first spring session of 2012. Classes are offered to students in kindergarten through 8th grade. Choices include a variety of topics in math, science, writing and more.
Classes will meet on five consecutive Saturdays, beginning January 21. Sessions are held in the mornings and afternoons, although the morning has two advantages: 1) more choices of classes; and 2) free parent seminars, which are held while the children are in class.
To qualify for admission to Saturday School, a student must meet scoring requirements on an achievement test or IQ test and have a recommendation from the testing psychologist or the school the student attends. New students can be granted provisional admission for one year without submitting the required documentation.
Registration is open now through Jan. 10.
Kids in grades 5-8 invited to enter Young Scientist Challenge
Discovery Education and 3M are looking for kids in grades 5-8 with innovative ideas about how science can improve our world. The Young Scientist Challenge asks kids to create a short video about how science could help solve challenges in the areas of transportation, health or community. Entries are judged on creative thinking and knowledge of science, not on production value of the video.
The top 10 students will receive $1,000 and will travel to the 3M Innovation Center in St. Paul, Minn., to compete for the grand prize of $25,000. Other entrants will win travel vouchers, and one student from each U.S. state will be awarded the 3M Innovation Prize.
Entry deadline is April 19, 2012.
Early registration ends today for February TIP Scholar Weekend at UGA; registration also open for April weekend
Today is the final day of early bird registration for the UGA-Duke TIP Scholar Weekend to be held Feb. 11-12, 2012. (Sorry I am so late letting you know.) Regular registration will remain open until Jan. 27, 2012. Courses to be offered in February include graphic novels as literature, the physics of automobiles and the Rube Goldberg challenge.
Early registration is open through March 9 for another Scholar Weekend to be held April 21-22, 2012. Courses to be offered that weekend include robotics, microbes, forensic anthropology, screenwriting, and arguing before the Supreme Court.
Scholar weekends are open to students in grades 8-11 who have taken part in a talent search conducted by Duke TIP or who have been identified as gifted by their school. This includes students taking accelerated, honors, Advanced Placement or IB classes. Students stay on campus in the Georgia Center for Continuing Education during the weekend.
New session of parent group focused on gifted kids’ emotional needs
Maybe your friends don’t understand your gifted child’s perfectionism, intensity or social struggles. But Muriel Knope and Kathy Courchene do.
Knope and Courchene are trained facilitators with SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted). Their regular parent groups offer support for parents and other caregivers raising gifted children. Their class uses the book “A Parent’s Guide to Gifted Children” as a starting point for discussion.
The next session will meet on Sunday afternoons from 2-4 p.m. in Dunwoody, from Jan. 22 through Feb. 26. Registration deadline is Jan. 12. There is a fee.
For more information, contact Muriel Knope.
Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony presents free concert on Dec. 12
Here’s another chance to expose your children to classical music while inspiring them with the abilities of their peers:
The Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony
Monday, Dec. 12 at 8 p.m.
Schwartz Center for the Performing Arts at Emory University
The Atlanta Youth Wind Symphony is the honor wind ensemble for high-school students from metro Atlanta. The musicians play college- and professional-level compositions.
For tickets, call (404) 727-5050 or send an e-mail to the box office.
Spaces still available for spring sessions of Georgia Tech Saturday science program
My son and I spent yesterday morning at the CEISMC K.I.D.S. Club at Geo
rgia Tech. It was a worthwhile program, with age appropriate, hands-on science activities that most of the kids seemed to really get into.
I heard the director of the program say there are still spaces open for the spring sessions, which will be held March 10 and March 24, 2012. (It’s the same content both days, so pick one or the other.)
The program is open to students in grades 2-8. All classes are held on the Georgia Tech campus and are led by university faculty, Tech students, or math and science teachers from local schools.
Gifted Atlanta 