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TIP Academic Adventures session at UGA in January
If your 5th or 6th grader has taken part in Duke TIP’s talent search, they’re eligible for the TIP Academic Adventures session coming up in January at the University of Georgia in Athens.
The full-day program will be held on Saturday, January 22. Courses for this session include plant pathology, “mini medical school,” and aircraft and spacecraft design.
The registration deadline is January 7, but if history is any indication, the most popular classes will fill up before then.
(Editor’s note: If you want to learn more about Duke TIP’s 4th/5th Grade Talent Search, watch for a post on that topic, coming soon!)
CORRECTION: Meeting with legislators is THURSDAY
I guess it’s good that I read other DeKalb blogs. It turns out the Atlanta Journal-Constitution got the date wrong on the legislative forum for DeKalb schools parents. The forum is Thursday, not Wednesday as previously posted. Time and place are correct — 7 p.m. at the administrative building. Please accept my apologies for having had this listed incorrectly.
Meet your local legislators this Wednesday
CORRECTION: This meeting will be held Thursday, Nov. 18, NOT Wednesday the 17th. I got my incorrect information from the AJC.
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Want to see Georgia law become friendlier to gifted education? A good way to start is by developing a rapport with your local legislators.
This Wednesday offers the perfect opportunity to be introduced to the men and women from our county who create state policy. The DeKalb County PTA Council has invited DeKalb county parents and the DeKalb legislative contingent to meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the school administrative offices, located at 1701 Mountain Industrial Blvd. in Stone Mountain.
"Chemistry Night In" at Fernbank
Have a science lover in 4th-6th grade? Take a look at “Chemistry Night In,” Dec. 10 from 6-9 p.m. at the Fernbank Science Center.
Kids will do hands-on physics and chemistry activities, led by Fernbank scientists and AP science students.
Cost is $15 for the first child and $10 per sibling. Registration opened yesterday and the web site advises that spaces go fast.
Free NAGC presentation at Davis Academy
When the National Association for Gifted Children comes to town for its national conference next week, two of its experts will offer a free presentation at The Davis Academy, a private school in Sandy Springs.
Dr. Robin Schader and Katie Augustyn will present “Raising Gifted Children,” a discussion of how to foster the talents and abilities of elementary-age children. The program, which is open to the community, will be Tuesday, Nov. 9, from 6:30-8 p.m., at Davis Academy’s middle school building, located at 7901 Roberts Drive, 30350.
Thanks to Dr. Spomenka Newman for alerting me to this program.
Emory will host summer programs for gifted kids ages 6 and up
The leaves aren’t even off the trees yet, but somehow we’ve entered the application season for summer programs for 2011.
The Summer Institute for the Gifted is now taking applications for all of its programs, which range from day camps for elementary-age students to residential experiences for middle- and high-school kids.
Emory University is a host site this summer, which opens up a whole array of options for us local folks. Kids as young as 6 can attend a three-week day camp on campus. Older kids (ages 10-17) can live at Emory in the residential program or attend as commuter students, going to camp during the day and coming home at night.
Make no mistake: This camp is pricey. The day camp for little kids is $2,000 for three weeks. But the sad truth is, when it comes to finding camps for the gifted that will take kids as young as 6, there aren’t that many local options. As for the residential program, it’s $4,400. The commuter option will cut your fees roughly in half (to $2,500); however, commuter students miss out on evening and weekend social events — and from what I’ve read, the social aspect of this camp for the gifted is almost as important as the academic component.
Free physics demonstration at UWG
The University of West Georgia is hosting a physics demonstration for children next Friday, Oct. 29, from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. The class will be led by two of the university’s physics professors, who will present such scientific wonders as bubbles, burning steel, a bed of nails and an electrified hot dog and pickle. (I don’t know what “electrified hot dog and pickle” means; I just saw it on the flier and found it too fascinating to leave out.) UWG bills the event as appropriate for ages 6 and up.
As I’ve said about UWG before, it’s a great resource and the price is right on their kids’ classes, but be prepared for a long drive — it’s about an hour’s drive to the campus from where I-285 intersects I-20 on the west side of town.
For more information, call (678) 839-4087.
Legislative meeting CANCELED
I got word today that the DeKalb legislative meeting scheduled for this Thursday, Oct. 21 at the Capitol has been CANCELED. Dr. Mark Elgart, president of SACS, has business in Washington, D.C., that day. They say they’ll reschedule. I’ll let you know when I hear more.
Deadline near for NAGC Parent Day
As part of its annual convention, the National Association for Gifted Children (with the Georgia Association for Gifted Children) will hold a one-day seminar for parents on Saturday, Nov. 13, at the Georgia World Congress Center.
While most of the NAGC’s main convention is geared toward educators, Parent Day is ideal for parents who want to foster their children’s growth and success. The event will offer sessions on parenting gifted kids, and working as your child’s advocate with your school and teachers. There also will be time for networking with other Georgia parents of gifted kids.
The deadline for advance registration by fax or mail is Oct. 26, although if you miss that, you can register at the door on the day of the event.
If you’re a member of GAGC or NAGC, the event fee is $65. If you’re not a member, you’ll pay $110, which includes one year of membership in both organizations.
More information and the registration form are available through the NAGC web site.
Legislative team meeting Oct. 21
UPDATE 10/18/10: I just received word that this meeting has been CANCELED, but they say they will reschedule it for a future date. So technically, I guess it’s been postponed. I’ll keep you posted.
If you’ve been following DeKalb County Schools in the news, you know that we’ve had our struggles with allegations of impropriety at the highest levels. You may also know that the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS) has requested more information from our school board about the system’s operation. This is serious business — so serious that two members of the Georgia House of Representatives, Mary Margaret Oliver and Howard Mosby, are taking their own look into what’s happening in DeKalb.
Their group, called the DeKalb Study Work Group on Education Issues, will hold its next meeting on Thursday, Oct. 21, at 10 a.m. in the Capitol, room 341. They haven’t released the full agenda yet, but Dr. Mark Elgart, president of SACS, is scheduled to speak at the meeting.
While this isn’t directly related to gifted education, it is important to our school system as a whole, so I thought it merited a mention.
Gifted Atlanta 