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Applications open for Atlanta Virtual Academy
Did your child do better with school when it was all online? Do they prefer to work at their own pace? If so, and if you live in the city of Atlanta, you can register now for virtual school for the 2022-2023 school year.
Atlanta Public Schools offers two programs through its Atlanta Virtual Academy (AVA):
- AVA Flex. Students work independently and have a teacher available to them as needed. Open to grades 6 through 12.
- AVA Direct. Live, daily instruction with a teacher. Open to grades K through 12.
Courses offered through AVA include honors and AP sections.
To attend the AVA program, a student must be registered in an Atlanta Public Schools elementary, middle, or high school.
The application period for AVA will close on April 15, 2022.
Registration open for Atlanta Public Schools’ 2013 summer programs
Atlanta Public Schools is now accepting applications to its two summer programs: Xanadu, for rising 1st to 5th graders; and the Xanadu Arts and Sciences Academy, for rising 6th through 12th graders.
These programs, which are operated by APS’ Office of Gifted and Talented Education, are open to all, not only to APS students; however, the fees are significantly higher for non-APS students. Scholarships may be available based on financial need.
To apply for either program, you first register online to select your classes. Then, you must present required documents, to show your child’s gifted status, and pay your fees. That must be done in person at the APS Office of Gifted and Talented. Check the FAQ for more information about the process.
Bear in mind that only when you have made your payment is your child’s spot in a class confirmed. In other words, registering online does not hold you a space in the classes you want. Only completing the payment process guarantees your spot.
Good luck!
Open season for school transfers in Atlanta Public Schools
Atlanta Public Schools has posted the application for school transfers for the 2012-13 school year. Under the general administrative transfer program, students can attend any school in the APS system that has available spaces.
Schools that will be accepting transfers next year include four elementary schools that teach the highly acclaimed International Baccalaureate (IB) Primary Years Programme: Deerwood, Garden Hills, Beecher Hills, and Jackson elementary schools. (Although Jackson has spaces only for incoming kindergarten students.)
Applications must be submitted in person at the APS offices on Trinity Avenue, beginning this Saturday, May 19, and continuing through June 15. Open spaces are assigned by lottery, not first-come, first-served, so there’s no need to panic.
For complete information, visit the APS Student Transfers page.
Atlanta Public Schools 2012 Xanadu and Summer Academy applications now available
Atlanta Public Schools has now posted the complete information and applications for its 2012 Xanadu and Summer Academy for the Arts and Sciences summer programs.
The process of applying for both programs is essentially the same. You can register online now, which allows you to select classes, but you won’t be confirmed in those classes until you’ve submitted the required documents and paid your fees. You must do that in person at the APS Office of Gifted and Talented, beginning this Friday, May 4. A complete schedule shows other dates when forms and payment will be accepted. Bear in mind that classes are filled on a first-paid, first-served basis. In other words, registering online does not hold you a space in the classes you want. Only completing the payment process guarantees your spot.
Good luck!
Advance information for 2012 Xanadu and Summer Academy programs
Note: Applications are now online for 2012. See the Xandadu / Summer Academy post on this blog for more information.
At this time of year, a lot of parents start getting antsy to get a jump on applying to the Atlanta Public Schools summer programs. So, this morning I called the Atlanta Public Schools gifted office and got this information:
Xanadu 2012
Dates: June 4-29, 2012
Time: 9 a.m. – 3 p.m. weekdays, with before- and after-care available
Location: Parkside Elementary School
Enrollment: Rising 1st – 5th grade students
Summer Academy for the Arts and Sciences 2012
Dates: June 4-29, 2012
Time: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. weekdays, no before- or after-care
Location: Carver School of the Arts
Enrollment: Rising 6th – 12th grade students
Xanadu and Summer Academy both are operated by the APS gifted office; however, students need not have been formally identified as gifted to attend. The programs will accept students from outside the APS system. Tuition for those students is typically higher.
Applications should go live the week of April 23. When they’re available, you’ll find them on the APS gifted page. Note that applications will not be accepted until early May. This waiting period is built in so parents don’t need to get anxious about downloading and submitting the application the moment it goes live.
There is no deadline to apply, but classes are filled on a first-come, first-served basis, and some classes will fill quickly.
Atlanta Public Schools Xanadu application is live!
NOTE: This is information from 2011. For 2012 information, see the Xanadu / Summer Academy 2012 post on this blog.
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Atlanta Public Schools has now posted the brochure and application for the 2011 Xanadu summer program.
The camp will be held June 6 – July 1 at Parkside Elementary School in Southeast Atlanta. Xanadu is open to children in rising K-5. Children do not have to attend APS schools to attend Xanadu; however, the fee for non-APS students is double — $500 for four weeks, as compared with $250 for APS students.
The Xanadu program is run by the Office of Gifted and Talented Services and is billed as an enrichment camp for scholars, leaders and high achievers, but children do not have to be gifted identified to attend.
The deadline to register is May 27 (or postmarked by May 25). Some class choices are bound to fill up ahead of that deadline, though.
The time is now to request transfers in Atlanta Public Schools
Tomorrow will be the first of several days when parents can apply to Atlanta Public Schools for “general administrative transfers.” APS allows students to attend any school in the system, provided the school has spaces available.
Unfortunately, it looks like slim pickings at the elementary school level. None of the six elementary schools that use the International Baccalaureate (IB) curriculum are accepting transfers, and only one of the APS elementary schools that employs a full-time gifted instructor – Fickett Elementary – has spaces available.
Brown Middle School, which is home to an academy for gifted identified students, is accepting transfer applications.
There are also spaces available at North Atlanta High School, which offers the IB Diploma Programme. Students who earn an IB diploma will be given a year’s worth of college credit by many universities.
Also open for transfers is the early college program at Washington High School.
The school system has posted a complete list of schools that are accepting transfer requests.
You don’t need to break your neck trying to get to the school offices tomorrow. The system no longer grants spaces on a first-come, first-served basis. Instead, they will take applications between May 7 and June 4, and in any cases where the number of applications exceeds the number of open spaces, a lottery will be held to assign spaces.
Students from outside APS can apply to schools that have space available. If enrolled, they must pay tuition. For 2010-11, tuition was just over $10,000.
For complete information, see the APS Student Transfers page.
Atlanta Public Schools taking applications for gifted Summer Academy
NOTE: This is information from 2011. For 2012 information, see the Xanadu / Summer Academy 2012 post on this blog.
May 5 has come and gone and the Atlanta Public Schools gifted office hasn’t yet posted its application for the Xanadu summer program for elementary school kids, which I know people are looking for.
On the bright side, APS has posted the brochure and application for its Summer Academy for middle- and high-school students. This program offers courses in a variety of disciplines, including photography, film making, engineering, history, fine arts and lots more.
The camp is held at the Woodruff Arts Center in midtown. Students can attend a two-week or four-week program, and the cost for APS students is very reasonable. (Students who don’t attend APS schools can also attend, but the fees are doubled.)
APS recommends you apply between May 10 and May 26. Courses are filled on a first-come, first-served basis.
Advance information about Atlanta Public Schools’ Xanadu summer program
NOTE: This is information from 2011. For 2012 information, see the Xanadu / Summer Academy 2012 post on this blog.
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Atlanta Public Schools has released basic information about Xanadu, its annual summer program for gifted and high-achieving elementary school students.
The 2011 program will be built on the theme, “Adventures in Antarctica.” It will run from June 5 to July 1 and will be held at Parkside Elementary School. Cost for APS students is $250. The camp is open to students from outside APS, but the cost is double.
A simple flyer is posted on the APS web site now, but you can’t apply yet. The Office of Gifted and Talented Education promises to post the application by May 5.
Gifted Atlanta 