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Could conversion to charter system affect gifted services in Fulton County?
A reader recently wrote to me with concerns about Fulton County Schools potentially becoming a charter system. The Charter System Concept Summary presented by the school system shows that under a charter model, local schools could “restructure” the current Talented and Gifted (TAG) model. This reader wondered whether eligibility criteria would change, whether TAG would continue to be offered as a full-day, pull-out class, and even whether schools could opt out of TAG altogether.
I checked in with my sources, and I’m told that state law requires all school systems — even charter systems — to provide gifted education, and the state sets the eligibility criteria for gifted services. However, local schools within a charter system could change the delivery model for gifted services, if they applied for and were granted the flexibility to do so. What exactly they could do in terms of “restructuring” isn’t clear.
Bottom line, if you’re concerned about the TAG program under a charter model, consider attending one of FCS’s three Charter System Town Hall Meetings being held this week:
- Monday, Oct. 3, at Milton Center
- Wednesday, Oct. 5, at Lake Forrest Elementary School
- Thursday, Oct. 6, at Westlake High School
All meetings begin at 6:30 p.m.
DeKalb County Schools seeks community input on the future
DeKalb County Schools is hosting what it’s calling a “community engagement session” on Tuesday, Sept. 20, from 6-9 p.m. at the school system’s headquarters in Stone Mountain.
My source tells me the meeting will begin with remarks from the newly hired superintendent, Dr. Cheryl L. H. Atkinson. Then, those attending the meeting will be broken out into smaller groups to discuss what they think the future should look like in DeKalb County Schools.
The school system hosted similar meetings last year, but those were focused on infrastructure and facilities. This week’s session promises to focus on curriculum and learning.
Whether you think your school is doing a great, mediocre or lousy job in gifted education, I believe it’s worth coming to this meeting so that the gifted community is represented. If you can’t attend the meeting, you will be able to complete a survey on the school district’s web site Sept. 21-30.
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.
Robotics camp for rising middle schoolers at Walton High School in Marietta
From today’s Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
Marietta’s Walton High School is now accepting applications for its 4-day Robotics Camp scheduled to be held June 13 through June 16 at the school’s campus at 1590 Bill Murdock Rd., Marietta. The camp is open to kids entering grades 6-8. Students will have a chance to build their own robots and compete with others to find out whose is best. The cost is $125. For an application and more information go to www.waltonrobotics.org.
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.
Registration now open for DeKalb’s Serendipity summer program
This information is from 2011. See the 2012 Serendipity information.
DeKalb County has opened registration for the 2011 Serendipity summer program for gifted children. The camp serves children in grades 1-7 who were in their school’s gifted program during the 2010-11 school year. Programming includes science, art and writing courses.
This summer, the program is being held at Midvale Elementary School. Kids in 1st – 3rd grades will attend June 13-17; students in 4th – 7th grades have camp June 20-24. Registration is $100 per student. The deadline to register is May 13.
I still haven’t found any information about the program on the county web site. If your child is eligible to attend, he or she should bring home a brochure from school which describes the program in full detail. If you don’t receive one this week, ask your school’s gifted teacher or principal, or call the county office at (678) 676-0238.
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.
Enrollment for DeKalb school lotteries begins Monday
Hoping to send your child to one of DeKalb’s magnet schools for high achievers next year? Or maybe a charter or International Baccalaureate school?
Open enrollment begins Monday for most of the county’s magnet, Monetssori and charter schools. You can register for the lottery at the school of your choice through the online parent portal.
(Note: To use online registration, you will need an account with the ePortal system. If you don’t already have an account, you can create one, but you will need to enter your child’s student number and GTID number. These can be found on your child’s progress report, or you can contact your school’s registrar for the information.)
Enrollment will remain open through April 1. The lotteries will be held in May and early June.
Applications available for International Baccalaureate magnet program at Norcross High School
Norcross High School is now accepting applications for its International Baccalaureate magnet program.
Rising freshmen can apply to the pre-IB program; rising juniors are eligible to apply to the IB Diploma / Certificate program. Deadline to apply to either program is March 1, 2011.
The program is open to students living anywhere in Gwinnett County. Once a student living outside the NHS district has been accepted into the IB program at NHS, he or she will need to request a permissive transfer from Gwinnett County Schools.
The International Baccalaureate Programme is a well-known, rigorous academic curriculum. Students who earn an IB Diploma may be granted sophomore status when they start college.
Questions about the IB program at NHS can be directed to the school’s IB coordinator, Kathy Sanchez. You can call her at the school’s main number, (770) 448-3674.
Gifted Atlanta 