7th graders called to apply for scholarships that last through high school
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 April 14, 2015.
The Young Scholars program offers advisement and financial support from eighth grade through the end of high school. The scholarship 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 $30,000 a year.)
Students must apply during their seventh-grade year. Those selected enter the program in eighth grade and continue as Young Scholars through high school. The Young Scholars program also is a pathway to the Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship program, which provides $40,000 per year for college.
The application package requires tax forms and teacher recommendations, so give yourself time to get everything together.
Intelligent camps for rising K-5 near Midtown
It’s always nice to find a camp that serves younger children.
Midtown International School’s summer camp, which began in 2014, is for rising kindergarteners through fifth graders. Each week of camp has a unique topic of study. This summer, camp sessions will cover rocketry, horticulture, volcanoes, Egyptology, to name just a few.
Campers are grouped by age so that the weekly topic can be presented at different levels. The camp is staffed by teachers from the school.
The camp will be held at the school’s new campus on Sheridan Road in northeast Atlanta.
Registration is open now.
DeKalb school choice applications delayed
Open enrollment for school choice in DeKalb County is open now — but only on paper. This includes applications for the county’s high achiever magnet schools for the 2015-16 school year.
Online registration was scheduled to begin yesterday, but because of technical problems, it’s been pushed back to Feb. 10 — contingent on the IT department completing the integration of the old e-portal system with the newer Infinite Campus system. To make up for the delay, the county has extended the application period an additional week, to Feb. 27.
Between now and Feb. 10, you can submit a paper application for a school outside your attendance zone, although when I spoke with the school choice office yesterday, they seemed to favor waiting until next week and using the online system.
In the meantime, if you don’t have an Infinite Campus account yet, get one. If all goes as planned, your Infinite Campus account information will serve as your login for the e-portal, where registration for school choice will be hosted.
The school system will hold lotteries in March and April to assign the available spaces.
Visit the district’s school choice page to learn more.
Free admission to Atlanta History Center on MLK Jr. Day
The Atlanta History Center will offer free admission on Monday, Jan. 19, 2015, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This will include access to the history museum, the Margaret Mitchell House, the 1928 Swan House and Smith Family Farm, the Centennial Olympic Games Museum, and the Goizueta Gardens.
Incoming Ga. superintendent seeks student advisers
Here’s a chance for your gifted student to have his or her voice heard, and to advocate for better gifted education in our schools:
[The following is a press release from the Georgia Department of Education]
Superintendent-elect Woods Seeks Student Advisers
MEDIA CONTACT: Matt Cardoza, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 651-7358, mcardoza@gadoe.org or Meghan Frick, GaDOE Communications Office, (404) 656-5594, mfrick@doe.k12.ga.us
INTERESTED STUDENTS: Ron Culver: rculver@doe.k12.ga.us
January 5, 2015 — State School Superintendent-elect Richard Woods is accepting applications for the 2015 Student Advisory Council.
The members of the Student Advisory Council meet three times during the school year with the State School Superintendent to discuss how decisions made at the state level are affecting students throughout Georgia. Members are advisers and act as liaisons between the Department of Education and the students of Georgia. Superintendent-elect Woods will be conducting the meetings, which will also feature various DOE personnel providing further information.
“Meeting with students and getting their advice will be a top priority of mine as State School Superintendent,” said Superintendent-elect Woods. “I am committed to making decisions that are in the best interests of our students, and hearing from them directly is how I can ensure that happens.”
All students in grades 7-12 are eligible to apply. Meetings will be held in February, March and early May (dates are subject to change). Applicants should be able to attend all meetings.
To be eligible for the Council, applications must be received by Friday, January 16, 2014.
START:CODE adds game development class
START:CODE invites middle- and high-school students to learn how to make computer games with the tools used by the pros.
The Game Maker lab, led by a local game developer, will introduce students to GameMaker Studio, the coding platform used by professional developers to create games for Android, iOS, PC, Mac and XBOX.
The lab will meet Monday evenings for six weeks, beginning January 12, 2015, at the START:CODE location in Toco Hill / Decatur.
(And by the way, if you’re curious about modern computer coding, START:CODE offers entry-level adult classes, too.)
Gwinnett Symphony Youth Orchestra seeks young musicians
The Gwinnett Symphony Youth Orchestra
will begin rehearsals next Tuesday, Jan. 13, 2015, at Creekland Middle School in Lawrenceville.
Wind, brass, string and percussion musicians who are 18 or under are invited to apply to join the orchestra.
The youth orchestra is led by conductor Dr. Gregory Pritchard, and plays alongside adult musicians in the symphony’s masterworks concerts.
See FIRST LEGO League in action
If you’ve ever wondered what FIRST LEGO League teams do, or whether the program might be a good fit for your child, take them with you to see the top Georgia FIRST LEGO League teams compete in super-regional tournaments this month. Dates and locations for the competitions are:
- Jan. 10: Clayton State University in Atlanta, Clark Creek Elementary in Acworth, and Columbus State University in Columbus
- Jan. 17: Creekland Middle School in Lawrenceville, Athens Academy in Athens
- Jan. 24: Starbase Robins in Warner Robins
The teams, made up of students ages 9 to 14, have spent the fall working together to build working robots from a LEGO robotics kit.
Get $100 off technology camps — sale ends Monday
If you’re an early planner for summer, you can save $100 on technology camps at Emory presented by iD Tech.
The Emory iD Tech camps are open to kids ages 7 to 17. Topics include coding, game design, app development, robotics, photography, web design and more.
iD Tech also will offer Alexa Café, a STEM camp for girls ages 10 to 15, to be held at Georgia Tech.
The camps offer a low student-to-instructor ratio and lots of hands-on learning. Some programs — including the two-week teen academies at Emory — allow students to live on the college campus; others are day camps only.
The $100 discount is valid if you register and pay for a summer program by Monday, Dec. 15, 2015.
UGA now accepting 8th-11th graders for Duke TIP Scholar Weekends
The University of Georgia is now registering students for its Duke TIP Scholar Weekends being held on Feb. 28 to March 1 and April 18-19, 2015.
Scholar weekends are open to students in grades 8-11 who have either A) taken part in a talent search conducted by Duke TIP; or B) been identified as gifted by their school. This includes students taking accelerated, honors, Advanced Placement or IB classes.
Available topics for the weekends include oceanography, new media, robotics, international relations, and Shakespeare, just to name a few. The most popular classes will fill quickly.
Students stay on campus in the Georgia Center for Continuing Education during the weekend.
Limited financial aid may be available.
Gifted Atlanta 