TEC Camp at Georgia Tech is hands-on science just for girls
Girls who love science can sometimes feel pushed aside by the boys who dominate the field, both in school and in the professional world. But that’s not the case at TEC Camp, a one-week summer experience at Georgia Tech for middle-school girls only.
Girls will take classes in robotics, chemical engineering, web design and more, taught by Georgia Tech faculty and specialists. TEC campers also meet professional women who work in science and technology careers.
TEC Camp will be held June 18-22, 2012, on the Georgia Tech campus. The application process is competitive, with only 40 girls to be chosen based on their academic records and a personal essay.
Applications are available now. The camp’s web page doesn’t give a deadline to apply, but says applicant decisions will be made by April 20, so I’m thinking it’s best to get your application in by early April.
Ever wondered about Odyssey of the Mind? See it in action this Saturday.
A couple of years ago, when I first became interested in starting an Odyssey of the Mind team at my kids’ school, the best advice I got was to go see a competition. It was a day well-spent. You can read the OotM materials to try to understand what the program is like, but phrases like “team members apply their creativity to solve problems” and “teams present solutions” don’t really provide a clear picture of the nuts and bolts.
This Saturday, you can come watch as more than 100 teams, from kindergarten kids to high-school students, compete in the regional Odyssey of the Mind tournament at Parkview High School in Lilburn. You’ll see the structures they’ve built, and the plays they’ve created. You’ll also see how excited the kids are and what a great vibe there is, as the judges and parents and competitors all salute the kids’ efforts. It is an amazing thing to see these kids in their element.
For a complete schedule of this Saturday’s tournament, visit the Georgia Odyssey of the Mind web site.
Scholarship for summer programs
The National Society for the Gifted and Talented is accepting applications for its Board of Trustees Scholarship. This highly competitive scholarship is merit based, not need based, and can be used for summer programs or activities. That could include summer camps or classes, or independent projects. The requirement is that the activity must “further the goals of gifted education,” encouraging thinking skills and independent work.
The downloadable application is due April 1, 2012.
UGA Summer Academy camps for kids 11 and up
The University of Georgia is now accepting applications for Summer Academy, a collection of camp experiences in topics ranging from game design to mini medical school. Other topics include engineering, robotics, public speaking, cartooning, digital photography and lots more.
Students can enroll in Summer Academy camps as day campers, if you live close enough to Athens to commute. Or if you prefer to have your child get a taste of campus life, most Summer Academy sessions are available as overnight camps.
Early bird discount applies if you register before March 23, 2012.
DeKalb sets dates for 2012 Serendipity summer program
Information has been updated. See the latest post on 2012 Serendipity camp.
At a meeting this week with the heads of gifted programming of DeKalb, the dates for the 2012 Serendipity summer program were revealed:
- June 4-8, 2012 for rising 2nd-4th graders
- June 11-15, 2012 for rising 5th-7th graders
Serendipity camp is open to children who participated in the gifted program at a DeKalb County public school during the 2011-12 school year. In the past, there’s been no information online about the program. If you have a student in DeKalb’s gifted programs, you should receive a flyer from the school with more details. If history provides any clues, the information will probably be distributed in April.
You can expect the cost to be around $100.
I will let you know as soon as the information becomes generally available.
Open enrollment for school choice in DeKalb begins Monday
It’s school choice season in the DeKalb County School District (the new name of the former DeKalb County School System). That means you need to register now to get your child into the lottery for magnet and theme schools, including DeKalb’s magnet schools for high achievers.
Dozens of elementary, middle and high schools are part of DeKalb’s school choice program. New for the 2012-13 school year are International Baccalaureate (IB) programs at Salem and Tucker middle schools. There’s also a new start-up charter school, DeKalb Preparatory Academy, which is so new there’s hardly any information about it. DeKalb’s school choice page connects you to a full list of the schools you can consider. Officials said the school choice catalog would be online today.
To enter the lottery, you’ll need to register on the school choice portal. Open enrollment is from March 12-30, but you can go ahead and set up your portal account now, as it takes a couple of business days to get your account authorized. School choice administrators, who met with parents on Wednesday, advised that you may see some error messages when you complete the online form, but as long as you see the status listed as “eligible,” everything is OK.
Parents need to understand that just because a school is listed in the school choice lottery system doesn’t mean there will actually be spaces open in that school for the 2012-13 year. Seats are always made available first to students living in the school’s attendance zone, if it has one. Only if the school is below capacity will seats be opened for school choice students.
Also note that DeKalb School of the Arts (the high school) does not conduct its admissions process through the online portal. You can obtain an application for the school online or at your home school. Deadline to apply is March 23.
Current 7th graders can apply for scholarship that will pay high-school tuition
Parents of exceptional 7th graders: If you’re evaluating your high school options, consider applying for a scholarship that could pay tuition for the kind of school your gifted child needs.
The Caroline D. Bradley Scholarship is a program of the Institute for Educational Advancement, aimed at helping elite students get the most out of their high-school experience.
Students who are selected as CDB Scholars are notified in the fall of their 8th grade year. Then, the organization provides guidance in applying to high schools that would help the scholars realize their intellectual potential. Finally, IEA pays for tuition for all four years of high school.
The application, which is rather involved, must be submitted by May 14, 2012. In order to be considered for this scholarship, a student must take the SAT. The last SAT date for this year is May 5, and you must register for that testing date by April 6.
Teen writers workshop at Sandy Springs library
The Sandy Springs branch of the Atlanta-Fulton County Public Library System will host a teen writer’s workshop this Saturday, March 10, from 12:30 – 2 p.m. Middle-school and high-school students who write in any literary form, from short stories to poetry and everything in between. The workshop is free and open to the public.
Director of DeKalb gifted to speak Wednesday morning
Pat Copeland, director of DeKalb County Schools’ gifted and theme programs, will speak at the Dunwoody-Chamblee Parents Council meeting this Wednesday, March 7, at Huntley Hills Elementary School, at 9:15 a.m. The topic is the county magnet and theme program, so I can’t say how much of her talk will focus on gifted students, per se, but if you’ve ever wanted to meet and hear from Ms. Copeland in person, this is one chance to do so.
The next 10 days at Tellus: fossils, rocketbuilding
Tellus Museum in Cartersville has two hands-on workshops coming up:
Saturday, March 3: Fossil workshop, 9 a.m. to noon. Kids will learn the basics of paleontology, identifying fossils, and telling geologic time.
Saturday, March 10: “Build and blast” model rocket build and launch, starting at 11 a.m. (This was rescheduled from February, so you won’t find it on the Tellus calendar, but I did call and confirm the date.)
Both workshops are open to ages 8 and up. Kids must be accompanied by an adult, and both child and adult must pay museum admission.
Space is limited. Call (770) 606-5700, ext. 417 to make your pre-paid reservation.
Gifted Atlanta 