May 2008

In this issue:

• SIG Application Deadline Extended to May 15th
• A Reflection: May Teacher Appreciation Day
• What’s New with You?
• From the President’s Desk
• Parent Quote
• Amherst Campus Highlight
• Puzzle Corner
• Renzulli Learning System
• Order Your 2008 Catalog
• SENG Conference to be Held in July
• Nicholas Green Distinguished Student Award
• Spread the News
• SIG Quick Links

The deadline for SIG applications for the summer of 2008 has been extended to May 15th! Apply today to secure your spot.

Click here to apply now! https://webapps.aifs.com/sigonline/Login.aspx

By Susan Superson, Academic Program Supervisor

As I look back on a long career in the field of education, I remember one particularly touching letter I received from a former student. I had been his teacher in middle school, and he was now entering college. In his letter he spoke of the academic opportunities I had provided that led to real life application, but more important to him were the subtle lessons he learned that were not mandated by the state. He spoke of the value of teamwork and of leadership opportunities, and of gaining confidence, and the opportunity to forge life-long friendships in my classroom. He spoke about the gift of humor and learning not to take himself so seriously that it hindered his risk-taking. He told me that by my being his advocate, he learned to become his own self-advocate. And, he shared the academic and athletic successes he had accomplished.

I carry this letter in my wallet. It serves as a reminder that as educators, we have the awesome power of truly affecting the futures of our students, and that with this power comes great responsibility. It reminds me to give every day my best, because it does matter in so many ways.

At SIG, we take great pride in the partnership between teachers and students that exists during each session. We work each year to develop and foster it. We design curriculum that supports it.

Students, May is Teacher Appreciation Month. If you know a teacher who has been an inspiration, let him or her know. Express your gratitude for the time you’ve spent together. Teachers, put aside your worries about test scores and curriculum mandates for a day or two, and provide opportunities for students to ascribe meaning to their studies and to develop efficacy of self. It’s a partnership. The benefits are great.

By Madelyn Mattioli, who attended the Fairfield Day Program

My name is Madelyn and I’m 8 years old. I attended SIG for the first time last year and loved it.

Another thing I love is cooking! I got interested by watching my mom cook; then I started watching the Food Channel. I love all the parts of cooking, including measuring, mixing, stirring, baking and presenting what I make. For my birthday, my Nana took me to a couple of kitchen stores where I had lots of fun picking out new things. My kitchen collection now includes things like a spatula, junior rolling pin, melon baller, measuring cups, prep bowls, a filled-pancake pan, cutting board, and heart-shaped silicone muffin liners. My mom and I have made apple-filled pancakes, and even chocolate-filled ones!

I just started taking cooking classes. In the first class, we made something I never heard of – pierogies. They are like ravioli but filled with potatoes, onions, sour cream and cheese – yum! The next class was cool too, because we made waffles, half made with whole wheat, and the other half with regular flour. They were in fun shapes like a cow, a rooster, and a house. And the best part of cooking is I get to eat the things I create!

Are you a SIG Alum? Do you have something unique to share? Send it to ssuperson@giftedstudy.com and we may put it in our Newsletter.

Learn more about SIG Day Programs: www.giftedstudy.com/day/

Learn more about SIG Residential Programs: www.giftedstudy.com/residential/

A letter from Barbara Swicord, President of SIG:

People often ask me how I got involved in summer programs for gifted students, or simply how I came to SIG. It is a journey that began long, long ago—gets longer each year—when I was a junior in high school in middle Georgia. I was fortunate enough to be selected for the Georgia Governors’ Honors Program, which is a 6-week summer residential program, located then at Wesleyan College in Macon, GA. GHP brought 500 students from all over the state to live and learn together within their strength and interest areas. I felt extremely outmatched intellectually (a good thing), and it changed my life. I felt as if I had never learned how to think, until that summer. It opened up my mind, expanded my ability to understand and to question, introduced me to some very interesting people (I still keep up with my roommate), and provided great memories that I still remember and value. After that summer, I did not return to high school but entered Wesleyan as an early admissions student. At that point, I think I knew I wanted to help other people have the same kind of experience, and my interest in gifted education began.

Interestingly, several years later, as a young educator in Salt Lake City, another roommate and I started a non-profit organization for gifted education and created a small summer residential program at a local college there. I couldn’t get the idea of a summer program out of my life! As a teacher of the gifted later in New Jersey, I received information about SIG and passed it along to my students, and therefore became aware of this great opportunity.

Eventually I also was a parent of a child who qualified for a SIG experience. He attended a SIG program in New Jersey for two summers. He loved it so much that he later worked for SIG while he was a college student. But I digress, as parents often do when they start talking about their children.

Over the past thirty years, gifted education has continued to be a passion that began after my own summer experience at the GHP. I eventually joined SIG, where I can now focus full-time on providing similar experiences for young people today. Knowing how powerful and life-changing such experiences can be, it is not hard to understand why I still love working in the unique field of summer programs for gifted and talented students. It’s been a long journey that has always brought me back to what I love most.

Barbara Swicord
President, Summer Institute for the Gifted

“You folks are great to work with. My son got so much out of the Bryn Mawr program, not only in enjoyment, development of independence, and knowledge, but in self-confidence and awareness of people from different parts of the country and the world. They [his two sons] are totally excited about going this year.”

– David Verlander

Join us for SIG Amherst 2008, where the words of Emily Dickinson and the pictures of Eric Carleare are celebrated. Conduct research at the museums where they are honored. Be a part of a campus of over 1,000 acres that includes the Robert Frost Library and the Merrill Science Center. Study in the very rooms where 3 Nobel laureates, numerous Pulitzer Prize winners and a Chief Justice studied before you.

Surrounded by friendly neighborhoods and possessing professional campus security, Amherst provides SIG students with ivy-covered dorms within easy walking distance to classes. Enjoy meals with your fellow participants in the award-winning Valentine Dining Hall, which serves, among other things, the best strawberry muffins you will ever taste. Don’t forget to look up while dining and see the famous crewing scull hanging from the ceiling.

On Saturday Get-Away Days, travel to Boston to whale watch or ride the “Ducks,” or to Six Flags where the rollercoaster ride of your life awaits. When your family visits, go to Judi’s Restaurant to sample the biggest popovers you have ever seen, or shop in the nearby galleries and boutiques.

Amherst typifies the very essence of New England charm. Located in Massachusetts, the birthplace of our nation, Amherst upholds its commitment to education and community service. SIG is proud to partner with this prestigious college, and we extend a warm welcome to you to be a part of it all.

Find out more about SIG at Amherst : http://www.giftedstudy.com/residential/amherst/index.asp

May Puzzle

A car and a coach set off from the same point, at the same time, to travel the same journey. The car travels at 48 mph and the coach travels at 38 mph. If the car stops after 190 miles, how long will it take the coach to catch up?

Send your answer online at http://www.giftedstudy.com/newsletter/puzzlecorner.asp. First correct answer receives recognition in the next issue of The Gifted Student!

Last Month’s Puzzle

Replace each group of crosses with the same three-letter word. Words must be formed to fit the clues given.

A) _ _ _ _ _ X X X     PIMENTO
B) _ X X X _     CUBED
C) _ X X X _ _ _     GIVE PERMISSION

Answer: a) Allspice, b) Diced, c) License

Congratulations to Dominic from Somerville, NJ, for being the first to respond with the correct answer to last month’s puzzle!

Renzulli Learning is offering access to their online learning tool at a discount if you sign up through SIG. Renzulli Learning is a challenging, exciting, engaging online learning tool that is individualized and differentiated for each child. Call us at 866-303-4744 ext. 5519 for more information or log on to www.giftedstudy.com/renzulli to get started!

2008 program catalogs are available!

Our catalog features new courses, updated SIG programming, pictures from our 2007 season, application and more. Order your copy today!

Please contact Tara Sergo at (866) 303-4744 ext. 5159 or e-mail sig.info@giftedstudy.com to order your copy of the 2008 Summer Institute for the Gifted catalog.

SENG (Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted) is holding its 25th "Silver Anniversary" Conference from July 18-20, 2008, in Salt Lake City, Utah. For more information about SENG’s Reaching Attitudes & Altitudes conference, click on the following link: http://www.sengifted.org/images/Conference%202008/Flyer.pdf

The National Association for Gifted Children (NAGC) is accepting applications for the Nicholas Green Distinguished Student Award. The award recognizes students in grades 3 through 6 who demonstrate achievement in academics, leadership, or the arts. Winners receive a $500 U.S. savings bond and an NAGC Certificate of Excellence. The application deadline is June 1, 2008.  For more information visit NAGC at http://www.nagc.org/index.aspx?id=558

If you are excited about what you have seen in The Gifted Student newsletter, please share it with your friends. Or send us their names and e-mail addresses, and we'll put them on our e-mail list. Write to Tara Sergo at tsergo@giftedstudy.com with “The Gifted Student” in the subject line to subscribe.

Apply Online https://remote.aifs.com/sigapp/
Online Newsletter http://www.giftedstudy.com/newsletter/index.asp
Accepted Students Login http://www.giftedstudy.com/login.asp
Contact SIG http://www.giftedstudy.com/contact_us.asp
Request a Catalog http://www.giftedstudy.com/brochure.asp

Other AIFS Programs:

The Summer Institute for the Gifted is a unique and prestigious three-week residential or day, co-educational, summer program for academically talented students in grades kindergarten through eleven. SIG is a program of the American Institute For Foreign Study. AIFS offers premier college and high school study abroad programs, Au Pair in America childcare, as well foreign work programs. Visit us at http://www.aifs.com.

High school students from many countries study in the U.S. with Academic Year in America. Our College Division organizes study abroad for U.S. students at 18 campuses abroad including Richmond, the American International University in London. The Au Pair in America program enables American families to host international young people, who assist with childcare and share their culture. Study/travel programs for high school students are offered through the Summer Advantage program. Camp America and Resort America bring young international visitors to the U.S. to serve as camp counselors and support staff during the summer.