Dear Prospective Parents and Community Members,
I know I am not alone in welcoming spring to Atlanta! As nature goes about its busy spring business, the team at MIS is similarly engaged in building and planning for our inaugural year. Before a couple of updates, I'd love to thank the community and a few very dedicated individuals who are making the MIS vision come alive for a number of students who may not otherwise have been able to attend. While I have been quite focused on curriculum and strategic planning, teacher recruiting, facility work, and admissions processes, other committed volunteers have taken the initiative to secure six scholarship sponsors for students in the upper grades. This supplements our internal budget for financial assistance, and these scholarships are renewable through a recipient's tenure at MIS. Candidates should complete the MIS application process, be admitted to the school, and then fill out the financial assistance application to apply.
Summer Camps Available
Midtown International School is offering 4 weeks of camps this summer for students entering 1st-5th grades.
July 8-12 Garden Greens
Participants explore the science of horticulture, with emphasis on problem-solving in the natural world, experimenting with the effects of a variety of growing methods, and keeping detailed lab and field journals documenting their research and findings.
July 15-19 Energy in Crisis
Working in teams, participants power through a global energy crisis. Academic focus includes mastery of a number of research tools, collaborative problem-solving, and development of a quality presentation.
July 22-26 STEM from Creativity
Divergent thinking brings knowledge and skills from disparate subjects together to form a creatively new solution. Participants are faced with real challenges that only a unique solution from science, technology, engineering, and math can solve.
July 29-Aug 2 Innovation in the Arts
Visual arts integration in a number of subject areas creates a conduit for thinking and learning about all subjects in new ways. Participants read, reflect, compose, and create masterpieces using their studies of history and science as a guide.
To learn more or register for camp, visit our Summer Camps page.
Kindergarten Classrooms
When we planned our 2013-2014 school year, we projected one classroom per grade level for the school year. Due to the overwhelming number of qualified kindergarten applicants, we are opening a second classroom for the 2013-2014 year. As we follow a rolling admissions policy for all applications after March 1st, all additional applications will be reviewed in the order they are received. All classes have no more than 12 students.
Conference Highlights
This week four of us attended the Georgia Association for Gifted Children Conference, specifically themed on integrating STEM into a model such as ours. I'm energized by the idea that we have the systems and faculty in place to implement these best practices, and especially enjoyed the focus on using science, math, engineering, and technology to close the gap between opportunity and potential for our high-achieving students.
In February, I and two of our faculty members attended the Learning & the Brain Conference in San Francisco, and had the opportunity to collaborate with neuroscientists, researchers, and 1500 educators from around the world. We were thrilled that the keynotes confirmed our commitment to new learning models for innovation and creativity. Our strategies and curriculum are not only reflecting current research, but are uniquely bringing this new knowledge into the realm of practice. I was honored to get resumes from individuals from all over the country, with whole-hearted appeals to please come bring this model to their areas. What a great sign that is for the future of education! Trustees, Faculty, and Renovations
I mentioned in the last update that the trustees would be selected and would be working through the strategic planning and budget review. We will shortly be updating our website with information about our trustees and publishing our strategic plan.
Faculty selection is nearing completion as well! The final panel interviews are wrapping up, and it has been an energizing yet challenging couple of months as I have had the opportunity to interview hundreds of the best teachers from around the world. Thank goodness for video conferencing! The outpouring of interest in our school signals a paradigm shift at the grassroots level in education, which, of course, I am thrilled to see.
The renovations will commence as I finish these final interviews. Our fantastically patient builders are giving me a bit of extra time in my temporary office!
As always, our website is a great place for more detailed information about Midtown International School and news on where we are on the path to the first day of school.
I know I am not alone in welcoming spring to Atlanta! As nature goes about its busy spring business, the team at MIS is similarly engaged in building and planning for our inaugural year. Before a couple of updates, I'd love to thank the community and a few very dedicated individuals who are making the MIS vision come alive for a number of students who may not otherwise have been able to attend. While I have been quite focused on curriculum and strategic planning, teacher recruiting, facility work, and admissions processes, other committed volunteers have taken the initiative to secure six scholarship sponsors for students in the upper grades. This supplements our internal budget for financial assistance, and these scholarships are renewable through a recipient's tenure at MIS. Candidates should complete the MIS application process, be admitted to the school, and then fill out the financial assistance application to apply.
Summer Camps Available
Midtown International School is offering 4 weeks of camps this summer for students entering 1st-5th grades.
July 8-12 Garden Greens
Participants explore the science of horticulture, with emphasis on problem-solving in the natural world, experimenting with the effects of a variety of growing methods, and keeping detailed lab and field journals documenting their research and findings.
July 15-19 Energy in Crisis
Working in teams, participants power through a global energy crisis. Academic focus includes mastery of a number of research tools, collaborative problem-solving, and development of a quality presentation.
July 22-26 STEM from Creativity
Divergent thinking brings knowledge and skills from disparate subjects together to form a creatively new solution. Participants are faced with real challenges that only a unique solution from science, technology, engineering, and math can solve.
July 29-Aug 2 Innovation in the Arts
Visual arts integration in a number of subject areas creates a conduit for thinking and learning about all subjects in new ways. Participants read, reflect, compose, and create masterpieces using their studies of history and science as a guide.
To learn more or register for camp, visit our Summer Camps page.
Kindergarten Classrooms
When we planned our 2013-2014 school year, we projected one classroom per grade level for the school year. Due to the overwhelming number of qualified kindergarten applicants, we are opening a second classroom for the 2013-2014 year. As we follow a rolling admissions policy for all applications after March 1st, all additional applications will be reviewed in the order they are received. All classes have no more than 12 students.
Conference Highlights
This week four of us attended the Georgia Association for Gifted Children Conference, specifically themed on integrating STEM into a model such as ours. I'm energized by the idea that we have the systems and faculty in place to implement these best practices, and especially enjoyed the focus on using science, math, engineering, and technology to close the gap between opportunity and potential for our high-achieving students.
In February, I and two of our faculty members attended the Learning & the Brain Conference in San Francisco, and had the opportunity to collaborate with neuroscientists, researchers, and 1500 educators from around the world. We were thrilled that the keynotes confirmed our commitment to new learning models for innovation and creativity. Our strategies and curriculum are not only reflecting current research, but are uniquely bringing this new knowledge into the realm of practice. I was honored to get resumes from individuals from all over the country, with whole-hearted appeals to please come bring this model to their areas. What a great sign that is for the future of education! Trustees, Faculty, and Renovations
I mentioned in the last update that the trustees would be selected and would be working through the strategic planning and budget review. We will shortly be updating our website with information about our trustees and publishing our strategic plan.
Faculty selection is nearing completion as well! The final panel interviews are wrapping up, and it has been an energizing yet challenging couple of months as I have had the opportunity to interview hundreds of the best teachers from around the world. Thank goodness for video conferencing! The outpouring of interest in our school signals a paradigm shift at the grassroots level in education, which, of course, I am thrilled to see.
The renovations will commence as I finish these final interviews. Our fantastically patient builders are giving me a bit of extra time in my temporary office!
As always, our website is a great place for more detailed information about Midtown International School and news on where we are on the path to the first day of school.
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