Pleasantdale Middle School
7450 South Wolf Rd., Burr Ridge
Sunday afternoons, 2:00 - 4:30

Grades Prek - 10
February 20, 27, March 6, 13, 20
Tuition: $190.00

PreK and Kindergarten Courses - Students will enjoy the following three 50-minute courses every Sunday:



Goo, Gak, Slime: Explore slippery substances via elbow-deep, sometimes silly, but extremely scientific hands-on chemistry experiments.
How to Measure an Elephant: Discover the math, science, and fun of calculating sizes, shapes, and volumes.
Where the Wild Things Are: Imagine, discover, and dramatize! Create your own astonishing stories and wild characters.

1st - 8th Grade Courses (as indicated) *Students in 5th - 8th grades have the option of enrolling in either two 75-minute courses or a two and a half hour workshop. Students enrolling in two 75 minute courses choose from the following:

Creative Writing: Could posters, paintings, films, and books inspire you to write stories and poetry? Be published in our magazine. Grades 2-8
Geometric Design and Construction: Create Escherian designs and kaleidoscopic visuals. Build various polyhedra. Grades 1-6
LEGO Robotics I: Engineer and program robots to solve challenges using gears, sensors, motors and computers. ($10 lab fee) Grades 3-8
LEGO Robotics II: Work with other advanced LEGO Robotics students to strategize, design, program, and race your robots. ($10 lab fee) Grades 3-8
Kitchen Wizards: Discover the magic of science using ingredients readily found in a kitchen. Explore tricks for changing states of matter. Create secret concoctions. Grades 1-2
Can't Judge a Powder by Its Color: A Leprechaun has mixed up your white powders in the lab! How can you identify them? Grades 3-4
Advanced Chemical Conjurings: Explore chemistry through discrepant events. Challenge common sense and discover "Aha!" moments through hands-on experiments. Grades 5-8
Insects and Other Arthropods: How do termites eat wood? What environment do darkling beetles prefer? How much weight can a cockroach pull? Grades 1-8
Computer Games Lab: Explore different design options as you program in Scratch to create your own computer games. Grades 3-8
Chess Club: Investigate openings, end games, and strategies. All chess enthusiasts welcome! Grades 1-6
Chinese Adventure: Discover Chinese language, characters, culture and cuisine through creative, hands-on activities. Grades 1-5
Art Time Machine: Travel through time to discover the styles of famous artists. Try out their techniques to create masterpieces of your own. Grades 1-8
Making Visible the Invisible: How do mimes make you “see” the invisible? Learn mime techniques and performance from a professional. Grades 2-8

5th - 10th Grade Workshops - Students enrolling in a two and a half hour workshop choose from the following:*

Robotics I: Construct a siren as you learn to solder and to decipher technical instructions and diagrams. Build Scooter, a sound-activated robot. ($40 lab fee)
Robotics II: Build Scrambler, an all-terrain robot; Blinky, with an infrared tracking beam; Copycat, programmable for direction, light, and sound; or Digital Dice. ($60 lab fee)
Historic Games of Strategy and Diplomacy: Re-enact history through games of strategy. Invade Britannia, lay iron track as an Empire Builder, expand empires through 4000 years of History of the World,or fight World War II in Axis and Allies.

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Program Structure / Application / Placement

The winter and spring 2011 Worlds of Wisdom and Wonder programs meet on Sunday afternoons for five consecutive weeks, each. Program hours for all students at all locations are 2:00 to 4:30.

Most students choose their own classes from a variety of exciting topics (see course descriptions). The development of problem-solving skills and creativity is inherent in the framework for all courses. Projects and activities evoke active, hands-on participation.

For our Burr Ridge program, students in pre-kindergarten and kindergarten enroll in PK/K Forum, consisting of three courses, each of which meets for about 50 minutes each Sunday. Students in 1st-8th grades enroll in two courses, each of which meets for about 75 minutes each Sunday. Students in 5th-10th grades enroll in a single workshop, which meets for the entire 2½ hours. Students in 5th - 8th grades may choose either format.

Applications are accepted online, by mail, and in person. To apply online, click the link above. To apply by mail, download the application form or use the one on our brochure, complete all items, and send it with the required full tuition payment to: The Center for Gifted, Box 364, Wilmette, IL 60091. Enrollment remains open until the program begins.

Parents are notified of enrollment status within two weeks after we receive their complete applications. Applications from new students are not complete until we also receive their teacher recommendations, which may be sent separately.

Students who are accepted are placed in classes on a rolling basis, per dates of their applications. A week or two before the program begins, parents receive enrollment packets with individual class assignments, maps, directions, and information about our on-site parent seminars.

Notifications (enrollment status, course placement, and others) are emailed to parents from [email protected]. Please enable your email programs to allow emails from this address. If you do not receive notices from us in due course, please telephone us at 847-901-0173. Families who do not provide email addresses will receive all information by USPS mail.

Tuition / Fees / Refunds

Tuition is $190 for the entire five-Sunday program. It is due in full with application. We accept payment by check, money order, credit card, and cash. Make checks and money orders payable to The Center for Gifted.

Tuition includes a $30 non-refundable application fee. Lab fees (see course descriptions) are due on or before the first day of the program; online applicants are required to pay them with tuition.

If a student withdraws from the program before it begins, a refund will be issued for tuition and lab fees paid minus the $30 non-refundable application fee. There are no credits or refunds for withdrawing or enrolling after a program begins, or for absences or late or partial enrollments for any reason. There are no sibling discounts.

Financial Assistance

Financial assistance is available based on need. Please contact The Center for Gifted for more information.

Parent Seminars

Parent education is a unique focal point and purpose of The Center for Gifted. During all programs, we offer seminars designed for parents of gifted children. They focus on effective parenting; on differentiation, acceleration, creativity, and the educating of gifted children as they face challenges at school and at home. Specific information about our winter and spring seminar topics and speakers will be included in enrollment packets and posted on our website. Please join us!


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Additional Winter/Spring 2011 Opportunities

Elmhurst | Oak Forest | River Forest | Wheeling