Program Structure
Project 2011 meets on weekdays for three weeks. Students may enroll in either the Morning Program or the Full-Day Program. On the evening of the final day, August 5, students and faculty present an Open House for parents, featuring student performances and classroom exhibits and activities.
Morning Program:
For all students, mornings consist of two classes, chosen by the students themselves. On some mornings, students and faculty also assemble for Colloquium, an informal gathering of students and faculty, which may include class performances, guest presentations, or fiercely competitive trivia bowls.
Full-Day Program:
The afternoon component of the Full-Day Program provides in-depth, hands-on exploration of a single theme of the student's choice. This immersion into a topic affords each student the privilege of mastering its content.
After their morning classes, full-day students go to the cafeteria for lunch, then begin their workshops at 12:30. They bring their own sack lunches, including drinks.
Eligibility Requirements
All Applicants: Students must be entering 6th-12th grades in fall 2011. Bright, motivated young people from any city or educational setting, whether public, private, parochial, or home school, are eligible. Applicants need not be enrolled in school gifted programs. Achievement test scores of most Center for Gifted students rank at or above the 95th percentile in some areas.
New Students: Any applicant who never has attended a program of The Center for Gifted must submit a letter of recommendation from an educator. This letter should speak directly to the student's individual academic, intellectual and/or creative talent and performance. It may be sent with application or separately.
Returning Students: Applicants who have attended programs of The Center for Gifted are eligible upon our timely receipt of their applications and do not require teacher recommendation letters.
We sensitively consider exceptions. Parents may request a conference with the Director regarding their child's particular circumstances.
Application
Applications are accepted online (beginning March 1), by mail, and in person.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 to: The Center for Gifted, Box 364, Wilmette, IL 60091. There are no application deadlines; enrollment remains open until the program begins.
Parents are notified of enrollment status when we have received their complete applications. Applications from new students are not complete until we also receive their teacher recommendation letters (see eligibility requirements, above).
Placement / Notices
Students are placed in classes on a rolling basis, per dates of their applications. They are generally placed in classes with their age peers, with no more than three grade levels in any one classroom. Exceptions are made based on course content, presentation, and student readiness.
A week or two before the program begins, parents receive email notification of individual class assignments, links to maps and directions, and information about our on-site parent seminars. Families of students enrolled should enable their email programs to allow emails from [email protected] and telephone us if they do not receive email notices from us in due course. Families who do not provide email addresses will receive all information by USPS mail.
Transportation
Shuttle service is available for all locations listed below for morning arrival on campus and for 3:00 departure. 12:00 p.m. shuttle departures are offered for Chicago and Evanston, and will be considered for the other locations if enough students request them.
- Buffalo Grove: Cooper Middle School, 1050 Plum Grove Circle
- Chicago:
- 95th and State;
- Washington and Michigan
- Western and Milwaukee
- Western and Irving Park
- Western and Devon
- Western and Howard
- Evanston: Union Pacific North Line Metra Station and CTA Purple Line Station, both at Main Street
- Morton Grove: Milwaukee North Line Metra Station
- Park Ridge: Union Pacific Northwest Line Metra Station
Visit www.metrarail.com and www.transitchicago.com for schedules and station information.
The fee for our bus service is $95 round trip or $50 one way for the entire three weeks, regardless of how many days the student plans to ride, and must be paid by July 5.
Carpooling: If you would like us to share your contact information with families interested in carpooling, check the appropriate blank on your application. After May 1, you may then telephone us for contact information on other families who are interested.
Tuition / Fees / Refunds
Tuition is $525 for the Morning Program only and $840 for the Full-Day Program. A deposit of $150 is required with application and will be credited to tuition. The balance of tuition and fees is due by July 5. We accept payment by check, money order, credit card, and cash. Please make checks and money orders payable to The Center for Gifted.
A non-refundable application fee of $50 is included in the deposit. Transportation fees (see above) are due by July 5. Lab fees (see course descriptions) are not incurred until classes are assigned and will be payable on or before the first day of classes. Applications sent three weeks or less before program start dates must include full tuition.
If a student withdraws before the program begins, tuition and fees paid, (minus the $50 non-refundable application fee) are refunded. There are no credits or refunds for withdrawing after the program begins, for absences for any reason, or for late or partial enrollments. There are no sibling discounts.
Students whose summer 2011 applications with full required deposits are received by The Center for Gifted after June 1, 2011 will receive a 5% tuition discount for the programs chosen on their applications.
Financial Assistance
The Center for Gifted will consider scholarship assistance for families who can demonstrate financial need. In order to extend the opportunity to as many students as possible, scholarships will be awarded only for the Morning Program. Please contact us at 847-901-0173 or [email protected] for a financial assistance form.