Here is the latest issue of The Avid Learner, an online newsletter of Avid Academy for Gifted Youth.

Table of Content

1. FREE AMC 8 and MOEMS Contests
2. Avid Academy Launches Physics Olympiads Training Program
3. Author and MATHCOUNTS Coach Mathew Crawford Joins Avid Academy Coaching Staff
4. The Ten Schools Admission Event in Irvine - Info on Nation's Top Boarding Schools
5. CTY Orange County Reunion: Former Harvard Admissions Officer on High School Courses and Selective College Admissions
6. CTY Talent Search 2007 Information Meeting
7. Emerging Trends in College Admissions

1. FREE AMC 8 and MOEMS Contests

Orange County Math Circle, sponsored by Art of Problem Solving Foundation and Avid Academy for Gifted Youth, will provide FREE AMC 8 and MOEMS contests to all eligible students in Orange County.  To register, a student must come from a school that is NOT an official participant of the AMC 8 or MOEMS program.

• AMC 8 is a 25-questions middle school competition for students in grade 6 - 8.
• Math Olympiad for Elementary and Middle Schools (MOEMS) is a five-round monthly competition for students in grades 4 - 6 (Division E) and grades 7 - 8 (Division M).

The registration deadline is October 20, 2006 for both events.  Please download the forms from www.AvidAcademy.com.

2. Physics Olympiad Training Program

Avid Academy for Gifted Youth formally launches its Physics Olympiad Training Programs.  Starting November 2006, the program prepares students to participate in the United States Physics Olympiad selection exams, U.S. Physics Bowl Competition, SAT II Physics, and AP Physics Exams.  To learn more about this program, follow this link: Avid Academy Physics Olympiad Training Program.

3. Mr. Crawford Joins Avid Academy Coaching Staff

Mr. Mathew Crawford joins Avid Academy coaching staff effective September 30, 2006.  Mr. Crawford will offer selective lectures and training sessions to Avid Academy Math Olympians. 

Mr. Crawford received perfect scores at National MATHCOUNTS, AHSME (AMC 12), and AIME.  He was invited to the prestigious Math Olympiad Summer Program three times.  He is the author of Introduction to Number Theory, an influential math problem solving textbook.  For the past three years, he had been an online instructor on MATHCOUNTS, AMC 10, and Number Theory at Art of Problem Solving, Inc.  He is also the coach of the San Diego ARML team.

The information session is designed to address the many questions prospective families have regarding boarding schools including academic opportunities, residential life, curricular programs and affordability.  No registration is required.

Whether you are interested in sending your gifted child to east coast boarding schools, this is an eye-opening events for you to learn about the nations top boarding schools in a single event.  It is an option worth exploring if you are seeking world-class educational opportunities for your gifted child.

Monday, October 16, 2006 from 7:00 - 8:30 PM: Hyatt Regency, Irvine

Tuesday, October 17, 2006 from 7:00 - 8:30 PM: Marriott Marina del Rey.

For more information and a list of the schools represented, follow this link: The Ten Schools Admission Event.

Mrs. Beth Heaney, former Harvard Senior Admissions Officer, will discuss courses to take in high school to be competitive for selective college admissions at CTY Reunion.

The event will be held at Sage Hills, Irvine on Sunday, October 6 from 4:00 - 6:00 PM.

Avid Academy community members are invited to this event even they are not yet accepted into CTY programs.  To RSVP, follow the instruction on this event page: CTY Orange County Reunion.

Parents and their talented GATE students are invited to attend the Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth CTY Talent Search 2007 Information Meeting.  For over 25 years, the CTY Talent Search has offered services to help our nation's top students excel. 

The CTY Talent Search is open to students who have scored in the 95th percentile or higher on the CAT, ERB, or other nationally-normed test.

Date & Time: November 4, 4:30 - 6:00 PM

Location: Room LA123, Concordia University, Irvine

For more information and RSVP: CTY Talent Search 2007.

There are several trends emerging regarding college admissions:

1. Spellings Commission on High Education: Margaret Spellings, U.S. Secretary of Education, formed a bipartisan Commission on the Future of Higher Education to address the issues on college accessibility, affordability and accountability.  Here is what she had to say about the shocking findings of the Commission: Let's really throw open doors to higher education.
2. Elimination of Early Admission Programs: Harvard University announced that it will eliminate early admission in 2008. "The college admissions process has become too pressured, too complex, and too vulnerable to public cynicism," said Harvard interim President Derek Bok. "We hope that doing away with early admission will improve the process and make it simpler and fairer.  Princeton University also eliminated its early admission program two weeks later.
3. Change Admission Emphasis: Marilee Jones, MIT Dean of Admission, has made a number of significant changes in MIT admission policies and wants to make SAT optional.
4. Sharp Decline in Average SAT Scores: SAT Report reveals sharp decline in average scores and test takers.  Math and reading scores plummeted by 7 points overall.  48% of the 3 million seniors took the SAT exams.