- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

SLUFY celebrates 40th anniversary��

Janea Snyder — Thu, 18 Jul 2019 13:10:17 +0000

The gifted and talented kids attending ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Summer Laureate University for Youth (SLUFY) are doing the cool things they don’t get to do in a typical school classroom. They’ve designed roller coasters and mixed potions. They’ve built caves, launched rockets, solved mysteries, broken codes, created art, and even cracked a few eggs in their quest to design a safe car. And while they’re having lots of fun, they’ve also learned a thing or two.�� Analyzing the aerodynamics of flying brooms? That requires physics. Mixing potions? That’s chemistry. This is the 40th anniversary for SLUFY, the state’s longest continuously running summer program for gifted and talented youth in the state. It started in 1979 as a master’s project and has continued to grow. “The individuals who envisioned Summer Laureate 40 years ago continue to inspire us,” said�� Dr. Ann Robinson, director of the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, which hosts SLUFY. “The dedicated teachers and staff who have maintained the program’s innovation and excellence deserve a victory lap this year. It is a story of creative collaboration between ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and the community.”�� Most of the courses are built around science, technology, engineering, and math – the STEM disciplines – or STEAM, which is STEM with art added into the mix. The two-week program ends July 19, when parents come to campus to see what their kids have been learning. SLUFY classes are taught by professionals who are masters-level graduates, master teachers, and National Board certified teachers. Teachers receive training and ongoing support from the staff and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Gifted Education professors to meet the needs of high-ability students. More than 300 K-8 students are taking part in this year’s 20-plus course offerings. Young Harry Potter fans were especially happy about two new offerings: “Advanced Charms, Potions, and Other Amazements” for third- and fourth-graders and “Mystical Magical World” for fifth- and sixth-graders.�� Brigette Pullet, who teaches K-4 students in Malvern’s Gifted and Talented program, is leading this year’s geology-based “Cave” class. Her students have learned how caves are formed, how to identify types or rocks, and how acids and bases react. Across the hall, an all-boys class experimented with stomp rockets in Lift-Off, taught by Reyes Lovins, who teaches gifted and talented students in the North Little Rock School District.�� The week started with team-building exercise in which groups competed to build the tallest marshmallow tower using dry spaghetti noodles, tape, string, and one marshmallow. The tallest tower measured 19.5 inches tall.�� “They learn to work in teams to brainstorm better ways to construct and stabilize their tower,” Lovins said. Later in the week, the children built rockets out of various materials and launched them down the hallway. Lovins taught the students how to change a single variable – such as the width or length of the rocket or type of material used – to propel their rockets farther down the hall. Little Rock student Lois Hockstra said she doesn’t much like real roller coasters, but she loves designing them in Roller Coaster Mania, taught by Nicole Rose, a teacher at Jefferson Elementary in Little Rock. The third- and fourth-graders in Rose’s class learned about stored energy and momentum before they designed roller coaster tracks using foam pool noodles cut in half lengthwise. Lois, along with Emery Considine from Baker Elementary and Ashlee Scruggins, an eStem student, tested their design using a marble as the coaster. In Karen Newburn’s “Be a Scientist” class, students had to apply scientific principles they learned to design and build egg cars. The egg represents a human passenger, and at the end of the week they will test their vehicles. The condition of their egg will determine the success of their design. Legos are always a favorite among students. Roberts Elementary School teacher Holly Jenkins incorporates construction and math principles into her Legos class to teach students how to solve practical problems. For example, students use area and perimeter to figure out how much fencing is needed to enclose a yard. An architect with Cromwell Architects Engineers of Little Rock also visited the class this week. The kids also have time each day to free build. In a matter of minutes, Daniel Whitsell, 10, of Little Rock had assembled a four-wheeled dune buggy, complete with lasers. ��“I can create almost anything with them,” he said. ��Photos: (top right) Third- and fourth-grade boys attending Summer Laureate University for Youth (SLUFY) launch stomp rockets in Ross Hall. (Above center) Students in Roller Coaster Mania at Summer Laureate University for Youth (SLUFY) use pool noodles to design a roller coaster track.�� (Above right) Elementary school students mix acids and bases while learning about caves at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Summer Laureate University for Youth. Photos by Benjamin Krain

SLUFY celebrates 40 years!

Janea Snyder — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 20:18:17 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Summer Laureate University for Youth (SLUFY) is gearing up for its 40th anniversary this year with a line-up of more than 30 courses for programs for students completing grades K-8. This year’s camp will run July 8-19 from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Course descriptions and registration are available online. “We believe Summer Laureate 2019 is going to be a summer program full of amazing learning experiences!” said Dr. Christine Deitz, associate director of the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education. Two of this summer’s new offerings will appeal to young Harry Potter fans: “Advanced Charms, Potions, and Other Amazements” for third- and fourth-graders, and “Mystical Magical World” for fifth- and sixth-graders. Younger students will test their STEM skills in potions, astronomy, mythical creatures, and physics. They’ll solve STEM challenges to create a marble maze that leads to hidden vaults at Gringotts, explore the beauty of Aragog’s web, and analyze the aerodynamics of flying brooms. Older students will learn botany, herbology and potions and try their hands at quizzical challenges, arithmancy, and unlocking numerology puzzles found throughout the Harry Potter book series. SLUFY is the state’s longest continuously running summer program for gifted and talented youth in the state. It started in 1979 as a master’s project and has continued to grow. The camp’s teachers include masters-level graduates, master teachers, and National Board certified teachers. Teachers receive training and ongoing support from the staff and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Gifted Education professors to meet the varying needs of high-ability students. “The individuals who envisioned Summer Laureate 40 years ago continue to inspire us,” said Dr. Ann Robinson, director of the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education. “The dedicated teachers and staff who have maintained the program’s innovation and excellence deserve a victory lap in 2019. Summer Laureate has enjoyed the support of the families for four decades. It is a story of creative collaboration between ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and the community.” Camp sizes are limited to 10 students per course at the kindergarten level and 15 students for students in grades 1-8 so that teachers can work effectively with each participant. The cost is $300 and is due by June 3 at 5 p.m. Payment can be made by in person with check or money order at the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Cashier’s Office on the first floor of Student Support Services or by phone with credit card by calling 501-569-8757. Payment also may be mailed to SLUFY, 2801 S. University Ave., S��Vlog��ý 101, Little Rock, AR 72204. �� SLUFY offers scholarships to families who cannot afford to send students to summer programs. In celebration of SLUFY’s 40th anniversary, the public is invited to enrich a child’s summer by donating $40 to the Martha Gaunt Bass Scholarship Fund. All donations go toward scholarships and continuing the legacy of summer learning programs for gifted and talented youth. �� The scholarships application��will be available March 1. Summer Laureate alumni also are invited to leave congratulatory messages or share their favorite SLUFY memories at the SLUFY Digital Memory Book. The following programs are being offered this summer. Complete course descriptions are Kindergarten

Creepy Crawlies (Science/Art)
SLUFY World Tour (History/ Language)
The Measure of Things (Math)

Grades 1-2

Chain Reaction (STEM)
Curious Creatures (Biology)
Enchanted Engineering (Engineering)
If I Built a House (STEAM)
Mysteries of the Deep (Oceanography)
Super Sleuth (STEM)
What’s Cooking (STEM)

Grades 3-4

Advanced Charms, Potions, and Other Amazements (STEM)
Be a Scientist! (General Science)
Caves: Earth’s Underground Treasures ��(Geology)
Code Breakers (Cryptography)
Finding Art, Everywhere (STEAM)
Leggo my Lego! (STEM)
Liftoff: Rockets and Rovers (Aerospace Engineering)
Marvelous Machines (Industrial Engineering)
Rollercoaster Mania (STEM)

Grades 5-6

Broadway Bound (Musical Theatre)
Doctor! Doctor! Give Me the News! (Medical Science)
Incognito (History/Literacy)
Mission to Mars (Science)
Mystical Magical World (Harry Potter)
On the Air (Broadcast Journalism)
Puzzles, Patterns, and Predictions (STEM)
Recycled Racers (STEM)

Grades 7-8

Break a Leg! (Musical Theatre)
Building Utopia (STEM)
You Call That Art? (Art)
Zine (The Voice) (Language Arts)

National Science Teachers Association shines spotlight on Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education

Janea Snyder — Fri, 30 Mar 2018 19:33:14 +0000

The Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock is the subject of a new short film featuring the center’s work in outreach programs to children and teachers.Each year the (NSTA) chooses a program to highlight at the conference, and this year, they chose ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education. The film debuted March 15 at the NSTA national conference in Atlanta, the largest science educators professional group in the U.S. The March conference reached 9,000 to 11,000 educators. Subsequently, the film will be distributed by NSTA-TV to the much larger membership. “We are thrilled for this kind of recognition for our work,” said Ann Robinson, professor and director of the Jodie Mahony Center and past president of the National Association for Gifted Children. “There are only about 20 centers in the U.S., and they picked ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.” The film tells the story of developing academic talents and meeting the needs of advanced learners in classrooms in the context of the center’s activities. One program in particular that drew interest was the center’s STEM Starters+ program, which investigates the effectiveness of creative and rigorous curricula with a focus on science and engineering and companion teacher professional development on spotting talent and serving children from low-income and ethnically diverse households. The program, funded by a five-year Research and Development Jacob K. Javits Grant from the U.S. Department of Education, operates in 23 elementary schools in the El Dorado, Pulaski County Special, North Little Rock and Little Rock School Districts. Students and teachers from Terry Elementary, one of the participating Little Rock schools, were featured in the film alongside Robinson; Dr. Christine Deitz, associate director of the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education; and Kristy Kidd, project director of STEM Starters+. In the film, Robinson shares the philosophy of the Jodie Mahony Center saying, “If they’re not challenged, in other words, if there is not an optimal match between what a child knows now and what they need to learn next, then you don’t get the opportunity for every child to learn something new every day.” This NSTA-TV film allows the center to share this vision and hope for fulfilling the academic needs of all children. STEM Starters+ is just one of the ways the Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education supports and advocates for gifted education. The other areas of service are professional development and graduate education for teachers and schools through online graduate programs and Advanced Placement Summer Institutes for teachers; programs for talented youth such as Summer Laureate University for Youth; curriculum development through the Blueprints for Biography series; and research on talent development.

Registration open for gifted and talented youth summer SLUFY program

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 14:54:04 +0000

The Summer Laureate University for Youth (SLUFY) program is accepting applications for this year’s educational event for high-ability students in kindergarten through eighth grade.�� This summer’s programming is set to run 12:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. daily from July 9-20. Now in its 39th year, SLUFY is a program of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education that gives high-ability students the opportunity to explore their interests and talents through classes in a variety of subjects. Students also will meet other talented students, forging friendships that last long beyond the summer program. Certified master teachers, graduate students in gifted and talented education, and other experts enthusiastically help these youths learn and grow in new, exciting ways. Courses offered involve fun, hands-on activities in math, science, the arts, social studies, and language arts, all targeted to specific age groups. Kindergarteners will explore the world of “creepy crawlies,” including the anatomy of bugs and insect habitats. They also will go on a world tour, exploring the history and languages of Mexico, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Germany, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia, and Canada. First- and second-graders can learn how to cook mac n’ cheese, cobbler, and other food favorites during a power outage by harnessing the power of the sun and creating a solar oven, while third- and fourth-graders see how NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer rovers are used to explore faraway worlds. Additional courses will explore engineering, oceanography, paleontology, superheroes, art, and Mexican culture. Students in fifth and sixth grade can learn the ropes of being a science fiction writer, learn about spies, espionage, and secret codes in the “Incognito” class, and explore the popularity of the escape room in “The Great Escape.” Seventh- and eighth-graders can learn how to defend themselves from zombies and survive an invasion during a zombie apocalypse, learn about great storytelling masters like Emily Dickinson and Walt Whitman, and explore the world of musical theater through “Broadway Academy.” The cost to attend SLUFY is a $25 application fee and a $275 tuition fee, which includes all supplies and materials, field trips, and a T-shirt. Applications can be filled out online, emailed to giftedcenter@ualr.edu, or mailed to the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Jodie Mahony Center, 2801 S. University Ave., S��Vlog��ý 101, Little Rock, AR 72204. Scholarships that cover $200 of the program tuition are available for applicants who demonstrate financial need. Applications for the Martha Gaunt Bass Scholarship are due by Monday, May 14. For a full list of courses, to inquire about scholarships, or to register online, check out the Summer Laureate University for Youth website or call 501-569-3410.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock hosts summer camps

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 06 Apr 2017 16:04:15 +0000

Looking for an engaging summer program to keep a motivated student academically challenged, or interested in having the student explore a new interest, or build athletic skills?�� The University of Arkansas at Little Rock is hosting a variety of summer camps in musical theatre, writing, computer coding, basketball, volleyball, swimming, soccer, and more. Young Writers Camp Dates: June 19-23, 8 a.m. to noon Grades: 3-6 Cost: $125 Contact: Pam Maisen, 501.951.6574 Emerging Writers Institute Dates: June 19-23, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Grades: 7-9 Dates: June 26-30, 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Grades: 10-12 Cost: $125 Contact: Greg Graham, gxgraham@ualr.edu MT Stage: The Hamilton Experience Dates: June 26-30 Grades: 7-8 Cost: Free Contact: 501.569.3410 or giftedcenter@ualr.edu Dates: July 10-21, 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. Grades: K-8 Cost: $300 Contact: 501.569.3410 or giftedcenter@ualr.edu

Trojan Athletics summer camps

Van Compton, vxcompton@ualr.edu Hitter/Setter Camp: July 10-11, Grades 8-12, $50 Serve/Serve-Receive Camp: July 12-13, Grades 8-12, $50 Defensive Specialist Camp: July 14, Grades 8-12, $35 Individual Camp: July 17-20, Grades 4-12, $150 Senior High Team Camp: July 24-25, $50 Junior High Team Camp: July 26-27, $50 Contact: Amy Burgess, amburgess1@ualr.edu Session I: June 5-9, June 12-15, Ages 4-12, $75 for eight lessons Session II: June 19-22, June 26-29, Ages 4-12, $75 for eight lessons Session III: July 10-13, July 17-20, Ages 4-12, $75 for eight lessons Session IV: July 24-27, July 31 – Aug. 3, Ages 4-12, $75 for eight lessons Session times of 4:30-5 p.m., 5 p.m.-5:30 p.m., 5:30-6 p.m., and 6-6:30 p.m. are available. Contact: Adrian Blewitt, ablewitt@msn.com Individual Summer Camp: June 6-9, Ages 5-6 (half day), $120, and ages 7-13 (full day), $190 Individual Summer Camp: June 13-16, Ages 5-6 (half day), $120, and ages 7-13 (full day), $190 Discounts available for siblings and students participating in both weeks of camp. Session I: June 12-15, Grades K-3 (morning), $110, and Grades 4-12 (afternoon), $200 Session II: June 26-29, Grades K-3 (morning), $110, and Grades 4-12 (afternoon), $200 Session III: July 10-13, Grades K-3 (morning), $110, and 4-7 (afternoon), $200 Those who register before June 1 will receive a $15 discount. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty and staff will receive a 50 percent discount. Steve Wiedower, slwiedower@ualr.edu, or Robert Dallimore, rjdallimore@ualr.edu Team Camp 1: June 9-10, $180 per day Team Camp 2: Aug. 1-3, $180 per day Advanced Skills Camp: June 24-25, Grades 9-12, $100 Individual Camp: June 12-14, Grades 1-4 and 5-12, $95 Mini Camp: June 12-14, Grades 1-4, $75

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Benton Center

Tour of the Sciences Dates: June 12-16 Grades: 7-9 Applications due��June 1

Computer Coding using Minecraft Dates: June 19-23 Grades: 8-12 Applications due��June 12 In the upper right photo,��April Blackburn teaches gifted children in the SLUFY program as they��combine baking soda with Coke.

Registration open for gifted and talented youth summer program

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 04 Apr 2017 20:45:56 +0000

The Summer Laureate University for Youth (SLUFY) program is accepting applications for this year’s educational event for high-ability students in kindergarten through eighth grade.�� This summer’s programming is set to run 12:30 p.m. until 5:30 p.m. daily from July 10 to July 21. Now in its 38th year, SLUFY is a program of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Jodie Mahony Center��for Gifted Education that gives high-ability students the opportunity to explore their interests and talents through classes in a variety of subjects. Students also will meet other talented students, forging friendships that last long beyond the summer program. For the first time in 10 years, the summer camp is returning to the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock campus. Certified master teachers, graduate students in gifted and talented education, and other experts enthusiastically help these youths learn and grow in new, exciting ways. Courses offered involve fun, hands-on activities in math, science, the arts, social studies, and language arts, all targeted to specific age groups. Kindergarteners will explore the world of “creepy crawlies,” including the anatomy of bugs and insect habitats. They will also go on a world tour, exploring the history and languages of Mexico, Brazil, Egypt, Kenya, Germany, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Japan, Australia, and Canada. First- and second-graders can learn how to cook mac n’ cheese, cobbler, and other food favorites during a power outage by harnessing the power of the sun and creating a solar oven, while third- and fourth-graders see how NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory engineer rovers are used to explore faraway worlds. Students in fifth and sixth grade can learn the ropes of being a professional actor or journalist, determine the probability of winning game shows like “The Price is Right” or “Deal or No Deal,” and explore J.K. Rowling’s “Harry Potter” series through fiction writing. Seventh- and eighth-graders can learn how to defend themselves from zombies and survive an invasion during a zombie apocalypse and explore the technology of the 1990s. The cost to attend SLUFY is a $25 application fee and a $275 tuition fee, which includes all supplies and materials, field trips, and a T-shirt. For a full list of courses, to inquire about scholarships, or to register online, check out the Summer Laureate University for Youth website. In the upper right photo, a SLUFY instructor teaches gifted children the finer points of making windmills in the SLUFY program. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock