VISION Newsletter: April 2022

Keep those brains active during the summer, make new friends, and have fun! Our university facilities and expert staff are ready for students who need next-level learning. Register soon -- seats are going fast!

Don't miss any exciting opportunities for students, families, and educators at the Belin-Blank Center!

We're extending the deadline to apply for the Bucksbaum Early Entrance Academy for Fall 2022! If you're tired of taking filler classes and wish you could skip your last year or two of high school, we can help. Say goodbye to high school and start college this fall!

We are excited to partner with Iowa Wildlife Camps this summer for Herpetology! We've combined the outdoor experience you expect from Iowa Wildlife Camps with our signature Belin-Blank academics. Join us for a one-of-a-kind STEM experience you'll never forget!

World-class instructors, a premier art and writing university, and experts in teaching talented students. Give your students a head start to develop their talent with our art and writing summer programs: the Junior Scholars Academy (Creative Writing class for grades 5-6), Workshop for Young Writers (grades 6-8), Summer Art Residency (grades 9-11), and Summer Writing Residency (grades 9-11).

Sponsored

Smiles abound at the Iowa City Fencing Center, where children discover that exercise can be fun if it’s fencing! Overcoming the physical and mental challenges of fencing is an enjoyable way to develop self-control, confidence, and focus. This lifetime activity is one of the ten safest Olympic sports. Register now for beginner classes and summer camps.

Our AP® Summer Institute (APSI) prepares new and current teachers to develop and teach an AP® course. This summer, we're offering online and on-site options! Iowa teachers are eligible for a grant from the Belin-Blank Center's Iowa Online AP Academy to attend APSI at a greatly reduced cost.

John Cotton Dana, an American library and museum director, brilliantly asserted that “who dares to teach must never cease to learn.” That is certainly true of teachers who support the needs of gifted and talented learners.

Classes in Chautauqua are different from one summer to the next, so educators can earn the State of Iowa endorsement in two summers! For those who want to earn the endorsement even more quickly, Chautauqua classes can be combined with online summer classes to complete the endorsement in one summer.

Start the journey to see if the Academy for Twice-Exceptionality is the right fit for you or your student. We are now accepting applications for the 2022-2023 cohort!

Our IOAPA program provides free access to advanced courses for Iowa students middle and high school students whose school distructs are unable to offer these courses.

The Belin-Blank Center is proud to serve as the Iowa and Midwest Region-at-Large Affiliate for the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program. Congratulations to this year's winners! Head to our website to view the regional and national award results and watch our virtual 2022 Scholastic Celebration.

These high school students are doing impressive research projects and did an excellent job communicating their findings to a panel of judges and an audience of their peers at the 2022 Iowa Regional Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. Winners received scholarships and an expense-paid trip to compete at the annual National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium in late April.

We loved seeing the creativity, innovation, and hard work put into this year's Invent Iowa submissions. Congratulations to all who participated! Check out our website to view them all, and take a virtual tour to see the winning inventions.

Spring is often a time when have questions about appropriate student placements. Our new tool, the Integrated Acceleration System, assists schools and families with discussions about whether a student should skip a grade.

"'The Poet Ambassador program recognizes an outstanding, young writer and celebrates poetry and the literary arts in Iowa,' said Jan Warren, Assistant Director for Student Services at the Belin-Blank Center and Coordinator of the Iowa Scholastic Writing Awards." Congratulations to this year's Ambassador, Ms. Johnnie Each!

Are you interested in learning more about your child’s aptitude in math, science, English, and reading? We can help.