| Saturday Take-off |
 |
 |
 |
|
Welcome to Take-off!
Take-off | Brochure (Registration Form page 7) | FAQ | Course Listing
Spring 2010 ABC Take-off - get buzzing with new ideas!Six Saturdays, March 27 - May 8, no class April 3, at St. Paul's High School Registration begins on March 11, 7:30 p.m., at the Ron Kolbus Lakeside Centre, 102 Greenview Ave off Pinecrest and Carling Aves.After March 11, registrations are received by mail or drop off only, with payment (cheque only).
The Spring 2010 brochure is now available here. The Spring 2010 brochure has been mailed to ABC members, and Fall 2009 registrants. If you would like to receive a copy by mail, please send an email with mail information to abcottawa@abcontario.ca
See the Course Listing page, for courses that are full and for any cancellations. Please note, course not included in the brochure: Let's Write a Novel - 11:00 - 12:30, Ages 10 - 14, Materials fee $8 Expand your writing talents to write a full-length novel. Learn how to create a plot, believable characters, and develop a good storyline. Students learn the craft of novel writing which will include characterization, and descriptive paragraphs. The final product will be a complete novel. Instructor: Emily Jane Orford
My child is not identified gifted, can they attend? Yes, ABC Take-off is available to all children, ages 6-14. ABC Take-off is designed to offer children and youth enrichment in subjects or areas of learning in which they have an interest. It is not intended to be a supplement to school or to improve academic performance in a subject area. We urge parents to review the course selection with their children to make sure they possess an appropriate level of interest in the course’s subject matter and a positive attitude to learning in the ABC Take-off setting. Do I have to be a member? No. How do I register for a course? Registration begins this Spring 2010 on March 11, with a registration evening event at the Ron Kolbus Lakeside Garden Centre, 102 Greenview Ave.; doors open at 7:30pm. After this date registrations are received by mail or dropped off: ABC Take-off Coordinator, 869 Acadian Garden Ottawa Ontario K1C 2V7. How much do courses cost? Course fees: $80 for the first course registered for, and $50 for each subsequent course. There is an additional $20 administration fee applied per family registering; and there are materials fee, which can vary from course to course- materials fee amounts are included in each course listing in the brochure and on-line. How strict are the age guidelines for a course? The ages listed for a course are followed closely. Factors for setting an age guideline and following it are: social groupings, physical abilities such as having manual dexterity, and course content. Hence, having a child participate who is too young for a course is no fun for the child, and likewise, neither is it fun if the child is too old for a course. All the classes are created to be challenging and stimulating for bright and gifted children. For some classes, there is a wide age range, as the instructor is able to accommodate both the social and intellectual material for this range by grouping children within a class. In other courses, the ages are closer in order to create a unified cohesive environment. How can I get my child registered in their first choice course? Attend registration night, and plan to arrive earlier than the start time. ABC Take-off is first-come-first-serve, starting on registration night. It is advised to attend the registration night if there is a course of particular interest. We always recommend having a second and third choice of interest. There is no on-line or phone registration/reservation, and spaces are not reserved. After registration night, registrations are received by mail, and are processed in order of which they arrive. Registrations are only accepted when received with payment in full - by cash or cheque only. Why is registration night held in person? ABC Ottawa is supported solely by volunteers, and with the ABC Take-off program aims to build a sense of community, and not just provide a service to the general public. In- person registration offers an opportunity for this. In addition, it is cost effective for the ABC Ottawa organization to host a registration night event versus an on-line registration system. Registration night dates are usually publicized three months in advance, and can be found on the ABC Ottawa website. Are there waiting lists for popular courses? No, we do not keep waiting lists. Once registered, children rarely drop out of a course. Refunds are only given if a course is cancelled. Why not just make another class or add more students, if a class is wildly popular? Part of the success of ABC Take-off is that class sizes are purposefully kept small to ensure quality instructor/student interaction. Most courses have 12 or fewer kids per class. The other key to the success of ABC Take-off is the talented instructors, who teach each class and who have specifically designed and created the class content. Hence, there are courses (such as Lego) that are in very high demand but cannot be replicated to accommodate additional students because we only have one instructor capable of teaching it. Some courses (such as Lego) are offered at other times and dates by the City of Ottawa and other community groups. How can I pay for my child’s fees? By cheque or cash only. We are unable to take credit card or debit payment. Will I get a receipt? Receipts are given for cash only, for bookkeeping purposes. Cashed cheques to ABC Take-off are receipt of your fees paid. ABC Take-off does not issue receipts for income tax purposes, as it does not meet any of the government criteria for tax credits- childcare nor fitness tax credit. However, ABC Ontario - is a registered charitable organization - tax receipts ARE issued for donations to ABC Ontario. What am I paying for? Course fees are applied to the costs of the facilities, honorariums for the instructors, brochure production and distribution, the cost of the project coordinator; and in some cases, special supplies for courses (i.e.: chess sets, science equipment, art/craft supplies). Materials fees are applied to the materials the instructor purchases on behalf of the students and supplies to the students. The Administration fee goes to ABC Ottawa Chapter for website costs and information services costs, and helps cover insurance costs paid for by ABC Ontario. The ABC Take-off program is run as a not-for-profit program and the fees are structured to operate at cost-recovery. Why is the program offered only in the west end? The ABC Take-off program is located where facilities can be found for the size of program offered, and is cost effective. ABC Take-off requires as many as 25 classrooms, and needs space to accommodate close to 150 children and parents at one time. Other considerations for use of a facility are: ample parking, and access to major bus routes (many instructors travel by bus), and main roadways such as the 417. In addition, the school administration/school board, must be willing to open their school to such a program, and has to have the availability for the dates requested and required. If I mail in my registration, how will I know the course(s) I have registered for is confirmed? Once your registration is received by mail and processed, the coordinator will send an email or send an ABC Take-off information pamphlet to you, to let you know your course(s) are confirmed. Please make sure to clearly write your phone number, address, and email address on your registration to ensure proper contact information for the coordinator. If there is any problem with your registration, you will be contacted immediately. My child is registered for 2 classes- what do they do between courses? If your child is taking two courses, please be available during the time when there is no class from 10:30-11:00 a.m.; a room is set aside for parents. If you and your child feel they are able to stay on-site, without supervision, during this time, please make sure your child knows to stay in the main areas of the facility, knows where their classrooms are, where the washroom is located, and where you have agreed to meet after the program concludes. It is a good idea to provide a peanut free snack and beverage to keep your child fuelled throughout the morning .Due to the high volume of parents and children, ABC Take-off does not have the volunteer capabilities to provide supervision outside of scheduled class time. What will my child get out of this? We hope children attending an ABC Take-off course will find the class interesting, a bit of a challenge but not overwhelming, meet like-minded kids, try a new hobby and/or learn something new about their hobby/interest, and work with an instructor who knows a lot about what they are teaching and enjoys their mutual interest in the subject. Where do you find instructors? Instructors are found through a variety of community and professional associations. In some cases, instructors find ABC Take-off. Is ABC Take-off held during the winter and/or summer? No, ABC Take-off is not offered during the winter and/or summer months due to lack of facilities, costs of facilities, instructor availability, and coordinator availability. ABC Take-off is offered for 6 weeks in the spring and fall. Spring dates follow March Break and end before the May long weekend. Fall dates usually begin after Thanksgiving. Where can I get an ABC Take-off brochure? Please phone the ABC Ottawa information line 613-860-1398 and leave your name and mailing address; or send us an email abcottawa@abcontario.ca Visit ABC Ottawa website: www.abcontario.ca/ottawa ABC Take-off brochures are available in most schools, and libraries across Ottawa. What is the Association for Bright Children (ABC)? Established in 1975, ABC Ontario operates as a provincially incorporated support and advocacy group. Working on both the local and provincial level with individuals, teachers, School Boards and the Ministry of Education, ABC seeks to increase the understanding of bright children at home, at school, and in the community and encourages the development of appropriate educational programs. ABC (Ottawa Region) is an all-volunteer organization, which draws its members from Ottawa, Lanark County, West Carleton, Prescott-Russell and West Quebec. ABC’s objectives are to:
|
