The Avid Learner

Session A-I: July 11 - 22, M - F, 8:30 - 11:30 AM for students in grades 4 and 5. This introductory camp is intended for students currently in Avid F110 as well as new students who will be entering 4th or 5th grade in Fall 2011.
Session B-I: July 25 - August 5, M - F, 8:30 - 11:30 AM for students in grades 5 and 6. This advanced elementary school summer camp is intended for students currently in Avid F120 or F130 as well as new students who will be entering 6th grade in Fall 2011.
Session A-II: July 11 - 22, M - F, 12:30 - 3:30 PM for students in grades 7 and 8. This introductory middle school camp is indented for students currently in Avid E210 as well as new students who will be studying Algebra in Fall 2011.
Session B-II: July 25 - August 5, M - F, 12:30 - 3:30 PM for advanced middle school students. This intensive MATHCOUNTS boot camp is for students currently in Avid E220 or new students who will study geometry in Fall 2011.
Session A-III: July 11 - 22, M - F, 5:30 - 8:30 PM for students in grades 9 and 10. This introductory AMC 10 prep camp is designed to give students an early start in AMC 10 and Algebra II preparation. It is for students currently in Avid E230 or new students who will study Algebra II in Fall 2011.
Session B-III: July 25- August 5, M - F, 5:30 - 8:30 PM. Jump Start AMC 12 and Pre-Calculus. This intensive camp is designed for students who are currently in Avid G210 class or new students who will study Pre-Calculus in Fall 2011.

For more information about the summer camp, please visit 2011 Math Olympiad Summer Camp.

Four Avid Students Received Perfect Scores at MATHCOUNTS Chapter Competitions

Avid students performed outstandingly at various MATHCOUNTS Chapter competitions. Four students even received perfect scores. Three of them became Chapter MATHCOUNTS Champions:

Jeffery Qiao, 7th grade - Orange County Chapter Champion
Eric Xu, 8th grade - South Bay/Santa Monica Chapter Champion
Benjamin Chen, 6th grade - East San Gabriel Valley Chapter Champion

In addition, B.J. Kim also received a perfect score and finished second to Jeffery after three tie-breakers, a first at the Orange County Chapter competitions.

In the Orange County Chapter competition, Avid students claimed 8 of the top 9 places. Jeffery Qiao, a 7th grader from Rancho San Joaquin Middle School won the overall championship, Michelle Chen, a 7th grader from Venado Middle School won the COUNTDOWN championship, and Rancho San Joaquin Middle School won the team championship. For complete results, visit 2011 Orange County MATHCOUNTS Results.

The state MATHCOUNTS will be held on March 19 and we wish all participants good luck.

2011 AMC 10A/12A Results Announced

AMC released 2011 AMC 10A and 12A results. Jefferey Qiao, an 8th Grade, is one of the California State winner on AMC 10A with a perfect score of 150.

A total of 25 students (not counting all the students who took the exam at their own school) qualified to take 2011 AIME and 43 students received Certificate of Merit (top 15%). For complete results, please visit 2011 AMC 10A/12A Results.

Note: we will email out scores to each test takers on Monday.

Science Fair Registration Deadlines Approach

The registration deadline for the 2011 Orange County Science and Engineering Fair is March 9. To register, visit 2011 OC Science Fair.

This year's fair schedule:

March 9: Registration Deadline
April 3&4: Project Setup
April 6: Judging
April 10: Awards Ceremony

The registration deadline for the 2011 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (Intel ISEF) is March 19. To register, visit 2011 ISEF Orange County Qualifying Science Fair.

This year's ISEF schedule:

March 19: Registration Deadline
April 2: ISEF Qualifying Science Fair at UCI
May 8-13: ISEF in Los Angeles, CA

Results of MOEMS Round Four

Students in 4th to 6th grade participated in Round 4 of the Math Olympiad for Elementary and Middle Schools (MOEMS) Division-E competition. Amy Zhong, Spencer Song, Michael Wu, and Isabelle Zhou received perfect scores.

In the Division-M for 7th and 8th graders, Calvin Brown, Ethan Davis and Vincent Wu received top marks.

Congratulations! The leaderboard of the first three rounds is available at MOMES Result.

California Math League Grades 6-8 Contest Results

Students in grades 6 through 8 competed in the 2011 California Math League competition. Kevin Li, an 8th grader from Woodbridge High School, and Benjamin Most, a 7th grader from Harbor Day School tied for first in the 8th grade competition. Kyle Huang, a sixth grader from Turtle Rock Elementary School placed first in the 7th grade competition. Neal Sharma, a 5th grader from Turtle Rock Elementary School placed first in the 6th grade competition.

For complete results, please visit

CML 8th Grade Results (E230 Advanced Math Competition)
CML 7th Grade Results (E220 Intermediate Math Competition)
CML 6th Grade Results (E210 Introductory Math Competition)

California's Algebra Problem

A recent study from EdSource, a nonprofit that aims to clarify complex educational issues, found that more and more eigth grade students are being pushed into Algebra whether they are ready or not. Despite the growing number of eigth graders in Algebra, test scores are not increasing.

The article argues that most of these students are simply being taught shortcuts so that they can do well on standardized tests, but without a comprehensive understanding of the material, they fail to do well in the long-run. Rather, the article suggests, students should be placed into classes based on student readiness.

For the full article, please visit: The State's Algebra Problem.

"Early Action" Restored at Harvard and Princeton

This year both Harvard and Princeton have reinstated an Early Action Program starting for the class of 2016, though with some important changes. Under the new Early Action Program, students who are accepted do not necissarily attend that University. The early application process is more of a way for Admissions at Harvard and Princeton to see which of its applicants ranked the university as their first choice. Early Action allows students to enroll early but still allows applying to other schools during regular admission periods so that the student ultimately has more options. Both Princeton and Harvard are also increasing Financial Aid funding as part of the new program.

For more information, please read:

Oscar Winner Natalie Portman was an Intel Science Talent Search Semifinalist

The Intel Science Talent Search is considered the nation's most elite and demanding high school research competitions so it may surprise you to find out that Oscar winning actress Natalie Portman was once a semifinalist at Syosset High School on Long Island back in the late 1990s. Her project focused on an environmentally friendly method of converting waste into useful forms of energy.

Even while having a successful acting career, Portman still attended Harvard University, studying neuroscience and the evolution of the mind. Portman once said as a reaction to people's shock, "It's weird that there are so many people at Harvard who do amazing things outside the classroom. It just so happens that people like to watch what I do."

For more information, read the New York Times article: Natalie Portman, Oscar Winner, Was Also a Precocious Scientist.

I hope you enjoyed the information provided in this newsletter. Thank you for supporting gifted education in Southern California. If you have comments to improve our newsletters or would like to share articles, resources and ideas with our community, please email me at Dr.Li@AvidAcademy.com.

Sincerely,

James Li, Ph.D.

Executive Director
Avid Academy for Gifted Youth