Your Extraordinary Saturday (YES)

For 1st – 4th Grade Students

A New Adventure Every Weekend

Spring Session is Full.  Fall classes will be posted in late August.

MITY's program for elementary students enables inquisitive, high achieving 1st - 4th grade students to continue learning outside of the traditional classroom.  Courses are intentionally designed to inspire inquiry, activate imaginations, and engage eager learners in hands on discovery that is not possible within a regular classroom setting.  While students are in class, parents are invited to listen to professional speakers on topics related to raising bright children, socialize with other parents, or visit a local coffee shop.

At A Glance

2022 - 2023

Program Dates:

  • Fall Session: November 5, 12 and 19, 2022
  • Winter Session: January 21, 28 and February 4, 2023
  • Spring Session: April 15, 22 and 29, 2023

Program Hours: 9:00 AM – 12:00 PM

Program Locations: 

  • Fall Session: Breck School, Golden Valley, MN
  • Winter Session: Visitation School, Mendota Heights, MN
  • Spring Session: Visitation School, Mendota Heights, MN
ES Fall 2022 Marble
ES Fall 2022 Lego 1500 x 1125

Application Information

Ages: Students currently in grades 1 – 4

Cost: $160 per session; Sibling - $130; Financial Aid Available

Application Timeline:

  • September 1: Applications available for Fall Session
  • November 10: Applications available for Winter Session
  • February 1: Applications available for Spring Session
  • NOTE: MITY accepts applications on a rolling basis

Highlights

  • Students take 2 unique classes every weekend
  • Features content not covered in the regular school day
  • Experienced and engaging teachers
  • 8:1 student-teacher ratio to ensure all students get the attention they need
  • Creative individual and group projects in every class
  • Mid-morning snack and game break to socialize with new friends
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YES Spring 2022 Parent Speaker

Partnering with Families

  • On the first two Saturdays of each session, MITY offers free seminars from esteemed speakers about topics related to parenting a bright and motivated child.
  • Families are invited to visit classrooms on the third Saturday.
  • Specific course information will be given by the teacher during the session. Parents are encouraged to discuss class content and activities with their child.

Parent Speakers

2022-2023

Spring Session 2023

 

April 15:  The Road To Positive Advocacy For Your Gifted Child, Carol Malueg

The journey from preschool to college can present a tricky route to navigate when you are the parent of a gifted or twice-exceptional child. It can feel like a lonely, overwhelming job, but you don’t have to go it alone. A collaborative network, including your student, parenting/caregiving peers and partners, educators, and other practicing professionals, make the journey far less treacherous and much more rewarding. Starting with the earliest school years, we’ll talk about collecting resources, expanding your network, and practicing and modeling positive advocacy skills. Over time, the load gets lighter as your child learns and grows and eventually becomes their own best advocate.

Bio:  Carol Malueg is the mother of 2 gifted young adults, works as a consultant in gifted and 2e, and volunteers with state and national organizations that support gifted people. Carol is a Master Facilitator and Trainer for SENG and sits on the Board of Directors for the Gifted Homeschoolers Forum and the Minnesota Council for the Gifted and Talented. Her new venture, Gifted Roads LLC, addresses the gifted and 2e experience across the lifespan.

April 22:  The ADHD Brain: Neurobiology And Real-Life Implications Of Executive Function In Gifted Students, Dr. Liz Adams

In this session we will explore aspects of neuroscience behind motivation/rewards, focus, working memory, and emotion regulation/intensities. We will discuss examples of how these cognitive concepts show up in everyday life and supports and other perspective-shifting exercises (e.g., “both/and expansiveness” and “future visioning”) to help parents maintain a compassionate and creative mindset for their neurodiverse gifted kids (and, thanks to the high heritability rate of ADHD, maybe even for themselves).

Bio:  Dr. Liz Adams is a board-certified clinical neuropsychologist and owner of Minnesota Neuropsychology. She has been practicing neuropsychology for 16 years and is passionate about finding new ways to think creatively about ADHD and other aspects of neurodiversity. She completed a PhD at Fuller Graduate School in Los Angeles, including clinical training at UCLA’s Neuropsychiatric Institute. She completed a residency in neuropsychology at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and a 2-year post-doctoral fellowship in neuropsychology at the Medical College of Wisconsin. She is a member of MCGT and has presented at MITY and MEGT. She sees a wide range of twice exceptional students in her neuropsychology practice.


 

Recent Presentations:

  • "Guiding Principles For Raising Gifted Kids" - Dr. Danika Maddocks
  • "If Gifted Kids Are So Smart, Why Can't They Just..." - Anne Tyler
  • "A Mind Body Approach To Promoting Wellness For Gifted Kids" - Dr. Andrea Johnson
  • "Perfectionism, Passions, Problems, And Possibilities" - Pam McDonald
  • "Learning to Learn in 2022" - Tina Van Erp
  • "Executive Functioning in Gifted Children" - Jennifer Siebenaler
  • "Supporting Gifted Students in Schools" - Dr. Melissa Malen
  • "Intelligence is not Executive Functioning" - Dr. Teresa Boatman
  • "Increasing Engagement and Success Through Creative Expression and Exploration" - Erin Boltik
  • "Navigating a Gifted Child's Educational Journey: Strategies to Support Parent-Teacher Collaboration" - Dr. Carol Hokanson

"The best program for young kids to explore technologies and science and learn collaboratively."

- MITY Parent

What do people say about MITY’s program for elementary students?

Parents:

"All smiles and excitement about these Saturdays. We loved our experience!"

"MITY delivers interesting, challenging and growth mindset-based education."

"Love MITY!"

"Your teachers are phenomenal!"

Students:

"I wish regular school was this cool!"

"I leave each week excited to come back. It’s awesome!"

"I love my teachers and always have fun."

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