Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) for Parents

1. I would like to be notified as soon as the application process begins. What do I do?
2. How do I get an application?
3. I would like all my children to attend the workshop. How do I apply for them all?
4. My child attended the workshop last year. Does that mean s/he will be automatically chosen?
5. My child is a proficient reader. Is this workshop appropriate for him/her?
6. Is financial aid available?
7. My child has been placed on a wait list. What does that mean?
8. My child has been accepted. What do I need to do now?
9. When is the Parent's Orientation Meeting?
10. I can't make it to the Parent's Orientation Meeting. What do I do?
11. What is the daily schedule of the clinic?
12. Is there any transportation available? What about carpooling? Buses?
13. My child will be gone for a couple of days during the Workshop. Is this okay?

1. I would like to be notified as soon as the application process begins. What do I do?

Please contact us and let us know that you would like to be added to our email list. Please give us your name and the email address you would like us to use. We send out notifications regarding the workshop via our email list.

We strongly encourage teachers to join our email list, so that they can forward along the information to the parent's of their students.

2. How do I get an application?
Applications will be available for the Summer 2013 Workshop to download (pdf) on this website beginning on March 1, 2013.

3. I would like all my children to attend the workshop. How do I apply for them all?
You can certainly apply for all of your children as long as they are in the K-12 grade range. Just make sure that you completely fill out a separate application form for each child, just in case the applications are separated during the review process. You can mail the applications together.

4. My child attended the workshop last year. Does that mean s/he will be automatically chosen?
Not necessarily. You will need to go through the application (pdf) and review process like the rest of the applicants. However, we do encourage parents to bring back their children every year and the kids really like it too!

5. My child is a proficient reader. Is this workshop appropriate for him/her?
Yes!

6. Is financial aid available?
We have a limited amount of financial aid. Please contact us for more information.

7. My child has been placed on a wait list. What does that mean?
If you have been officially notified that your child is on the wait list, then it means that there are no available seats left in the workshop. We maintain a wait list and refer back to it if a child is withdrawn from the workshop and a seat becomes available. We will contact you directly if a seat becomes available.

8. My child has been accepted. What do I need to do now?
Upon acceptance, you will receive a letter/email with important information, including the workshop schedule and the date and time of the Parent's Orientation Meeting. Please save these materials for your records. Payment is due upon acceptance, so please be sure to send in your payment immediately after receiving the acceptance letter, so that we can ensure your child a seat in the workshop. Also, please be sure to attend the Orientation meeting to receive detailed information about the workshop. It would be helpful if you fill out and bring with you the following forms to the Orientation meeting: photography permission form, contact information form, and carpool interest form (if you are interested in carpooling opportunities). If you cannot attend the Parent's Orientation Meeting, then please read the "I can't make it to the Parent's Orientation Meeting. What do I do?" section below.

9. When is the Parent's Orientation Meeting?
Once you have received notification that your child(ren) has been accepted into the program, you are asked to attend the Parent's Orientation Meeting. The Parent's Orientation Meeting will be scheduled in Bailey Hall on the USM Gorham campus. It would be helpful if you fill out and bring with you the following forms to the Orientation meeting: photography permission form, and the contact information form. Also, if you are interested in carpooling opportunities, please fill out the carpool interest form.

10. I can't make it to the Parent's Orientation Meeting. What do I do?
If your child has been accepted into the program but you cannot attend the Parent's Orientation, please contact us. Then, you can download the materials that you would have received at the Orientation here: campus map with drop-off/pick-up areas marked, photography permission form, and the contact information form. Please fill out one photography permission form and one contact information sheet for each child attending the Workshop. Also, if you are interested in carpooling opportunities, please fill out the carpool interest form. Please return the forms to our address at the bottom of this webpage as soon as possible, along with your check payable to USM of $135.00 per child.

11. What is the daily schedule of the clinic?
The clinic is run from Monday through Thursday from 9:45AM-12:15PM. Children must arrive promptly and be picked up on time. No absences are allowed.

12. Is there any transportation available? What about carpooling? Buses?
USM does not provide transportation. You will need to drop your child off and pick up your child daily at the designated areas. Some schools provide bus services for children from their district. Please contact your child's school for more information. There may be opportunities for carpooling with other parents during the course of the Workshop. If you are interested in carpooling, please submit the carpool interest form.

13. My child will be gone for a couple of days during the Workshop. Is this okay?
No absences are allowed during the Workshop. Perhaps this isn't the right time for your child to participate in the Workshop. Feel free to apply again next summer.