Dear Parent,

Thank you for your interest in having your student attend Splash! 2007. We have a number of new policies in place for this year, many of which concern your involvement as a parent.

Splash is a unique opportunity for your children to be engaged and immersed in learning for a full weekend. This includes the chance for them to meet new friends and mentors, and explore their interests independently. They can take an unusually active role in learning here, and that aspect of the experience relies heavily upon sustaining an atmosphere that does not depend on active guidance from home. We’re dedicated to making this weekend as fun, beneficial, and safe for your child as possible, and we need your cooperation to achieve that.

MIT can be large and unfamiliar, but it is a friendly place. We have numerous maps both on campus and in handouts, and many security staff in the halls. To provide a comfortable classroom environment for both students and teachers, we ask parents not to sit in on classes (an exception to this policy will be made if your child has a learning disability which prevents him/her from attending classes independently. Please email us to let us know if this is the case). To allow your child, as well as all of our other students, to be fully independent and immersed in this program, we strongly encourage parents to allow their children to walk to and from classes and socialize on their own. We have found that students enjoy our programs much more when they take the opportunity to explore and and learn for themselves. A lounge will be open in the Student Center for parents wishing to stay on campus and parent activities and talks will be posted soon. If you do not think your child is ready for such an experience, consider waiting until next year to have your child participate.

We want your kids to be in the classes that they are most enthusiastic about. Students taking classes that are uninteresting to them can be unhappy or even disruptive, so we ask that they choose and register for classes; as a parent, please do not do it for them. Feel free to suggest particular classes to your child, but leave the final decisions up to them.

Finally, we are placing a strict lower limit of 7th grade on Splash students. This should allow anyone who was allowed to come last year to return. There are absolutely no exceptions. We understand that many students are extraordinary, but they will still have 6 later chances to participate in Splash. For ungraded students, the age limit is 11 (but students enrolled full time in 7th grade or higher are allowed regardless of age).

Please realize that Splash is a volunteer effort, run entirely by current MIT students. We do not have outside advising or funding. The teachers and administrators receive no compensation except for the satisfaction of seeing your children learn. We’re focusing our efforts on improving the program and on giving the students the best experience possible. We know that these changes may be upsetting, but please understand that they are based upon valuable feedback from students and teachers.

We are constantly trying to improve our programs, so we appreciate and encourage your input and suggestions. If you have any questions or concerns, please e-mail the Splash staff.

Thank you,

Yalu Wu and David Farhi Splash 2007 Directors

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