I am right there with @Atria ! In Colorado, formal is literally jeans and a flannel… welp I guess it’s time to head over to Vineyard Vines and get some preppy clothes 
my current wardrobe consists of joggers and sweatshirts and sweaters, all of which are variations of grey and black… :))
Lol @Nico.campbell in Texas, formal is shorts with closed toe shoes
Do overalls count as formal? Lol because those are the only pant-like things in my closet… Somehow I don’t think AtriaMum would let me raid her closet like I usually do
I do own a couple button up shirts… But no ‘formal’ dresses ( I own a grand total of two dresses) and the only skirts I own are from back in 3rd grade…
Worst of all I will probably have to buy a bunch of clothing in the country I am in… a country where everything is double the price :(( … Sigh… Goodbye savings…
@Atria , Do internationals move in early? Maybe you can take advantage of that time to hit up Old Navy or Target (or whatever) to supplement what you have.
Somewhere I recall seeing a post by @Atria seeking to be adopted by one of us for clothing purposes. Middlesex looks to be not too far from Andover–I think it’d be a ton of fun to go shopping with you @Atria! I’m thinking I may even be able to convince my pals @MAandMEmom and @GoatMama to join us :D/
Only if you dress me too… I’m in need of adoption myself!
I do love shopping! @Atria I would play more of a wait and see approach until the time gets closer for wardrobe choices. We found lots of colored “jeans” which are more like twill pants in every color and those will be easy to find when you get here. Because styles and sizes change a lot during early high school years we bought most of DD’s dresses, pants, sweaters, and dressy tops at Old Navy, H&M, Forever 21, Aeropostale (mainly the colored jeans), and Marshalls/TJ Maxx. The Middlesex dress code doesn’t seem to difficult and you should be able to manage well. The school will likely have trips to the mall, etc. on the weekends where you can pick up additional items.
“Anyway, we told him he could wait until revisit to commit (he’s still holding out hope despite our nudging to embrace what is vs. what could be with the odds of a lottery). The letter with the FA offer asked us to let them know as soon as possible if we’d like to accept it. Do they expect this to happen before A10? I mean, we wouldn’t accept FA before confirming his attending the school, right? I’m tempted to go ahead and do it all now-pay deposit & send in contract- but I feel I’d be betraying my son’s trust…any advice is appreciated”
I would wait until after the revisit to commit. Why not? Kick the tires some more. I can’t fathom that the school expects an answer before then. If you confirm that you are going to the revisit, they will know their school is still in the mix. I think that is all they need to know until 4/10 and all you owe them. Take your time to process. If they want more than that, they can always reach out to you. I think they’d have no issue giving away unused FA if it became available. 
I am a US citizen, so even though I am living internationally I am not considered an international applicant… I think I will try to request earlier move-in dates when those dates come closer 
…
AtriaMum would disagree (very vehemently) :))
@MAandMEmom
Thanks for those tips 
… I think I will try to convince AtriaMum to book tickets a couple days early so that we can squeeze some shopping in …
Well today I went out bought some chinos and stuff for revisit days: it was…um… an experience?? I can’t even begin to describe how much I dislike collared shirts. I went to J Crew and felt so out of place :)) . It’s ok thought because I stopped at Urban Outfitters and bought myself more shirts :)) .
This whole “NE clothing thing” is gonna be a bumpy road. :-?
Berkshire has been encouraging us to contact either department heads or teachers of individual classes for questions. I asked about math placement and they replied that there are four levels algebra geometry precalculus and calculus. In our community 8th graders take geometry. Is that atypical?
“there are four levels algebra geometry precalculus and calculus. In our community 8th graders take geometry. Is that atypical?”
Yes. Kids come in from all kinds of backgrounds - private schools, homeschooling, international, public. Some are accelerated, some aren’t. The great thing about the BSs is that they allow each student to work at a level they are comfortable at.
I have known 9th graders to range from Alg1 through Calc AB!
Many California school districts, including ours, have postponed Algebra and Geometry until 9th grade. They say they are trying to create a deeper understanding of Math and a stronger foundation. I’m not convinced, but I’m no expert.
@CaliMex Is this in South CA? or more prevalent in Central/Northern CA?..
Just curious bc where we were (LA area) besides switching to Common Core… nothing is really changing… Placement tests to determine your level and (sometimes) recs from prev. teachers to determine Honors…
@Atria : Very few public middle schools in NorCal teach Algebra or Geometry in 7th or 8th grade.
Oh No. I made a mistake in my post. In our area, students take ALGEBRA in 8th grade and GEOMETRY in 9th grade. So Calmex, your 9th graders would presumably take Algebra in general, right?
Yes. Regular sequence is Algebra 1 in 9th, Geometry in 10th, Algebra 2 in 10th, Pre-Calc or AP Statistics in 12th. There is also an Algebra 2/Pre-Calc compression course that lets you get to AP Calculus (AB or B.C.) by 12th.
Accelerated sequence requires doubling up and doing BOTH Algebra 1 and Geometry in 9th or Algebra 2 and Geometry in 10th…
I know many kids (mine included) who take Alegbra 1,2 and/or Geometry in middle school and end up in Calculus in 9th, 10th or 11th. Kids start BS all over the place in math. I know Berkshire offers math beyond Calculus so they have advanced math kids regularly.
My school district is considered the best in the state, and I think that the majority of kids take Algebra in 9th, Geometry in 10th, Algebra 2 in 11th, so on…