Everyone make sure to make your hotel reservations early so you can attend some school events. (sports) I will definitely attend Family Weekend.
@Golfgr8, What have you been up to this summer?
Thanks @Mama Paradox - spent a lot of time volunteering with charity tournaments and our veterans this summer! On a fun note ālooking forward to meeting up with some other CC parents after drop-off for a well-needed stop at the ā19th holeā #:-S
@CaliMex, How is the weather in California ?
Driving my teens to school this summer was exciting for all of us. Once they starting to text me about their various experiences, I started to see even more growth . They will not allow me to trim split ends or use the electric clippers on my son. The announcement is clear. " I can do it own my own " Yes, this is music to my ears ! It feels satisfying that the staff gives you feedback about your teen. ( good, bad or ugly )
I leave on Saturday for school. I canāt get my roommate to respond to my texts! We had one little conversation and then he just disappeared. Still very excited! I think weāre doing a lot of clubs and stuff togetherā¦ but how can I get him to talk to me? Lol
@woodcal03 Donāt worry about the pre-arrival contact so much. Let things develop organically in person once you get there. Some people are big cell phone users/texters. My kids didnāt even have them at that age.
Good luck with the new opportunity!
We havenāt received any word on who my sonās roommate will be, I guess weāll find out when we get there! Maybe its just easier that way - just let things unfold naturally during the first few days. When I went to boarding school in the dark ages I didnāt know who my 9th grade roommate was until I got to school. Of course back then we would have had to communicate by landline telephone or, heaven forbid, snail mail :)]
Mercersburg deliberately has you wait until move-in day to learn. They feel it is much easier to deal with roommate āconflictsā in person, and to mitigate any problems with advisers and floor deans, rather than have a bunch of new kids calling the school in August claiming that they want a new roommate based on a few contacts on social media or email. I think thatās probably right, though it does make planning decor/furniture a bit difficult.
Makes perfect sense @hellomaisy , thanks for explaining that!
@woodcal03 , try not to worry too much about the lack of communication from your future roommate. Going to BS is a huge adjustment, and maybe heās got some worries and anxieties leading up to move-in day. Trying to maintain contact during these last few days or weeks of Summer may be too much for him right now. I say just let it go for now, and as @doschicos mentioned, just let the relationship unfold organically in the first few weeks of school.
My daughter is 100 percent focused on spending as much time as possible with family and friendsā¦ I wish sheād focus a little more on prepping for boarding school, packing, responding to correspondence from her prefect, dorm head, and advisor, etc. Donāt worry about your future roommate not responding right now, @woodcal03
Buying the winter items earlyā¦I bought 3 sets of gloves to packā¦kiddo saw them and said ā what are those for?ā =))
Welā¦your golf glove wonāt really work too well up north :-/
Question @ move-in prep for families flying inā¦has anyone sent beddingand bulky items early either to school or hotel?
Yep. Mailed a coat rack last month at the suggestion of our girlās dorm headā¦ (She sent a letter to all girls and families and this was one of her many tipsā¦ both getting a coatrack and shipping it in advance.) Lots of useful insights in her message. @Golfgr8 , PM me your email address if youād like a peek.
@CaliMex , would you mind PMing me the list? I would love to get an idea for next year.
Every time I think weāre done buying everything we need for the upcoming year, I realize that I have forgotten something and need to go shopping again! Last week it was new cleats. This week it is new dress shoes for Monday night dinners and special occasions. Ugh.
Coat rack is not on my list for a boy (thankfully!)
@Golfgr8: Call the school to be sure, but I donāt think there is a school discussed here that isnāt able to handle shipments. We shipped almost everything to the school a couple of weeks ahead of freshman year: all bedding, all electronics (computer, printer, monitor, peripherals), trumpet, most of his September/October clothes. He got on the plane with his backpack and one roller bag. From then on, he used All Campus Storage at the end of the school year to store everything over the summer. They provided all the boxes, packing material, and bar-code labels. All he had to do was pack everything up, affix the labels, and leave the boxes in the room for ACS to pick up. When he opened the door to his new room the following year, the boxes were already there. Easy peasy and very inexpensive. Nothing was ever lost or broken. The boarding schools have this down pat. Just call if you have any questions about how your childās school does it. We were amazed at how simple it was.
ETA: Hmmm. Looks like the company Choate and others are using now is Dorm Room Movers. I couldnāt find a link to All Campus Storage. In any case, for those of you a flight away from your BS, shipping/storage is the way to go. Just check with your school.
Thanks @ChoatieMom ^:)^ also good to know @ Dorm Room Movers. We are using a ship sticks company for the golf and other sports equipment.
Yup. As usual @ChoatieMom gives good advice. In addition to shipping in advance of 9th grade, I also stored stuff over the summer. I would suggest, if the kid opts to store, that s/he culls through at the end of the year; no need to store what will never again be used. After all, stuff accumulates rather rapidly over 4 years.
Ditto on what ChoatieMom and skieurope said.
It is nice to find all the stored and shipped items in the dorm room as we walk into his room.
NMH uses local UPS service for summer storage. I think there are other cheaper options, but we love the convenience.
For shipping, I have a Fedex account and use it to create shipments for Fedex ground. I found that shipping with a Fedex account is much cheaper than just walking into UPS or Fedex store.