That is really sweet (about the cheering 4th graders). In our district, we have three feeder elementary schools that funnel into one intermediate school and then high school. A tradition here is that on the last day of classes for the high school, the seniors all get bussed back to their elementary school in their cap and gown for a senior clap out. I remember being there when my D was a 4th grader and practically hyperventilating at how sentimental it was…D20 did not get to do it (thanks, Covid), but I’m already preparing to massively ugly cry when D24 does it in June.
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Can someone explain to me how once the student submits their portion of the common app to their schools, the teacher recs get sent? I remember our college counselor at the meeting last year telling us that they send everything through Navience, but then I know they also have been very pro common app for all the kids so I’m just wondering how everything gets connected and they all communicate with each other. I know for example, one of S24s schools wants official transcript sent through Parchment or mailed but then his college counselor says no we send transcripts through Navience. I guess I’m just sort of confused how all of these things work together after the student has submitted their part. It obviously all works out every year, but it seems confusing to me.
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Teacher recs might (might) be done by now if your child requested them before the end of 11th grade. If your child requests teacher recs after the start of the 12th grade, the teacher might finish sometime in September, October, November or December.
Word to the wise, request teacher recs as soon as possible. Private high schools are probably better about this. Maybe some public high schools. But generally, it’s wisest to get these requests in ASAP.
S20 originally requested 3 recs. One came in very quickly. The second was frequently promised, but not delivered until very late. The third said “soon” but never did it and S20 requested a rec from a different teacher who delivered quickly.
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Thankfully his school was very good about making sure all requests were made by the beginning of May of junior year.
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I believe that Naviance has to get linked to the common app; however, I unfortunately have no idea how to do it. When D20 applied our school did not use naviance for transcripts and rec letters so this part is new to me as well.
D24 said that the 2 counselors at school have had meetings with all of the high school teachers and recommended which teachers should provide letters of rec for each senior. Senior counselor told D24 that it would be D24’s Robotics teacher from 10th grade and the French teacher (who apparently writes really good letters of rec, she gets to know her students really well). D24 disagrees w/the Robotics teacher and asked for her AP Bio teacher instead for the STEM letter of rec.
D24 has to pick up her uniform for her new Taco Bell job on Friday afternoon after school. Glad that she’ll be earning some $$ again and it’ll help pad her activities list a little bit.
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Feel like things are finally starting to move along. S24 finished his Common App essay and supplementals, and he got an email this morning from his teacher who wrote his rec that it is ready and she will upload it to Navience as soon as the counselor gives her access. He obviously will not be able to see it but glad to know it is done and ready for the schools that require one. His counselor also reached out to let him know that he can request official transcripts as needed. School starts September 5. I am relieved for him as football has taken up many hours of his time (6am-12pm up until today and 6am-4pm tomorrow, Friday and next week). He still has unfinished summer reading and AP Gov’t work that I am fairly certain will not get done by the star of school but oh well, he will have to deal with that…
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Went to D24’s last “meet the teacher” night yesterday. High 5’d some of them + the principal. 
In the Shakespeare class and the French class, it was just me and the teacher! Met parents of a student who D24 talks a lot about…they were cool people. We commiserated about how glad we are that our kids are taking the “applications in math” (aka finance math) class.
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We are 10 days out from the first day of school, and D24 has completed her summer work for AP Physics, and is halfway through her math packet. This is HUGE in this household. Her norm is to wait until the last day or two to even look at the assignments. Perhaps this is a good sign for the year ahead? 
Edited to add: she still has a big load to attack for AP Bio and has not mentioned starting her common app essay, but I’m still feeling encouraged.
She plans to apply early action (Nov. 1) to three of her six schools, so at least I know she’ll have to write the essay before then.
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It seems crazy that S24 is 3 weeks into the school year and some students haven’t even begun. I miss living on the East Coast with school starting after Labor Day. 
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Meanwhile it was’t until I journeyed east from California that I found out not everyone started K-12 mid-September. “After Labor Day”, once I heard about it, struck me as chopping the end off of summer vacation. But we didn’t have to provision for snow day makeups.
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Today was senior sunrise, minus the sunrise due to the pea soup thick fog. I can’t believe I have a senior. I’m a mess! 
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My senior starts in 2 days, I’m a mess too!
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Just give it a year, and they’ll go back to being a freshman.
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Perspective! You comment made me smile. Thanks!
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D24 drove to school by herself this morning for the first time. I’m more than a bit nervous but she made it just fine! First day was yesterday but they didn’t have the parking spaces assigned yet so I dropped her off one last time.
We had a bit of a scheduling snafu… didn’t know her school requires Physics as a co-requisite to APES, so she was registered for both with no math class, when she had requested DE Statistics. We couldn’t get them to waive the co-requisite so she has ended up keeping Physics and moving to AP Statistics due to a conflict between the DE version and another class. I never in a million years would have pictured her in an AP math class so hopefully it won’t be a complete train wreck!
She was happy to see her AP Latin class yesterday. There are only 9 kids who have all been together since freshman year, so a tight knit group… and D24 had a lot of pics and stories to share as we went to Italy in June and saw Rome and Pompeii.
Her twin sister (also D24) has been up and running at her school for a week. She is moderately on the autism spectrum and in mostly self contained special ed classes although on track for a standard diploma. We are waiting with bated breath for a report from Beacon College, where she went for a 3 week summer program. They will provide a report, they said by Labor Day, with a good readout of admissions probability. Would be great if that would be an option for her.
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Soon wrapping up the 1st month of school here at our house. Time flies.
D24 starts new Taco Bell job today. Will be working 12 hr/week in 3 shifts on Tues, Wed, & Fri. The Child is pleased with this. Pay is $1/hr less than McDonald’s, but she said the place is cleaner, less insanely busy compared to McD’s. D24 likes earning $$ now. Has plans this weekend to go homecoming dance shopping w/friends.
D24 wanted to join new K-pop dance club that friend of hers is starting, but won’t be able to since the club meets on Fridays after school, when she has to be on the road to come home and suit up for Taco Bell.
D24 went yesterday to Univ of Arizona presentation after school. 18 other students went as well, including 1 girl who whispered to her friends the entire presentation. D24 was kind of appalled at that, said, “Mama! She did exactly what Ms. ___ (counselor) said not to do! What the heck?!” Univ of Arizona is still in a top slot.
D24 has decided she will apply to ASU after all.
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1 month already?
DD starts school tomorrow.
Kpop - darn that the time slot doesn’t fit her schedule.
DD is founder of their high school Kpop club Freshman year and it has grown to 40+ members
- DD loves kpop
- we were in NYC the last week, and she met a few kids from NYU at Washington Square Park when the NYU kpop club were practicing
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D24 submitted her application today to Univ of Arizona! 
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It’s been a hellacious week. My MIL died last Friday. Kids are handling it well.
Counselor told D24 that she should hear back from U of A by end of this week. And in the college counseling class this week, they’ve started on essay writing. Advice from counselor has included:
- don’t write about your parents’ divorce
- don’t write about sports
- don’t have a whole bunch of people proofread your essays because it ends up taking away your own unique voice. Show essays to counselors and probably 1-2 other people, but that’s it.
D24 said that when she met w/counselor last Thursday, she showed counselor the College Essay Guy writing exercises that I’d made D24 do. Counselor thought the exercises were really great.
1st choir concert of the year is this Saturday.
D24 is setting up meeting w/the teacher who’s going to write her STEM letter of rec. He wants to chat w/her and get more info from her so he has more detail to include in the letter of rec.
D24 also sent email to her choir director, requesting a letter of rec for the 3 LACs she’s applying to, along with asking for help in picking a couple of music pieces to sing for the non-music major fine arts/performing arts scholarships at each of those schools.