<p>jackief - I do realize that we're lucky here. The HS offers a lot to the kids who are interested and want to take advantage of the different opportunities available to them. </p>
<p>I remember having problems with teacher recommendations/guidance counselor reports back when I was in school too. My graduating class was about 675 with close to 100% going to college - and there were some teachers refusing to write recs that year because it was such a time-consuming task. There was also a problem with the "secondary school reports" which are the reports usually filed by GCs. Instead, they had a committee of 4 teachers who volunteered to write them for all 675 students. That was a huge job for those teachers.</p>
<p>So, yes, I definitely appreciate D's school and our community.</p>
<p>zoosermom - that's great that your D's school offers tutoring during the week and on Saturdays. D's school doesn't do that - at least not so formally. They do offer Regents prep at the end of the school year, but most people here hire private tutors (often teachers from the school, from what I've heard). There are also kids who will tutor other kids in exchange for community service credits. We've been lucky enough to not require tutors. The teachers do have office hours where you can meet with them - but that only works if you have a free period that coincides with their office hours, so not ideal.</p>
<p>jackief - I'm not really sure how these late nights are figured into the teachers' contracts. I'm pretty sure they're compensated, but not sure how it works - if it's by activity or by hour.</p>
<p>Queen's Mom - GCs at our school are really busy as well - but eventually, they do get back to you. You would think the secretary in the guidance office would be able to give your D the naviance password. BTW, we don't even have naviance as far as I know - though they use a program that does some of the same things (not accessible to parents though).</p>
<p>Yes LIMOMOF2, you would think so, but before they give you the password, you need a session with the guidance counselor. Unfortunately, college guidance is last on her list, somewhere below gang violence and girl fights (this is a very wealthy suburban school district, mind you).</p>
<p>zoosermom, your school sounds like it is very caring. A hardworking principal is really important.</p>
<p>Uh, oh. H just called me at work with news that Son and gf broke up. First relationship for both of them. They were a couple for 7+ months. </p>
<p>From what H says, Son did the breaking up and we're not sure he handled it in the gentlest way. Either over the phone or, worse yet, via text.</p>
<p>Sketchy info points to gf getting too serious...talking about attending the same college...vacationing together for post-graduation week...etc. </p>
<p>Not sure, but we think he UNinvited gf to a concert next week. It was gonna be a double date. Now Son is hoping it becomes a 4 buddies occassion. </p>
<p>Queen's Mom - now I feel even luckier. I don't think gang violence has reached our HS, although I do know it's in other nearby districts. The girl fights - well, I guess they exist, but I haven't heard much about it in the HS (more common in middle school and even elementary school in our area). Still, you would think the GC could take a few minutes out of his/her schedule to help out the kids who are asking for assistance - even if it's not an emergency. </p>
<p>DougBetsy - sorry to hear about the breakup. I really don't know what to say to you since your S is the one who ended the relationship - I'm guessing he's fine with it. What did your H say? </p>
<p>My D was just on the opposite end of that situation - her BF of 16 months just broke up with her (he's leaving for college) - she knew they weren't staying together once he went to school, she just assumed they would stay together until he left. She was very sad for a day, but seemed ok after that. I know they still see each other fairly often as they have lots of friends in common - and I think they are on good terms. This was her first relationship, and while D may not have been his first girlfriend, I'm sure she was his only longterm girlfriend.</p>
<p>I'm jumping in late -- but that "talk" about what you can afford should include research (please) on what private schools have to offer. Our kid is going out of state to a well respected school for a cost very similar to our big state school.</p>
<p>Our D is off to France for 6 mos. on an AFS study abroad program. When she returns at the end of Jan. she'll start taking the college search thing seriously.</p>
<p>I've been away from this thread for a few days but wanted to comment on the half year classes. </p>
<p>Here all seniors have to take Civics one semester and Economics the other semester. The school offers both a regular and a AP version of both classes. </p>
<p>The problem is that now kids are expected to learn what is taught in a college semester in a high school semester - and 50% of the time it is the spring semester of their senior year (talk about senioritis!!!). </p>
<p>Another challenge is that our school year ends in mid June - as a result you have roughly 13 weeks to teach the AP material... and of course, the class taken in the fall goes into cold storage.</p>
<p>The pass rate on these classes is dismal to say the least. I would much prefer to see that these classes become year long versions and have suggested that to the principal - but he doesn't "want to interfere with the flow of the senior year"</p>
<p>On the subject of scheduling, our district has set up the school day with a 7 period day. Freshman and Sophomores must take all 7 periods, Juniors can cut back to 6 and Seniors to 5. </p>
<p>Two years of PE are required - Freshman PE plus one additional year. If you play an afterschool sport for 3 seasons then the second year of PE can be waived. </p>
<p>One interesting wrinkle - all students have to pass a swimming test to graduate. Swimming is a part of the freshman PE class, taking up roughly 12 weeks of the year - with two chances to pass the test. 4 or 5 additional tests are offered after school each year. Even so, every year some senior hasn't passed the swimming test and there is a huge drama about the requirement but the board has held firm. Last year it was a 4 year varsity athlete who did not graduate. She was ranked 7th in the class - but did not think the requirement should apply to her since she was an athlete... guess again...</p>
<p>Do others have "extra requirements" for graduation. In addition to the swimming test, ours have a community service requirement, a health semester long class and a computer literacy semester long class.</p>
<p>
[quote]
Do others have "extra requirements" for graduation?
[/quote]
</p>
<p>Maryland requires 75 hours of community service in order to receive a diploma. </p>
<p>Our district requires:
1/2 credit Health
1 credit PE
1 credit Tech Ed
1 credit Financial Literacy </p>
<p>Also, our district requires 25 total credits for graduation. A student can meet that requirement at the end of 11th grade simply by earning 1 HS credit in MS and filling his 8-period schedule in HS. (3 years x 8 credits) + 1 = 25. </p>
<p>One would think this frees-up senior year for concurrent enrollment at the CC or half-day work study. Nope. Seniors are required to be at the HS for 4 hours everyday. On our block schedule, 4 hours seep into Mod 3. This makes concurrent enrollment very difficult, especially for kids who want to return to HS in the pm for sports. It's too bad.</p>
<p>Being in New YOrk, the Regents requirements come into play, but so far so good. My daughter's school also has the swimming requirement, which is also a big deal. The pool area is absolutely repulsive, so that semester was a little bit of hell on earth for my daughter.</p>
<p>It would be good if there were a swimming requirement in our public schools. The city we live in has a large influx of refugees, mostly from Africa, many of whom cannot swim. Every year there are tragedies of kids who cannot swim drowning in the rivers etc. But I don't know if a requirment in HS would be soon enough to have this effect, but I do think it is a worthwhile skill to have.</p>
<p>I should have made it clearer - I am completely and totally behind the swimming requirement. The reason it exists is that far too many kids do drown - and in this schools case, two seniors did drown in the ocean during their senior year back in the 1960s.</p>
<p>Hey you all, what a fun group you are! I have a D leaving for freshman year of college in just a week and a half and a rising junior in HS (who is very young, I think, just turned sixteen last week.) </p>
<p>Her schedule:
AP -- U.S. History
Honors English 11
Honors Physics
Honors Pre-Calc
Spanish IV
P.E.</p>
<p>She will not be taking a PSAT prep course but will take the ACT prep course after XMAS (anyone else on this thread from the Midwest?)</p>
<p>We visited Northwestern, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and University of Wisconsin-Madison this summer. She's decided she doesn't want ultra-big but isn't sold on small LACs either. I hope to take her to one or two LACs in the fall when school is in session. She plays volleyball, though, and her season is in the fall so we might have to wait for spring.</p>
<p>She's an awesome driver, has more than fifty hours of practice including downtown and long-distance expressways. The way I taught both girls to drive was just to drive, everyday, everywhere we were going, as soon as they got their permits. Never wanted them to feel like they couldn't drive anywhere they wanted. I didn't learn to drive until I was 30 and I still hate expressways, and I have always felt hampered by that. BUT she can't get her license until November because Illinois passed a new law that requires nine months driving on the permit.</p>
<p>She hasn't worked yet (still 15) but volunteers at a hospital. Is interested in pre-med, pre-allied health or nursing.</p>
<p>This should be a fun year, don't you all think?</p>
<p>scualum, I didn't think you or anyone was putting down the swimming. We have no pools in the schools so this would never happen here, but it would be good if there were more importance on kids learning to swim.</p>
<p>
[quote]
She's an awesome driver, has more than fifty hours of practice including downtown and long-distance expressways. The way I taught both girls to drive was just to drive, everyday, everywhere we were going, as soon as they got their permits. Never wanted them to feel like they couldn't drive anywhere they wanted. I didn't learn to drive until I was 30 and I still hate expressways, and I have always felt hampered by that. BUT she can't get her license until November because Illinois passed a new law that requires nine months driving on the permit.
[/quote]
</p>
<p>S turned 16 in April, which is the earliest you can get a permit in PA. He's now working on the 50 hours required before he can get his junior license (earliest is at age 16 1/2). I didn't learn to drive until I was 27, and I also hate expressways!</p>
<p>
[quote]
The city we live in has a large influx of refugees, mostly from Africa, many of whom cannot swim
[/quote]
That's why we have the requirement. Many immigrants from Liberia, and as an inner-city school, many students don't have the opportunity to learn to swim.</p>
<p>Mine turned 16 in May and could get her permit now bus doesn't have any interest in doing so since she can't actually do anything with it until she takes drivers ed in the spring. You have to be 17 upon completion of driver's ed and can't drive in a car without dual brakes with a permit.</p>
<p>Given we have a big beautiful pool - thanks to a parental donation and taxpayer dollars - and we have the Pacific ocean and some nasty riptides right there - in my mind there is no reason to relax on the requirement - but the senior who did not graduate's parents sure kicked up a fuss. </p>
<p>She also has her learners permit but does not seem to be in much of a hurry to get her license so I am not pushing... My DS wanted to get it as soon as possible - but DD doesn't seem to care.</p>
<p>DD has the following schedule:</p>
<p>AP US History
AP English Lit
Honors Chem
French 4
Trig
Photography</p>
<p>Here in California, US History seems to be the social studies class for all juniors. I see from the above that many of your students are not taking US as a junior class - did they take it as sophomores or is it not required?</p>