<p><a href=“http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/717296-report-rips-sat-prep-courses.html[/url]”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/sat-act-tests-test-preparation/717296-report-rips-sat-prep-courses.html</a></p>
<p>SAT prep: </p>
<p>private tutoring: $100/hr
prep class: $1,100+
xiggi’s method: priceless </p>
<p>It worked for my first kid and she was too busy during the summer before jr year to prep, so she did it while in school and over Christmas break (yes, she is kinda crazy). The younger one is just volunteering and training this summer, so she’ll prep and will sit the SAT in the fall while it’s all still fresh.</p>
<p>:: puts out platters of cookies, both homemade and commercial ::</p>
<p>Anyone up for an Oreo-eating contest? :)</p>
<p>^^who isn’t?? Although I admit I preferred your home-baked ones. Owlice, nice to see you here! How are things going with Ow-boy? Or is that Owl-boy?</p>
<p>Hi, mad! For home-baked, we have oatmeal chocolate chip, sugar cookies (which we call “crackies,” more because they are addictive than for the cracked surface on top of the cookies), and fudge brownies. I was going to make triple chocolate toffee brownies, too, but we ate the Heath bars necessary to make them. :D</p>
<p>My Owlet is okay, thanks! He’s been studiously ignoring his school work (or maybe he continues to do it on the bus to school; tough to tell these days!) and instead has been spending time chatting with other incoming Rockers. Still hasn’t filled out his housing form, though, and I wish he’d do that and get it in! </p>
<p>How are things with your youth?</p>
<p>Yum. I can imagine what a relief it must be to have his college decision so swiftly behind you all. Is he finding kids like him among the other new Rockers <–love this term?</p>
<p>Madboy2 starts finals tomorrow. There is no joy in Mudville today. He is a hard studier but not a high tester and so it goes. Hope no one minds if I feel like having a little “whine” with Owlice’s cookies, but sending S to a very grade-deflated prep-type school with a huge number of gifted students provides a wonderful education, but as far as exams go, can be like taking a hike and facing the Rockies. With enough calories (for mom) and encouragement (for S), we’ll survive. I hope.</p>
<p>I was making chocolate-covered frozen bananas last night in preparation for next week’s bat mitzvah, anyone want one? </p>
<p>D1 has a massive English project coming up, and needs to do an extra credit Geo paper. Some complaining that the last paper she’d done on a science topic was her 3rd grade Pluto paper back when Pluto was a planet (we joke that now that it’s not, her 3rd grade pass has been rescinded). She leaves for a summer trip to Israel in less than a month, and is busy meeting all the other kids in her group on facebook rather than doing something constructive. On an entirely different note, there was a(n unsuccessful) suicide attempt at her school. The school went into lockdown so the police could talk the student (a senior) off of the roof. Poor kid, poor parents.</p>
<p>Over in the '09 thread we’ve been kvetching about what a miserable mess most schools make of awards night. What a treat it was for me today when I went to throw some clean laundry in S’s room and saw an award certificate tacked to his bulletin board! It read “chintzyboy e lo studente piu comico della classe d’italiano”. Roughly translated–class clown. Such a proud family moment…sniff. Anyone have a tissue?</p>
<p>My video game playing son got a phys ed award! We didn’t go to the 10th grade awards ceremony, but I believe the award was based on showing up dressed for gym class and being a good sport (surely not on athletic ability!)</p>
<p>I meant to congratulate chintzyboy and mamabearboy (go gamer boys!) on their excellent end-of-year achievements. 
</p>
<p>No awards for madson2 as he goes to a school with such crazy gifted students and such hawk-eyed parents that the school simply gives almost no awards, and certainly no attendance or PE awards (not, come to think of it, that madson2 would qualify for those, either). With a lot of big-name parents, superstar kids, and academic whizzes, it’s a school that really requires a lot of inner strength and self-belief. </p>
<p>In a fun note, (and this is part of the weirdness of this school) his acting elective ended the year with a night of mock auditions to get the kids used to auditions-from-hell. They asked celebs to come in to act as the panel of judges. To try to mess with his head, madson2 was asked to perform his scene with Jake Gyllenhal (a school alum). I heard this story and fainted. S was not sure what the big deal was. </p>
<p>Anyway, finals are over and S2 is a junior. Mercy me!!! Everyone else done for the year?</p>
<p>Oh, wow, madbean, that IS some school! I can’t imagine having Jake Gyllenhal show up for the final. Best wishes to your son as he takes his finals.</p>
<p>Congratulations to ChintzyBoy and Sonbear1234 on their awards! We have one of those “no awards” schools here. </p>
<p>Boyblue is done! It never occurred to me that he is a junior now. Wow. How in the world did that happen? Next year is going to be so busy. I hope he (and I) are ready for the ride.</p>
<p>madbean–that is a swoon-worthy story!! I’m guessing they don’t publicize the celeb participants ahead of time to avoid a crush of parents “dropping by”. Friday is the last day of classes and finals end the 18th. Counting the days!</p>
<p>That seems so late, chintzy. Does school start around the first part of September for him?</p>
<p>When Owlice started this thread our kids were 9th graders–and now they are on the cusp of 11th. Time is flying! I hope we’ll still all be here holding our breath together when 12th rolls around. I think I need some chocolate!</p>
<p>:: hands out chocolate ::</p>
<p>:)</p>
<p>Just went back to the first posts to reflect - lots of talk about finances and investments. Boy, if I’d have liquidated all of my investments back in April of 08 I’d have SO MUCH MORE MONEY than I do now!!!</p>
<p>I need a Valium the size of a softball.</p>
<p>First college trip coming up to WA and OR. Start on Sat back the next Sat. In between will hit 5 colleges: Whitworth, U of Puget Sound, Lewis and Clark, Linfield and Willamette. That ought to be grins. Will be her first college trip just for her (she always went along when her brother was doing his).</p>
<p>onward and upward :)</p>
<p>Finals for D are the week of the 22nd - she is not done till the 24th! Still a long way to go…although everyone is beyond ready to be done!!</p>
<p>She’s going to Albany this weekend and is planning to check out U of Albany, RPI and perhaps Union while she’s there. First official college visits (although as a side benefit of the trip)</p>
<p>missy, I would, too!</p>
<p>I also looked back, and wow, has my life changed since those first posts!! I’ve pitched H out (he’s been having an affair throughout most or all of our marriage. Recall he moved from Ithaca to DC to marry me; guess where she is? Ithaca! Married. Still living with her husband. Three kids. I think the man has lost his mind.), I’m in grad school, and S is heading to CTY this summer and college in the fall. ExH and I had a very easy meeting of the minds on college costs. He still didn’t fill out the Profile (which didn’t surprise me), but the college knows he’s contributing.</p>
<p>The competitive-entry science and tech program in the public high school was not what we’d hoped it would be. The engineering classes are extremely poor and the AP comp sci teacher ignorant and incompetent. This year’s math class has been in large part a repeat of the class he took last year (and is designed to be that way!). He’s had some good teachers – Latin, English, chem, government – and I like his GC, who is sharp, but overall, it’s very easy to say goodbye to this high school, for kid and parents alike.</p>
<p>I wanted to take a picture of S on Saturday as he headed off to what is likely to be his last SAT test (SAT IIs); he protested. I told him that parents have needs, too, and what I needed was a picture of him the day of his last SAT test, dangfraznabbit, since I would never have prom or HS graduation pictures! He still protested, but didn’t avoid the camera.</p>
<p>Our children, how they grow! And we grow right along with them.</p>
<p>Wow, a lot goes on in 2011/15 'ville when your away!!! While our family is still intact, we are so overwelmed by events these past few weeks that all we want to do is forget. Not only did we yank our son out of rowing, we had to meet with the Assistant Principal about a teacher. In both cases, the coach and teacher, turned out to be arrogant bullies, with our son as their victim. Glad it is over. He will never have the teacher again, and we will gladly keep our $1,500 a year fee for rowing. My son is off having fun and seems to easily let it all slide off him. I am still licking my wounds. </p>
<p>Our school doesn’t do awards, its way too big. My son’s best accomplishment was getting a B in AP Euro. Next is the test results, I guess we get those at the end of June?</p>
<p>I must say, he has a really nice counselor who has helped him, and this is a guy who has at least 250 kids to attend to.</p>