<p>Last week was the end of the marking period. I avoid the online grading system so I have no idea how he’s doing, but he says the only B he has is BC Cal. I’ll find out soon enough, I suppose.</p>
<p>Meanwhile, he was re-elected class officer, so he’s thrilled. He lost time this weekend at his x-country meet, but it was a really hard course and he lost less than 20 seconds so he is hoping to “beast” it up this weekend. Went to school dressed up for a class project. He’s just happy as a clam. Oh, to have his life (except the BC Cal part)!</p>
<p>^^ I commend your for avoiding on the online grading system, that is something I could never do!</p>
<p>Homecoming here has been scaled back the past few years, for many years it involved a big venue…typically a high end hotel, limos and full gowns. D’s homecoming this year will be at the HS Gym, D is wearing more of a club dress than a gown and her boyfriend will wear a shirt and tie if he goes. D’s friend just split up with her BF, he left for the Army and a week later he called her and broke up…so D is thinking maybe she should go with her friend.</p>
<p>I too can not escape my anxiety and do check on it very often. The teachers in 11 th grade are not posting their grades online much. So far only three subjects’ grades are available online. What I worry is that when the end of the quarter grades come up and we have some bad surprises!!
I am not sure what the school policy is about posting the grades. Some teachers do posts it when they have a tests or quiz. They don’t let the tests/quizzes go out of school. So I dont see any papers coming in graded as well. It is a bit frustating.</p>
<p>Our district only began the online grading system in my older son’s junior year. It drove me insane. Up until that point, he was quite responsible and did well, so why I thought I needed to monitor him I’ll never know. Ds2 isn’t as hard a worker as ds1, so closely monitoring the ups and downs of his grades just wouldn’t be good for either of us. When we catch wind that things are going south, we’ll log in and take a look-see, but that’s the exception and not the rule. :)</p>
<p>I must admit I am a compulsive on-line grade checker. No real reason, S3 is quite responsible. They send us an email daily with the current grades and I check once or twice a day at work more out of habit than anything. </p>
<p>Homecoming for us is in 3 weeks. S3 has to decided who he wants to ask and then of course how he will ask.</p>
<p>Donivrian and RobD - just sent you a PM.
I have been without my laptop for a while - broke after too many time changes in Europe, I think Have a lot back reading to do…</p>
<p>Last year I was learning all I could about Homecoming from this forum, this year I do not sweat a thing. So far he claims he is not going, but since last year he asked a girl on a Wednesday before, I am not sure yet what will happen. Our homecoming is in 2 weeks, I think, the day of PSAT!
Son found himself a tutoring job, to add to his bust schedule. Since some hours he tutors ACT, I think it should be a nice review for the upcoming PSAT Otherwise all his time is spent getting ready for the big regatta in Boston and doing homework . From my perspective looks like the most work heavy class so far is AP CHem and AP Euro. He is also in IB Film,needs many filming hours. Also heavily focused on helping my brother start an internet based business - he has spent so many hours on it since summer, the business has launched but there is still TONS of work to be done. I worry that his grades will suffer, as there is no time to do everything…but at this point I can only worry. A friend told me once that comes Junior year, you really do not have much influence and have to believe that they will have the wisdom and work ethic to carry on their own.</p>
<p>Another tragedy hit close to home. S’s friend’s mom died this past week. The circumstances were strange. Both my S and my freshman D are fairly close to this girl, even though we do not know the family. Service on Saturday, kid seem to be strong, but what do I know???</p>
<p>Meda - read some of your posts and my heart aches for you. No easy way out…
There is absolutely no way you can afford the private school for those last two years?
Isn’t there a foundation that can help ypu with tuition? did you talk to that school guidance? principal?</p>
<p>YDS: I wish I had your will-power! I am not as bad as I used to be, but I still find myself checking the online grading system once a week. Both S and D are pretty good at checking it themselves. Our on-line system shows everything from grades, missing assignments, due dates, test, service hours, etc…</p>
<p>S had his first tutor session for the Dec SAT. Said it went well and really liked who he is working with. I still can’t get over some of the prices SAT/ACT services charge for their programs or tutors. Thankfully, we found an outside source who is not over priced and has a very good track record with her students results. So until the first weekend in Dec, S will have very little social life outside of School, training and SAT prep :(</p>
<p>My D has been in classes for a month. I finally found the website with their online grade system and requested a password last week but no grades have been posted. I am trying to let her make her own way since she won a scholarship to this prestigious school to do the IB diploma program and she just turned 18 but I was so involved before that it is a little tough for me to just stay out of it. The good news is that I have made plane reservations to go see her and her new school at the end of the month during my fall break. I can’t wait!</p>
<p>Apollo6- enjoy the time with your d.
Kelownoa- thanks for the link.
tx5athome: I too check it very often at work!!</p>
<p>My S keeps track of grades and stay on top of most of the things…(well, if it is his literature or history assignments, he may tend to do things(HW, research paper etc) a little sloppy). But I am so anxious to know what is going on and keep checking it at least once from my work.</p>
<p>Just got his APUSH essay back- with an A- Has a fairly good load of homework and with his EC’s, he is really busy every day.</p>
<p>I never checked the online grades. I would get the midterm grades in the mail…with S this meant, often, a mini-heart attack…not just Cs but Ds and Es every so often. Longhaul…I feel your pain with a very disorganized but bright boy. While S was never diagnosed with ADD…several teachers during his school years told me that he should be evaluated…generally he functioned well enough and my H is exactly the same…we knew he had to develop his own systems but how to help him was really tough sometimes. I did nag and I did followup…if it were my son flunking AP (son says that he is doing homework, online system says not) I would make an an appointment to go with S and find out what the problem is. They may be 16, but not all kids have learned to take the initiative, talk to the teacher and figure out what is going wrong. I had to do these types of things with my S…we put him back a year precisely because he seemed so unprepared for highschool even though he actually was supposed to be put forward a year because of his academics. Best decision we ever made.</p>
<p>I do remember sitting down with an English teacher, coming up with a strategy…S would be the LAST out of class each day–checking to see that he had all his possessions and all the homework written down. Next teacher was given heads up that he may be a little late to class. Then, teacher gave me a calendar with all assignments (now it would be online) and I sat down each evening and checked it was there/done and in backpack or turned in on “turn it in”… He still ended up with a C in that class, but each year he seemed to improve in his organization but it was slow and painful. The good news is that he is quite successful in his second year of college and I am blissfully unaware of what is due, how he is doing, etc unless he chooses to share this info with us. I know he has had some challenges but has gone to professors and discussed strategies for time management etc. I think seeing me in action in HS embarrassed him but he learned from it. D has never, ever needed any type of intervention–she is well organized and completes all her work on time. How does this happen in the same household?</p>
<p>Sometimes on CC parents give really harsh advice …“make him take ownership” “he needs to learn a lesson don’t baby him” yadayadayada…I think this advice is HOOEY and you should definitely intervene when a kid is struggling but make him go with you to see the teacher and help him come up with a strategy that makes sense for him. I used to ask my son to write down everything in a planner but then he would lose the planner…instead, he wrote every assignment on the palm of his hand/back of his hand, arm…luckily hard to lose the arm and he was not such a clean freak that he would wash it off before he got home…He looked ridiculous with assignments written all over his arms…now he uses his smart phone (phones are like arms…can’t live without them so less often lost compared to silly things like paper agendas)…but for a while, his tatoo system worked for him.</p>
<p>Morning all! Checking in as life has been busy!</p>
<p>Homecoming was a week or two ago here but wasn’t on the radar at our house so no dress stress :)</p>
<p>medavici: I have a dear friend with a great saying “It’ll all be OK in the end; if it’s not OK then it’s not the end.” Which I always take to mean that things work themselves out. We don’t like to see our kids struggle, but many of our greatest life lessons are learned during times of trial. Hugs to both of you.</p>
<p>So SATs were taken this past Saturday; D seemed to think they went fairly well. She asked when she was done if we were going to make her take them again, even if she did well. DH & I said no, but then we spent some time figuring out what “well” meant. Guess we’ll see on October 20th.</p>
<p>College fair was last week as well. I think there were 7 out of her 19 schools there. She’s not getting a great vibe from one of her safeties so that may bite the dust soon and #1 remains high in her eyes. We’re visiting UNC Asheville in 2 weeks which I suspect may come off the list as well. </p>
<p>Kelowna, thanks for your comments. In the summer when my soon to be ex realized he couldn’t pay the tuition because he hadn’t even finished paying last spring’s tuition, they told him not to even bother to apply for fin aid because there wasn’t any. I am good friends with a parent on the board of directors, and she found it odd that there was no aid. Two girls in my d’s grade left and they were on scholarship. The parents who have found out about this to date all feel the school should have done something. It begs one to wonder what they do with the money that some families donate to the annual fund. Many give $5000 and up and there are at least 25 or so who give $50,000 (that’s 2 yrs tuition for us), and could afford to give a lot more. They are also the ones who can drop a $20 million gift to an ivy as well. I know the headmistress’s salary is half a million dollars. Clearly she does not get what the rest of us are experiencing nor do many of the other parents. I had to laugh. One mother who is divorced and wealthy in her own right, found out I was divorcing. Half of nothing is nothing in my case. So much has gone wrong financially. But she came up to me last year and said “I have a great lawyer for you. I learned a lot in the process.” Well, the lawyer was $2000 an hour (the one I have now because I just couldn’t do the divorce myself, is not good; you get what you pay for, but I have no choice as she didn’t take the requisite $15,000 retainer). This woman, super wealthy with 3 homes, got $30 million in her settlement. I guess because we attended the school, she thought I was in the same boat as her. </p>
<p>My biggest fear is if we have to up and leave now if the house forecloses. I don’t want it in the divorce, as it has been a source of bad luck for 20 yrs. I was so distressed 2 weeks ago with my d and her unhappiness, I backed up into our stone wall and the 4 herniated discs I have got worse. Im just able now to stand almost straight up. I admit I get angry and scream at God once in a while, but then the pity party ends and I try to move on. The amount of repairs that need to be done on this 20 yr old house is a lot, and having been without a dryer for 4 weeks now, has been a nuisance. I never thought that having a repairman coming to fix my dryer this Friday would be like celebrating my birthday! The perils of getting old!</p>
<p>I am compulsive about checking grades, not just D’s but mine too :). D’s HS teachers are very good about online grades it is her DE professors that are not so good. Her Micro Apps Prof. is horrid, which is very frustrating when if you don’t know how you are doing in the course it makes it hard to improve. Her Chem Prof. is not much better!</p>
<p>Nov will be a very busy month for College visits, D’s is visiting Eckerd and Rollins one weekend then FAU and Miami another. While Duke is her first choice, her GI Bill and or Florida Prepaid make those schools very appealing, D understands that while attending a good school is important the bottom line financially speaking is key because she knows grad school/law school is to follow. I am hoping that she really likes Rollins and FAU…I like the schools and I think D will like the location!</p>
<p>On the social front, D and her BF of 8months almost broke up Sat., it was her doing but she was so upset, it was hard. They are still trying to make it work so we will see.</p>
<p>Wanted to let your group know about an online class I saw in the Sunday NYT that they are offering from October 10-November 16 entitled “Inside the College Admissions Process” with their national education correspondent. Wish I could have taken that last year for my 2011 HS grad!</p>
<p>^^ what do you all think?
I might consider the “self paced” version…</p>
<p>Also, looking for a model spreadsheet of some kind to help manage the admission process. As much as I hate to start, I feel like I really should. DS and H will attend the college admission eve tonight re: Harvard, Duke, Penn, Stanford. Another eve coming up Wednesday night.</p>
<p>First APUSH test came back for S yesterday…98%. I am guessing the “staying up past midnight to study” must be helping. Sure wish my kids got to bed earlier :/</p>
<p>S pulled hamstring is almost 100%, but the Coaches are treating him with “kid gloves” which I am very thankful for. And in the meantime, he finally sent back his first “recruiting interest” form from Brown.</p>
<p>HC is this Sunday and no school on Monday. I am sure both kids would enjoy the day off MUCH more if S didn’t have SAT tutoring and D didn’t have a 5 hour Cheer practice.</p>
<p>Do you ever wish you could slow down time during these last few years of HS to really be able to enjoy them with your kids?</p>
<p>MDmom: Definitely I wish I could slow down time!!! Once they hit high school it just seems like everything goes so fast.</p>
<p>Kelowna: I think RobD is the queen of spreadsheets! </p>
<p>I think S3 is asking a girl to Homecoming today at school. The girl is a very good friend. They actually have the same last name (a common one) and look like they could be twins. She has been giving him half her lunch since they were in the 6th grade. I send him a whole lunch but she gives him all the stuff I don’t allow in the house. (fruit roll-up etc…) We made brownies last night and used cookie cutters to cut them into heart shapes. The plan was to put them in a sack lunch with a note saying something to the effect of, since you always bring me lunch I thought I would bring you lunch with a note inside asking her to Homecoming. Not exactly our best effort, but we had to put it together quickly because evidently another boy is also planning on asking her. And the scouting reports say she would prefer to go with S3.</p>
<p>^^^ Ooops! I spoke too soon. He did not ask her. Evidently the other boy talked him out of it. I am not sure what became of the brownies, or what Plan B is.</p>
<p>I thought before I posted a new thread I would ask here. DD and I were planning big California trip for spring break to see 6 schools. Of the 6, only 2 are NOT on spring break during DD’s spring break. So, 2 would be in session, the other 4 would be quiet, I would guess. Maybe we should rethink this? It seems like all schools on the quarter system have that week at the break between winter and spring quarter. </p>
<p>We toured California colleges while all of them (I think) were not in session. Some of them were deserted, some didn’t seem like that at all. For me it really did not matter.</p>
<p>Went to Exploring College Options evening - Duke, Harvard, Georgetown, Penn and Stanford. Two things that really stuck with me: do not take standardized tests more than twice, an A- or a B on a really tough transcript only proves that you are a human being and not a robot.</p>
Went to school dressed up for a class project. He’s just happy as a clam. Oh, to have his life (except the BC Cal part)!</p>
Have a lot back reading to do…</p>