<p>My s’13 is away at a basketball preview. They are staying in a hotel for 3 days. Today was their first game. He texts me from the game to tell me that he forgot his basketball shoes in the hotel!!! Don’t ask me what he was thinking-I promise my son would forget his head if it wasn’t attached to his neck. Needless to say, he didn’t get to play in the game-valuable lesson learned…I hope.</p>
<p>^^ Classic! Kids are not always concentrating on the “critical” things when they go on a trip like that. You are right…lesson learned better than you could have nagged him into!</p>
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I am not a guidance counselor, but I work in the guidance dept. of a smaller Catholic high school. We have recently received the PSAT scores, but the counselors will hold them until sharing them first with the kids in the classroom, and then with the parents at a January meeting where they will take home the test booklets and score sheets. </p>
<p>I hear the concern about NMS-level kids and what schools they will look at, but honestly…are there kids who are NMS level who don’t already know it? Those who “have it” already know it, and so do the counselors. I don’t really see how waiting until January disrupts the college search…what am I missing here?</p>
<p>Maybe we just don’t have enough of those kids for it to be an issue…anyway, I will mention it to our senior counselor to see if there should be a different “delivery date” for the juniors than for the sophs. (our frosh don’t take it)</p>
<p>YDS: Congrats to your son!</p>
<p>Nicksmtmom: my older D was one who completely revamped her college list once she knew for sure she was NMSF as a junior. Luckily we did know right before winter break & we were able to have discussion and do some research before she went back in January. We knew she was a good test taker so it wasn’t shocking but also not expected. </p>
<p>Re: sibling comparisons. Last year when D1 was getting recognition for being a NMF, one of D2’s teachers asked her “oh, are you going to be a NMF like your sister?” Um, I don’t know, ask me in 3 years 
They haven’t had too many overlapping teachers and it’s a big school. They both have always known how the other has done on report cards and testing. It’s just not something that’s a secret. There’s not a big disparity between the two, but D1 recognizes and praises that D2 does much better on writing assessments. D2 beats herself up more due to her group of friends, one who just got a 32 on the PLAN.</p>
<p>It’s a Christmas miracle: After stressing about ds possibly failing pre-cal, he pulled a 95 on today’s test. This kid is going to kill me.</p>
<p>Hey RobD…good to hear from you! Can you tell me exactly how that changed your D’s search over the break? My S scored well on the PSAT also, but I guess since we were in an audition situation, it didn’t change anything, except to make us feel he could audition at academically tough colleges and know he would pass academic admissions. This would be helpful when talking to the guidance dept.</p>
<p>Yeah, YDS! A friend of mine always says “there’s always one child who keeps you on your knees”. In my case it is definitely DD13!</p>
<p>Nicks: Sure! Her original list included a couple of “satellite” state colleges as well as the flagship. There were other schools that were on the list, but we were very honest with her about what we could afford (which was the out of pocket cost of the state flagship.) We were in that wonky FA category where we wouldn’t qualify for much based on current income, but I had just gone back to work in 2008 after getting my MS earlier that year. And we had spent the majority of her life living in a high cost area (NJ) on one income. So despite the CC argument that a diligent parent can save enough if they make it a priority even if they are broke, well her college account showed that DH & I were slackers ;)</p>
<p>I knew there was a possibility of merit money at other schools, but once we knew about the NMSF, and I read up on CC about the “guaranteed” merit money at certain schools, it opened her search up. She ditched the satellite schools right away and added a couple of LACs as well as OOS publics where the OOS tuition would have knocked them out of contention. </p>
<p>So it really wasn’t about her getting scores that made her realize she could aim higher; we knew that academically she could hold her own. It was finding out that she could financially swing it at a wider range of schools.</p>
<p>YDS, my '09 S gave me a cardiac arrest, but my D has resuscitated me!</p>
<p>I have two children one year apart, but two grades. Students are very different children and don’t look alike. My D 13 has v strong writing skills, and is a natural leader. One of her former teachers described her to me as sparkly. Could have a worse way to tell me she is boisterous. S who is in 8th grade and in the same school as D is extremely introverted. He is a much better student, putting in no work. His grades are always much higher, but D get the recognition more than S. School is very much about discussion not lecture. Because of this D is looked at as more capable. Not true. </p>
<p>It is always a balance. You hate one student to feel a comparison. I am fortunate that they have different interests. </p>
<p>Sounds like NMF is a great thing. I know very little about this. D13 is not the best standardized test taker, so I don’t anticipate hitting this mark. But congratulations to all.</p>
<p>nellieh–National Merit is a great thing because NMFs can receive great guaranteed scholarships at some schools (such as tuition, room and extras at the University of Alabama, or an automatic $14K/year scholarship at Furman). There are also smaller scholarships available from corporations and the National Merit Foundation that can be used at any college. Most semifinalists make finalist (15,000 out of 16,000).</p>
<p>Based on my experience, I recommend that juniors who could possibly be NMF take the SAT for the first time in October, 5 days before the PSAT. The SAT is harder; preparing for it helps prepare one for the PSAT; the October testing date is a date for which you can request your Qs and As to help you prepare for a later test date if necessary.</p>
<p>Semester exams begin for my D tomorrow–seven exams in four days. The semester isn’t over until the end of January, but several years ago our school division began administering exams before the holiday break. It makes for some extra stress during this busy season, but most are happy they don’t have to think about them during their vacation from school. That leaves only the science fair project and the AP World semester project for my D to agonize over during her time off. Yea! (Insert sarcasm here.)</p>
<p>Blueshoe: my D’s begin tomorrow too…we hope. No school today because of snow and a 2 hour delay tomorrow. D is wigging out a little. Friday is the end of the semester and she does NOT want exams hanging over winter break. Neither do I! I really want her to have the two weeks totally off. Unfortunately, there is another chance of winter weather here on Wednesday and TN is not equipped to deal with it.</p>
<p>RobD, we had a couple inches today as well. That is usually enough to at least get a delay, but not the case today. Our last day before break is Friday and my D just wants to push through the pain. English and AP World History will be her toughest. English teacher says they will probably not get finished during the exam period and will have to come in after school to complete.</p>
<p>:0) We had over three feet here last week. Schools shut down for two days normally it would have been one, but it seemed like those in charge were sleeping at the wheel. 6-12 more inches tomorrow. Winter just started and it is getting old. </p>
<p>We are in school until the 23rd. Will have to check on mid-terms. Haven’t heard anything but all the projects have been assigned and are due this week and next. Of course they coincind with holiday concerts/etc… Don’t want people to have too much free time now. </p>
<p>Good luck with your weather.</p>
<p>Interesting to hear the opinions on the semester ending after the break. Ours ends before, and it makes for a really scrunched semester. Fall semester is 28 instructional days shorter than the spring, which can really wreck havoc depending on the class. I don’t like it and wish we could go into January. Do kids really worry and study over the break? I don’t see that happening in this house.</p>
<p>Exams were supposed to begin today, but the two classes ds had today elected to forgo finals in lieu of projects that have already been turned in, so they watched a movie. And no finals tomorrow either, but one party. :rolleyes: The fun starts Wednesday. His brother, home from college, is doing a little pre-cal study group for ds2 and a couple of other kids. He needs all the help he can get there.</p>
<p>ETA: Rob, ds got a text from his friend in Nashville last night announcing his snow day. He was obviously excited!</p>
<p>It is 80 degrees today here in Southern California. We have a whole month of school after break before first semester finals.</p>
<p>YDS: our semesters are pretty even, but we started school on August 12th. And D2 would definitely be worrying and studying over winter break; D1 would have concentrated on Christmas 
I have friends whose finals have traditionally been the week after New Years and the mom keeps on top of them during the break. </p>
<p>They’ve changed the midterms/finals policy for this year and will again for next year. This year the midterm/final is 20% of the semester grade. Next year it will be 25%. Supposedly state mandated. Teachers are not happy since it makes all the work they do in the classroom worth less. And if a kid has a bad day they can be penalized heavily. </p>
<p>Not looking forward to the drive home tonight…</p>
<p>Finals are 25% of the grade here. The semester grade is the avg of the three six-weeks’ grades and the final.</p>
<p>Be careful out there, Rob!</p>
<p>S received PSAT scores yesterday. He did well, but pointed out that he would have aced the math portion had he known that he could use a calculator. Apparently, the only math questions he missed were due to calculation errors. I guess his teachers failed to mention that they needed to bring their own calculators. So…live and learn for next year. </p>
<p>And he begins finals today. They are 25% of the semester grade. Today is AP Spanish written portion - they did an oral report last week that was 50% of the grade. S scoffed when I suggested that he study last night! Not the most studious kid.</p>
<p>^^^and that’s why it’s good for kids to take them at least the year before they “count.” </p>
<p>We did have a 2 hour delay and D had her Honors Chemistry exam. Haven’t heard from her yet as I’m sure the buses are running slow. We are under a Winter Weather Advisory for tonight into tomorrow with a chance for significant icing. If things stay as they’re talking about I’m anticipating that school will be canceled tomorrow. Not sure how that affects the rest of the exams…</p>
<p>D had her chemistry exam today as well and was very confident the results will be good. English and Trig tomorrow.</p>