<p>Regarding AP exam studying. I bought my older kids the study books. For some classes (AP Bio especially) they used the books for the exams and homework throughout the year. We even found the AP Bio notecards helpful. Our AP World teacher this year recommended Baron’s. We bought CLiff’s as well because it has questions at the end of each section, rather than just at the end, which has been helpful. For both AP English tests my older kids really didn’t study much for them. Although they did use one of the review books in class.</p>
<p>Schokolade: thanks for the info. Think D will take a pass this year then. Based on conversations we’ve had, I don’t think she’ll need SAT II’s, but since I know about them now (as opposed to when D1 was making the college journey) I want to make sure she doesn’t have to scramble last minute.</p>
<p>My kid is like the walking dead…AP Euro was grueling yesterday & she didn’t get the result she wanted; actually no one did. Highest exam grade in the class was an 80. She’s had mid to high A’s for marking period grades, but it looks like her semester grade will just drop under an A to a B. Which in some odd way makes me relieved because now the “unthinkable” has happened and it might help her take some pressure off herself. There is muted, exhausted chatter among the kids that the teacher may curve the exam grade. Algebra II & English today then off till January 4th. Huzzah.</p>
<p>I realized this morning that I am really in a bubble about the reality of HS life between my D’s high achieving friends & here on CC. We were talking about a regular level required class that D2 took this semester (and is thankfully over so she can have a study hall again.) It was very easy, with no effort for D. 100 both MPs and a 100 on the exam. But apparently there were multiple people failing the class and D told me one of the seniors didn’t bother showing up for the exam because he had figured out that even if he got a 100, he’s still fail the semester. So I will say thank you for having kids who are conscientious about school!</p>
<p>Honors Chemistry is the class that is kicking my S’s butt this year. His highest test grade was a 77 and he swears that was the highest in the class. Fortunately, there have been lots of labs and extra credit opportunities. He should probably squeak out a B for the semester, but surprisingly he still loves the class.</p>
<p>Great news for ds! He made an 86 on his pre-cal final! Because of that score, teached dropped another low grade. He got a borderline failing notice just three weeks ago, and now he was an 85 average. Phew!</p>
<p>Rob, at my lunch with ds he said that he thought really looking failure in the eye was good for him this semester. He doesn’t understand why he got so lazy the second six weeks, but now knows how to be better prepared the next time he gets into trouble. Of course, not getting into trouble would be best, huh?</p>
<p>Headed out of town with limited internet. Everyone have a great weekend.</p>
<p>Leave it to my S to do the unexpected. He aced the Chemistry final and ended up with a 90 for the semester. Someone must be watching out for that boy!! (He confided that his teacher did not give them the district Chemistry exam and instead gave them one of her own making. I think this was a little Christmas gift to her students!)</p>
<p>Afternoon all! Hope everyone survived exams; Is anyone still in school this week?</p>
<p>The AP Euro teacher had mercy and added a curve to the exam; D was thrilled because it bumped her semester grade back up to the A.</p>
<p>DH & I are so thrilled because she is “back!” Joking around, relaxing & spending time downstairs & away from the textbooks & computer. She is so happy to have two full weeks off; yay!</p>
<p>Oh yes…exams for the next three days (but no school…take the test, leave and study for the next one!) Then head off the next day to Florida. We leave so early, the kids have decided to pull and all-nighter. Should be interesting…</p>
<p>congrats on the high finals scores…wish us luck!</p>
<p>RobD, congratulations to your D on the A in AP Euro! All four of my D’s remaining exams were postponed until after winter break. The only one that will cost her any lost sleep though is the AP World. She will have to prepare all over again for that one. She also has a newly assigned book project for English to get started on as well as a book project for AP World and a portion of the science fair project due in January. She looked up the book she wants to read for the AP World project and there is only one copy in our county’s entire library system. Looks like I need to purchase it ASAP! Happy holidays to all!</p>
<p>I’m having so much fun having both kids home for Christmas break. Right now, they are practicing a duet that they are singing in church next Sunday. They kicked me out of the music room, but I can still evesdrop. They’ve also pulled out a bunch of piano duet arrangements of Christmas carols, so we’ve felt very festive this weekend.</p>
<p>Good luck to kids still taking finals! And, sorry, to kids who have to study over break. We start a brand new semester in January - so no homework or projects. S will finally have time to do some reading for fun.</p>
<p>It seems like we are on a whole different schedule then the rest of the country. Progress reports for second quarter came out Friday and kids will be in school full days until this Thursday. I guess this is why when we got so much snow in MD last year the kids didn’t finish school until the last wk of June.
Since finals aren’t until the end of January there won’t be to much studying and project going on over break. I did buy the SAT II prep book for Math 2, but I don’t hold much hope for getting him to open it.
DS 1 PSAT scores will be mailed over the break and DS 2 SAT scores for JH Talent search will be available Tuesday, so I think some early puzzle pieces for DS 1 college search and DS 2 summer are starting to come into focus.
DS 1 current dream school is Harvey Mudd, now I just have to find one like it on the East Coast that it hopefully less selective - Rose Hulmah (?).</p>
<p>Thanks for the replies on AP prep everyone. </p>
<p>Yes, we are in school this whole week, up until Thursday. This is very late for us and is upsetting my kids quite a bit. I wish they would be off a couple days before Christmas for us to get some things done. I wanted to have a movie day, and was hoping we could just decompress. </p>
<p>Instead, in addition to prepping for the holidays, celebrating my D13’s birthday (finally 15 today) and cramming in musical performances, we are also studying, completing homework etc…</p>
<p>Nellieh</p>
<p>Happy Birthday to your son! Mine turned 15 last week, and my younger son has his 11th birthday this week.</p>
<p>No school here. Trying to get my son to choose his summer programs. He isn’t so interested in thinking that far ahead, but his big EC has a 12/31 deadline for applications.</p>
<p>It was nice to just get myself up and out this morning instead of rousing all the kids. </p>
<p>Not sure I’ll be on here much this week, so wishing all a Merry Christmas now!</p>
<p>We have school through Wednesday. Return on Jan 3, mid-terms are week of MLK day, so still 3 weeks away. Of course, the school year runs through June 9 or 10 also. My D’13 is the child whose grades I don’t have to stress over, it’s my senior son who I need to keep an eye on.</p>
<p>My S13 just pulled his AP World History grade up to a 90.2% after spending the last month or so at a B+. We still have 4 weeks to go until finals when they go back to school Jan. 3. (we don’t get out of school until June 23). I suggested that he should study some AP World in between video games. He said “why, I have an A-?”. Ughh</p>
<p>Happy birthday to all the December birthdays! My D will be 16 on the 24th! We will be celebrating her birth as we always do at Christmas Eve mass where she will bless us with her beautiful violin sounds. Can’t wait to celebrate with her and have our traditional red velvet cake!</p>
<p>My son just turned 16 and had requested his favorite cake, but when he arrived home yesterday I had to tell him that I wasn’t able to make red velvet cake. He thought for a minute and said, “Let me guess–it isn’t red!” He was right; I couldn’t find the red food coloring anywhere so we had brown velvet cake!</p>
<p>So last night D asks if she can go to basketball game with friends at a neighboring HS. It is about 2 miles away on suburban streets. I dont know the boy driving and he said he had one other teen in the car. O My D says the driver is 17. I do know the boy’s older sister who is a close friend of my son. I did not let her go but offered to drive her to and from the game. She said this was embarrassing and declined the offer. Some sulks and a good question…“when will you let me go in a car when my friends are driving?”…</p>
<p>We have had the policy up to now that she can’t drive with a teen driver except her brother. Even older girls on the travel soccer are not allowed to drive her. I seem to be the only mom with t his hang up. My son was not so social and was the oldest of his cohort so was one of the first to drive. He got his permit at 16, license at 17 and was allowed to drive sister and one or two friends when he was 18 and a senior. I always checked with parents to make sure they were ok if S drove their younger child (D’s friend) and made both girls sit in the back. Again, no highways just suburban/urban streets. </p>
<p>So how are you handling the driving with a friend issue? I had planned to let her go with friends after she herself had her license (16.5 or 17) and is in a position to know if someone is driving responsibly. This was easy for S since he drove before most of his friends and he had a car. However, she is one of the youngest in her cohort–newly 15 and her friends will be driving long berfore she can…many have permits already and will have licenses by the summer! She will, perhaps, have a full license a year or more from now and may not have a car (just borrow mine) unless she gets a job, etc. If her friends have a license and have been driving for a year, should I let her go with them?</p>
<p>I just can’t seem to let her get in a car with a teen, particularly with a teen I haven’t even met. What ground rules do you have for this issue? Please share.</p>
<p>Ugh. I was the same way with D1. I just have visions of every newspaper story & Lifetime movie! TN’s teen driver rules are fairly stringent so the onus wasn’t just on me:</p>
<p>Those with an intermediate restricted license can only have one other passenger in the vehicle, UNLESS:
* One or more of the passengers is age 21 or older and has a valid, unrestricted license;
* The passengers are brothers and sisters, step-brothers or step-sisters, adopted or fostered children residing in the same house as the driver and going to and from school AND the intermediate license holder has in their possession written permission from their parent or guardian to transport their siblings.</p>
<p>The first person I let her drive in the car with was one of her friends from church, after church, who was an Eagle Scout. And I think he’d had his license for a year. Probably end of junior year (mind you many kids get their licenses here during sophomore year since the permit age is 15 and the license age is 16.) Senior year I loosened up especially since she was already driving.</p>
<p>D2 hasn’t asked yet; not sure if any of her friends are licensed yet but they will be soon. Since I am already uncomfortable with the young driving age here, I will probably be pretty strict with her too.</p>
<p>In California, legally, you have to have your license for a year before you are allowed to have anyone under 18 in your car with you. That being said, I allowed my son to take a neighbor and his younger brother to school everyday. I allowed them to drive with other teens on a case by case basis. It is definitely a sticky issue.</p>
<p>My D will get her restricted license in March and the rules regarding passengers are almost identical to those RobD described in TN. She is very conscientious and I fully expect her to abide by the law. She will be sharing a car with me and I don’t think there will be many opportunites for her to be transporting others this spring and summer. However, I am not opposed to her transporting the occasional one passenger short distances. </p>
<p>Our school division cut back on transportation for some extracurricular activites leaving the kids to get themselves to a few games and practices at facilities across the county. My D rode with a senior teammate on some of these occasions as well as county and regional orchestra events in which they both participated. She made the travel arrangements herself and I cautiously allowed her to proceed. I will always worry about my children when they are out by themselves or with others. I asked my S for years to call me when he reached his destination and to let me know when he was leaving for home. He used to ask, “Mom, would you like to roll me in bubble wrap?” Of course I would!</p>