<p>DS has the same problem at susan4’s DD - he signed up for a great summer program at a college he is interested in - it starts on June 1, so that SAT day is our for him. He took 2 SAT Subject Matters test on Sat. He feels okay about them. First AP is tomorrow - what a grind for our juniors. Best of luck to everyone.</p>
<p>Agreed glido… it is SO intense right now. DS just took the SAT I yesterday and starts AP’s tomorrow. Just finished up his last play of the year and is signed up for SAT II’s in June. He also has final exams in his non-AP classes after AP’s. I have never seen such a tired kid. The good news is that he isn’t required to go to school on the days he has AP tests…so maybe he will get a few days of extra sleep…it is absolutely insane for the Juniors. I think next year won’t be much better, but at least most of this insane testing will be over.</p>
<p>DS said that the SAT seemed easier this time ( 2nd go at) although thought the essay was an easy topic for him, but hard to support…hmmm… he had a great score in Jan… so I think he felt no pressure and didn’t study at ALL for it…no time.</p>
<p>I dunno my DS seems to think these two weeks are easier than the rest of the year, again because there is not much homework. He is quite happy not to have a webassign due tonight at 11, for example. It probably helps that he doesn’t have any back to back AP exams and only three in total. </p>
<p>I, on the other hand, feel like I have so much to do! I need to finish the parent portion of the junior packet for his GC and get a handle on my spreadsheet! That darn junior packet has 7 questions for parents, and I feel like I am writing college application essays. I also need to “encourage” DS to do his section, and to choose a teacher for the teacher section. The kicker is he can’t choose a teacher who will also write a college recommendation.</p>
<p>Ahhh, the parent packet. Ours isn’t due until fall. I need to confirm with our GC that nothing’s changed since I did S2s 3yrs ago. It is very involved. Most of our kids aren’t doing web-assign yet, but I’m familiar as S2 started a love/hate relationship with them in college. I can understand your son appreciating the break. </p>
<p>S3 has two AP exams this week, and two next. A reminder to anyone else with a kid taking the Bio exam, it’s the new exam this year and they will need/are allowed a 4-function w/sq rt calc. No graphing or scientific calculators. S3 said his teacher would have them but I’m not counting on her having 27 calculators the school has no other use for. I picked up one on amazon for $5.50. Staples has the same one but its online only…I get free 2-day shipping w Amazon. It’s harder then you think to find a simple calc. </p>
<p>We have several Va kids here who go straight from APs to our state standardized tests, those lovely SOLs. I think the only one S3 has is USHistory. They took English weeks ago. They are not difficult, just tiring after everything else. Depending on the teacher they are still assigning work/projects which compound the annoyance of the tests.</p>
<p>Luckily DS only has one SOL left (a reading one). He says he took a writing one already earlier this year and those two are all he has for this year. </p>
<p>Those webassigns are torture devices if you ask my DS and his friends. Due twice a week, with points declining with every incorrect submission. </p>
<p>DS is regretting not signing up for the AP physics B exam, even though the class is not offered at his school (only honors and AP physics C). Apparently the regular physics is nearly equivalent to AP physics B and many kids take the test and do well. I would have just had to pay for the test since he’s not enrolled in a class but I would have been glad to do that.</p>
<p>Prom was this weekend. She went with her boyfriend, and we all went to a pre-party first on the water for pictures, then they went off to the prom, and then a party and a sleepover. So of course she’s tired today. Thankfully the teachers didn’t assign homework.</p>
<p>Now of course she feels like the school year should be over, especially since we go to pick up her brother tomorrow.</p>
<p>We are getting blasted with telemarketing for college. I don’t answer but I see named liked “Coll Admissions” and others on the phone. Today we received 4 such calls. I suppose I should answer and tell them not interested and be done with it. I didn’t know it would become so incessant. What are they selling?</p>
<p>Hmmm, not gotten any of those. We did get a call from Pace but it said that on the caller ID.</p>
<p>For those who might have conflict on June 1 SAT test date due to summer camp or vacation… You can sign up to take the SAT at any location. DS investigated into doing that until he was able to change his camp date.</p>
<p>OK—what is web assign? I have never heard of this and am just curious.</p>
<p>Interesting how different schools handle the Jr packet. Both the student and parent packets had to be submitted by the beginning of Feb so that we could schedule our Jr planning conference with the GC. My son will update the packet during the summer via email as there are new awards and jobs to add. </p>
<p>I agree with 2014NovaMom about feeling as though I am writing college essays for the Jr packet. I think I am going to have to just let the spreadsheet and college ‘thinking’ go until school lets out. There is just too much going on to sit and focus.</p>
<p>And, yes to the college telemarketing calls. I have decided to pick up those calls, if the time is convenient, since I think that telling the caller we are not interested will actually stop that specific call. I do not feel the same about non-college telemarketing calls. It is the decidedly less prestigious schools calling.</p>
<p>I think the only direct college call we got last year for my DS '13 was from Pace! </p>
<p>I’m also wondering about webassign, as well as SOLs? </p>
<p>2014Nova - I wouldn’t worry about the Physics B. From what I’ve seen, schools don’t accept it for credit because it is not calc based.</p>
<p>My DS '14 (those Irish twins again!) took his 3rd and final SAT 1 on Sat. He thought the essay topic was a bit weird and hard to prove also. I think College Board is trying to change it up so kids can’t just use their memorized examples. We had planned for him to take the SAT II’s in May and to wait til June for the SAT I (he needed some more time to study vocab) then discovered 2 weeks before the test that the German subject test was not offered in May… So at least now it’s over. And he’s on to studying for the darned Bio AP. The first year of a newly re-designed test is a tough one. And yea! Our state is on the July 5th AP preview score list!</p>
<p>With Score Choice schools, if a kid takes an SAT II subject test twice, they can just choose to send the better score? </p>
<p>AKMom124 - I did the “Walk for Mankind” when I was in 8th grade (20 miles) and I remember my feet hurt sooo bad for the last few miles! Perhaps “sitting” for the Spanish AP test will be just the thing she wants to do!</p>
<p>Webassign itself isn’t necessarily evil, it’s the physics questions on it! Anyway, webassign is an online homework tool used at our school for physics problems. The variables for each problem are randomized so each student will have a different result. I forget how many chances you get to submit a correct answer, but the value if your answer decreases the more attempts you make, eventually going down to zero. </p>
<p>Physics at DS’s high school is departmentalized so homework and exams are consistent across teachers which is why webassign is a useful tool for them. </p>
<p>This packet is the SECOND packet for us. The first was for the initial GC meeting back in the winter. This second packet is due in early June and is for the GC’s recommendation letter. </p>
<p>DS also has to get a little bio together for the teachers he is asking for recommendations but there should be a good deal of overlap between that and the first portion of his section of the junior packet. The harder part for him will be the required narratives. Oh well, hopefully it’ll give him fodder for thought for those college apps. </p>
<p>I remember three years ago when he was applying to his high school, and getting teacher recs, transcripts, editing his essays, and driving him to the entrance exam. It was a little preview of today!</p>
<p>SOLs are Virginia standardized tests.
And I’m not really stressing over Physics B. DS would have to take the course in college anyway since he will be in engineering. But I think he is curious how he would have done.</p>
<p>In my experience, SOL = s*** out of luck.</p>
<p>Glad we don’t live in Virginia!</p>
<p>Maryjay60: My husband was a HS math teacher, and during one of his trainings for the SOL in VA, he learned about peppermints. I carry some with me, especially this week as APs begin for Son '14. He really likes them, too.</p>
<p>Got home early Sunday morning from the Alabama graduation for Son #1. Very lovely. Considering how busy he was during finals week (not with finals but other things like moving out), he may sleep for a week. I do know one thing – he had way too much stuff at college, and we donated or tossed a lot of it at the end. Son '14 saw this, and he immediately decided that he does not need all the stuff his brother had. BTW, we did not furnish all that stuff, either.</p>
<p>Big week for Son '14. Two AP exams. Finished his research paper late last night. And a district track and field meet.</p>
<p>Speaking of college stuff, I’ve already told Son '14 to be thinking about the teachers he wants recs from. He’ll ask them at the end of the school year, and he’ll provide a resume. This gives teachers time to think about what they will say. My oldest son did the same thing when he was in high school, and his recs were wonderful. Very thought out. Teachers do much better when they have time to sit down and think about what they can say about students more than “he was dedicated and dependable.” My husband wrote a few recs, and he always liked to include a story or two about the student. Me, too.</p>
<p>Youngest got a call the other night from the U of Idaho - such a perfect fit for my tropical bio loving guy…</p>
<p>He’s getting really tired of the calls, but if you don’t answer, they keep calling.</p>
<p>Our son gets a lot of emails, but no phone calls - thank goodness.</p>
<p>Good Luck to all the '14ers with the AP exams. No penalty for wrong answer. I am taking extra deep breaths to calm myself just thinking about my DD’s schedule the next two weeks. Good Luck parents!</p>
<p>Thanks @blueiggy for the tip about getting AP test results during the summer. Just made sure that the emails through College Board SAT are consistent with what will be going on the AP tests with S. </p>
<p>S completed two subject tests yesterday Math II and US History. He will do Phys B in June and maybe retest some other one again. He seemed pretty relaxed towards the end of this term with all the testing which is quite unusual since he is usually anxious. AP testing starts in 3 days for him and the subjects seem pretty spread out. We take a break and head to NYU for a school tour and then back to Finals. </p>
<p>EEEEEEEEKKKKK!!! I am officially starting to freak out. My first born is going to be a senior!!!</p>
<p>Yes, SOLs are state standardized tests, Standards Of Learning, if I remember correctly. Web assign was also used for calc 2 & 3 for S2. By the time he got to DifEQ I don’t think the prof was using it. It’s been a while. </p>
<p>My3GBoys - You can use score choice for SAT2s if you subsequently get a higher grade you’d rather send. I see this a lot in math2 which can jump without a lot of prep between May/June and Nov once you’re in calc, if you don’t need it for ED/EA. </p>
<p>momreads - I’m surprised your kids are still doing the research project second semester. S1 did his second semester (09), but by the time S2 and S3 were doing theirs it was done first sem (11 & 14). I remember thinking how much better it was to get it out of the was before the gauntlet of Jr Spring testing explodes. Va students have a graduation requirement to do a very regimented research paper. There are steps that have to be met. It’s hard to fail if you follow directions. Your packet used to go out only IDd by # and graded independently (no beaks for a kid who tries hard). S1 is proof positive that you can in fact fail if you don’t follow directions. Yup, he very wrongly thought that 4-7pgs meant he’d just get less points if he wrote 3.75. It’s pass/fail and has no effect on your grade. He absolutely thought he was fine. Nope, he failed. He was so close to passing, even with that stunt, that he didn’t have to redo it in summer school, there was a two week mini session where he went to update and resubmit. Other kids were furiously retooling. S1 had already rewritten the last quarter page and handed in the packet day 1. He did summer work for those two weeks.</p>
<p>We’ve missed the glorious marketing calls and then I realized…no home phone. We cut our land line in the fall to offset the gas for S3 driving to school each day (rezoned w no bus svc, he can stay b/c he’s part of a magnet program. Sad b/c we moved 8yrs ago knowing our old house would eventually be rezoned out of the HS…we didn’t move far enough by a 1/2 mi. The drawback being all S3s neighborhood friends are now at the other school. We gave him the choice, but after 2 older brothers, and his EC being a big part of his HS experience he didn’t want to leave). We run into a conflict when S2 goes OOS for his summer internship in 2 weeks and needs to take that car. S3s become awfully used to not sharing. I’m very flexible w my schedule so he can take my car but we just have to coordinate days he HAS to stay after (vs days he’s doing extra work), and days I need the car right after school. He’s starting to ‘get it’ but when I was asking some dates/questions I was getting a lot of “I don’t knows” and “does it really matter?” Yes son, now it actually does if you want to share my car. ;)</p>