<p>We’re in the middle of state testing, then we move directly to finals. My son had one state test today. He was ticketed for another on Friday, but I asked the director of guidance if we could make it Thursday. He has a regional track and field meet to run, and he probably will not return until after midnight. The guidance guru agreed that he would do his best work with some sleep. Academically, things are very good, but I know he is so looking forward to the end of the year. He just wants to kick back, relax, work out, do his summer work and make a vacation trip here and there.</p>
<p>Hello everyone, first time I’m posting on this thread but have been a regular on the HS Class of 2011/college 2015 thread. Now that my older S’s college process is over, I’ll turn my attention to S2 who is obviously finishing up his freshman year. </p>
<p>Right now I’m having a hard enough time keeping up w/ the other thread but I hope to participate here too. Gosh, you guys have already contributed 41 pages! Should i back read?</p>
<p>My first child’s process has ended successfully – he was accepted to his 4 top choices – despite my first run at this process, thanks to my participation on CC for the last two years and his own efforts. Still, I made some mistakes along the way that I hope to avoid this time. However, my boys are very different from each other and this second one will present issues that his older brother did not. So, another learning curve. Hope that I’ll learn a lot from all of you and that I also have advice to offer from my first go-around! The mutual support here is priceless, and I’m terribly grateful to the posters on my other thread. Looking forward to sharing this next experience w/ all of you!</p>
<p>I am so jealous of those of you who are finished with the school year. S still has almost another month to go. I grew up in the midwest and still have trouble with this “school until late June thing”.</p>
<p>RenMom!! Whoot-Whoot Welcome to the party!! :)</p>
<p>Hey Blue – good to “see” you here. Who else is here from the HS class of 2011? Glad to know that they’ll be recognizable “faces” in the crowd here!</p>
<p>Welcome Ren! – another recognizable “face” (on shutterfly lol)</p>
<p>Wow, seattle_mom is here too: I love going to parties where friends are among the crowd!</p>
<p>sorry about the typo in my post above (not "they’l"l but “there will be”):)</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Let’s see, the SS Indecision 2014 sails in 1,039 days! :D</p>
<p>Based on that alone, I hope that this thread sails along a bit more slowly for at least the next couple of years. Yes, our DD is in the HS class of 2014 and will present many different challenges that S did for this year so we look forward to advice and support of the many 2011 friends and the many new 2014 friends to be on this board.</p>
<p>And for those of you new to this whole process who don’t have a clue what the SS Indecision is all about, suffice it to say you will learn a lot over the next two years plus before we set sail on or about March 30, 2014.</p>
<p>RenMom - as you can see, our Captn is here!! :)</p>
<p>Ordinarylives–What is ‘lifting’? Weight lifting?</p>
<p>AvonHSDad, hee hee. Hope you’re not planning to update the countdown too frequently for a while. Say, annually for a start?!</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Don’t worry. I don’t plan on taking the helm for at least two and a half years. 
As to countdowns, possibly months or years and months for now but nothing more. We may have a Decision countdown during the application process and then the Indecision countdown during the fun and stress filled month of April.</p>
<p>Let’s get these poor kids (and their parents!) though their sophomore and junior years before we start sailing. Although the results from this past cruising season were great for our 2011 class, I learned a lot and feel that the 2014 season can be navigated on a better course. I am glad to see a lot of familiar posters from 2011 will be along for the ride and to share the ups and downs of the trip.</p>
<p>I can certainly claim to be among those who learned an enormous amount during the process with D (HS '11) with the help of all you lovely, supportive people on CC! First final exam for S today, and Freshman Year will be over next Thursday. You should be proud of me - when S got home from his test, I said “Congratulations! Only four more to go” rather than quizzing him about the test. Although I wish he would finish up his ‘study break’ on the computer and buckle down with Latin.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>Yes. Summer weight lifting is a new school requirement for any kid in any sort of physical activity EC. Last I heard, the principals were trying to get the marching band kids into the program, too.</p>
<p>Lifting for marching band? Ha! Good one! D1 and her friend both play tuba in concert band. They got more lifting in that the whole band.</p>
<p>I also have a D graduating in 2012. My 2014 D is radically different from her sister. Older daughter 4.0, younger on the merit roll. So I feel like we will have a lot more challenges with our 2014. Hoping sophomore year she decides to take more seriously. We have seen a definite upward trend these last nine weeks so that is encouraging. She has major potential and I would even say she is more naturally gifted in a certain academic area than her sister…but she just seems to care more about the social aspect of highschool and her attitude needs work. </p>
<p>So that is my little story. Right now we are so focused on D1 college search I feel like we are neglecting D2. Does anyone else have a similar story? Over achieving first born and under achieving 2nd born?</p>
<p>Mspearl - Welcome! In our house we have three…night, day, and total eclipse of the sun. Doesn’t make parenting easy. The 2014 is our third. They all have a different road. One ('09) insists in zigging and zagging…no straight road for this kid. Who knows where they’ll end up. We’re just the guide for a while. ;)</p>
<p>mspearl – I have what seems like the same – very focused D '11; far less focused S '14. The same was true of me and my older siblings – I was never as smart as my older brothers, but then it all sort of evened out later on. I wonder if sometimes the younger kids are overshadowed by the older sibling who always gets As. Sometimes when they’re the only kid after the others go off to college, they get to shine.</p>
<p>mspearl - Welcome to the party.</p>
<p>Our DS (2011) is very focused and competitive and will challenge his teachers and classmates. After a year and a half of 4.0 in 9th and 10th grades he decided he could keep that average through high school and he ended up as co-Val in his class. DD, while a good student with a 4.0 this year, seems to be more concerned with social events than scheduling honors or AP courses in the coming years. Although a good student, the direction will be much different as we get closer to college. I think she will gravitate towards a smaller LAC whereas S focused on the mid-sized universities. I am sure that she feels overwhelmed by her brother at times. Now that she will be the queen of the house with her brother away at college, we are hoping that she may blossom while on her own.</p>
<p>It’s going to be a long ride.</p>
<p>My son’s track and field season came to an end. Missed qualifying for the state meet in his best event by just three seconds. No regrets. He trimmed more than a minute off his time in just seven weeks. There’s next year, he said, and he plans to be at states for the next three years. It’s all about attitude, he said. Now, he just needs to survive the last week or so of school, do well on his exams and then, he can relax.</p>