<p>My S17 has already passed his driving and written tests. Now he’s just counting the days until he gets his license in the fall. I taught him how to drive a stick this summer and he’s pretty good!</p>
<p>Mine took driver’s ed earlier this year and has been driving me on all my errands. I enjoy the company, usually. </p>
<p>@mtrosemom That sounds like a fun camp!</p>
<p>My S17 still isn’t interested in driver’s ed; he prefers to bike most places. I’ve agreed not to bring up the subject for awhile. Perhaps winter break. @Felicita I miss driving stick! </p>
<p>I love driving stick! The young patriot is still working on left turns so I think we will wait a while to introduce him to the stick. He can practice on the automatic for now.</p>
<p>S will be getting his permit on Monday. Then the practice. Oy.</p>
<p>Good News, S passed his permit test AND got approval for and started prep for his Eagle Scout project. If all goes well, he will get his Eagle Scout project completed this year. That means that he will not have that hanging over his head come Junior year when all of the college stuff begins in earnest. <:-P </p>
<p>Who’s ready for Sophomore year to start? We have sport meetings next week and then tryouts and he can finally get a copy of his schedule on the 15th (I believe). School starts the 19th here. It’s going to be a crazy start to the school year as older DS leaves for his Freshman year of college on the 29th. Luckily there’s no soccer game that night.</p>
<p>We aren’t ready for school here, because we are finally going on vacation tomorrow 
--going to Colorado to visit my sister and her family and do some hiking, etc for a week.</p>
<p>S is just finishing a 6-week research program at UCSB (local to us); he worked with a group in computer science designing a computer science curriculum for elementary kids. Well, at least the paper, poster, and presentation are done. He will probably continue working on it some of the time while we are on vacation and full time after we return until school starts, because they have lots to do before piloting the curriculum in fall.</p>
<p>School starts Aug. 27 and he gets his schedule Aug. 19. No fall sport for us here; he does volleyball in the spring. He still has 5 chemistry chapters to read that he hasn’t started.</p>
<p>@mtrosemom What will he be doing for his Eagle Scout project?</p>
<p>@smakl70 Congrats to your older DS. DS17 is my oldest, then 4 years to my DD21. I feel old when I see graduation years like 2021! </p>
<p>@Ynotgo, S is working with a local electronic (mainly computer) recycling company to host a community e-waste recycle day. Then he will have troop volunteers spend a morning volunteering at the organization dismantling computers for recycling. Finally, he will be raising money for the organization to donate rebuilt computers to needy families with elementary school-aged kids. He will identify the families by working with local Title 1 schools. He is very excited about this project and it will be a unique project for his troop. Most kids do a food drive, or clean up a local park or school. This might show some of the younger kids that there are a variety of options for projects.</p>
<p>School starts next week… meet the teacher is on Aug 5th and school starts on Aug 7th. Someone came up with the “Bright” idea to start school on a Thursday so that kids could ease into it… :-S </p>
<p>School starts on Sept. 3 for us, with registration/class assignments on Aug. 26, and the back-to-school BBQ, which is “meet the teachers” night on the 27th. It doesn’t seem so close except that D leaves for Ghana on Tuesday and gets back on the 13th. It’s a program with Free the Children and her district. She was one of only 14 chosen to go. I’m thrilled for her and slightly terrified, but one of the chaperone’s is from her school, knows her well, and has been there before. But ACK!</p>
<p>It’s been a busy summer-we toured several HBCU’s in early July with D and a friend, and she found the type of school, size and city size she can live with. Last week she was at a 4-day church youth conference and in between all of this she’s been working as an assistant teacher at a camp for low-income minority kids. Oh, and she dances. She really hates having downtime. Can you tell? She won’t be driving for another year at least, she won’t even be 15 until late Oct.</p>
<p>There will be some changes at her school this year-it’s very small and some kids have left for a more traditional comprehensive one, but at least as many are coming in to replace them. We’ll have a new Dean of Students and a couple of new teachers, though not any in D’s grade, I don’t think. This forum has been pretty low-hope it picks up
again,</p>
<p>We start on Aug. 25. There’s school orientation where they get their schedules on Aug 20 and a back to school BBQ on Aug. 22. S is pretty much done with all of his organized summer activities. He is working on the organizational side of his Eagle Scout project, taking golf lessons, and playing computer games. When I try to get him to do stuff around the house (pick up pinecones or dog poops), he tries to bargain his way out of it. Arrgh. He had his first behind the wheel driving lesson today, taught by a family friend (not me, I am a nervous wreck). Now we will practice driving around the neighborhood.</p>
<p>I am betting that this thread won’t take off until closer to the end of the school year. I know I am more focused on D15 and her college applications than S17 and his practice PSAT test in October. I may have S take the Math 2 SAT II in May because he will be finishing precalc and I think the Math 2 test doesn’t go higher than that. Take it while it is fresh in the mind.</p>
<p>Anyone out there thinking of having their S/D17 take the old SAT I test before they switch the format? I am thinking of having S take the old one and the new one if he needs to. I am a little nervous of there being good study guides available for a revamped test in time for S. I have heard that the College Board is having the Kahn Academy make review modules, so if that is true, it may be a great option.</p>
<p>@mtrosemom My S17 is going to take the old SAT at the end of sophomore year and beginning of junior year. It is just the best time for him to prep. Coursework and extracurricular are too busy junior year. We did the same for S13 and S15 and it worked out well for them. Fingers crossed that it works out the same for S17!!</p>
<p>I am going to have S17 take the old SAT at the start of Junior year. I don’t trust that they will necessarily have the SAT worked out by the time he becomes a senior. Plus he took the ACT in 7th grade and did pretty well so that may be the better test for him any way.</p>
<p>The new exam will not be released until March of their Jr year, leaving them Oct, Nov, Dec & Jan to take the old-format exam.</p>
<p>I think I will have S take the Math II SAT in May after he is finished with precalc and the SAT in June or October. I agree with you all that it’s probably best to get some shots at the old test done before they revise it in March. He isn’t thrilled with my plan, but he’ll get over it.</p>
<p>
</p>
<p>I am thinking of having S17 take take the SAT this spring. </p>
<p>It’s true that Khan has teamed up with the College Board to create prep work for the reworked SAT. It’s right on the Khan website. Khan already offers prep for the current SAT and SAT II. D’s HS has all the juniors take the PSAT in the fall and SAT the following year. We’re investigating the ACT on our own time in case that’s more her thing. However, 2 of the 3 colleges in her top 3 are test optional so we’re not sure which way to go.</p>
<p>We just returned from our family vacation. D’s school starts on 8/14. She has one week to get her summer homework done! </p>
<p>I am beginning to doubt that my son can (and wants to) do anything except for playing games on the computer. He had something to do before Boy Scouts tonight, and when I called to check on his progress, he told me he had plenty of time. When I mentioned that the meeting was tonight … Thursday night as always, he said “OH, I thought it was Wednesday today”. Uggh. I think I will be happy when school begins because at least then he will keep up with day and date.</p>