DS already has a passport. His first one had a picture of him a week old… awwww… (that’s what the airline reps said first five years looking at his passport.)
Renewing it every 5 years with both parents present have been a hassle. Only one more time left! Afterwards, my kids can get it on their own when they turn 20(!)
Not sure if he needs the passport at school. Maybe school ID will suffice if he ever needs an ID? He is 13, why would you need an ID?
Aaaah, forgot to schedule the well child exam. Getting to the phone now.
Got the phone off in less than 15 min.
Physical scheduled the first week of June. I don’t think we are due for any shots. I DO vaccinate them.
Gotta call dentist, schedule eye exam… what fun…
My kiddo hasn’t needed any of that stuff at school, though I’m a big believer that everyone should have a passport, just in case. Not sure if you’ve decided yet where he’s going, but I recall that one of your choices was Berkshire. If so, I wonder whether there’s even any cell coverage there. My son is at Hotchkiss, which is practically just down the road, and there’s pretty much zero cell coverage on campus. He has a cell phone but literally never uses. If he were flying by himself, of course I’d want him to have a phone with him, but his current flip phone may suffice just fine for those purposes. My son has flown solo domestically a number of times and has never needed an id.
@soxmom Thank you for the info.
I quickly checked the coverage map and Verizon “claims” to have 3G/4G service in Sheffield and Lakeville.
When we traveled, it seemed that Verizon was the only company with coverage, if any, near NE boarding schools so I’m looking at Page Plus cellular that sells data off Verizon network without contract.
DS has been wanting a “better” phone so he will get it but he may not be able to use it much though.
Yeah, Verizon claims to have coverage in Lakeville, which is true if you’re in the town itself. But on the Hotchkiss campus, just by happenstance of where the cell towers are, there is literally only one place on campus that gets any cell coverage (and that’s about a 10 foot square area). Given the way Berkshire is nestled into the base of what qualifies as a “mountain” in that neck of the woods, I wouldn’t count on there being coverage on campus unless there’s a cell tower in the line of sight.
That’s a good idea, to get a real bank account and debit card. I didn’t think of that. FYI Mercersburg seems to have good cell service and each dorm room has a phone. I really should get my kids passports.
@twinsmama Yes, Verizon “claims” to have 4G LTE in Mercersburg.
Dorm room phones sound more reasonable in mountains such as Berkshire and Hotchkiss. I don’t remember if they have them. I do remember seeing phones in dorm rooms either at Episcopal or possibly Mercersburg. I thought that was interesting considering these days I don’t have a land line at home.
The money stuff comes up every year. At Groton they have a student ID which is linked to an account to which you can regularly add funds. They can take out cash at the mailroom, with a limit. We get regular statements on the account and we can send checks directly to the school or add funds online. It is also used at the school store where he can buy school supplies and small snacks.
Another thing that we find helpful is an Amazon Prime account. My son just asks me if he can get supplies and then has my passcode. The items are all delivered in two days. That’s an easy way for them to get things shampoo and deodorant.
I would expect that most schools have a similar method for managing money. My son also likes getting those prepaid debit cards, visa or such, as presents. He and his friends like to have take out delivered occasionally and they are an easy way to pay. I, also, like the experience he is getting with managing his money.
^^^ ditto at SAS. The student ID works just the same and we also have extended the Amazon password.
As our son is a junior, we found it convenient to open an account at Wells Fargo tied to our own so that he has a Debit Card. This is most useful for him to pay for standardized testing (SATs, ACTs, etc.) when registering on his own, which is how it’s done online now.
Well, my GRfF is reliving the application experience with D2. D1 will soon choose between two days schools, and then we’ll need to figure out commute, etc. But, D2 is in 7th now at a pK-8 school, so will definitely be applying out next year. There will likely be some overlap with D1’s applied-to schools, but some differences as well.
We have made it through 4 years of BS without either kid having a debit or credit card. 7D1 has debit account at SAS, plus cash we give her; and 7D2 makes do with cash. 7D1 could live on $100 the entire year it seems, but 7D2 realized early on that she’d have to really monitor her spending to make it to the next break. Will most likely get 7D1 her own checking/atm, plus give her a credit card tied to our account. We have handled stuff like test reg/college apps over the phone or we just log in and pay for it.
Re: Phones: Kids had dumb phones until this fall…then we got iPhone 5Cs. I added a cellular tablet for me at the same time (for work) and had to break the unlimited data contract I had going. We are doing fine on 10Gig/month. Daughter at SAS has highest data consumption, due in part to SAS not having wifi in dorms.
Re: Passports: Kids have them with relatively recent pix. But we keep them at home and only take them out when they travel (plane), even domestically.
We set up a checking account with a debit card that is a secondary account to my main checking account. I fund her monthly allowance that way and I can transfer cash instantaneously if needed. She also has one of H’s credit cards for any true emergencies. I have found that she tended to need more $ her last 2 years. The first 2 years their social life is truly centered around campus and those events are free. But her last 2 years I found she went off campus more often and wanted to eat out more frequently. D definitely pushed the limits of her allowance as she progressed through the years and we did have to increase it these last 2 years.
Our daughter has a school account at Putney with a weekly allowance but we laugh when we get the statement, she just doesn’t spend. There is very spotty reception being on a hill in Vermont, but she’s got a tree she likes to call us from. I keep telling her how funny it would be if she built a phone booth. Her having a smart phone is great for us, as she messages us all day using the WIFI. So texting has become a big part of our routine.
@jdewey That is hilarious, a tree phone house/booth! But I believe it would blend well with the surrounding architecture. I found Putney really warm (people) and beautiful.
Yes, I expect/will demand texts over Wifi from DS even where no cell coverage exits.
I use google hangouts but there must be other apps. (I don’t have an iPhone so can’t use iMessage/Facetime over Wifi)
Yes this ‘phonebooth’ would be fit right in next to a bunch of student sculptures in the trees, including a treehouse. In fact she has talked to me before and suddenly realized there were people above her in said treehouse!
Just set up a phone plan that can use WIFI to save on data costs.
Don’t forget that the kids are on their computers pretty much all day and night (for schoolwork and otherwise), so email works perfectly fine too as a means of non-verbal communication.
It seems like the kids at my daughter’s school don’t use email much at all – it’s all about texting. I bought an iPad just so I could stay in regular touch with her! And the teachers/coaches/advisors text the students with grades, schedule changes, reminders, etc.
