<p>Been a busy week. Couple of different award ceremonies (I know this is a very hot button for some folks) - but just one comment - the joy on D’s face when she was recognized as the scholar athlete for her sport was something I’ll never forget. I wish I had the camera focused on her instead of the stage where the coach was announcing the award!</p>
<p>SAT IIs are tomorrow - but with all these activities (award ceremonies, a guild exam, playoffs for her sport, rehearsal for senior graduation), she really has had no time this week to crack open the books. Ah well - it is what it is. I’ve decided to try being zen about the whole thing. H, who is out of town, freaks out when he hears she hasn’t been preparing. When would she prepare? This kid left home at 6.30 yesterday morning and didn’t come back till 10pm. She had dinner at 10.30pm and was up until midnight doing homework!</p>
<p>Two more weeks to go before school ends. D hasn’t heard back yet about her summer job at camp - something else to nag her about, but not this week. Next week perhaps!!</p>
<p>Honesto, I’m sorry that your parents aren’t more involved with helping and supporting you in the college search/app process.
Though we are sometimes called “helicopter parents” (for hovering too close to all things related to our children’s lives), most of us do know where to draw the line.
Like your comment, several of my daughter’s friends have told her they wish their parents were helping them as much as her mom is. It is a big undertaking and can be confusing, complex, and a little scary.
The good news is that you’ve got this Parents Forum at your disposal. Use us as your sounding board and knowledge-resource whenever you’d like. I (and many, many other parents here) would be happy to help you. Best of luck!</p>
<p>Remind me to ask D1 what she decided to do about guidance and health, those two semester-long classes that she needs to graduate. I have no idea if she is going to try to take them over the summer, or take them through regular school next year. Either way, a total waste of time. I suppose she could always just take a GED test if worse comes to worst. </p>
<p>The boxed West Wing DVD set was on sale on Amazon and I got a copy to give to D1 for her birthday. She’ll be away from home on the actual day, so I’d love to give it to her now, but then she would never get through the last two weeks of school. I’ve seen a suggestion that getting your kid the DVDs of a tv show that you watched with them is a nice thing to take with to college, so this present serves a dual purpose.</p>
<p>And good luck to all the kids taking SATs tomorrow.</p>
<p>Our school has finals next week, so today is the last day of classes. S doesn’t have any work or internship this summer for various reasons. One being the lack of the driver’s license and the car. But he has lots of things to do anyway: cleaning his room (this task alone can take him all summer), summer reading, passing the driver’s maneuverability test, working on the college essays, play piano, etc. He and his 10yo sister are also planning to study Greek and Italian over the summer. I am skeptical, but he proved me wrong before. 10 yo D has a piano competition next month and I am hoping that he can help her with her pieces as well.</p>
<p>Have a great summer everybody! It’s hard to believe, but our kids are almost seniors.</p>
<p>My D finally got her ACT scores in the mail today! She did really well; I’m so proud of her! She retakes the SAT tomorrow, but now the pressure is off with the ACT score!</p>
<p>congratulations, Oregonianmom. We had the same release of pressure when my son got his SATs back. He was signed up for the ACTs and took them (and did well) but there was no pressure.</p>
<p>Out of the blue, the head of guidance at S1’s school called today to say that a local pharmaceutical company wants to interview S1 for a summer internship in their computer department. I was amazed. S1 is in the top 25 at his high school (so far) but he really flies under the radar. I wouldn’t have thought the head of guidance would know who he was. Apparently, S1’s AP computer science teacher had taken the 5 member programming club to visit this company earlier in the year and they remembered S1. Sad to say, but only 3 kids (including S1) from our two high school school district bothered to take the AP computer science exam. The call made me feel a little better about S1’s school. He’ll interview next Friday. S1 barely looked up from the online game he was playing when I asked him about it, but he did show a modest interest in an internship. Gotta love the kid on the couch…</p>
<p>Lagunawriter: As the saying goes “you aint just whistlin’ Dixie”. Now if I can only get my D to agree (actually she will probably be better at this then her brother. Getting him to write them was like pulling teeth!)</p>
<p>I totally agree with the essay’s place in having them find the right fit. I just proofread, the thoughts are purely their’s. If that means the school does not accept them, well that was just not the right fit for them</p>
<p>Welcome lagunawriter. I agree starting the essays over the summer. </p>
<p>Nice to hear about your D’s great ACT score Origonianmom. S did very well on the May SAT so even if he crashes and burns on the ACT next week I don’t care. He has never taken the ACT and I will not push him to study for it til after his last final on Wed. </p>
<p>Wow, Apollo6, that internship is such a great opportunity! At my S’s school those who take the AP class are required to take the AP exam, it is counted as the final. </p>
<p>Dropped S off at 7:45 to take the SAT2’s. Raining off and on all morning, at times very. When we get to the school there was a line of about 100 kids out the door of the school waiting to sign in. I couldn’t believe they had the kids wait outside in the rain. It had stopped when I dropped S off but started up again a short while later, I hope he got inside before it started again. Jeez.</p>
<p>I am SO glad that LuckyBoy decided to take the ACT instead of the SAT2 (due to the location) because there is NO WAY he would be able to function enough to think. Mono has really slammed him. I don’t know if he’ll be able to the ACT next Saturday but whatever happens, happens :)</p>
<p>He did play last night at graduation, which was nice. He doesn’t see many of his friends in the summer as some live an hour away.</p>
<p>I was up early to fix a nice breakfast–eggs, bacon, toast w jam, juice, coffee…</p>
<p>Hope today goes well…It has been a long, long week. Emotionally and physically draining for our student etc…so praying that today goes well and our student stays focused and clear headed.</p>
<p>I just finished my SAT II’s. I opted for US History and Literature. Neither were incredibly difficult, though one passage on Literature killed me and I took too long on it causing me to not finish. I ended up with like 5 blank at the end.</p>
<p>Same thing here with the rain, mamom. What possible purpose did it serve to have all those kids standing out in the rain? Ok, it was mostly a drizzle here, but still.
Hope all your kids (and mine) do great on their SATs!
This month has just about finished us off, and Songbird still has to get through her voice recital this afternoon (singing Bach, no less…oy). Then dinner with the grandparents, but what we are so excited about – and I highly recommend you consider this – is not getting out of bed tomorrow.
Seriously, her knee is a little damaged from too much tap-rehearsal. My knee…well,let’s not even go there.
Anyway, I have the past 4 months Oprah and People mags…she has 6 mos of Martha Stewart…we’re gonna have a Mother/Daughter pajama party. Can’t wait!</p>
<p>Hard to believe that all of these tests are finally over. What a relief. Seven IB exams next year, but they are not on S’s radar screen at the moment. Time to relax a bit.</p>
<p>This summer S will take an IB summer school class on the extended essay that they all must do to get their IB diploma, then he will work at a local math/computer camp and before school starts, he is going to an engineering program at Stevens Institute of Technology (ECOES). He is also planning to get his essays written and as many applications done as possible.</p>
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