<p>seiclan… happy, healthy, well-adjusted, independent. I like that!! The funny thing is that I decided to back off totally with my Junior S and he seems to finally have hit his grove. He has been a B student to date but high test scores. This year he says that he is getting all A’s this quarter. WOW!! Was I floored. Wasn’t expecting that. He is really smart but to date hasn’t liked to work to hard. He is definitely a type B. I’m happy because it’s a good time to have things go upward for him and he will have a lot better college options if his grades are improving. I totally am with you on thinking they should be productive all the time. It is TOTALLY unrealistic. I could never keep up the pace my S is keeping. </p>
<p>Our HS does not rank. Only 120 kids in each class. Top Private Prep. Public schools are so bad in CA that we are sacrificing our soul to send our kids there. I feel it is SOOO worth it. They are getting an amazing education. No grade inflation and really, really tough. We also live about 1 hour from the school.</p>
<p>I’m now onto worrying about my 9th grade S. He is ADHD NOT on med’s. He can get an A+ on one test and a C- on the next… totally inconsistent. He is way more social than his older brother and that worries me… the girls are a constant distraction. OHHHH kids are hard!!!</p>
<p>I spent a lot more sleepless nights with D1 who is now a college sophomore. she is the classic high test scores/so-so grades kid who skated through HS, doing as little work as possible. D2 is more diligent, so I don’t worry as much, thank goodness. </p>
<p>I’m glad the PSAT is behind us. seiclan, I persuaded D to check that box this year too. D1 never checked the box either and in spite of being NMF, she never received all the college mail people talk about. I really don’t know why I care so much - I guess I just want to see who will send D2 stuff and what will catch her eye.</p>
<p>we’ve got an online grade reporting system, but nothing that shows GPA or class rank. our HS did away with class rank a few years ago; now it’s just deciles. based on previous years’ published deciles, I’m pretty sure D is in the top 10%.</p>
<p>we have no school tomorrow, which is a good thing cause I think D may be coming down with something. she hasn’t felt right for a couple of days - not much appetite and sleeping a lot. she had mono about this time last year, but you can’t get mono twice, right?!</p>
<p>seiclan… At my S’s school the school automatically signs the kids up for the PSAT. I really want my S to check the box for schools to contact him too. Do they have a form at the PSAT morning that they have to fill out with that info? If so, I’ll have my S fill it in. I think it’s a good thing because some schools will send you priority app’s that are easy and fast.</p>
<p>I have to remind myself that I just set my first child off to college just last month. in HS, he was the complete opposite from D’12. I had to hover to make sure he actually did his homework and then turned it in! Still, he tested his way into a school that was a great match for him. So, you’re right, seiclan, there will be a school for your S. There’s a good match for everyone!</p>
<p>DB - Have fun on the tour. I have read good things about Gettyburg here on CC. A word of advice, hang back and let your child do the tour/info session at her own way/pace. We did a few tours last June. I was so tempted to raise my hand and ask a million questions but I knew that would have mortified my son (as it did for some other kids on the tour). </p>
<p>It is funny. I was talking with another mother of a '12 student this morning and she wanted to know why my son took the PSAT on Wednesday, she thought the test was only for sophomores to practice (since our school district pays and signs up all the sophomores for the test but not the juniors)! Her child would not even come close to NM or commended so I just told her that it didn’t matter…this is her last child and all of her kids are not academic at all. There was no point to go into the NM qualifying criteria.</p>
<p>Seiclan, Last year our state started paying for sophomores but not for juniors. The result was that the average score went up since the junior pool was smaller and the NMSQT cut-off went up, unfortunately. Here’s hoping that 2012 daughter hits the magic number this year. She felt good after the test; she just doesn’t whether it was good enough. She took the SAT for practice the Saturday before and is eagerly awaiting her scores later this month. Why DO PSAT scores take until December when the turn around for the SAT is so much faster?</p>
<p>I’m sure it has something to do with “retakes”. PSATs are offered only once a year and SATs more often so kids can retake to better their scores.</p>
<p>The stress level is hitting us too. We are in the dance of not just getting the work done but stepping up the quality. Bumping up and taking two AP’s , yes there is a lot of work, but lets produce quality to go from the B to an A! </p>
<p>We are learning dance steps that now include 9th grade girls These little things like hanging with the junior guys. I am trying not to hover but it is difficult.</p>
<p>Just watched D drive off to take the PSAT. She got her driver’s liscense on wednesday…I’m much more nervous about the driving than the PSAT, so maybe that’s a good thing? A new thing to worry about?</p>
<p>Mom2M - how are you doing? Watching your D drive off to the PSAT??! I’d be a nervous wreck! D is so obsessed with getting her license next month - she thinks she’s going to be free to drive from day one. I’m not so sure I can handle that!</p>
<p>D is missing the homecoming dance tonight because of an out of town tournament. She’s taking it well although she’s mentioned how everyone’s excited about it at school. It’s made me realize that she does need a balance of a social life, school and sport.</p>
<p>lilmom, thanks for asking. I did wander out to look at the plants so I could watch her drive down the street. And when I left to run errands I “happened” to go by the high school to see where she parked. I know she’s a safe driver, but she’s so new at it! For now, she gets to drive when I’m comfortable with it (ok, maybe not comfortable, but not completely crazy). Driving to PSAT, well ok. Early am, not much traffic. Driving to EC tomorrow afternoon–not going to happen, crowded venue, bad parking.</p>
<p>She’s home safe and sound. Says the PSAT was “fine”. I am a lot happier about the driving now that the car is parked in the driveway.</p>
<p>Mom2M - I remember driving into town to see where my daughter parked in the beginning. It’s just comforting to know she got where she had to safely. Nice to know I’m not the only one!</p>
<p>Oh I really am among my people here! D got her license yesterday and drove to a friend’s house last night, all of 4 blocks away. I was a nervous wreck the whole time Her birthday was earlier in the week and she seriously thought that we were secretly getting her a car! Yeah, right.</p>
First tour for D.</p>
Her birthday was earlier in the week and she seriously thought that we were secretly getting her a car! Yeah, right.</p>