<p>Putting the ECs together with Son was easy because we had kept a running resume for the Eagle Scout application. But maybe that’s why we forgot a categoy of ECs…it wasn’t anything you’d mention on the Eagle app.</p>
<p>Ah, yes, high school = no sleep. I had hope (hoped!) Ordinaryd2 was going to be less overscheduled than her sister, who is on the school dance team. Yes, like so many other places, dance is early morning. Throw in after school sports and there’s no way a kids is going to get enough sleep during the week. However, when Ordinaryd1 was a freshman, she was still competing USAG level 8, with practices 4 hours every day after school. Guess maybe things are better than they were.</p>
<p>Od2 leaves for school at 6:15 for band. She gets home at the other 6:15 after sports. So far, I’ve seen darn little homework out of that kid. She has time to mess around and head up to bed at 9. Sleeping from 9:30-5:30 is 8 hours. Better than 7. Too bad next week we add fencing club, piano, and church back into the schedule. Methinks 8 hours on Monday and Wednesday nights will be a thing of the past. </p>
<p>Missy - get what you mean about parents of freshman not always believing you/wanting to hear it. Gym moms don’t believe me when I tell them that staying in upper level gymnastics through high school is too tough for most kids, especially since their kids already stayed in through the first big skill hurdle (puberty and a growing body).</p>
<p>^^ That has to be really hard for them–so unless they move the kids (olympic material??)
to a program for groom the athletes and flex the academic schedule around practices–It has got to be tough.</p>
<p>^^ THe 100 or so girls training elite (Olympic level) are almost all in alternative educaitonal settings. Shawn Johnson made news for staying in public school, although she had a modified school day. But then, this is Iowa. Not much available in the way of alternatives. I guess when the public schools are generally good, not much business for private, other than church affiliated.</p>
<p>I know two girls who trained with my ods who stayed in. They went on a modified school day. One has a full ride at a DI. THe other is walking on to the same school, hoping for scholarship money as a sophomore. She’d been plagued with injuries and probably didn’t have the nationals record the other did. I can’t imagine it was easy for the kids or thier parents. I know I couldn’t have done it.</p>
<p>I would not encourage a student to stay in upper level gymnastics in HS unless she was very talented and loved loved loved it. Those kids give up virtually everything - including normal school classes for most - for their sport.</p>
<p>Kiddo had a bunch of hs for the weekend–
Has done 3 subjects and will do the last bigger assignment tom.</p>
<p>Since Kiddo2 has an older sibling working on college apps…beyond eating well and the occassional break for PS3 etc …things have been quiet on the homefront.</p>
<p>The first huge test is over and it was the first moment of competition and comparison.
Honors geometry had two big packets to do for homework this summer. It was all stuff they were suppose to know before starting so time would not be spent on review. A test was given and over 80% was passing and under that, the student would get a 0%. Not the actually score scored. They would have to study, finish the packets, and retake it or take the 0, which would make it impossible to get about a C for the semester grade.</p>
<p>The teacher has 3 different classes and we got the e-mail that happy son passed. He had a couple friends pass also but knew a lot of kids did really bad. Some are dropping down to geometry and other are studying this weekend.
We found out from another teacher that only 10 students passed. A lot of parents are complaining. I really reminded him that the work that he complained about last summer was worth it now. he agrees and I hope he remembers that important lesson.</p>
<p>It will be a tough year and it is hard to find his friends struggle already.</p>
<p>There are a lot of top-tier athletes and dancers who are home schooled. The time commitment can easily get to six hours a day. I have seen it in gymnastics, tennis, even soccer and baseball (before h.s.)</p>
<p>@Glido
My DD homeschooled until 8th grade, and yes, it was quite hard to keep her schedule last year, but she endured. This year, I’m not sure she’ll be able to keep up in a rigorous classical, college prep program and dance competitively–it just does not appear doable on paper.</p>
<p>We’ll take the next few weeks day by day, and see how the schedule plays out after school begins this Tuesday.</p>
<p>HI all,
Just checking in. Our one and only S is now entering HS. It is a relatively small school with around 150 students per grade. His summer was filled with various activities including a short term mission trip, a lot of travel baseball, and some homework in preparation for Honors English. He did take geometry on line this summer so that he could start high school with Algebra 2. </p>
<p>School starts tuesday, a day after Labor day. Luckily they have uniforms.
As with some other parents of kids in smaller less academically challenging schools, we are somewhat anxious about “keeping up with the jones” from surrounding prep type schools. So we will cling to CC for dear life.</p>
<p>Our school only offers one honors class to its freshman, English.
EC: Baseball, Cross country, Oboe.</p>
<p>He is motivated to do well in school, partly due to the brain washing he has received over the last 14 years of his life. He thinks he wants to study finance, though he has no idea what that means. He only knows that he does not want to be a doctor because he hates the site of blood. </p>
<p>Here we go!</p>
<p>First sleepover of the school year, with a girl D has known for all of 10 days. I like when they don’t just stay with their old crowd, but branch out to friends from the other schools.</p>
<p>H.S. is up and running. S14 is two football games into high school. There is a lot of school spirit and he is working hard in all of his classes. AP Biology is a lot of work as is Honors Geometry. It is hard for his parents to comprehend the way time flies.</p>
<p>Glido: Just an FYI, AP Biology has a lot of chemistry after the initial bio stuff. Watch that your son does not struggle much with this – my oldest son took the class, but after he had taken chemistry as a freshman. He’s a math guy, so the chem never bothered him. But that chem can frustrate some kids if they do not have a decent background. My youngest ('14) is taking biology and chem this year and may take AP Bio next year – depending in his schedule. He just loves the chem portion of his bio class – again, he loves math.</p>
<p>Wow
I am surprised an hs allows 9th graders to take AP Bio. Our hs only allows that after Bio Honors and Chem Honors…The kids alos have to take Physics Honors before AP Physics…and kids who haven’t had all of the math through Alg2 and pre calc often struggle in Physics.</p>
<p>Your middle school must be amazing.</p>
<p>While your industrious ant-like kids are working hard, my lazy grasshoppers are still on vacation. 
I took D2 and two friends (who are back in class) to the beach. They’re now splashing in the pool.</p>
<p>A ton of HW this weekend for D14. Hopefully it will become more manageable, esp as sport is consuming a not insignificant amount of time.</p>
<p>S started HS today. I dropped him off at the bus at 6:40 for the 25 mile ride to school. I think he’s both excited and nervous. I know I am.</p>
<p>Last night we memorized the provinces of Canada.</p>
<p>Last night, my son was more interested in the VT-Boise State football game than his homework. Hope he got his reading done.</p>
<p>Fofog: DS’s middle scholl was very good, but not amazing. DS took honors Biology at the h.s. this summer. That is the only way he could get into the AP Bio class. He scored pretty well on his math and science entrance exam and the school invited the top 40 into the accelorated science program, but each had to go to summer school.</p>