<p>First, happy birthday to the kiddos of GoAskDad, STEMfamily and sbjdorlo! My girl’s party went well and honestly I’m glad that’s over.</p>
<p>So interesting how many kids here play musical instruments. We’ve always rented my Ds’ violas (neither were ever that serious) but bit the bullet on a good piano years ago and it has turned out to be a good investment. I don’t think it will appreciate like the violin described by sbjdorlo (!) but both Ds use it quite a bit.</p>
<p>We are in home stretch with school here - classes this week and exams next week. Hoping my D keeps her head in the game a little longer! (And I so wish that she could take some of her PE online. tripleamom, you’ll have to share how that works!)</p>
<p>I love your priorities - instruments over cars! We lucked out with D 2013’s violin. Even though it was her original “rent to own”, all her private teachers have always said it has a nice sound and doesn’t need to be replaced. Since she isn’t pointed towards a conservatory, she will probably play it indefinitely. S15 plays piano and percussion. I’d love to buy him a marimba but he’s done living at home so it isn’t practical (off to boarding school in the fall). S18 is excited to be starting viola at middle school this fall. Do you think his older sister would be able to help him choose a decent rental and get him started even though she plays violin and not viola? I am completely ignorant about musical instruments.</p>
<p>Each time my daughter moves up in a violin size(she’s finally at a full!), we have made an appointment at a string shop to look at instruments. We tell the shop our price range and when we arrive, there is a table full of violins and bows in our price range. Our child plays each one for a while, eliminating ones she doesn’t like the sound of and then when she has it narrowed down to 4 or 5, a rep. from the store comes in and listens to her play and often plays each one herself and makes recommendations. At this point, we move on to the bows…trying each one on the instruments still in the running. We then take 2 or 3 violins and 3-5bows home for a week or two so our child’s private teacher can hear each one and make a recommendation. Ultimately, the student playing the instrument has the final say but it is helpful to get others involved in the process. We’ve gone through a similiar process with our young cellist although she is new to playing a stringed instrument so we’ve only done it once.</p>
<p>And I hear ya on the instruments instead of cars. We have been buying and upgrading oboes, violins, and now cellos for years. What we have spent on those instruments could have easily covered the cost of two used cars for teenagers. I wish someone would choose to the play the piano that sits untouched in our living room!</p>
<p>Yeah. We have an abandoned piano in our living room too. Kids took lessons when they were younger but then moved on to other instruments. S15 plays French horn and mellophone. I keep thinking maybe I will get back to it someday … like that’s really going to happen.</p>
<p>I’m home from work this morning because D13 called from school that she had a flat tire. Waiting for the tire store to open so we can get the tire fixed … ugh!</p>
<p>@Goaskdad,Thank you.Belated birthday wishes to S15.</p>
<p>@suzy100.sure ,i will let you know about online PE.</p>
<p>In our living room we have a cheap student-level piano, purchased way back when D2015 had been playing about 1/2 year and her piano teacher said that she could no longer make do with just an electric keyboard. Now D is outgrowing that piano as she works toward the higher levels of Certificate of Merit. It’s a hard call, because I can’t be sure she’ll maintain her dedication as the academics gear up. But if she commits to CoM level 9 this fall, we’ll probably upgrade to a better piano for Christmas.</p>
<p>S still has 3 weeks of school! Finals, state mandated End of Course exams, and choir, orchestra and band concerts. Plus, older bro is graduating in the meatime. Then it is off to upright bass camp for a week. Bass camp is such a hoot. It is 5 days of intense bass playing, both classical and jazz, at one of our local colleges. The kids sleep in the dorms. What is so great, is on the last day there is a final concert where small groups play together. Then all the bassists (40 plus) get on the stage together (with their basses) and play! It is pretty wild to see all those basses onstage at one time! Fun!</p>
<p>That does sound cool, momsings! So surprised your S still has so much school left. My D finishes next week - exams all week, so short days.</p>
<p>Does anyone have thoughts on the kids having jobs during the school year? I think my D can work as a tutor at a local Kumon a few afternoons after school. She’s a class officer though, and will have a more rigorous class schedule next year so I’m not sure if it’s a good idea or not. It would be an easy way to make money though. Any thoughts? (Of course she’s not chomping at the bit to do this so I would have to prod her.)</p>
<p>Last day of school here June 15th!</p>
<p>Suzy what other EC’s does she have? I know when my son was a class officer the time required for that was minimal. Sophomore year is harder here as well but I think if my daughter wasn’t in a fall sport she could handle a job like that.</p>
<p>There are other EC’s that may take up as much time as a sport does-not sure.</p>
<p>My D. has been tutoring (kids 2 and 4 years her junior) for 1.5 years. she earns like min. wage ($10/hr LOL) but really enjoys it. Yet sometimes she is too busy to do it so several times she canceled the tutoring session.</p>
<p>I think it is a good idea to have a job but I agree with Pepper that it depends on her EC during the school year. My S works as a basketball time keeper on the weekends when he has time to do it. He will like to get a different job that pays more once he turns 16 in Oct. </p>
<p>Finals are this week and tomorrow will be last day. S has been studying and hope he will do better this semester than last semester. He will be doing his Eagle service project Saturday and then staffing at a camp starting Sunday. Next Friday he will leave for Philmont backpacking adventure for two weeks.</p>
<p>sunnydayfun, I googled Philmont and that trip looks fantastic! Glad your S gets to partake.</p>
<p>As for my D and other EC’s, she’s also on the Homecoming Committee (not as a class officer) so that will keep her busy in the fall as well. I’m surprised by how much after-school time that will be consumed by the class officer stuff though. (When I was in high school, it really was virtually no time.) They have to go to a lot of school-sponsored events (including sporting events) and even have stuff they have to do over the summer - appear at 4th of July parade, etc. </p>
<p>Maybe I’ll wait and see how things go, but I wonder if the spots will fill up early once school starts back. I played sports in school, so did not have time really to work a job other than babysitting so I don’t really know what that’s like. Just trying to figure out the right thing here. I do feel like having a job is important, but at the same time I don’t want to see her get overloaded.</p>
<p>D’s final day of class is tomorrow. Final Exams are Monday-Thursday of next week then she can relax a bit. HS softball finished yesterday, just in time so to not impede exam prep.</p>
<p>D plays club softball, which involves tournament play each weekend through the end of July. Pre-season field hockey camp for her school team is the 3 rd week of July, with pre-season training beginning August 16. Most days during the work week this summer she’ll get the chance to head to the barn, 10 minutes from home, to ride the horse.</p>
<p>Summer reading and assignments need to be completed, but there is more than enough time ; its not that much work. PSAT prep will be incorporated into the summer mix.</p>
<p>Nice summer if you can get it.</p>
<p>We start the school year fairly late–after labor day weekend. Those of you who are finishing up or are done probably start 2 weeks or so before us, I am guessing. Also, <em>gasp</em> we had snow this year and had to make up some days too. Technically the last day is Monday the
25th but no one goes. S starts his bass camp that day anyway.</p>
<p>Sounds like all our kids are keeping busy, either with end-of-school or Summer activities! </p>
<p>Our DS is playing in an off-season HS basketball tourney this weekend, but I think he has decided that he won’t try out for 10th grade basketball. Part of it is the reality that many other players are much better than he is (so he could easily be cut), but part of it is that he’s trying to focus on his key sports, plus music (somewhat), and 10th grade classes are going to be very time-consuming. DH & I are sad to see him giving up basketball so soon in HS, but I’m glad to see him trying to be level-headed in his decision-making.</p>
<p>@suzy100, our DS15 will work part-time this Summer as a TA at a private school that runs a camp open to metro-area students (who can pay…the camp is expensive, but it’s well-run). Not sure he could handle a school-year job with all he has going on, but I know kids who pull it off. Since DS is our oldest, I’m shying away from school-year jobs until we see how he handles all on his plate. We are still learning about high school along with him, since it seems very different than when DH & I were in HS back in the Stone Age. Belated birthday wishes to your DD, as well.</p>
<p>D’s school ended. She came back home with summer assignments for AP chem and APUSH. She has started doing chem homework already. 
I love chemistry (love physics even more…) and love to see her working at it.</p>
<p>GoAskDad I understand when they give up a sport that we wish they would continue.</p>
<p>My daughter never even tried for HS basketball-she decided during soccer season she wasn’t going to go right into another demanding season-even though she is a very good player and the coaches were really trying to convince her otherwise she she was done with basketball. Much sadness on my end as she is a better basketball player and would have made V as a freshman-but she was done! She has since focused her energies on her soccer and picked up golf of all things! Her soccer has shown improvement since she has worked very hard on that and her golf-well from picking up a club for the first time a few months ago she is actually playing tomorrow in the State Championships as a varsity player-how cool is that! Hey she is happy and they have to play for themselves not for my pleasure! I hate that but it’s true! :)</p>
<p>One more week of classes here and then finals!</p>
<p>Good luck to everyone still dealing with school and finals! We just finished our first week of summer. Summer is busy but oh so much less stress. </p>
<p>herandHisMom, Your D sounds amazing. My S also has an AP Calc assignment this summer but we have to go to the school in a couple weeks to get the book. Not that he would even consider looking at the assignment before August! In this case though, I’m pretty sure the assignment is a review of algebra so doing it closer to the beginning of school makes sense. Same with the book they are supposed to read since they will have a test on it early in the year.</p>
<p>The mention of APs has me curious - how many sophs are taking APs this coming year and what APs are your kids taking? DS15 is allowed to take only AP Euro at his HS in 10th, for example. </p>
<p>If your student is taking an AP math, was he/she subject-accelerated in middle school? It’s interesting to learn how various schools approach APs.</p>
<p>@Pepper03, yes - it’s rather sad to see DS15 giving up HS basketball but, in his case, he’s being very practical about the whole thing. So DH & I are glad of that, but it is hard to know he won’t play that sport for his school anymore. Not sure what’s wrong with me because the kid probably wouldn’t have had time for 3 school sports next year with his schedule. Heck, he might not have even made the team in the first place. At least he has a good perspective and that’s much better in the long run ;-)</p>