Oh…Senior Days are so fun. Our HS does not celebrate Sr Day for XC or Track, but the swim team did, and I enjoyed stepping up and receiving my little bouquet after four years ‘on’ the team. I even enjoyed being present at other teams’ Sr Days (when competing against another swim team on the day of their last home meet).
I’m gonna cry at Swim senior day in May. Already know it. She’s been swimming at that pool since she was 5, and it’s all coming to a end.
I too didn’t know what a CASPer was and was pretty sure I wasn’t one, but now that I see what it is I think I might be one.
@hadmeathello We had senior night for the band last Friday. Because of time constrains on half time show, they do the parent stuff during the first half on the side of the field and just announce the students on the field. It’s a bit less stressful. We have pictures from that time though. And the seniors do get to feel special.
S had a big day today. A chemistry and Calc III test and an English paper due. Then tonight he had his Boy Scout Eagle Scout Board of Review. I am proud to say I have my first and only Eagle Scout! I am very happy for him. It was a great way to end the day, that and the ice cream sundae afterwards (he still really is a kid). Now he can put Eagle Scout on his remaining college apps.
@hadmeathello I’m a bit jealous! No senior night for marching band (that I aware of anyway!) it’s not really over yet though but the field season will be next week. S17 had his first “last” band concert with a fall wind ensemble concert tonight. Sniff!
I would like to thank you for my wine spewing moment of the evening.
Introvert =))
@mtrosemom congratulations!!!’ That is a huge achievement. So happy for you and your S! Now you get to plan the party 
@hadmeathello Hope everything goes well today!
@mtrosemom Congratulations to your son on his Eagle!
I held the New York State high school diddly-squat record for four years.
@mtrosemom – Huge congrats to your son - that is an amazing accomplishment - Eagle Scout - you must be so proud I hope he is too of course!
@hadmeathello – enjoy you time on the field with D!! Somehow i think you’l relish it - maybe even bang a drum or something.
@STEM2017 I always wondered who beat me out for the diddly squat title.
I came in second place. 
Band parents (and others who will experience senior nights this year): Make sure you plant someone in the crowd who will take pictures of you! S’s marching band senior night was early in the season. (They did all fall sports at the first football game because there was some conflict with volleyball or cross country later.) Anyway, I didn’t realize it was coming up and wasn’t prepared for it, and with both H and me plus most other parents I know on the field, there was no one to take our picture. Im sure the school must’ve had someone taking pictures but I never saw them and S keeps “forgetting” to ask. I’m going to make sure to ask a parent of a younger player to snap a couple pictures for soccer senior night this spring.
Phone plans with international calling? We are ready to switch phone plans and are wondering if anyone has any knowledge companies with better/worse international plans. TMobile has unlimited international text and internet (wondering if that means unlimited skype/FaceTime?) But their international calls are 20 cents/min.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek …I’m certainly not a parent pro at this since D just did three weeks in Germany and it is not a regular thing BUT…
-we switched her plan to the international plan for just one month. It had a small data package with it. She called home only twice :(( the whole 3 weeks and she did it via the What’s App phone app which lets you make phone calls for free when in Wifi. The plan had unlimited texting but she used What’s App for that also.
@mtrosemom Congratulations to your son! I was in scouting back in the day and I know that is huge!!!
@Mom2aphysicsgeek We used T-mobile for international texts and internet in Europe a couple of years ago and it worked great. Very good coverage. We did pay as you go for phone calls, using a chip from a provider in Eastern Europe, and that was more economical than using a US based provider. Things may have changed since then, though, it’s been a couple of years.
It also might be worth looking into buying a cheap local phone for her calling needs and to use her US phone for everything else depending on how the costs work out. I travel a fair amount internationally and have a dedicated phone for that purpose. It’s a modestly priced unlocked Samsung that I bought on Amazon that works internationally. Pop in a chip bought locally and I’m good to go,
@mtrosemom congrats to your son on that accomplishment! I am always amazed at the amount of time the Eagle Scouts put into their projects. I mountain bike on a trail network that was built in part with the help of some Eagle Scouts and it’s awesome and fun, and I really appreciate their efforts. It took a lot of work to build and so many people benefit from it. What did your son do for his project? My kids liked scouting in their early years but we could not stick with it and sports due to time constraints. I’ve tried to teach them some Boy Scout type stuff on my own though, I think you can learn a lot from being a scout.
Lots of school work going on right now. Son17 is hoping to get a few grades up before the semester ends. It’s good his apps are all done and he can focus on school work right now. His pre-calc class is quite challenging and he needs to prepare and study quite a bit in order to be successful.
@STEM2017 Yeah, I received a graduate degree in exercise. It was called the Thigh Masters.
@CA1543 I think my 100-lb sousaphone player will get jealous if I bang a drum at her senior night. She has a love-hate relationship with the way I act out in public. She says she’s embarrassed, but all her friends are waiting for me to do something outlandish.
Thanks @mamaedefamilia. Since she has no control over where she goes or how much time they are anywhere, I don’t want to rely on her being able to buy a local chip. Long-term, though, I think that is what she will end up having to do.
It sounds like TMobile might not be a bad option.
@Mom2aphysicsgeek Make sure you check for the specific country/countries you need it. We used T-mobile in western Europe and it was great for the data/text.
Can someone help me understand some things that are going on with the Common App? Under Recommenders and FERPA for all of D’s schools, the Counselor information has a green checkmark. Then there’s a box below that shows the items the Counselor is responsible for submitting. Does the green checkmark mean just that the counselor has been invited (date invited is shown in the box), or that the information has been submitted? If the information has been submitted will it show the date it was submitted? As far as I know, nothing has been submitted yet (and no applications have been submitted, so we don’t have a portal to check). Similarly, under teacher recommenders, some of the schools have a green checkmark, some have a yellow dot. D requested LORs through Naviance–she had two teachers and just requested that they submit to all schools (some of D’s schools only require 1 teacher, some only require the GC, but all allow as optional at least 2, so we’re good there). Naviance is not showing that the teachers have submitted their LORs (status in Naviance is “requested”). Then, under Other Recommenders, some schools have a green checkmark, but D doesn’t have any “other” recommenders. Color me confused.
@klinska It just means they have been invited.
I found/find it confusing to have a green checkmark when the item really wasn’t complete but I think all that green mark really does is note you’ve entered the counselor info and waived FERPA. Not sure what the yellow dot is in this context, we also have a green checkmark next to the “other” recommenders despite not requesting any. In general it seems you get a green check mark in any section you’ve done work in, even if it isn’t really complete which I don’t like.
For Counselor, once they submit it will look like this, our just submitted yesterday so I know the answer to this one!
Name of counselor
School Counselor Invited: 08/26/2016
School Report Submitted: 10/20/2016
Counselor Recommendation Submitted: 10/20/2016
For LOR’s it is similar. We request through naviance so they don’t show in the CA until submitted so the assigned and submitted dates are the same
Teacher name
Teachers Subject Assigned: 10/12/2016
Teacher Evaluation Submitted: 10/12/2016