here in GA due to power issues for some parents still, they are cancelling school again tomorrow. 3 days out. The eclipse day was a total waste of learning time, as school was optional that day. i swear there is never any school. So dont worry all you in FL with AP classes, and in Texas… GA is in the same boat. Maybe the northern schools will use up their snow days later in the year.
@eh1234 I get the feeling that most schools that start after Labor Day have AP summer homework to jump start the kids. I kept reading about kids doing AP summer work so I assumed it was for schools that start later. We started school mid-August and the kids had no summer homework for their AP classes.
@homerdog There was AP summer homework for a small handful of classes, and it varies from year to year (this year, there was HW for AP Chem, AP Lang (but not Lit), AB Calc (but not BC), Stats, Euro and Music Theory. One of the arguments for starting school a week earlier this year (8/28) was to give HS students an extra week of AP instruction.
Taking the ACT/SAT in the fall is not the norm at all. Basically every one I see talking about the test is a senior. That will change by the December test (which is too late for most colleges).
To me, it just seems to make sense to prep for the test and the PSAT at the same time. And get the benefit of not having to prep for a test in the spring, when AP classes are ramping up for their tests.
BTW, they finally announced the makeup date for the ACT–September 23rd. Unfortunately, DD19 will not be able to take that test. She’s already going to miss an XC meet next weekend (we had already planned a vacation for the week when it was an off week. But the hurricane forced re-schedules). She wants to earn her varsity letter this semester and might not be able to if she misses another meet.
Luckily, the email said they will allow her to switch to another date without charge.
I do have to say that the communication from ACT has been atrocious. We didn’t get an official email from the ACT stating that the Saturday test was canceled until Friday at 3 pm. Yes, it was on the website, but you would have no idea to check the website unless you already knew it was going to be canceled).
Another person checking in from FL. We got hit pretty hard with Irma but were very lucky that we only had a few tree limbs down and lost one tiny palm tree. We seem to be the luckiest of our friends - we only lost power for 6 hours, most of them are still without power right now. Tonight I have 12 kids sleeping over so they can get some air conditioning instead of trying to sleep in the blazing heat at home. Im sure they will also be happy to know we got TV and wifi back today. 
My D spent a little of her downtime working on her online class but still isn’t caught up. They have now cancelled school until Monday so hopefully she will motivate to do that by then!
DS19 will be taking the PSAT in Oct and the SAT 11/4…He may take the ACT in Dec or wait until after the holidays.
In terms of exam schedules in college being affected by the hurricane, DS16 had his exam moved to the weekend, they reduced the number of “reading days” and limited exams to 2 hrs instead of 3 when Matthew hit last year.
Checking in to vent … again…
I’ve started a new position at work that entails working nights and both weekend days. It’s a raise, which is great (but not great, if you think of it in terms of this being the prior prior year for FAFSA.) But more important, I only get to see the kids Tues & Weds nights and weekend mornings, as I get home at 2:30 in the morning and they’re out the door at 6 am and I simply can’t drag myself out of bed, nor would anyone want me to.
I am so upset about not being home during the evenings. And I’m trying like hell not to make every single thing I say be about college: “Do this, have you thought about this, have you read this,” etc etc - because nobody wants to be greeted with that – but I have been saving it all up for a week at a time, it seems like, and it is not easy to back off, not for me, because I’m an obsessive person on the best of days!
Tonight we picked her up from an EC and she is already getting in trouble with a class and we ended up arguing the whole way home about silly stuff related to that and I ended up crying because it wasn’t even the stuff that I need to talk with her about and feel like I can’t, because it’d be just too overwhelming, and I feel like the evening was completely wasted.
I feel like time is running out. It’s only the second week of September! Jeeeez. I need to chill.
When we were in the thick of college stuff we did a scheduled weekly meeting where we would go over things. I kept my mouth shut the rest of the week and it helped us all (as hard as it was at times). While I think it too early for much college wise the same thing can hold true with school things. I have used it with S29 in the past with varying degrees of success.
Just a thought and sending hugs. Compressed time is so stressful on every level.
My kid is in 3 AP classes and two of them had extensive summer homework. Calculus AB didn’t but I find myself wishing that it had. It’s causing the most headaches and tears, and we’ve only been in classes for a week. AP Psychology and Forensics are the ‘fun and relaxing’ classes in the schedule.
Last night I told the kid that tonight we were going to do PSAT prep and work through a math section or two together. And now that I’ve said that, I’m realizing how very long ago I learned any of this. Potential humiliation ahead as I try to explain something I forgot 35 years ago!
@Gatormama , be kind to yourself. I remember reading once upon a time that a mother’s physical contact with her children releases a cascade of hormones that help cushion the body against stress, and this never goes away. If you don’t mind a suggestion from a stranger, maybe you could ask them to come in and kiss you on the cheek just before they head off to school - not enough to really wake you up, just enough for the brief contact? It could make them feel more mature and connected in a loving way. I don’t know your family dynamics, maybe it’s impossible, but I used to make my kid do that when my husband was working nights.
All this talk about late starts to school year and the effect on AP tests is getting me worried. In Houston, schools started on August 16th. So they only had 7 days of school before Hurricane Harvey got rid of the next 10 days of school. Now, because so many people lost everything they owned, they are returning on a slow schedule. My daughter had no homework Monday or Tuesday. The school previously announced that Wednesday is a no homework day. So she’s now what would normally be a month into the school year, but has hardly done anything.
I heard some teachers complaining about how some teachers are too eager to begin giving the kids homework. But this thread makes me realize why–they are required to get to a certain point in the curriculum by May, have already lost 2 weeks, and are now going to lose another week because they are taking it easy on the kids.
Just talked to S19’s GC about SAT 2 tests. She doesn’t think they are crucial for schools that “consider” them as long as SAT 1 is above 75th percentile. She suggested S19 take Math 2 on December 2nd after reviewing during the week of Thanksgiving. It’s not typically a stressful time as our finals aren’t until Dec 20. And then he might want to take History in May at the same time as his APUSH test. That way he’s in testing mode and probably won’t even study much for the SAT History. (Anyone have experience with that combo? If the student is ready for AP test, does that translate to the SAT 2 History test?)
She also suggested that S19 ask straight out to the AOs he knows from the schools on his list. He will meet many of them this fall when they each visit his high school. He can also email them if they do not. Just ask how important SAT 2 tests are to their admissions decisions. I’ll report back if he gets any good info on that! I’m guessing it’s most important to the reaches…
@homerdog S19 did that APUSH/SAT2 combo and it worked out pretty well. He took the SAT 2 US History in May while studying for the AP exam. He thought the AP exam was much more rigorous and required solid knowledge of the material, while the SAT 2 exam just asked a bunch of random facts that he either knew, or straight out did not. He didn’t spend too much time studying for the SAT 2 exam other than taking a couple of timed practice tests and achieved a score in the upper 700’s (and got a 5 on the AP).
Sounds like he might also have a good APUSH teacher, @ThinkOn, who drilled him on the facts and trained him on things like the DBQ. Congrats to him.
Thanks @EastGrad
Actually, his school has no “AP” classes per se, just all “college prep” and no one really talks about or mentions the AP tests, only tells the kids that if they want to take an AP test, they can sign up by x date. By the time they graduate, most of the kids do take an AP test or two, but the administration and staff really don’t encourage it (the learning for learning sake type of place where they don’t want to teach to a test…and really don’t). If it weren’t for other parents talking about the AP tests (mostly in terms of the honors designations), I don’t think I would have signed S up for the APUSH exam. Some in his grade sat for the AP Chem test as well after the year of Chem they had as Sophomores.
I did buy him an APUSH prep book to help familiarize him with the format. But I think what really helped him is his sister (who attends a different school) and who diligently prepared for her AP Euro test using all the old tests on college board. I remember just a week before the AP tests she told him “get those synthesis points” and his reply “what’s that?”. She rolled her eyes and went over how to rack up essay points.
Ah. The DBQ. Lots of DBQs…
“synthesis points”?
DBQ?
At sea again…
Thanks for all the support. @eandesmom - I had planned to do a weekly meetup with D after reading about you doing it on the 2017 thread. It has been on the calendar for most of the last year, but we never needed to use it, as we were talking during the week. Now, I think, it becomes necessary.
We are having a much better night tonight.
I like the idea of the kiss on the cheek, but with me, any little thing wakes me up and once my brain kicks over, it’s off to the races and I can’t get back to sleep. I t
D19 tells me that CB has revamped the AP History tests such that synthesis is no longer required…no clue what it was either.
Balancing AP classes while playing football while attending small group SAT class is causing alot of stress. I’m second guessing whether S19 should have bothered with AP at all…well at least AP Physics. Surprisingly APUSH & AP English are going just fine. Add this to my D20, completing all the hw for her classes but somehow forgetting to turn stuff in…I just can’t today. My right eye has begun twitching and wine is looking really good. This is going to be an incredibly hard year for my kids. I’ve got to get it together, cut back on the stress, and remind myself that I will one day look back fondly on these experiences…one day.
@4MyKidz Oh, thanks for the chuckle! Hang in there, there are always those challenging days for sure…let’s hope that there are fewer and fewer of them as the year progresses. Hugs to all.
Thank you @ThinkOn ! Here’s hoping