Denver just announced extended spring break starting Monday through April 7. The state cancelled all spring sports. Colorado uses the SAT for their standardized testing so they do it on a school day in April. Hopefully they are back in school by then.
@3kids2dogs Iām not sure about that. But we have two months or so for them to come up with a plan. The college board has an interest in holding the tests. The schools have an interest in having students take the tests. I hope that they all could figure out how to work together to come up with a solution that makes sense. Maybe they can train teachers or staff to proctor in the time that remains?
@mamaedefamilia when was your SAT cancelled? Our school is telling me itās probably too late to find seats for everyone by Saturday. Iām going to push them on that but I doubt Iām going to get anywhere.
I donāt have confirmation yet from my sonās school but tonight he told me they will still conduct the in school SAT as scheduled but they will have less kids in each classroom. Itās supposed to be held in school on March 25. I guess since itās only juniors taking the test and the rest of the student body will be off, they are planning to still offer it. Iāll believe it when I have confirmation from school, but hoping it is actually true.
Well, I spoke too soon last night when I said it seems as if life is going on as normal around here. After tomorrow, all school classes are cancelled for at least two weeks, and it seems our Dās SAT is as well though we, personally havenāt gotten the email yet from College Board. But my D said that the word around here is that the SAT may be rescheduled for March 28. Who knows anymore what will happen? If they do reschedule (and actually have it) Iām not sorry to delay the SAT because D could use a couple more weeks to prep, and should have time with school and ECs cancelled.
My D said online public school will not be possible here because 25 percent of students donāt have computers or internet service!! Yup, high poverty area for sure. I imagine they will get tons of school assignments piled on, though.
After this announcement I admit I went on disaster planning mode a bit this afternoon and did more stocking up on staples and household items than I had already done and, yup, no TP to be found. I did buy some Kleenex and paper towels as a kind of backup, though I normally tend to use very little of these.
Tomorrow I want to buy flower and vegetable seeds. If weāre going to have to hunker down at home I want to start a few seedling trays. Itās something to do, and itās always an optimistic thing to grow tiny plants.
Thatās a great idea. I was walking in the forest preserve today and saw a patch of brand new patch of bright green grass - first substantive spring growth Iāve seen. It made me so happy.
I feel so bad for the seniors who are having their last year disrupted by this and the kids who were supposed to take SAT tests this weekend 
Our schools havenāt closed yet but every other activity after hours has been cancelled. No band assessment, science fair, play, band trip to Boston, SAT test. I think theyāll have to close school by next week??
Fortunately, S21 took his SAT in December and did well so he doesnāt have to stress about that. He is signed up to take a 2nd time in June just to see if he can get it a bit higher but it wouldnāt be a big deal for him if he canāt do that.
And, I have a sore throat and a bit of a cough, so now Iām wondering is this just allergies (all the trees seems to have bloomed in the last couple days!) or covid-19??? Itās probably allergies (no fever) I know, but glad I can work at home.
@homerdog School closed yesterday and students were accommodated by the end of today. But the school is relatively small and Iām not sure how many students were affected.
I am sorry for the kids missing the SAT. Around here local uni is going online but the campus remains open, dorms open, cafeteria, labs. What is the purpose of having open campus but no classes?? Our K-12 is sending 2nd grade to 12th home with Chrome books just in case.
Spring break starts here. We didnāt have any plans. D just wants to decompress. I work in healthcare as a nurse practitioner in a sub speciality. We are seeing a shortage of PPE in the hospital. No cases out here in West Texas yet.
@TVBingeWatcher2 the cynic in me says itās a tactic to avoid refunding everyone 1/2 a semester of room & board!
I would guess the SAT and ACT folks will add additional test dates when this summer and early Fall to accommodate students.
But itās tough for kids who have been preparing and ready now. @homerdog ā I hope your D gets a seat somewhere tomorrow!
Still no official email from College Board yet and the list of Georgia test centers closed remains at 4 on the College Board website as it has all week, but with so many school districts in GA officially announcing yesterday that school is going online and that all extra activities are off, that is clearly a bad list. I was finally able to get confirmation from the school where my S21 was supposed to test that itās called off for Saturday. Given that our entire county and the neighboring counties have all made similar decisions regarding school, there wonāt be any open test centers near us (plus my son tests with accommodations, and those seats disappear more quickly), so weāre going to wait it out and see if they reschedule or add new test dates later. He is signed up for subject tests on the May and June datesā¦maybe I could change his June subject test to a regular SAT, but I think Iām going to wait and see what happens.
Our school is open today but D opted to stay home like a lot of kids. Theyāre all worked up into a tizzy and anxious and scared now. We havenāt heard anything about next week and if school will close.
I sent emails to guidance and the superintendentās office last night to tell them they need to send emails out to juniors about the test being cancelled. Still nothing from them.
Now Iām just starting to get more worried about what all of this means for daily life. Should S19 keep going out with his friends? How are we all going to coexist here if thereās really no where to go thatās safe from the virus? Iām glad itās spring and then summer because I guess we can at least go outside. S19 can run, play disc golf, etc. D21 is asking if itās going to be ok to study at Starbucks. Our library said they will close if the schools close.
My husband and had this conversation this morning. I think for now we will tell the kids the following, but Iām very curious about othersā viewpoints. To be clear, Iām not a medical or public health expert.
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They can get exercise outside
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They can sit outside at coffeeshops to study or inside if itās not crowded. Will give them wipes to clean table and chair prior to sitting down.
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They can see their friends in small groups (no more than 5) but must sit apart and be very vigilant about washing hands, etc. This is the one Iām unsure about, but I just canāt see telling my kids they canāt see friends, esp. when my D is leaving her college she loves and is sad. Still, I could see this changing as things unfold?
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No eating from a buffet
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Likely, we wonāt be going to restaurants for a while but may get take out
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No mall visits
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No parties
Unsure about:
- Movies if they sit apart and wipe down armrests?
- Drive throughs like Chick-Fil-A
Would love to hear what other are thinking.
@AlmostThere2018 thatās a good starting list I think. S19 really wants to believe he can go through drive throughs with his friends and then eat outside. I guess this is important to the teenage boy set? How will they do without a Portillos hot dog and shake?
No mall will be a killer for D. Not because she actually buys stuff but thatās where they go to restaurants and hang out. Our mall is an outdoor mall so I told her it might still be fine to grab a coffee and walk around but I donāt think going in and out of stores and shopping is a great idea.
Agree thatās a good list. I would keep the kids apart as much as possible, I know thatās hard but these kids donāt have their frontal lobes fully developed and judgement is iffy. I would say yes to drive through but no to movies. I told my kid for every get together I say no to, she gets to pick a Netflix show when we watch as a family.
Iām afraid Iām going to be watching Greyās Anatomy 24/7 for the next few days!
Lucky for us - we live in the boonies! No coffee shops to hang at! She did ask to go to a prom-posal for a friend tonight (although prom is iffy at this point!!). Iāll let her do that since they are at school today and SAT tomorrow anyway. But other than that, weāll be hanging close to home. I still have to work, but S17 will be home tomorrow. He will probably want to go back (heās in an off campus apartment). I may actually get my husband to watch some movies this weekend since the sports are gone!
Kinda bummed because itās become spring break tradition to watch the NCAA wrestling championships with S17 when heās home.
@ mm5678, my d and I started watching old Downton Abbey DVD,s at Christmas (I have the whole set and she never watched it the first time). Have a feeling weāll be able to complete that.
I admit that, much as I hate the wider tragedy happening, there is may be some aspects I enjoy in the next two weeks (IF we successfully contain this by doing so). d texted me at lunch that teachers are assigning some work but not two weeksā worth. She has mentioned a few times she is enjoying the little bit of Mark Twain readings they are doing in AP Lang (I guess analyzing writing style) and would like to read Huck Fin so I will order that and maybe a few other classic books that I donāt mind buying (donāt know if the library will close too). D used to be such a reader before phones and heavy homework took over, so maybe she will indulge in that again.
@inthegarden I hope itās two weeks. I think this social distancing stuff is with us for way longer than that.
Local Pittsburgh High schools starting to close. Ours for two weeks at least some others for month. As of now SAT still being administered at our HS tomorrow.
Currently there are no know Covid-19 positives in the area. But I guess better safe than sorry. All the local universities, Pitt, CMU and Duquesne all shut down for the rest of the semester yesterday.