8th Grade Graduation???

[tiggerlover]

Just curious, if you are invited to an 8th grade graduation party and you do not attend, should you still send a gift. I really don't get the hype over the whole 8th grade graduation thing and I don't feel inclined to send a gift, but than there is that nagging voice in the back of my head that says I should. And can someone tell me when these 8th grade graduations/big parties have become the norm, I missed the boat on that one.

Thanks.

 

[LindsayDunn228]

I personally don't think a gift is necessary for 8th grade graduation. Just a nice card.

 

[newholidayx2]

DS just "graduated" from Middle School. He'll be starting 9th grade in the High School this fall. My mother mailed him a $20 Blockbuster gift card. His Godmother sent him $20. I bought him an MP3 player and we took him out for dinner.
I remember graduating Middle School early 70s and it was a big deal, actually bigger than it is now.

 

[clh2]

Based on other threads on this topic, it seems that 8th grade graduations are a regional type of thing.

I would base my decision on whether to send a card or a card/cash on how close I was to the guest of honor.

 

[aunt kelly]

My son will be graduating from 8th grade next year and I intend to make it a low key family celebration. However, your friends are having a party, so it's obviously a big deal to them.

I would give a small gift if you don't want to risk hurting your friends' feelings.

 

[Val]

My DD14 graduated from 8th grade, and my oldest DD18 graduated from HS this year. They had a joint family/friend party. The older got lots of gifts, the younger got lots of cards and that was how it should be.

The reason we have 8th grade graduation is that the kids have attended the same parochial school since preK- so they have been a "group" for 10 years. At the end of 8th grade they split up- going to different high schools in town. The graduation is to celebrate the ending of one chapter and the beginning of a new- not a chance to get gifts. Friends and family who attend for the younger DD are "connected" to the school some how.

High school graduation, to me, celebrates the end of childhood schooling and the beginning of adult schooling or adult job holding- I think it serves almost as our nondenominational/nonreligious ceremony into adulthood. Very different- much bigger achievement and much more important.

That being said, if all things are on track, in 4 years we will have college graduation, high school graduation and 8th grade graduation at the same time. Good thing the littlest is two years younger rather than 4.....

 

[barkley]

i am so tired of "graduations"! my kids had the preschool one, the kindergarten one, will have one at 8th and 12th grade (and if they continue on to the same religious colleges they will have an entire weekend of grad. ceremonies for 1 degree-dear mil just endured 3 separate cermonies for 1 college grad-pinning ceremony, department and overall university ceremonies). i guess i should be happy they are'nt attending another local private school that adds a 6th grade grad as well!

we HAVE to attend the 8th grade grad at my kid's school each year-all the students k-8th are in the program.

i finished highschool in 1979 and the only graduation we ever had was for 12th-so i tend not to hold all the other grades in such esteem (and we had one college grad ceremony-no matter what your major).

if not attending the "event" or a party i will send a gift for 12th or college grad, but beyond rsvp'ing my inability to attend the other events i generaly don't recognize them with a gift.

dd was lamenting the other day that if we do a planned move she likely won't be attending a school that holds an 8th grade graduation-and will "miss out". i looked at her and said "i've completed 13 years of school and gotten 4 college degrees, and at age 12 you've still had more graduation ceremonies than i have-so don't complain to me that you will be 'missing out'"

 

[NMAmy]

8th grade graduations are not really "done" around here--mainly because of our school system. They attend one school until 4th grade. Middle school is 5th and 6th grade. Junior high is 7th and 8th grade. There is then a separate school for 9th graders. High school is 10-12. If we had a party every year dd switched school, it would be just crazy.

She'll get an Open House when she graduates from high school and that's it.

I'd send a card--if it were family, I might include $20 or a gift card for that amount.

 

[lillygator]

I would send a card.