8th grade graduation?

[maslex]

Just wondering if you did anything special for your child when they graduated from the 8th grade.

My son will be graduating this June and was accepted into his choice of high schools (a technical school) He wants to take up automotive.

Anyhow, I was thinking of throwing him a graduation party, sometime in June. Probably going to be like a cookout/pool party (if it's warm enough) but with the kids, I'm sure they'll be in by that time. LOL

Should I also get him a "gift" of some sort. And if so, what?

What have you done?

 

[AlleyKat]

Just wondering if you did anything special for your child when they graduated from the 8th grade.

My son will be graduating this June and was accepted into his choice of high schools (a technical school) He wants to take up automotive.

Anyhow, I was thinking of throwing him a graduation party, sometime in June. Probably going to be like a cookout/pool party (if it's warm enough) but with the kids, I'm sure they'll be in by that time. LOL

Should I also get him a "gift" of some sort. And if so, what?

What have you done?

Relatives from neighboring states were invited and, thankfully, showed up to my child's 8th grade graduation.

After the ceremony, his dad and I took him to a swank restaurant and gave him cards and gifts.

Your plans sound great!
As you know your son better than anyone else, you'll know what to get him when the time comes.

 

[krcit]

We didn't do a party for my dd's 8th grade graduation. We went out to a nice lunch and got her a netbook as a combo graduation/Confirmation present. My kids go to one school for 1-6th and then middle school for 7th and 8th. I don't know if anyone had a big graduation confused3 When I went to Catholic school, it was from 1-8th and a bunch of my friends had parties. I think the pool party sounds fun!!

 

[taximomfor4]

Most anyone I know did was to let the child pick a restaurant to have dinner at. No celebration, though, nor any gifts. So I say, let them pick dinner (and maybe let them order dessert!!)

 

[cheermom1]

We didn't have a party for our kids but neither did any of their friends either..we did the ceremony and then to dinner but that was it...the dinner was what they wanted pizza so it wasn't expensive ...

I think they need to be recognized but not over the top b/c they still have a long way to go and doing good in school is expected, it just is!

 

[Wonderlandmom]

I would save the party for HS graduation. Something to work towards and look forward to for your DS. Promoting to 9th grade is just expected around here.

 

[Chelley00]

Our private school goes preK-8th. They have a big cap and gown graduation for the 8th graders (on a Thursday??????)

I'm not sure what to do. Since it's a Thursday night, I doubt many people will come, especially our out of town relatives. I may just offer a buffet type dinner at our house before the ceremony, so if anyone does come, they can eat dinner before we go.

His graduation gift will be tuition at the private high school he's begging to attend.

 

[disykat]

Our transition is after 9th. We didn't do anything special for our older one and don't plan anything this year for our younger. We go to a end of 9th grade promotion ceremony, but that's it.

After their 6th grade promotion ceremonies we went out to dinner, but the 9th grade one is held at 6:30 so it's more about grabbing something to eat quickly that night and getting there.

If my kids were expecting a gift I'd tell them their driver's ed course is their gift! (Can you tell I just wrote a $475 check?)

 

[clori]

For a gift I know people who give the specific calculator requested by the high school but otherwise just maybe a small outing with a friend such as a trip to the movies.

 

[Cindy's Mom]

The responses were different than I expected. In my neck of the woods, 8th Grad parties are common. Our private school is a cap and gown ceremony too, usually on a Thursday night with the parties starting the upcoming Saturday.

 

[okeydokey]

We'll do dinner out, but that's it.

 

[tmq2766]

I threw a party for my daughter last June for her middle school graduation and she got a trampoline as her gift from me.
Middle school graduation parties are a common practice around here.

 

[WDWMom]

I would save the party for HS graduation. Something to work towards and look forward to for your DS. Promoting to 9th grade is just expected around here.

Same here. I think we would be laughed at around here if we threw an 8th grade grad party for our kids. That's not so say that it isn't the thing to do in other places and there is any thing wrong with it.

I personally think it is silly when there are graduations from Kindergarten, elementary school, and middle school. It's like our society feels the need to throw a party for all of our kids' milestones and they have come to expect more than what they really deserve. But that is my own opinion and realize there are regional norms.

 

[Trish Bessette]

My DD's go to a small school K-8th so we were lucky to be able to invite anyone we want to DD's graduation. That said, grandparents, aunt, uncles and cousins were invited.

There were only 14 kids in her 8th grade classThey all dress up in pretty colorful dresses, shoes, do their hair, some take a limo to school, etc and then after graduation there is cake and refreshments at school for everyone to enjoy. Then the entire class went to one girls house for a party until midnight.

I think my DD got somewhere around $700 or more for graduation from relatives, and we don't have a big family

 

[puffkin]

There was just a thread on here last week about this (well in that case it was a 9th grade graduation, but basically the same thing as that school had a junior high).

8th grade graduation around my area really isn't anything. Just passing from middle school to high school. Some schools may have a small ceremony, but it really isn't something celebrated. What I did learn on that other thread is that in some areas of the country you apply to and get accepted to high schools. That doesn't happen here, you just go to the high school in your school district. So, i guess I can see how you would want to celebrate getting accepted into a good high school.

I personally do not see it as a gift occassion though, although I do like the idea of buying a school item for them that they will need in high school like the calculator or something along those lines. I think a nice dinner out is also a nice gesture. I would save the big party until high school graduation!

 

[Art 1]

The school has a formal dinner for the parents, teachers and students at a local French restaurant . Cap and gown graduation. NJHS recognition. Some other academic awards. We had a party at the house. It's a big thing in our schools.

 

[chisnpeke]

I never had an 8th grade graduation or a kindergarten graduation. Just high school.

When did 8th grade graduations become so prevalent? I'm only 21 and no one I knew had one.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

I never had an 8th grade graduation or a kindergarten graduation. Just high school.

When did 8th grade graduations become so prevalent? I'm only 21 and no one I knew had one.

A lot of schools here in New England are k-8 and in our case Pre-K 3 year old to 8th. After being in the same building for 10+ years the kids want a big hoo-hah for leaving. I don't mind. We have cap and gown, yearbooks with all the grades and a dance.
DS13's class is only 30 kids, the class behind mine was only 19, it's kind of a big deal because when they go up to the HS (different town) they went to a class of 500+ so they rarely saw each other again.

 

[BernardandMissBianca]

Just wondering if you did anything special for your child when they graduated from the 8th grade.

My son will be graduating this June and was accepted into his choice of high schools (a technical school) He wants to take up automotive.

Anyhow, I was thinking of throwing him a graduation party, sometime in June. Probably going to be like a cookout/pool party (if it's warm enough) but with the kids, I'm sure they'll be in by that time. LOL

Should I also get him a "gift" of some sort. And if so, what?

What have you done?

Glad he got accepted to the tech school of his choice!!

I think we are doing a BBQ around his birthday, kill 2 birds with one stone and I'm leaning towards a computer because I know his High school is probably going to strongly recommend it. Or some gift cards and a clothes shopping spree.

 

[KAMLEM]

Nobody around here celebrates 8th grade "graduation". They kids have a dinner dance at night but that's about it. We did buy my daughter a silver Tiffany necklace that she really wanted, but that's it.