High School Class of 2016/College Class 2020

[luvsJack]

Our school doesn't charge for driver's ed but most of the kids don't get to take it before they start driving. Just not enough space in the class and its not required by the state.


Have teaching methods changed in your kids' schools? Ours are working in groups in most classes and it is really working well. DD's confidence is blooming in academics because of her role in her geometry groups--mostly as tutor/teacher. That confidence is spilling over into her other classes.

 

[Pikester]

DS hasn't signed up for drivers ed yet but he did get a phone number to call to get information about it. He's got his money saved up from his job (Summers, vacations, weekends) and is ready. My husband has been taking him driving which is something I don't have the nerves for.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Our school doesn't charge for driver's ed but most of the kids don't get to take it before they start driving. Just not enough space in the class and its not required by the state.

Here they can start the classroom portion at 15 years, 9 months. It's 30 hours of classroom, and attendance is mandatory. They can't start the driving portion until after they have their permits. I don't know if it's required (it is run by the State of MA) but insurance is discounted if they've had it. (They also offer a Good Student discount. I'm not looking forward to that bill.) They've only had a few classes, but last night in the car they were talking about what they've learned so far, and it sounds like they're covering a lot.

 

[MomofKatie]

Drivers Ed starts 2nd semester for her and she'll be able to get her license next summer! Scary stuff!

Just curious, how much did drivers ed cost at your school? It was $350 here.

It only costs $40 here, and they can take the class as soon as they turn 14 1/2. They have so many class hours (20. I think?), then have to finish driving hours, too. The classroom portion is at school, and then they have to schedule their driving hours separately.

DD just turned 15, and she hasn't had Drivers Ed yet- most kids take it during freshman year or the summer before sophomore year. I really need to get on the ball and get her signed up. Not looking forward to the insurance bills and the anxiety, but I guess she need to learn sometime...

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Wanted to bump this up since it looks like the last posts were from September!

How are things going?

I imagine lots of the kids are getting their learner's permits and licenses now!

And it's that time of year again they're picking out classes for next year. Hard to believe they'll be juniors in just a little while.

Anyone thinking about college life yet? Or no.

Lets hear some updates and keep this thread going.

 

[luvsJack]

Wanted to bump this up since it looks like the last posts were from September!

How are things going?

I imagine lots of the kids are getting their learner's permits and licenses now!

And it's that time of year again they're picking out classes for next year. Hard to believe they'll be juniors in just a little while.

Anyone thinking about college life yet? Or no.

Lets hear some updates and keep this thread going.

Dd and I talk about college all the time. But, I work for a college so its pretty guaranteed this is where she will go for the first two years unless something drastically changes.

She is planning to audition for the college choir, a capella group and the show choir. Each of those carry a scholarship and will pay on top of my employee scholarship. So. .

And she says if her first dream doesn't work out (don't even ask, we tend to ignore it ), she is thinking of doing something in music and probably a high school choir director.


She does have her permit but won't get her license until August when she turns 16.

DD is having a great sophomore year.

She has started dating a boy that she has known for awhile. He is such a sweet kid. We really like him. He adores dd. Only thing is, sometimes I feel bad for him. He is so afraid of making her angry!! I don't know what she has said to him when she was mad but apparently he doesn't want her to say it again!!

She is making honor roll every 9 weeks so far and her teachers are really impressed with her. She has definitely come out of her shell academically.

And then there is choir which has taken off like a rocket this year! Especially the A Capella group. They have even impressed their own director. They have competed and got all Superior ratings. Going to District later this month and hopefully state in April.

 

[MomofKatie]

Wanted to bump this up since it looks like the last posts were from September!

How are things going?

I imagine lots of the kids are getting their learner's permits and licenses now!

And it's that time of year again they're picking out classes for next year. Hard to believe they'll be juniors in just a little while.

Anyone thinking about college life yet? Or no.

Lets hear some updates and keep this thread going.

Going pretty well so far! DD got all As in her first semester classes. We are about 3 weeks into the new semester, and everything seems to be fine. She has Honors Algebra 2, Honors Chemistry, Latin 2, and Psychology.

Still no drivers Ed for DD... once soccer season is over, she can do the classroom portion. Gotta get her signed up. Tryouts for soccer are next week- really hoping she gets on the Varsity team this year.

She has started getting LOTS of emails and letters from colleges all over the US. Is this common? I'm thinking it is because they took the PSAT and PLAN at school and the scores got reported. We think about college a lot already- which type of school she would like to attend, what she would like to study, and how in the world we are going to pay for it!

DD also took the regular SAT in December. She is hoping to get in to a residential math and science based high school here in NC. As part of the application process, sophomores have to take the SAT and report scores to the admissions dept. there.

 

[jetskigrl]

Wanted to bump this up since it looks like the last posts were from September!

How are things going?

I imagine lots of the kids are getting their learner's permits and licenses now!

And it's that time of year again they're picking out classes for next year. Hard to believe they'll be juniors in just a little while.

Anyone thinking about college life yet? Or no.

Lets hear some updates and keep this thread going.

Oh, I completely forgot about this thread (I don't think I posted much before but enjoyed reading it).

I can't believe their Sophomore year is 1/2 over already. DD struggled a bit this semester, which stressed her out a lot as she knows these grades will be viewed by the colleges. She got a B in her Chemestry Honors class, with a 88.9 % She is going to talk to the teacher to see if she can do anything to bring it up (she had an A at the quarter). Her only other B was in Spanish and that was a huge relief since she has a really hard time with that teacher.

DD has practiced driving with her Dad but hasn't gotten her permit yet or started driver training classes. She wants to wait until summer because she is worried about how much time it will take away during the school year.

We attended a college planning night a few weeks ago and that did help get her focused on what she needs (meaning outside activities, LOL). She is still looking at schools that she is interested in but she is definitely learning towards a private art school. Cal Arts is her preference but the likelyhood of her getting in there is pretty slim so we are researching her other options.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

DS won't be eligible for his permit until late August, and I hope to hold him off even then, he has so much going on with sports, I'm not sure when he will fit Driver's Ed in- I'm hoping he opts to wait until the following summer, as his brother did.
College mail is pouring in. This week particularly seems to be a big influx. We saw a lot in the fall, then a drop off, but now we are back to postcards and letters every day. He has his eye on playing lacrosse for Notre Dame University, but I just don't see that happening, he has the academics and PSAT scores that make ND look possible, but not enough lacrosse experience to make a team of that caliber. But we'll fly out there in the fall and check it out anyway. I just want my boy to be in driving distance. As we learned two weeks ago when my older DS got salmonella poisoning alone in his dorm during a pre-semester training week, being able to get to him in an emergency is very important.
As for now, I'm trying to enjoy every day...my older one almost never comes home- he stayed to RA over winter break, going on a habitat for humanity trip for spring break, traveling with his quidditch team over Easter weekend and Memorial Day weekend, looking for internships or research grants for next summer, I see how fast my kids can move away, so I am salvo ring my time with my baby boy before my nest is empty.

 

[momof1princess]

DD is now 16, but hasn't gotten her license yet. she's a very nervous driver, and, even though she has a car, DH and i agree she's just not ready to drive alone yet. on the upside, she did well in all of her first semester classes, and second semester seems to be going well too. she has AP chemistry homework almost every night, but finishes it (what i consider) to be pretty quickly.

next year is going to be very difficult for her-her school is going from block scheduling (4 classes per day, 1 of which is always band for her), to 7 class periods per day. this is going to put a lot of strain on her during marching season, but, we have no choice. apparently, block scheduling made it difficult for vocational school students to have access to AP classes; so, they are penalizing (that's how my DD put it-her words, not mine, and i'm sure that's how she sees it) everyone in order to help a handful of students. she doesn't deal with change well AT ALL, so i'm expecting a lot of drama.

she wants to go to the university of alabama (YAY! ROLL TIDE!), but she hasn't even taken the ACT as a high schooler yet (made a 21 on it in 7th grade without cracking a book), so we'll see. i find it amusing that she knows where she wants to go to college, but doesn't know what she wants to study. at first, she wanted to be a veterinarian; then, it was a lawyer. now, she wants to be a criminal profiler. heaven, help me.

 

[zoemurr]

DD turns 15 today so no driver's license yet.. but a few of her friends have gotten theirs. I'm surprised it doesn't seem to be that big a deal with a lot of the kids here.

School year is going better than last.. seems to finally be organized. She's taking a lot of hard classes and had a few 88s on her report card (PreCalcH and SpanishH) which she wasn't thrilled about. Next year she wants 4 APs, 2 languages, band and gym. I think she's nuts, but unfortunately that's what it takes.

Does anyone else have Naviance? Have you checked it out? Scary stuff. DD wants to visit some pretty high powered colleges. (But also really has no idea what she wants to study.) From checking our stats it looks like no kid has gone to a top 50 school w/a GPA of under 98. (DD's is about 95.) She studies like crazy.. even the SUNY schools your GPA needed to be about 92.
I'd like to go talk to the GC about options. Where does a really smart kid (probably wants to do a STEM career) go that doesn't have perfect grades?

So different than when we were looking..

 

[coneeny4]

My DD got her permit the day after her 16th birthday and she starts driving school next month and her license in April.
She is ranked #1 in her Health Assisting shop and starting next week she is going to Brigham and Woman's hospital in Boston to attend some classes and meetings. Hopefully getting her foot in the door for a job later on.
Academically she is in all honor classes and she is ranked #3 and is planning on nursing school.

 

[Pikester]

My DS turned 16 back in October, took Drivers Ed from Oct to Dec, got his license the week before Christmas and has been driving ever since. We purchased a safe but older model Toyota as a third family car that he is allowed to drive. He had to pay for Drivers Ed and he gives us money towards his portion of the insurance. He also pays for the gas he uses.

He signed up for some college thing and now gets tons of stuff in the mail from all over. He really, really, really wants to attend the United States Navel Academy and has applied for a Summer Stem program that takes place in June. Since school doesn't get out here until June 13 (depends on snow days) and the program is a week before that he would have to take his finals well before that. We have been working on getting information on how to do it.

He continues to do well in all his classes which I am very thankful for.

I can't believe how fast this year has gone so far.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

Does anyone else have Naviance? Have you checked it out? Scary stuff..

My son's schools has Naviance. They use it a lot, from freshman year on up, they are very college focused. I haven't checked it out, I've been through the college search before with his older brother, so I feel comfortable with letting him do all the work and telling us where he wants to go look.
Funny thing, with my older boy, he wound up choosing the least likely school, we went on a whim and it was not a contender at the time, but three years in and he is thriving there. I hope this son has the same college luck.

 

[piperdown]

My DD turns 16 on Sunday! She has her permit, but isn't ready for her license. In Texas, we can opt for a parent taught driver ed program. You have to follow a specific curriculum and document progress. We're using an online version of the curriculum and DD has been dragging her feet in completing it. I'm guessing it will be summer before she'll get her license.

I did have a little tug on my heart a few days ago. I was driving DD to a doctor's appointment, and I suddenly realized that I won't be doing these type of errands much longer. She'll be driving herself to and fro. Car rides are when we have some of our best conversations. She's very private and has a very hard time talking about her feelings. There's something about a car ride that takes the pressure off and she tends to open up more.

School has gone pretty well. She's used to making all As, but this year there have been a few Bs. All her core classes are pre-AP or AP, and it's not as easy now. I think it's better if she struggles now as she'll be forced to develop better study habits. Also, a little humility is a good thing. I went to college not knowing how to study and thinking I was ever so smart (everyone told me so), only to struggle and almost fail. It took me a long time to recover from that.

As for college, she's just keeps saying she has no idea what she wants to do or where she wants to go. Although, now that the brochures and emails have starting coming, she's starting to get curious. We've let her know that we're willing to cover the equivalent of 4 years in-state, but also reminded her not to discount the privates as many have large endowments. We'll just see how it goes.

 

[hereyago]

DD will be getting her Learner's permit next month:rotfl2. Then she can take the driving portion of Driver's Ed.

She is enjoying school so far. I am so glad she finally went back to school after the snow, 2 weeks she went to school one day each week between the MLK day, teacher work days and the snow.

As for college, that will be on her to pay. She has switched from wanting a doggy day care and training to working rescuing animals and rehabing them. So next year or 12th she will still do her Vet Assistant course.

 

[DawnM]

I don't know how I missed this thread.

I have a 10th grader this year, graduating in 2016.

He has some learning delays and we are so proud of how far he has gotten this past year. He is doing a lot of things at grade level now and is only a year or so "behind" in others. He has made great strides in the last year or so.

I don't know if a 4 year college is in his future, we may be looking at a Trade-Tech school for him.

If he feels he can do a 4 year college and really wants to go, we will help him figure something out.

Dawn

 

[4luv2cdisney]

Just started behind the wheel this week. It's really great since you can't see any of the pavement markings, the side roads and parking lots that you would ideally start on are slick as can be and you can hardly see around the huge mounds of snow piled every 20 feet or so. UGH! She had her first trip out with the teacher and another student. The other student was on her 3rd time out, and they were learning how to "skid and correct" DH and I haven't decided if we'll be adding a 3rd vehicle to the household or not. DH used to have a company work truck and we had our 2 personal vehicles. We got rid of 1 when the company stopped providing the work truck and we had to buy him his current gas guzzler which is now quite dirty and just....yuck. DD and I would never drive it. I really miss having a second family vehicle, we'll see. She won't have her license until at least September anyway.

There's a lot of talk lately about eliminating class rank here, as a lot of kids "play the game". In case you don't know what that is (we didn't - I get much of this info from a relative that works in a neighboring district), they take full lunch plus a full study hall and one elective as pass / fail. Honors / AP kids are known to do it too, and it lands them in the top 1 - 2%. So, from a GPA / Class rank perspective the kid that waives lunch and has no study hall (so extra electives can be taken), gets straight A's, takes honors / AP classes, ends up lucky to be in the top 10%. You are likely in the bottom 50% with straight A's in regular classes if you opt to maximize your electives. I'm not sure how I feel about eliminating it, since some colleges will request the information anyway (and the school will have to provide it) but the thought is it will eliminate some of the pressure on the students. DD is currently in the top 10% of her class, but wants all the electives she can get. It really is a lot of pressure!

Any of your kids getting jobs or planning to for the summer? Just got some info on a local teen job fair. I really don't think DD can handle a job during the school year. (I'm pretty sure she already works harder and has a longer day than me or my husband.) Last summer, she did a little babysitting, some volunteering, and her band had some paid gigs. I think she is hoping for something steady this summer. The volunteering she did last year may lead to a summer job this year, but we're not sure yet.

 

[4luv2cdisney]

I don't know how I missed this thread.

I have a 10th grader this year, graduating in 2016.

He has some learning delays and we are so proud of how far he has gotten this past year. He is doing a lot of things at grade level now and is only a year or so "behind" in others. He has made great strides i the last year or so.

I don't know if a 4 year college is in his future, we may be looking at a Trade-Tech school for him.

If he feels he can do a 4 year college and really wants to go, we will help him figure something out.

Dawn

Nothing wrong with a Trade / Tech school! My DH did that. We certainly aren't rich and he'll never be a CEO, but he makes a decent living. I was able to be a SAHM for quite a while and I still only work part time. We have a nice home, take frequent vacations and my kids have what they need.

Hope things continue to go well!

 

[zoemurr]

There's a lot of talk lately about eliminating class rank here, as a lot of kids "play the game". In case you don't know what that is (we didn't - I get much of this info from a relative that works in a neighboring district), they take full lunch plus a full study hall and one elective as pass / fail. Honors / AP kids are known to do it too, and it lands them in the top 1 - 2%. So, from a GPA / Class rank perspective the kid that waives lunch and has no study hall (so extra electives can be taken), gets straight A's, takes honors / AP classes, ends up lucky to be in the top 10%. You are likely in the bottom 50% with straight A's in regular classes if you opt to maximize your electives. I'm not sure how I feel about eliminating it, since some colleges will request the information anyway (and the school will have to provide it) but the thought is it will eliminate some of the pressure on the students. DD is currently in the top 10% of her class, but wants all the electives she can get. It really is a lot of pressure!

QUOTE]

Our school eliminated class rank over 10 years ago, as did many schools in our area. You're right, there is just no fair way to compute it.

Colleges know how it works and I think more and more schools are doing away with it. Your guidance councelor sends a profile of your school. So if two kids w/4.0GPAs and no APs both apply to the same college they will check. If kid A's school doesn't offer any APs, but they took the most challenging classes available that is good. If kid B's school offered 30 APs and they didn't take any, but were 2nd in their class they will figure that out, and it will be counted against them. I was also told that your GC has to check off how rigorous your schedule was.

Many colleges pull apart your classes and recalculate your GPA based on a method that makes sense to them. At our school you just get a number. So DD got a 92 in APGlobal this semeter. Many kids in regular Global probably got above that so they might have a higher GPA, even though the class is easier. It's odd when I read that kids have a 4.6 GPA or whatever. Since ours doesn't weight the AP/Honors classes there really is no way to do the ranking, and no one has over 99. I don't imagine they provide anything to colleges about that info that ask. I'm sure we aren't the only ones.

So many things are comparing apples to oranges. When my kid applies to college and her transcript will say she has a 92 average in APGlobal. Someone else's will say they have an A-. So is that a 90,91,or 92? When your GPA says 3.7 did they go back and use all the exact numbers, or did you just get a 92 for every A-? There are so many variables I can't imagine how college administrators heads don't spin.

Our kids get different diplomas. I think my DD will have an honors diploma with a math and science distinction. Confusing as there are quite a few configurations. And this is mostly based on state test scores, not actual HS performance.

I certainly agree it's stressful! I'm just hoping that all her hard work pays off. There also seems to be a few ounces of luck involved in this process.