The BIG one - Hmm. Things I didn't think...

[soulmates]

Waiting sucks!

 

[mickeysaver]

Here's a just for you Elizabeth. I have been thinking a lot about y'all lately. Hang in there!

 

[C&G'sMama]

Waiting sucks!

Ditto!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Thanks, Friends! Waiting does suck. But I am not waiting by myself, and that counts for a lot!

 

[Gypsybear]

Waiting to hear with the rest of the gang.....hoping all goes well....

 

[BarbieGal457]

Just popping in to wish him and you good luck! I know waiting is so hard! I intern for a professional sports team, and there were only 3 spots - out of 600! The waiting was endless, but in the end I guess all the praying and hoping worked. Hang in there everyone!

PS - I myself went to two different Arts high schools, including the one where Boyz II Men formed. It is truly amazing! I also did theatre on the weekends, and it was so enriching. Either way, if he loves it, I hope he keeps at it! Can't wait to hear how it all turns out! Sendin the pixie dust your way...

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

I went to parent/teacher conferences last night (he just brought home his best report card of the year, so it was more of a social visit). Came home and watched SouthLAnd (LOVE that show!!). Now just 4 days to go! Hopefully. Unless the letter doesn't arrive on Saturday. Our mail service can be squirrelly, so it may very well be Monday before we hear anything.

I saw the other 2 moms of theater applicants at school last night. Funny, but they didn't seem to be quite as stressed as I am. We all agreed to call or e-mail each other as soon as the letters come.

I plan to take my lawn chair to the mailbox on Saturday and stalk the mailman. Poor mailman.

 

[OrlandoMike]

I plan to take my lawn chair to the mailbox on Saturday and stalk the mailman. Poor mailman.

We are realy going to need video of this!

 

[jenn&nelsonrego]

We are realy going to need video of this!

 

[hematite153]

I plan to take my lawn chair to the mailbox on Saturday and stalk the mailman. Poor mailman.

We are realy going to need video of this!

(Apparently Jenn & I think the same.)

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

DS is hoping to go to Six Flags on Saturday with the other kids who auditioned. Apparently NONE of them want to be at home to stalk the mailman? Darn kids!

Of course Six Flags on the first day of Spring Break is going to be a madhouse, and so far we haven't managed to put together an actual PLAN, so they may not be going.

I find it fascinating that people keep telling me stories about kids they know who went to the Arts magnet and only stayed for a year before transferring back to their home high school. Or kids who are stressed out over the level of competition. Um, so what? They graduate 200 kids per year, so SOMEBODY manages to stay there! I can see how it wouldn't be a good fit for everybody. I think there are kids who apply for the wrong reasons, or kids who don't really understand what they are getting into once they are accepted. Of course none of the people who have told me these anecdotes are talking about their OWN children. IF DS gets in and IF he hates it (which I don't see happening) then we will certainly discuss taking him out. But seriously? Cart before the horse!

It seems like there is some animosity between the "regular" schools and the magnets. Yes, the magnets DO pull the most talented, dedicated, creative students away from the regular campuses. That's the POINT!

 

[jenn&nelsonrego]

Elizabeth! Get your hands off the mailman!
I thought we discussed this?

 

[PrincessKsMom]

Sending your way OP.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Elizabeth! Get your hands off the mailman!
I thought we discussed this?

IF I put my hands on the mailman they will be around his neck to choke the life out of him. We'll hope it doesn't come to that.

 

[C&G'sMama]

It seems like there is some animosity between the "regular" schools and the magnets. Yes, the magnets DO pull the most talented, dedicated, creative students away from the regular campuses. That's the POINT!

Hijack and soap box. A minor distraction for you while you plan your recognisence mission on the mail man Saturday. I just have this picture in my head of a woman dressed all in black in a black SUV (with tinted windows of course). What I would do is meet him at his home post office before he starts delivery, have someone distract him while you find the letter.....but that's me

Okay soap box. For us it's Charter Schools that people complain about. NYS has a cap at 200. Most of the NYS charter schools are in NYC. We only have 5 here in rochester. 2 K-6, 1 K-8, 1 5-9 and 1 7-12 (with an all boys school opening in September). Anyhow. We get from some people that the charter schools aren't fair, they don't represent the district. Well it's pure lottery. The only preference given is to siblings. If they don't perform better than the schools in the district they are in they get shut down (and we had 2 shut down in 2005 (they were awful). I say lift the cap, open more and see what happens. All of the charters have wait lists. Our DD got in in November of 2nd grade.

There is one school that doesn't represent the demographics of the district. The other 4 including the K-8 my kids go to do. That being 85% non-white and 85% receiving free or reduced price lunch. Guess what, these kids out perform their city school district counter parts. If my kids weren't at the charter school they would be home schooled (or we would do what many families do and move to the suburbs). People moving out helps to further erode the our struggling urban areas and schools are one of the big reasons people leave.

Our district does have a couple of good elementary schools and 2 good, 1 decent high school. So back to magnet schools. Parents do what they need to do to make sure there kids get a good education. I fault the district(s) because I'm guessing it's not unique to our district for not providing good oversight to all schools. Our city is in the middle of a debate over mayoral control of the school district. The school board is useless (IMHO) and the central office (also IMHO and lots of people I know who have left the district) is bloated and out of touch. Why do grown ups make it so hard?

That's my ramble for today. Good Luck to you and your DS.

Do you need a grappling hook?

 

[starann]

(Apparently Jenn & I think the same.)

We are realy going to need video of this!

You guys are TERRIBLE. Poor Elizabeth is about to lose what's left of her mind and you want her tape it for your enterianment...


But you're gonna tape it, right?

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

C&G'sMama - The thing is, DISD is a HORRID district. We are the 14th largest urban district in the nation. High drop-out rate, lots of gangs/drugs. Even in the middle schools the kids go through a metal detector every morning, their backpacks are searched by hand, and there are routine pass-throughs with K9 unit drug dogs. Our "home" high school is one of the "better" ones. The superintendent chose to send his kid there - not sure what sort of point he was trying to make, but whatever. I don't understand how you can try to desegregate something that is only 7% white to begin with, so that's kind of a moot point around here.

It appears that the few charter schools we have, from the little I was able to find online, are geared towards minority, low income students. And it's not clear who runs or oversees them.

The magnet students are hand selected, and there are minimum standards for applicants.

They just started some thing where there are high schools with designated areas of focus. Those are on a lottery and have NO minimum requirements. You just submit the application and if they draw your name you are in. But like I said, that is BRAND NEW and it is impossible to find ANY info on those programs aside from the basic application form. The deadline for those applications has already passed, so anybody who was waiting for an answer from a magnet probably didn't apply for that "career path" thing.

I just think it is so interesting that people (teachers, actually, not just "people") are so quick to question my decision to try to get DS into the Arts magnet. Well, I guess his History teacher wasn't questioning it, she just felt it necessary to tell me about kids who went to the magnet for a year and then withdrew. DS's friend's mom teaches at the high school, and obviously her DS will go there, so she was telling me how they know ONE GIRL at the Arts magnet who finds it overly competitive and stressful. Um, OK. Yes, it is probably competitive and stressful. But isn't that true of high school in general? And isn't it better to compete in a supportive environment than to feel like every day is a battle just to survive? It is unfortunate that ONE GIRL doesn't feel like it is a good fit for her, but I still say it is a better choice for DS than regular high school.

Star, you are very naughty.

 

[zeitzeuge]

Elizabeth, I think we need a lunch date with loaded Cheese Fries from Snuffers or something in your future. Comfort food.....mmmmmm.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

Elizabeth, I think we need a lunch date with loaded Cheese Fries from Snuffers or something in your future. Comfort food.....mmmmmm.

Will you help me bury the mailman first?
Either way, would love to see you guys!

 

[hematite153]

DS is hoping to go to Six Flags on Saturday with the other kids who auditioned. Apparently NONE of them want to be at home to stalk the mailman? Darn kids!

You're lucky that you have mail delivery on Saturday. Imagine if you lived here and had to wait until Monday!?!

It seems like there is some animosity between the "regular" schools and the magnets. Yes, the magnets DO pull the most talented, dedicated, creative students away from the regular campuses. That's the POINT!

Yep. And, as a teacher of some of the "weak" classes in a public school, I can tell you that it's actually easier to teach weaker students when they don't have the "stronger" students mixed in with them. (It's a bit of a wash in some ways, because you have to have really good classroom management skills or else you are lost. But, if you can keep them engaged, you can move a class a LONG way if they are able to feel competent rather than "stupid compared to XXXX".)

Elizabeth! Get your hands off the mailman!
I thought we discussed this?

You guys are TERRIBLE. Poor Elizabeth is about to lose what's left of her mind and you want her tape it for your enterianment...

Uh...yeah! I definitely want to watch the video!

They just started some thing where there are high schools with designated areas of focus. Those are on a lottery and have NO minimum requirements. You just submit the application and if they draw your name you are in. But like I said, that is BRAND NEW and it is impossible to find ANY info on those programs aside from the basic application form.

Actually, we have something like this. Students apply and go to a program for 1 semester at a time. I think they are allowed to do up to 4 of them during their 4 years of high school and they have a minimum age of 16 for many of them. My experience is that students generally can't be talked into them because they don't want to leave their home school. But, when they do go to them they get to be with a small self contained group for 5 months with kids who are all interested in the same thing. We have a combination of them with everything from "World Music" and "Dance & Choreography" to "Graphic Design" and "Novell Administrators" to "House Building". Some programs are just about pure interest, some of them allow students to get certifications and qualifications at a level well beyond high school level and others are simply good ways to keep kids in school when they aren't looking like they will graduate. Overall, I think that they are really good programs, but, the kids have to buy in to the possibilities.