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    Joined: Jan 2010
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    Great year all the way around!
    DS1 finished 6th grade in our gifted program with all A's. He's grade accelerated in it one year in math and two years in vocab. In the fall, he will start junior high in the honors classes for everything plus Algebra I (now called Common Core 2/3), Spanish I, and orchestra. He is hearing impaired and has an IEP.
    He's taking this summer at the community college in programs for gifted children a year-long Algebra I class, physics/trajectories, and how the eye works.
    DS2 finished 4th grade in our gifted program and also did well (they don't give grades). Also doing viola, swim team, scouts. He will also take classes at the community college for kids, including "Fun with Algebra!"

    Last edited by jack'smom; 05/28/15 10:37 PM.
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    This year's been rough. Midway through the year we switched gears to provide her with more rigor (at her request). We shifted from casual brick and mortar homeschool classes (really unschool classes, hence the rigor comment) to an online curriculum (between 1-2 years accelerated).

    It worked well at first, but then she just started wilting because of the isolation. After a brief adjustment period her grades went way up (and she was put in the advanced level in science), but then started to sink as she struggled with being lonely every day. This slowed her progress to a crawl so that she had even less time to take outside classes and be with friends. I think we underestimated her extroversion (my husband is an introvert and I'm balanced -- needing periods of both) so sometimes we forget that she's not like us. I also think that being outside the house and away from all the distractions (I need to clean my room!) is a necessity for her.

    This fall she'll be attending a very small private school that seems like it will be flexible on placement and a very good fit socially. I only just discovered it existed a week after their application deadline and we raced through the process. But her tour, shadow day, and interview went really well. It's an expense that we weren't planning on, but if it works, it will be worth it.

    At least I hope it works for another couple of years (two years seems to be our benchmark for 'needs more').

    Joined: Mar 2010
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    Oldest dd is getting married this summer, so that is our biggest summer event! She was in a PhD science program, hated it, switched gears, and is looking for a new job after the wedding.

    Second dd received her masters degree and is starting Harvard Law in the fall. We are excited to move her from her current location in the Midwest to Cambridge (where dh and I fell in love :)).

    Ds15 is finishing up a great freshman year - ran track and XC, did orchestra and jazz band, played chess, is taking driver's ed, and will start his first college class this summer through a program for high-achieving HS students at a local LAC. I need to take him to get his college ID next week - weird!

    Ds13 had a good year in 7th grade. He'll be taking the HS bus with his brother next year for 1st period Alg II Trig, but not for HS credit, which we actually prefer. He's a little more laid back with grades, lol, so no need to put this on his HS transcript. He went to state for Mathcounts and state for Science Fair, which were both fun, and I think made him feel better (strangely enough, he hasn't really been viewed as the "academic" one).

    All in all, it was a pretty good year for all the kids. For everyone out there with younger kids, it is SO much better, IMO, once they get a little older and have more options. I also feel like in grade school, it's hard for kids who don't exactly fit the mold. Second DD was a girl who didn't like math, didn't come across as super academic if she wasn't interested, and wasn't in-your-face about being smart (she was usually hiding with a book). By 6th grade, she was finally in a gifted program and rocked it, but we had a few rough years before that. I'd LOVE to go back and tell a few of her grade school teachers how she's doing now, but I don't think I could do it without being snarky. smile

    Joined: Oct 2011
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    Two steps forward, two steps back. Last year we enforced DD's single-year grade skip, faced down all the doubters to be a star student, and even won a major award (state level) to make her school look good.

    This year... sigh.

    DD10 reported they weren't learning anything in math, the class wasn't moving forward, because the GT math class was shared between 5th and 6th graders, and the 6th graders, between behavior issues and curriculum demands, were monopolizing the time. She got a new GT LA teacher, and DD didn't like her. Science and social studies in the homeroom became an even bigger problem than usual, because the school decided to give the kids TWO home rooms this year. That provided twice the scheduling problems than usual. I don't know what, if anything, she managed to learn in these subjects.

    Finally, DD ended the year with a long-term, yet unidentified medical issue. She missed enough school that we finally pulled her out to homeschool her for the last month. She still received an end-year report card, with some Bs and Cs due to incomplete work... one more blow to her already fragile ego.

    Going forward, we've decided to let DD do online education for her final year of elementary. But due to lack of educational progress (see above), she did not qualify for GT services during their assessment (bangs head on desk).

    The good: DD competed on the robotics team, and earned most of her team's points. She played in the band and sang in the choir both, the only kid doing so (they don't usually allow that, but they made an exception for her, without us even asking).

    DD and DW are taking a loooooong trip for the summer.

    Joined: May 2014
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    Originally Posted by Dude
    Two steps forward, two steps back....

    Going forward, we've decided to let DD do online education for her final year of elementary. But due to lack of educational progress (see above), she did not qualify for GT services during their assessment ...


    What online company? Can you threaten to go to a competitor unless they reconsider the role of her illness and the school problems and use additional data?

    Joined: Oct 2011
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    Originally Posted by Cookie
    What online company? Can you threaten to go to a competitor unless they reconsider the role of her illness and the school problems and use additional data?

    K12, online public school, so unless we want to start paying for it, no. We do have the leverage provided by our pro-GT state legislation, since our DD's GT certification through her local school district is still valid, but we're keeping that in our back pockets for now.

    They did offer to re-evaluate her during the school year, and our operant thinking is that, because it's self-paced and independent learning anyway, it may not be an issue.

    We shall see.

    Joined: Mar 2013
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    That sucks Dude - at least your DD has a chance to make stuff up during the as it will be self paced and I am sure that when she is reassessed she will resume her rightful place back in the G&T program...

    Last edited by madeinuk; 05/29/15 05:06 PM.

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    Joined: Jul 2012
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    Kindergarten was great for DS! With the help of our wonderful DYS consultant
    The principal agreed to let DS go to the gifted pullout everyday for an hour with
    The first and second graders. Previously K kids only had 30 minutes per week
    Of gifted services. Also he was the first kindergarten student ever to participate in the Accelarated Reader program. He was subject accelarated in math and reading and volunteered to read to his friends in the special ed. class across the hall.

    He had a perfect report card and received the Good Citizen Award. We moved
    To get into this school district and it has really been worth it! DS truly loves school!

    Joined: Jul 2013
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    A rough start-DS8 diagnosed this year with ADHD and language impairment.

    Math was going swimmingly until the last month of school when it seemed to stall. No new concepts and below level work (grrrr...)

    On the upside- DS is putting that imagination to use writing creative short stories. Yes, they lack structure, but the ideas are amazing and DS is channeling into something constructive (and learning to type- another plus).

    DS checked out 20 science books at the library today-- and has moved to the adult section for topics on space/universe. He has exhausted the knowledge available in the children's books.

    We're working through some basic algebra this summer- nothing too intense because there are some knowledge gaps and some review of concepts. Just keeping it fun!



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