Congrats to mithawk's son!!

DS earned the Cub Scout Super Nova award as a Bear. He said he thinks he wants to earn it again next year (he has about 18 months to do so) it again as a Webelos.

We also found out when the paperwork was turned in, that his mentor doesn't have to be from our pack. At council they will match the boy up with an adult who is in the STEM field that interests the boy. I sure hope there is a math professor out there to mentor DS!

DS7 was voted camper of the week by his counselors last week. It's an outdoorsy type day camp that has a lot of campers. The letters written to him by his counselors and camp director were really thoughtful. He was recognized for having a positive attitude, being inclusive, respectful and kind. The director told him he was "one of the most thoughtful and caring individuals" she was ever met.

He has always had this special quality to him that's hard to explain. It's like super empathy.

That's great, KJP! Congratulations!

I totally know what you mean about the super empathy, as my DS is like that. Kids, parents, young, old, NT or neuroatypical, he seems to get along with nearly everyone.

This is great! Such affirmation is hard to come by... be sure to keep the letters in a file or scrapbook or other safe place so he can enjoy them throughout life.

Occasionally I sneak DD8 out of school to do something more interesting. Yesterday I took her to a half-day chemistry/physics homeschool workshop aimed at 13-14 year olds (big thanks to the tutor for only being slightly dubious that DD could handle it). Although she hates being the smallest in the room, DD loved it. I was hovering and trying to over explain, but she shooed me away and enthusiastically got on with the business of calculating the densities of various materials all by herself So cute
There was a later class aimed at 16 year olds she was disappointed we weren't going to but I thought perhaps we'd save that one for next time

I'm not sure if this is really a brag, but I started relistening to my audio CDs of the book A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson. It can be pretty complicated to listen to, but my DS10 actually followed it, and every time we get in the car he wants me to put it on now…

DD was in student council and awarded PE student of the month (1st grade). Towards the end of the year, I got the call from the principal stating that they wanted to do testing on her and then sit down and discuss next year with the principal, gifted teacher and her current teacher. She did great on testing (COGAT 144, 143, and 132). In MAPs testing she scored 217 for reading and 207 for math. Her math did not grow as much as it did in previous years, but it was because she was pursuing other passions like history (civil war, revolutionary war) and just reading anything she could get her hands on (she read the Little House series twice)

The teachers were amazed by her scores and she will get the opportunity to spend some quality time with the gifted teacher on math next year, she will likely be nominated for the special gifted classroom (top 1% of district) and they are likely to put her 2 best friends in her class next year because they are the closest to peers that she has.

I just listened to this for the first time and our boys were enthralled! My younger son asked for it the other day and was sad to hear that it went back to the library. On the other hand, I was glad he wasn't in the car for the parts about asteroids possibly hitting earth, etc.

DD got a perfect score on some kind of standardized test and was the only student in her grade in the school to do so. Go, DD! Win us some scholarship money in a few years.

Fourth grade mania - this is when tracking decisions will be made in spring, grades really really count, and parents FREAK. Much ado about the latest LA test and questions a number of kids misunderstood. And a maths test. And...I realize that while these tests must be announced and other parents are making the kids study hard, anxiously keeping tally of grade point averages, I have no grasp of when they are taking place or when DS9 gets results back or even what those are and it appears, neither has DS9. I ask about the LA test. What LA test? Umm, the ones you must have gotten the results for earlier this week. Um, this week,a test? Oh yea, there was a test I guess. Well, what was your grade. Oh, an A. I get so many As, can't keep them straight.
Well. There are benefits.