Delbows,
Those sound like Excellent Reasons! I just don't want you to be so grateful for this opportunity that you get blindsided in case it fails due to "not challenging enough". The Vultures will think the opposite, so I had to put in my two cents. At our particular school when I asked for the Grade Skip, the administration came back with the offer of the Skip WITH the Math SSA because they felt that the curricula at their school had 6th Grade Math mostly spiraling the 5th Grade Math with little new material. I have never had that particular experience - where I got MorE "uppage" than I asked for!
I find i very interesting the Iowa Acceleration Scale makes "such" a big deal out of the sib issue - when I've never heard it be a problem IRL or in other posts - but they are basing their numbers on statistics, so I would tread cautionsly. I've got a singleton, so no experience there. - well, the only experience is to listen over and over and over on the Davidson lists where the parents get so surprised when other siblings are finally tested and turn out to be suprisingly similar, or higher than the "identified" sibling. So, I'm assuming you've actually had her tested, and are making reasonable efforts to support her individual needs as well. Logically it seems that if her needs are being met, she'll be able to roll with any future changes.
And "Ouch" that 5th grade teach seems a bit much. Good luck with that. She may force your hand, and that my turn out for the best - but do give her some time to arrange herself.
I don't know how or why, but the new school has been wonderful socially for the whole family. The parents I've talked to are always, "I'm so glad to hear that the school is doing this for your son." I do use sport terminology as often as possible - DS10 got "called up" to Pre-Algebra, etc. a midseason reassignment...LOL
I think that perhaps since this particular private school caters to a pro-active crowd of parents, that they understand what we've been through trying to find a good fit for our son. There is also the selfish, but I think reasonable hope, amoung the parents, that DS10's love of learning will "rub off" on the other students.
DS10 reports that there is one boy in his recieving class who was offered a grade skip but turned it down, but is now reconsidering at least going up for Math with DS10. So I would consider DS10 as providing valuable leadership at least in this instance.
Back at the public school, in 4th grade, DS10 was allowed to start a musical instrument, Trombone, in order to start building social relationships and "chicken dance" skills. They had no Trombone players in that 5th grade class. At the end of the year concert that the 5th grade plays for the 4th grade to encourage them to get involved with band, DS10 finally "came out" to his 4th grade friends as to what he had been doing during all that "chicken dancing." DS10 was thrilled with all the support he got from his agemates - one of the "popular kids" who normally wouldn't even make eye contact with DS10, gave him a thumbs up. This year 7 boys chose the Trombone, 6 are friends of DS10s. We were reflecting on that last night, and concluded that popular and influential are two different things, and that although DS10 was quite aware that at his public school he was never going to be included in the popular crowd, he did have a role as "influential." Believe me he'd rather be popular, but he is proud and pleased that there is room for a kid to "be themselves" and be a leader. So you can see that DS10 was well prepared for his skip by challenges and opportunites he had faced before. He liked his friends at public, he liked the new 5th graders, and he likes the new 6th graders. It's all pretty new right now and only time will tell how it turns out - but that seems to be the common condition here on Earth. ((wink))
Long winded way of saying - yes, he's happy, I'm thrilled.
Love and More Love,
Trinity
