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I am starting new speciifc new topics, because I am sometimes get lost in 10 pages of comments.

Hunter wants to meet DD3 this spring. I have to write the follow up email shortly and DH and I were talking about that.

They want to meet her because of the test scores on the gifted preschool at Columbia test screens and my comments when I had called to make inquiries about PG accomodations.

We do not know if early entrance to kindergarten is an option, or how it will go.

I just wanted to ask for help in what you would include in the follow up email.

We are going to talk about her non-linear moments and her rising linear abilities in both math and reading. Her retentive ability is so strong that we are constantly cycling books from the library. We read it once and she memorizes it so she can't practice reading the second time.

I am wondering if some of her reading is non linear and some linear. Sometimes she reads quickly and sometimes she has to slowly sound it out.

She does have the interest to dig deep on a topic. Her cousin, in nursing school, sent her an anatomy placemat. On a library trip soon after, she saw an anatomy book and spent 30+ minutes with her father going over it. DH is a physician so it may have added color to the conversation.

DD3 is a September birthday so she is also on the young side with regular entrance to kindergarten and is also 25% on height and weight. Although, physically strong and capable (does ballet with 4s &5s) and gymnastics, she is small.

All comments appreciated.

Ren

Since no one has replied, I'll at least ask a few questions. I'd like to help, but I'm afraid I'm not sure I understand what you're really asking for or why...

So you haven't had the meeting yet, but you're trying to write the follow-up e-mail beforehand? Is that what I'm reading? If I'm not confused (and I may well be!), is there some reason you are writing the message beforehand? Wouldn't it be easier to write the message if you waited?

What's your goal (or goals) for writing the e-mail (aside from getting her into the school, I guess)? What specifically are you trying to accomplish in this e-mail?

Is Hunter going to care a lot about whether your DD's learning is linear or non-linear? I guess I'm not very familiar with the use of those terms when it comes to learning. Is one valued over the other by Hunter for some reason?

I'm sorry I'm not more helpful, but maybe if you can give me (and others?) a little more info, we can help.

Sorry, I was more detailed, I am very tired. Started work this week.

I had called them last fall and left a message about PG kids and how they accomodate. I got a call back from head of admissions. She asked a lot of questions, I gave anecdotes and she got very interested in DD. She asked that I come by in the spring, after saying that she wanted to be involved in the preschool experience. I had sent an email in January and she wrote back and said please contact her in March, after she dealt with admissions.

I joined the board since then and I am now thinking of doing the advocacy of early entrance. Now Hunter is already a year ahead of general curriculum. But since DD3 is progressing as fast as she is, DH and I have talked about early entrance to kindergarten.

So my follow up email is to frame that option.

Ren

Ren, no advice here, just wanted to wish you luck. My DH went to Hunter College H.S. (I think he started in middle school, testing in 5th grade), and I think his mother's decision that he should apply there was a life-changing one.

So your follow-up e-mail is really following up on your exchange with her back in Jan., and the e-mail is a prelude to your meeting in March to try to set up early admission to K as an option?

If I have that right, then I think I'm with you now.

If the head of admissions is interested already and has invited you for the meeting, then it doesn't seem to me that you need to do a lot of work to sell her on early admission. Doesn't her willingness to meet with you indicate that she's interested?

I guess if I were you, I'd avoid overselling DD in the e-mail. You don't want to turn her off if she's already on your DD's side. I'd just remind her of who you are and what your daughter is capable of doing (very briefly!), and request the meeting she promised, stating that you want to discuss early admission for your DD. I might even attach the Jan. e-mail exchange for her convenience.

Now, I am assuming that she's not meeting with you just to placate you and "keep you on the hook" for the following year, when your DD would normally enter K. If you suspect this might be the case, then you might need to sell your DD's special needs to her a bit more. However, I think I'd try to do that in the meeting, not in the e-mail. Such advocacy rarely goes well in an e-mail.

I had a thought: if your plan is to have DD start Hunter in the coming fall, wouldn't that be a problem if the school has already completed the admissions process for next year? That seems problematic to me.

Interesting. So you'd say "requesting a meeting to discuss fall 2008 admission for DD" isn't a single message?

I'm not sure whether I want to disagree with you or not on that...

On the one hand, I think the advice to limit to a single topic is *great* advice. It's an e-mail, not a campaign letter, and it should be brief and to the (single) point.

On the other hand, I think "requesting a meeting to discuss fall 2008 admission for DD" seems like a single topic.

Hmmm...

Ah! I follow you now, kcab, and I agree with you:

If this is going to be the first time you bring up early admission, Wren, then I, too, would leave the topic out of the e-mail. OTOH, if the head of admissions was aware in Jan. that this would be the topic of discussion at this new meeting, then I'd go ahead and (briefly) mention it in the e-mail.

But ditto kcab: my style is not necessarily appropriate for anyone else.

I had not considered early admission before joining this forum. My meeting was just positioning for fall 2009, as it is so competitive. And she was interested in doing it.

So I agree, I should not bring it up in the email. The major topic we covered was DD preschool. She wanted me to consider going back to Hollingworth -- if they took her in with the 4s -- but they would not commit to that (birth deadline is 9/1 and strict) even though the tester said she would put it on DD's test results that she should be in with the 4s. Or go to St. Ann's in Brooklyn, which is an hour's commute when the subways cooperate. My thoughts are that DD's teachers at her Montessori are particularly accomodative and good for DD. Maybe next year, she will get really bored, I do not know.

So it may be just a meeting to establish a relationship and profile for DD and fall 2009 kindergarten. I just want to look at all the options. Particularly since DD is reading and her math skills are so strong and she isn't even 3.5 yet.

And after doing the research and seeing how my motivation died early, I started to worry and obsess. She is so interested in learning.

So I appreciate your comments and sorry for the confusion. I am getting up at 3 am to deal with Europe in this work. And it helps me that I can still pick up DD from school but I haven't laid off enough home responsibilities while working a 40 hour work week -- that I haven't done is a long time.

So I will set the meeting up, focus on positioning DD for fall 2009 and bring up early admission to see if they think it is a good idea. And let them carry it.

Thank you everyone.

Ren