Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums General Discussion upcoming school year

Approaching it with mixed feelings DD8 will be skipping 3rd grade and entering 4th in a few short weeks. She will be with a teacher that she already spent some accelerated English classes with last year. The 4th grade team at this school have a reputation for being a very strong and supportive team. Fingers crossed - hoping that DD will make a smooth transition.

I am kinda worried that given her speed of learning that she may still surge ahead and require more skips/difficult decisions down the pike but ready to give this a whirl first...

I am excited, hopeful and just a touch anxious. My DD10 is skipping 5th grade to 6th grade. I hope it does for her what we need. My gifted DD8 is going to homeschool for the first time with my husband working on his Doctorate. I am looking forward to the experience. My DD/S 7 twins are going to have real homework for the first time and I am not looking forward to that. Extra-curriculars are in high gear this year.

It's mid year for us, but I am starting partial homeschooling as of tomorrow, so it's also a "new" start for us. I am excited, relieved and anxious all at once.

Well, the school hasn't even started and already had an issue today. Some of you might remember our dilemma regarding DS3.4 back in the spring how we pulled him out of school speech and occupational therapy because he was shutting down and it was driving him absolutely crazy ... and we declined the schools offer to put him in special ed preschool back then and same for the fall. The last convo I had with the special ed lady was that we will "revisit" the topic after the summer and that we might consider some of the therapy if we see fit but not the preschool ... and what do you know. Today, a knock on the door and a preschool bus driver came to introduce herself telling me she's the one who'll be driving DS3.4 to preschool. All I could say was ... what? preschool? when? where? huh? ... I felt so bad for her but so furious over the whole situation! Apparently he got signed up for preschool even though we didn't want it. Soooo, I emailed the special ed director that apparently there's some sort of misunderstanding because he is NOT going! I had to really hold back on what I wanted to write but it's the same lady that's putting together health accommodations for DS4.11 so I don't want to stir up too much drama ... but WHAT THE ???

I'm trying to be excited and I'm hopeful, but I'm also worried.

We had a meeting, with this year's teachers and principal, at the end of last year for DD9. One teacher seemed very understanding and even excited to have DD in her class. She asked a lot of questions about what has worked and what hasn't, and even took notes. The other teacher - eh, not so much! She shuffled through some of the paperwork we brought in and sat with a scowl on her face. This other teacher has had DD in her class before and it was a bad combination! This was before the GIEP and before DD was even tested. So I guess I'm hopeful that this particular teacher will be more informed and understanding this time around. DD9 will have another "core subject" teacher that she also had last year and that was another bad combination. So it looks like we are going to be 1 out of 3 this year in terms of teachers for DD9.

DD7 will have two choices for 2nd grade - 1. the teacher DD9 had that did a good job in understanding differentiation and helped turn DD9's bad experience from 1st grade back around 2. a teacher that likes to do a lot of art projects and the like, and makes spelling errors whenever she sends out any emails or letters home. We aren't talking a typo every once in a while, which I could understand. Just use spell check or something please - it drives me crazy!

Yep. Common Core has corrupted our system and dedicated GT classrooms are on the way out at the elementary level.

1frugalmom, that sounds frustrating. At least that one teacher seems to be excited! Could be awesome.

The typos in the newsletters I reviewed on the first grade teacher's site (from last year) made me concerned but I kept reading and really liked the level of care and engagement and challenge she was vibing. But man, typos are distracting and really do make you look bad! This is the person teaching my daughter spelling, right? Online I type only on my phone but when I'm working? As an English teacher? I obsessively check communications home. I hope it's just because this teacher writes to parents a LOT, so she rushes sometimes. Communication is good!

Extremely nervous here, dd 12 is going into 8th in the middle school (new school), and going back into the classroom on a modified day schedule for the first time in three years. She has CF, AS and GAD and has already expressed concern the other kids will make fun of her because of her pallilalia (repeating what she says under her breath). On the upside, I've been impressed with the administration thus far, which is a nice change, and she is excited about it overall.

Oh, yes! We are still 3.5 weeks away from the start... and I am barely sleeping.

DD10 (almost 11with ADHD, dyslexia, dysgraphia and anxiety) had a fantastic year in grade 5. Seriously, the best of her life! She has great accommodations in place and is beginning to advocate for herself. She is busy with her extra-curricular all-girls science club, gymnastics and will be starting percussion in the school band. Grade 6 is her last year in elementary school. I so badly want her good teacher streak to last this year. She is finally in a good place in terms of her self-confidence.

DS4 (almost 5) is starting full-day primary this year. This is where most of my anxiety stems from. DD had the most horrendous primary year. Our whole family was scarred from that year. The thought of going through that kind of a struggle again with DS is scary. But, we are doing everything possible to ensure a better year for him. We are in a different and wonderful school, he has been working with an OT for the past year, the school is well-aware of all of our concerns, and he just had his psych assessment yesterday (with our amazing private psychologist). He has so many red flags for learning disabilities, anxiety, SPD and OCD that we could not send him to school without more information. To be honest, the gifted part is not even my main concern. If it ends up that he is, add it to the list. Our #1 main concern is helping him be comfortable in the classroom.

Every year is the same. We tiptoe around the new teachers, trying to get a read on them before starting to advocate. Deathly afraid to step on any toes lest we offend someone, but trying to get our child what they need to succeed. It is like trying to fake the steps to a complicated school-board ballet. And I am a terrible dancer.

We got the teachers we hoped for!!!

DD9 will still have Mrs. Scowl-face for certain subjects, but not as a homeroom teacher. DD7 was disappointed she didn't get the artsy-fartsy teacher that can't spell because she heard that teacher is more fun, has more class parties, and hands out more treats. Sorry to tell you dear daughter, but that is not what school is about and was one of the reasons why I didn't really care for you to be in that class - she will get over it I hope!

Now I'm worried about how introducing Common Core and going totally digital is going to work this school year. It could get hairy!