Originally Posted by kaboom3000
I went through same thing last year.We ended up homeschooling him one day a week and I finally talked to principal in January and now I think I waited way too long.

I've been around here for a few years, and I've seen this sentiment come up fairly frequently.

As a parent (especially a parent of a young child), it seems that respecting the professionals and waiting for them to move is the obvious and best way to go. In my case at least, experience has taught me to act as soon as I'm sure a problem exists (though waiting until the 4th of October seems quite reasonable).

Originally Posted by doclori
Meanwhile, DS is setting up challenges for himself -- refuses to use his book to take open-book tests; will only go to the fiction section of the library because "it's the only place I can learn anything new in this school."

To me, this statement sums up the problem. He's unchallenged and is so unhappy, he's trying to compensate. Have you thought about writing things like this down and giving them to the teacher?

Originally Posted by kaboom3000
I think the administration will help us. The school is well-regarded for its gifted program, and they take pride in that DS's kindergarten teacher described him to the principal last year as "probably profoundly gifted...."

What's the cutoff for admission? Do they have other HG+ kids there? If the cutoff is 120 or 125, the school may be dominated by very bright but not really gifted kids, which means that your child may be very different from the others.

If they use the ERB or some other test, there could also be a lot of bright, prepped, but non-gifted kids.

I suggest asking the teacher how she typically approaches kids who are highly gifted or beyond. Phrase it just like that and don't define the terms for her unless she asks. That way you'll find out about how much she knows about levels of giftedness. If she doesn't know much, give her some information and see how she reacts. Describe your son and the kindergarten teacher's belief that he may be profoundly gifted and see how she reacts. Take notes.

A dismissive or dubious reaction from her may be a negative sign. If she promises to give him different work, that's a good sign (but follow through every day for the next week with your son and make sure that she does). Take notes.

My advice: if you don't see big improvements by the following Monday, get in touch with the principal via email or a letter (don't call; you need to write stuff down). Define the problem using the notes you wrote about how your son is very frustrated and then use your notes from your meeting and afterwards.

It sounds like you're sending him to a private school. If it's designed for gifted kids, they have an obligation to your son. As a customer, you have a certain amount of leverage, and if you use it wisely, you'll increase your chances for success. By "wisely," I mean referring back to their marketing material or website and indicating that one of the reasons you chose the school was because of THIS and you're not really seeing it happen with your son.