Getting a bit nervous

[misty]

Shannon starts school on the 23rd & as of yet I've gotten nothing in the mail about her choosing electives or an IEP meeting. I went up to our district's administration building today with my reams of identifying papers to sign her up for a bus to the charter school. I was assured that she'll get a bus assignment in the mail in plenty of time. I don't even know what time school starts in the morning!

This charter school she'll be attending is brand new so tomorrow evening they are having a BBQ/meet the teachers/take a tour event that we will be attending. I hope to get some of my questions answered. Shannon's only worry is if she'll be able to get into her locker. LOL. She has an awful time with combination locks. She plans on checking them out during the tour. Bill is interested to see what it looks like inside. Years ago the building was a hardware type store (sort of like a smaller version of Home Depot) & he used to work there.

I'll come back here tomorrow night & let you know what all we learn about the new school year.

[jj]

I'm sure you'll feel a lot better after that meeting. And tell Shannon I also had a horrible time with my combination lock when I was in school. I hated that thing!

[misty]

The meeting was informative but geesh, there were a ton of people there! The principal took the grade school families in first & then the HS families. The worst part was that when he was talking to us, the grade schoolers were still in there (in the food line) and everyone was talking so you could hardly hear him. Made me mad that they weren't respectful enough to be quieter.

We met all Shannons teachers & they all seem great. Shannon especially loved the art teacher! She even gave her a hug! The building is beautiful inside. The classrooms are in a circle & in the middle is a courtyard with a sky light, big fake rocks as seats, and trees painted all along the walls. School doesn't start until 8:30, even for the HS kids so she won't be catching at bus at 6:30 am like kids in the regular school district have to. All of the HS curricula is project based & they have a lot of leeway over what kinds of projects they do & who they do it with.

She won't get a schedule until the first week. She met her homeroom teacher & the first week the teacher works with the kids to help them choose electives that match their interests & they will sort of create their own schedule. Each class has no more than 15 kids in it, which Shannon & I both love!

The lockers haven't been installed yet so Shannon will have to wait to face that fear. Also, I asked the principal about lunches since Shannon is a vegetarian. He said they are still working out whether or not to have an ala cart section for the older kids. So9, she will have to wait to see what happens. At the very least she can eat what ever side dishes they have & just skip the meat. Or she can pack her lunch. I'll let her decide that.

[misty]

Hey, I found out that all HS kids get their own laptop too. WOW! Of course, its for use only on school work, but still, what a great thing to do. One week from tomorrow & we will see how it goes!

[bugsmom]

Everything sounds wonderful Misty Is Shannon getting excited?

[misty]

Oh, yes, bugsmom, she is super excited! Shes even been practicing going to bed earlier & getting up early--lol. Not so much practicing as trying to get her body on a schedule. She can hardly wait to choose her electives & take some art type classes & meet new friends. I hope it turns out as well as it seems it will. It seems like a perfect fit for her. When does your son go back?

[bugsmom]

I'm so excited for her. It is so much easier when they are excited to start something new. It sounds like such a great place for her.

Our story is NOT as exciting. Haven't been able to bring myself to post too much about our adventure back to school. Long story short, Josh didn't do well on his placement test for math. He's retaking that portion this Thursday. If he doesn't pass this time, he won't be accepted into the only school he wanted to go to. He's stressed, I'm stressed, its a mess. Now, he doesn't want to go....blah, blah, blah. I don't know what we'll do. Only three more weeks until school starts here. He was so excited, and now he feels defeated. I guess we'll have to see what happens.

[misty]

I'm not sure if my memory is wrong, but didn't you also choose a charter? There were no placement tests for Shannon's charter school. I'm hoping we get an IEP meeting quickly though so I can make sure her math needs are met. Otherwise, I'm sure she'll do great in her classes. Tell Josh I am praying he does well on Thursday & not to over stress because that will only cause him to do worse. Try to get him out to do something fun before thursday so he (and you) can relax a bit.

[bugsmom]

Thanks for the prayers Misty...we're going to need them...lol.

Yes, its a charter school he picked. Under their guidelines you have to get a certain percent on the Language Arts and Math tests before they will let you enroll. I never thought he'd do so badly on the math test, but he said there was math that we never even looked at. More than 1/2 the kids tested that day didn't pass the math, so I don't feel too bad, but because I've been homeschooling for 2 years the guilt is sinking in. I followed the same curriculum for the state guidelines, but I guess it wasn't enough. He's very discouraged and upset.

The problem now is that he dosen't want to go to any of the other schools, and I don't blame him. None of them are a good fit for him. He seems to think I'm going to break down and homeschool again, but I'm done. I don't think I'm qualified for high school and I want my life back...lol.

[trid]

Bugsmom, I hear you. It's tough to feel like you might not have done "enough", but I remember telling you that no matter what, you had your heart in it, and he'll be better off for knowing you loved him enough to give him your time and attention. It seems like a majority of people just never "get" math, and yet they still make it through life just fine.

Misty, I am really curious what school that is. It sounds awesome! It's about time that schools realize that teens need MORE sleep than younger children, since their bodies are going through major changes. If that school is like the charter near me, they really don't need an IEP meeting, because every single class is going to be individualized continuously. It sounds like that is kind of what the first week is all about, but it is her meeting with the teacher and making the plan, instead of you and Bill. She'll have a real say in it, and her own motivation will be involved in her accountability. I'm excited for all of you!