Tuesday GTKY

[mommyatty]

1) What do you enjoy about back to school time?
2) What are you concerned about for the coming year?

1) I love making all DD’s stuff look good. I use the Cricut and label all of her folders and spirals so everything looks uniform and pretty. I’ve found she’s more likely to use her organization system if she likes how it looks. So we spend time planning which class is what color, picking her colors, etc. (DS doesn’t care.)

2) DS will have an IEP for the first time. They were supposed to call us in July to set up our first meeting. I emailed yesterday and the diagnostician called me to set the meeting the day before school starts. The school was great last year, so I’m hopeful it’ll still work. One thing that concerns me is they didn’t get a cooperative DS in testing, so they’ve pegged his IQ around 85. He’s been through full neuropsychological testing three times, and his IQ has been: 124, 119, 120. By two different testers! With the caveat the last time that she thought it was likely up to 20 points higher but his ADHD was tanking it. So I’m concerned they don’t have a good baseline for his intellect.

[erbear]

1) What do you enjoy about back to school time?
I enjoy fall in general - the weather is nicer, football, I enjoy watching my kids play soccer. 


2) What are you concerned about for the coming year?
I'm really concerned about DD1's year. Last year (9th) was just so stressful to manage how hands off the school and teachers were with a kid with ADHD. I don't want to spend another year as her executive functioning coach, but I also really want her to do her freaking work.

I have a tiny tiny concern about teaching DD2. I'm excited and teaching DD1 was fun, but DD2 can be a bit dramatic...

[twinmomma]

1.) I enjoy getting us back to a normal schedule with the kids. Our summer ends up such a hot mess because of DH's ex and all her vacation changes, it feels like we never really know which kids will be with us when. I like when we have a set weekly routine for everyone.

2.) Our district doesn't tell us which teacher the kids have until the very last second. Usually it's a few days before school starts that we get the schedule confirmation. This year we requested that the girls be separated from a frenemy that they've consistently had issues with, but I never heard back about if it's happening or not. It's also just annoying to feel like we're totally in the dark on the school year until the last possible second.

[librarychica]

1) I enjoy the return to routine and the promise that a break in the heat is mere 2.5 months away.

2) The staffing drama going on with 7th grade has me very concerned. Also DD somehow has two 2nd periods and no 3rd, but I am sure that’ll be worked out.

[sdlaura]

1) I also enjoy the return to routine with the school year. My kids, especially my second child/oldest son, really thrive on routine. I also like that we spend less time in the car once school starts, since our kids’ schools (with the exception of preschool) are walkable from our house.

2) DD starts middle school this year, so I’m concerned about that adjustment and possible friend drama. This is my first kid in middle school, so I have a lot to figure out about it in terms of schedules and sports and stuff. And I hope all my boys get teachers who ‘get’ them.

[186momx]

1. I enjoy having a routine again and not practice schedule going back to 4:00 so I don't have to race and rush as much.

2. DD is worried about how to carry her EPI pens as they can't have bags in the classroom. We chatted with the neighbor who is one of the aides at school and she said to keep them in her lunch bag. DD is also stressing over some friend droppage that happened at the end of the school year and being alone. Small school and the girls are very group/clique up.

I'm stressing out over dealing with the school's red tape regarding her EPI pen and needing them to be on her person. Is it right to call once we figure out the actual reason and ask for a meeting with the admin/counselor before school starts?

DD won't know her schedule until the first day of school. Back to school night for middle school is just stop in at all the 8th grade classes and listen to a 5-minute talk from the teacher.

[dglvrk2]

1. I enjoy all of the school supplies! I'm such a sucker for fun notebooks. My inner fourth grader really to buy myself a Trapper Keeper. I found one on Etsy. I WILL find a use for it too

2. I'm nervous about DD1 and social stuff this year. She ended 7th grade with few positive connections. She's friendly with some students who will be in 9th grade this year, in her building, but on separate schedules. She hasn't befriended anyone since her best friends dropped her in March. There's another girl who was dropped by her friend group in June. She's sweet. Her mom and I are friends and we've gotten the girls together a few times. However, it doesn't seem organic. The other girl's mom notices this too.
DD1 has the perception that no one at school likes her. I worry this attitude will make forming friendships even harder.
186momx, DD1 also attends a small school in a small town, so making new friends is a challenge because of the pool not being very big, so to speak.
Damn! I wish I had a magic wand

[waverly]

1) I enjoy my kids leaving the house! I enjoy their excitement.

2) I do not enjoy homework and having to start driving them to sports again. Last year was drama in 5th grade. I'm actually hoping it is better this year because they change classes and aren't always with the same people.

[waverly]

dglvrk2 , Social engineering becomes harder and harder the older that they get. I've completely taken a step back with my 8th grader partially to teach him to reach out and make his owns plans. He is bad at it, and therefore no plans were made, but then when we worked together he did set up 3 meetups and others followed that the other boys set up.

But I told him, I am not necessarily thinking of throwing a party like I did last year with the BB team party because he didn't get their phone numbers and didn't follow up with anyone to make plans, so it was one fun night but didn't lead to anything.

I will still do a bit or maybe just mom and girls are already friends for my 5th grader. But for my 8th grader, I've moved solely to "coaching". If he wants to have a random party then he needs to bring the idea to me, and then we will work together on how he can send out invites.  My coaching is more like, this is how you text because he is terrible at it.  And you should reach out to 1 friend this week, do you want to ask X to play BB?  Now he is starting to think oh these are some ideas that we can do.  

[mae0111]

1. Im ready for uninterrupted work time. Not being a taxi 24/7. We all do better with structure. I love soccer season in the fall. It’s been really hot for New England; today it was only 65° and it was glorious… so I’m ready for cooler weather.

2. I’m a worrier by nature. DD1 is starting high school, and her behavior has been abhorrent. If she carries her treatment of her family over to her friends, even a little, no one will give her the time of day. I’m seeing her dig in her heels over very small things with her friends, and if she can’t figure that out, it’s going to be a really rough year.

With DD2, I’m worried about her load. She is playing on 3 soccer teams and already signed up for the school play. I do think there’s a jump from 5th to 6th grade. Her ADHD meds wear off and she doesn’t do well with a booster later - it disrupts her sleep. Her fuse is so short when her meds have worn off, and she’s already resisting the help offered by the center for learning differences at school. I really don’t worry about her socially, but I know there is so much drama in middle school. She has a nice group of friends that are quirky and very inclusive so I’m hoping that continues.