I switched this over from another thread. I thought it would be interesting to see what everyone is planning to do next year in terms of schooling. I am curious to see how it breaks down!

I started the list, but need to go to work, so I didn't take the time to sort through all the threads to see what everyone is doing, so if you aren't on the list, please sign up!

Homeschool
HSing: Kriston, Lorel, Lmom, Questions
Hsing Trial summer: Kimck, Dazey
Considering HSing: Kcab, Neato,

Regular Public School
ACS
Dottie
EandCmom
AmyEJ

Regular Private School



Gifted School (Public or Private)

Piping in for the youngsters, here.

DS4 will go to 3 mornings of mostly nonacademic preschool, instead of early entry to k, with "everyday home enrichment." We will try public K in fall of 2009, and hope they will make accommodations and that DS will like it. If not, we'll pull out and homeschool.

I don't know that we're regular anything...we'll be starting out in public school in fall '08, and we're expecting to end up back in public school in fall '09. (At which time DD11 will be getting ability grouping and things could improve still further for her.) We're just taking a slight detour midway to parts unknown, where homeschooling seems likely to take place.

My 5yr old who has not been tested but has been ahead of his older brother at each milestone will be starting full-day K in the Fall. We'll just see how it goes.

My 7.5yr old, we'll do a trial HS summer and see how it goes and make the decision at the end of summer.

My 5 year old is supposed to be starting K in the fall but we have already figured out that public school just isn't going to cut the cheese so we are sticking with his private Montessori Preschool where he will be the only K student next year...so we are hoping and praying that his teacher will be able to do some researching and planning and make the curriculum challenging enough for him. We are not thrilled with his school...they are basically "playing" Montessori but it is the best alternative at this time (he also qualifies for the McKay Scholarship here in Florida for students with an IEP where the regular school system doesn't meet his needs, he gets the money that would have been spent on him in public school and we are able to put that towards his tuition at his Montessori school....and if we don't use it next year, he will lose it...his preschool has done all the paperwork in order to accept the scholarship)...for the following year we have NO idea and I am dreading that moment!

Both my kids will be in public school.

My girls started out in private but are now in public. DS will also go to public, although he may attend private kindergarten.

My kids are leaving a regular (open admission) private school and entering two different academically selective schools, although no one uses the term “gifted”. Academically talented would probably best describe their students, many of which are likely gifted.

DS5 will be in the extended day/K program at a private Montessori school.

We just found out today that DD3 will also be going to the same Montessori school in the preschool program.

My son (7 in July) is in first in public school now and I hate it. We are trying homeschooling for the summer. I don't know what we'll do in the fall. We are considering a very small private school that says they are for "gifted and talented" but I think they lean more toward the talented (eg athletes, actors, musicians). The entrance requirement is 70% on the ITBS. They want son to take the 2nd grade ITBS and put him in 3rd grade. Money is an issue there and the school only meets 2 1/2 hours 4 days a week. I don't want to put him back in the public school because they do nothing to accommodate him.

DD8 is staying in public next year. Although if she doesn't qualify for the magnet in the following year (4th grade) She will either be homeschooled or attend a private gifted school.

DD5 will try out first grade, IF, she gets a certain teacher that I think will help her overcome her trajedy of a kindergarten year. Otherwise she will be partial homeschooled. She will go to her school with her friends for gym, music, art, lunch and recess and be home the rest of the day learning at her own pace. Yes, I realize that we are very fortunate to have this option, however, there is no guarantee it will work out well.

I guess you can say we are trial homeschooling this summer, but it's not that different than what we have been doing during summer and afterschool.

The girls will have swim team in the mornings, then in the afternoon they will have a fun learning session.

They are already pretty excited about it as we are in the process of sketching it out. They will choose which day is science day, math day, language arts day, etc and then I will provide things for each of them to do. They will be asked to spend 30 minutes on a project and then are free to continue or do whatever else they want for the rest of the day.
Friday is for whatever we want to do. No swim team, so we can go on field trips, do crafts of sit around and do nothing if we wish!
We also plan on doing other fun stuff like going on vacation, amusement parks, camping etc.
We are all excited, it looks like a very fun summer!

We're homeschooling -- our fifth year!

Erica (who really ought to post a proper introduction one of these days...)

DD4.5 is since today homeschool, but next year she will have to attend some school because hs is not legal after 5 yr old in this country.

Before that she went first to a preschool for kids ages 2 to 4 - totally non academic. I am still undecided if it was a good or a bad idea....

At age 4 she started a public Montessori school, but I would call it less than susccesful. And now, at least for a few months, we join the 'HS club'.

I didn't mention you, Erica, because I know you like to lurk. You are one I didn't forget, actually. But I'm glad you've been speaking up today. Love you, love your posts!

DS6 will go to public school. I just found out today that they approved a grade skip so he will be going into 2nd! I think first grade would have blown the spark right out of him...

Crisc-

You said you just found out that your DD3 will be going to the Montessori. Do they have selective admissions then? Just curious...

In any case, it's nice that both your kids will be together. Dealing with different schools can be a pain.

Jool,
I’m happy to hear about the grade skip for your DS!!

Hi Erica! I don't think we've "met" yet. Glad to have you aboard! Feel free to post more of an intro (or not) as you wish. We can be a curious bunch, but we're not totally nosey with those who wish to remain less conspicuous.

Awesome Jool, congratulations on that first big step! Keep in mind for the future that if this is not enough, the next logical step is subject acceleration in his best subject.

Waving to Erica!!!

Congrats Jool! WOW!

OK,it's official, or will be as soon as I notify the school. We're now offical home schoolers. We're aiming for a trial period of 2 years, which would bring him into a new school with everyone else if we decide to send him back for 5th. Home school is SO not me! Off on an adventure outside my whatever the expression is. Comfort level? Oh well, should be interesting.

Congratulations, Jool. So happy to see a school making an effort. Hope it works well.

Our two eldest (recently 6 and 8) will be going to a private school that is not officially gifted/talented but seems to work out that way. They group based on ability. When I took my eldest for a visit last October and showed his teacher what he was doing with me at home, she just did the same stuff with him, and also taught him something new.

She told me later that to them, it's only logical that the kids do what they're ready for and that there isn't much point in having them repeat what they already know. Woof---I could have hugged her.

Val

DD9 will continue in her public school.

This is what it's looking like for us:

DS13 - sophomore public high school (though the new principal said he would support DS taking AP English next year!)

DS11 & DS9 - 8th & 6th grades at charter middle school with some kind of advanced math accommodation (online? Community College?)

DS6 - 3rd grader at public elementary school PEGS class (grades 3-5 for IQs above 145)

The two I post about here, DS11 and DS8, go to a private gifted school. DS8 will go to 5th grade next fall and DS11 to 8th. In December, DS11 and his father and I will re-evaluate, and depending on the accomodations being provided by the school, might enroll him in an online high school program at that time.

LOL.... I'll post an intro, really I will! But I've sat down to type and four times wandered away to do something else, so it might be a few minutes

Erica

They have a waiting list every year and usually only admit at age 3. Luckily for us a family with a 4 year old is moving at the end of this school year and a spot opened up. They do give preference to siblings so DD3 (almost 4) will take the spot in September.

Jool--congrats on the grade skip!

Hooray! I'm glad to hear that the school is working with you.

Mostly a lurker here, but DS5 will be starting Kindergarten at a private gifted school in September. It is somewhat beyond our financial comfort zone, but we met with the principal of what would have been his public elementary school and didn't walk away feeling that his needs would be met. He is not super mature and skipping him ahead right now doesn't seem like a great option. He will do better socially with kids his own age.

Charter school with subject acceleration and some online classes.

DD8 is currently in 3rd grade in a Spanish immersion program at a public lab school. DD5 will enter K next year in the same program.

Summer

DD8 - Private HG school - 4th grade with 5/6 grade math.

Additional Science/Math/Engineering/Technology (STEM) will be available as after/before school elective activities for elementary school grades starting in the fall. We finally got a math specialist for the lower school!!!

DOK, bianca, DOK...

"Regular Public School" doesn't seem to paint the full picture, even for my girls, LOL! Here's our deal for next year...

DD13, 9th (+1), honors classes and GT seminar (((insert ooohing sound))))
DD11, 6th with GT pullout
DS9, 6th (+2) with more for math (haggling out details soon!) and GT pullout

Dottie -- you have your own version of public school with lots of unique stuff you've worked out. It's almost individualized instruction within a big system.

For us next year,

DS -- going to a self-contained HG+ public school class for kids with "radically different needs", max 12 kids per grade level for the district
DS -- same HG+ program
DD -- self-contained MG classroom, also in public school

This will be a new program for us in a new district, but we're hopeful. Until now, we'd been following Dottie's model of trying to agitate and work with the school for changes, which has been ok, but there's a lot of room for improvement.

DOK for the self-contained HG+ classrooms and GT seminars...

*sigh*

DOK as well...... double sigh.....

DDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD.OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.KKKKKKKKKKKKKKKK

It does sound like a fun summer, 'Neato! And thanks for the ideas about how to rotate the learning time. Even though we're staying with public school in the fall, I am going to try some schooling at home this summer. For some reason I've bristled at schedules since I stopped working, even if I make them. Apparently I don't like being told what to do, even if I'm the one doing the telling! But I have realized that I need some type of schedule--even a loose "guideline"--to stay on track, and your idea sounds great, especially for the summer.

Thanks for sharing!

Oh, yes, and I'm joining the others who are drooling over the HG classes and seminar. DOK, indeed!

Um....the seminar is a joke folks, no need to drool! LOL! Actually, it's a nice compliment to the advanced course scheduling, but not really "GT education" in any way. The teacher just retired too, so who knows what'll actually happen next year?

(((Back to your regularly scheduled DOK for HG+ setups!)))

Oh, and Bianca...wouldn't that be SMET? ROFL!

It must have been a Pavlovian response. I seem to salivate whenever I hear read the word seminar.

Don't tease us, Dottie! You know how we are!

LOL! I wondered how you got a seminar and I hadn't heard about it, Dottie. I thought it was a new development. Doh!!!

Put it this way...."GT seminar" in the high school years is a very common, and possibly very cheesy approach to GT education. It pretty much replaces the "pullout" for the older kids, comes about less frequently, and has absolutely nothing to do with the regular curriculum. (I can tell my audience here is young....surely some of the posters with older kids have heard of a GT seminar, not to be confused with a parent seminar, which is much more fun and worthy of DOK, LOL!)

(Clarification: The seminar is real, its purpose in education is a joke)

Well, they named it well, since "GT Seminar" SOUNDS fabulous!!! They sure got me!

It's kind of like Accelerated Reader in that regard, .

Yes. I realized I put them in the wrong order, but was too lazy to correct. STEM is actually a acronym used by some new age educators trying to get girls more invested in those four disciplines. One of the things my dd's school is trying to do is to steer girls into that direction.

We got some of those electronic white boards already in some of the classes (I think I spoke about them earlier in the year). They are fabulous! The science teachers did a whole presentation for the parents. I think I want to go back to school

We also had a meeting with the headmaster and he talked about changes happening next year. It all sounds so exciting!!

About the electronic boards - our school also has them, but they are not able to replace good teachers. Unfortunately.
The best teacher in the school, historian, hardly ever uses them.

That is so unfortunate. They look like they would be a great tool. My dd's school is spending a lot of money in teacher training. I certainly hope they put them to good use. The teachers seem excited about them, specially since the students will be going to a one-on-one laptop by next year. But you are right, they are no replacement for good teachers but hopefully they are great tools for great teachers.

re: Gifted Seminars

Dottie, we have those in high school here, too. My son grumbles that it'll probably be extra posters and "pretty" projects, rather than good discussions and deeper study/higher thinking. We'll see next year. Basically, the district gifted teachers can get their "contact" time with gifted students if they teach a gifted seminar. It sounds good, hopefully the teachers are good, but I do have a teensy problem with the "gifted" grouping. We know at least one "gifted" kid who probably tested in 1st grade but really hasn't impressed the teachers since then (maybe underachiever?). Meanwhile there's a girl who didn't test gifted (very close, but not quite) but is valedictorian of her class, who impresses everyone, but she's not allowed to take the seminars because they're restricted to "gifted". AP classes aren't restricted.

A bit late to the discussion but we are still working outthe details

DS (9) will remain in Public school 4th grade with a subject skip in reading to 5th grade and a discussed subject skip or curriculm compacting for math as well. He will also participate in the revamped pull-out program. Our afterschooling will continue lol.

DS8 will got to public school, 4th grade, in the fall. He will continue to participate in the gifted pullout program. Accelerated education will continue in the evenings & weekends. He likes competition and challenges so I plan on him taking the Explore next January, and looking at any competitions he can enter.

We're homeschooling, although Kestrel(3) may go to nursery school part-time.

DS11 (summer birthday) will be returning to Public School this Fall after two years at our local private day prep school (K-12.) He will keep his gradeskip that was granted by the private school.

No gifted program in our District. The only class with ability grouping is Math - he'll do Algebra I.

I'm quite excited.
Grinity

Grin - sign him up for AoPS Intro to Algebra starting this June, or in the fall.
From what I remember reading abouth both of you - you will enjoy it:)

I see that the classes are 24 weeks - DS11 is going away for summer camp in July for 4 weeks - but I'm looking into what happens with that...

Here's something - a free sample I guess - from the Art of Problem solving website: (Did you do that before you singed up Ania?)

I will continue to homeschool my 10 year old son because there really isn't any other option for us until he is old enough to take community college courses. I really wish there were some kind of liberal arts program for kids, since he loves learning about everything. He would like to have the kind of knowledge that would enable him to do well on a show like Jeopardy. It isn't likely to happen where we live, so we are on our own. We will continue to read and discuss classic books and study words for now. He bought the book "Word Nerd" recently and is enjoying reading that and he is using this and an SAT word list to study spelling since we won't get a new word list to study for the next spelling bee for a while.

He is only about a 1/4 of the way through the 8th grade math book that he has been using and we probably won't do much math this summer. He will probably review what he has learned maybe once a week or so until fall.

He will probably finish level 3 in piano some time this summer and I need to find someone to teach him guitar. He is going to try voice lessons for one month to see if he likes it. He wants to quit musical theater because a lot of his friends have quit.

DS11 is enrolled. Maybe we can start an AoPS math group!

KG's in public school. Moving to private gifted when there's a spot.