Thank you, I'll check that book out.

I did take ds to the ped. when he was in 5th grade for an evaluation. We filled out some checklists, as did his teacher. I really like this pediatrician, but he spent about 5 minutes with us and I felt like he was looking for an extreme case--he said my son didn't have ADHD, but that his classroom situation was the problem. (That year he had a very lively, spunky class and the teacher had little classroom control) and he always had good grades. My son has a very high IQ so I think that makes it 'easier' for him to get good grades even when he's feeling distracted in class a lot. I really don't know if he has ADHD, or if he just doesn't like to put effort or pay attention to things he's not interested in. He says his mind wanders even in the classes he likes and he doesn't know why. It takes him 90 minutes to do any task at home that should take 20 minutes (homework or get ready for bed). I don't know what is normal kid /teen stuff (because my other kids were never like this) .

Lots of good advice and things for me to consider, thank you so much to those who responded! I called the local University center that does testing and they were very friendly but their waiting list is full so they aren't adding any new evaluation appts at this time. I have been trying to make some lists of psychologists in my area that do this testing and may take our insurance. Our insurance is lousy for some things and good for others. Also trying to sift through the Private Centers that do add/gifted/ld testing ...I wonder how reliable they are. I've known families that will test and retest their kids trying to get into gifted so I'm wary of some of these places that might be trying to 'help' them.

Is there any 'standard' for what is included in an adhd evaluation? I have read that evals can range from just a pediatrician's visit to a full day's workup with lots of testing. What kind of professional is best to go to? I've made an appt with an MD in psychiatry at a Children's Hospital that I've always had good experiences with; however, it'll be $400 for an 80 min. appt. (The doctors that take our insurance don't have openings until next summer) Can a doctor make an ADHD evaluation in that 80 min? This is for ds13. His grades are all over the place and he says he has problems focusing in many classes (ps). His dad most certainly has ADHD but refuses any help. I don't want ds to suffer if there are things he/we can do differently to help.

My older kids just graduated with the IB diploma this past year. I think every school's program is a bit different, but at our school, being in IB means taking 8 or 9 AP courses as well as all the IB requirements. So they did graduate with about 60 credits. (Their college accepts a max of 45) I agree with RootAnn that it's a good idea to talk to people familiar with the specific school.

Both of my boys applied to these 3 schools last year (and 4 or 5 more). All I can say is that of these 3, RPI came out to be the least expensive for both dss. (We are OOS for Mines) Of course everyone's situation will be different. Good luck!

You can order past transcripts from the IRS https://www.irs.gov/newsroom/how-to-get-tax-transcripts-and-copies-of-tax-returns-from-the-irs what Arcadia said :) !

I'm so sorry Quill. Sending lots of good thoughts your way.

Does anyone know, if your student was selected for verification last year, does that mean they have to verify every year? Or is it 'fresh' every year, and they're selected either randomly or because of a possible issue?

If you have a Nordstrom Rack or Saks of fifth, or similar, check out the jeans there. Many of the current styles for straight and wider leg are cut with a very long inseam (like at 32-34) ..I guess to 'fashionably' drag on thehe ground while wearing heels. Or for hemming. For example-Level99 has very long inseams, 34", and usually I can at least find the smaller sizes online if not in store https://www.nordstromrack.com/shop/product/2110544/level-99-sasha-bootcut-jeans?color=COVE

Sending virtual hugs to you. Life is so hard sometimes.

She can always change her selection later.

Wow, that was terrible and I'm sorry it happened to your son. Our schools have the same policy. Which I think is a bit ironic considering how they are now teaching the kids to 'fight back' in case of a shooter. I would make an appt to talk to the principal....in our middle schools the asst principals are more of the disciplinarians and the actual principal makes things happen when you have a problem. YMMV. Does the other boy have a history of fighting?

I've seen something (at Costco, but I've never tried it) that sounds similar--Cello Whisps--they look like crackers made from only cheese.

Last year when we were applying, some colleges had charts on their website with criteria for automatic merit, and they were obviously using a weighted scale. (i.e. GPA 4.2+ with SAT 1480 for xx amount of merit aid)

Ds needs a compass for geometry ASAP. We had a few around the house from his older brothers, and I bought a new set from amazon. but none of them are any good. Any recommendations for a specific one or brand?

So cute!

Well, I would definitely find a reason to VOTE for someone. Don't just not vote. There are few people and things in life that we'll agree with completely. Maybe research the history of the candidates more?

Oh, I can't remember what those were called...I feel like it's on the tip of my tongue, but no....lol

I'm pretty sure we put in the weighted gpa on a 5.0 scale (my disclaimer--dss did this on their own, so it must have been obvious to them as they didn't ask for my input) https://appsupport.commonapp.org/applicantsupport/s/article/How-do-I-report-my-class-rank-and-GPA

The maximum unweighted GPA in our school district is a 4.0

I just see the "5" as referring to the most number of points that can be given for the classes offered at a school. (For ours it was regular classes=4, Honors=4.5, IB/AP=5) Our high school always gives both the weighted and unweighted GPA.

I would look at the colleges you may apply to....one of dss safety schools gave automatic merit aid using a weighted gpa

Wow. Most people just never change.

Not a scam--friend's kids have participated and enjoyed the camps. For us, I found it pointless as their offerings were too expensive.