Received the good news (x 2) in our mailbox this morning. :hurray: Many thanks again to this forum for its guidance in the overall process. Hope everyone else's letters arrive quickly this week as well!

Good news struck our house twice last night. Both DD1 and DD2 were accepted at the University of Notre Dame via REA. Both have one more school to hear from yet, but last night's news made me so incredibly thankful for the homeschool journey we've been able to experience as a family. And so grateful for this Board and everyone who shared their advice, especially when it came to homeschooling the high school years.

My two twins took the SAT II Biology right after we finished our version of Honors Biology in 10th grade with Miller Levine. They both scored 800 on the test. They used Barron's.

Something for those with 10th graders to think about in addition to snowbeltmom's recommendation: I learned on this board last year that a confirming score could be any SAT taken from October of the 10th grade year to the December one of the 12th grade year. At least one experienced boardie proposed the idea of having your junior take the October SAT given right before the official PSAT. By then the junior could have enough PSAT practice to score well on the SAT and any high achieving score could then serve as a confirming one. This would further reduce the test load in the senior year. Just something to consider.

My two 10th grade daughters just got theirs. We've been trying all day. I actually spent an hour on the phone with a College Board customer service rep who discovered that PSAT had the wrong email for one of my girls. My other daughter's email address was correct, but she hadn't received any access code. Neither of my kids had set up any College Board account before 8 am today, so we were resigned to the notion that we'd be waiting for the snail mail to be delivered Jan. 29th. We also had lots of trouble with their accounts when it came to adding school info. We tried everything mentioned in this thread. Finally, my husband had them go through the "My Plan" tab to update school info and it allowed us to enter State Homeschool, State Code. Still, both girls kept getting the "you have no record of any assessment test" message. Pretty disheartening to read that after waiting for almost 3 months. The good news: Both did extremely well. Their scores also matched up almost identically with their June 2015 ACT testing, so maybe their ACT scores weren't flukes after all. :lol: To those of you still waiting - Keep trying!!

I walked my two girls into their testing site at 7:45 am, confirmed some details with the proctor, and left. They were to begin at 8 am. They weren't released until after 12 noon. My kids said that it took almost an hour just for everyone to finish filling out the informational stuff. Both my kids thought today's test was comparable to that in the PSAT booklet. They said there was some tricky wording. When it came to Math, one dd said the "no calculator" section was harder, while the other dd said it was the "calculator" portion that required her to really fly. Both used a watch but said they can still improve on their pacing for next year's exam. Our proctor said she'd mail us the girls' test booklets after she sends in all answer sheets. The hosting high school had actually moved the test to a nearby church to avoid school-related disruptions in the testing, like end-of-class bells, etc. However, the testers endured the last five minutes of "math with a calculator" with the church's scheduled mid-day bell tower ringing/musical hymn playing. I heard it while waiting in the parking lot. When I asked my kids about it, they told me they did their best to tune it out. I also learned at pick up that one dd actually took the test, sick. She woke up this morning with a sore throat and congestion, but didn't want to tell me. I had noticed she looked tired at breakfast and was pretty quiet on the ride over to the test site, but I'd chalked it up to her just being in "test mode". I'll be working on my "observant mom" skills for the next go-round. In the meantime, we'll be waiting to see how this "practice" attempt plays out for both of them.

My two fifteen-year old 10th grade daughters are taking the regular PSAT at a local public high school. It was the second school I had to contact, but we got registered and confirmed right away. From what I can tell, there is far less hype at this school about the PSAT than the ACT. Neither of my girls has done the PSAT before. They've used Kahn for practice, as well as Barron's new PSAT book, and the Ivy Global stuff that someone posted here. Today they did the College Board's free PSAT test. From what they've told me, the Reading and Writing portions seem comparable to the ACT, which they took in June. The PSAT math seems a little more challenging than the ACT's, but then again, I think my two just miss the ACT's Geometry problems. I guess they are as ready as they could be. Still, I'm glad they've got this year's test to use as practice.

This is exactly the situation I've encountered for my two rising 10th graders. Because of advice I'd read here in the past, I contacted our two closest schools in June, right after ACT scores came out. The counselors from both schools were very friendly and helpful, but both told me we wouldn't know until five days before the test if there would be room for them to take it. They did seem more interested in making room when I mentioned my kids' ACT scores. Of course, YMMV.

Matroyshka - The writing does NOT affect the composite. That is still just the average of the 4 sections (English, Math, Reading and Science). And as EKS said, "real" writers know you cannot crank out any kind of meaningful essay in 30 minutes. I'm amazed that kids can do this stuff at all. I mean they've got to be exhausted by the time that section even comes along, what with the intense focus and pace they need to get through the Math and Science sections. When my kids were practicing, I took a stab at a couple practice prompts and then we all shared our results. My goodness, what a piece of junk. I can write, when given the time to let things sift, but there was NOTHING productive that came out of my 30 minute effort. Then you look at some of the 12 point examples that they give in the practice books (Barron's, Princeton come to mind) ... there is NO way in the world that someone actually wrote some of those in 30 minutes. Who are they kidding? At least up until this past June's test, the expected prompt was pretty much a government mandate v. the individual. Restricting internet access or books or kind of dress or teenager freedom to run the streets after 9pm ... or the opposite which was the government, in the form of school, forcing community service, minimum grade point for athletes, etc. One could pretty much memorize a typical response and get it down, but in the end what kind of "real" writing does that show, other than the ability to punctuate and follow a formulaic checklist? But that's what's advised and that's what we practiced so I pretty much expected them to be in the 10 point range, based on their practice essays. I'm pretty sure my one who got the 9 would have got a 10 like her sister, but for the fact she blanked, she said, when writing about the prompt's context. I told her when I picked her up not to worry about it and then repeated the same thing to her two days ago when she got her scores. I once saw a quote in another thread by 8fiilstheHeart about ACT writing NOT reflecting the kind of writing she taught her kids. I couldn't agree with her more, and I told my kids exactly that when they were preparing for the June ACT test. That's another reason why we won't be making them retest. Their application essays will speak for themselves. I do have to laugh at myself though. I made my kids take the writing test this June ACT, even though it was their first ACT, because our biggest state school, which is very competitive, required it even as late as this past May. Guess what? As of last night, their website has changed. It no longer lists it as a requirement. Just goes to prove once again that this whole college landscape is just shifting sand, my friends. Just shifting sand.

Melissa, my two also took the June ACT with writing, one scoring a 10 and the other a 9. They both aced the English section, but the writing obviously affected their combined score. However we are not going to have them retake the ACT. I recall threads with WTM veterans relating the impact of their dc's composite vs. lower wriiting scores on their college acceptance and the gist of those threads, as I recall, was that the variance mattered very little. Two of the posters that come to mind were Creekland and Sue in St. Pete. I'm not great at linking but I'll try to copy/paste the urls below to two of those threads. http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/511785-if-the-act-writing-portion-did-not-go-well-would-you-do-it-again-on-the-next-one/ http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/549982-anyone-else-hoping-for-a-game-changing-act-score-tomorrow/page-3

Congrats to everybody so far! My twin 15 y.o. dds (now rising sophomores) got their scores this morning before breakfast. One got a 34, the other got a 35 (a difference of 1/2 point separated them). Both perfect scored the same two sections. It was their first attempt at standardized testing, so they/we are definitely happy here today!

I've had this same thing happen to me probably once a year, every year, for the last 20 years. The first time it happened it lasted about a week and at one point I thought my head was going to roll right off my shoulders. I've been told it was BPV and/or remnants of a virus, and the Epley, Sermont and some half somersault maneuver have all seemed to help me recover. I've also used the Dramamine as well. Another sufferer mentioned dehydration as a possible cause when I had my first episode years ago, and I have noticed over the years that it does pop up more frequently with me in the summertime and if I've had red wine recently. Who knows, though, right? So, these exercises are worthwhile but do have someone with you, and if you can avoid driving, I would do so until it resolves.

My 9th grade twins took the ACT for the first time today. It was their very first standardized testing experience ever, but both felt pretty upbeat about their effort. They even thought the writing went well. We also utilized the ACT id letter for each of them, and it turned out fine. It would be great if their actual results end up mirroring their current impressions, but I guess we'll just have to wait and see. I can say that we are ALL happy to have this one done and under our belts. Now, on with the rest of our summer!

Thanks to all who shared their thoughts. My hope would be that our experience would mirror those related by Luckymama and cbollin. I wish our state ids were only $5. If that had been the case, I'd probably have spent the money without much pause. However, since they'll probably be getting their licenses within a year, the state id seemed somewhat a waste. We just haven't had much demand for them to show an id. However, as katilac posted, that may change so we may have to revisit the issue. The passport idea would be great, too, but we don't have those either. Natalie, your dc's situation is more what I envision, and your advice comports with what I'd been planning: Get there plenty early, stay with my kids until they are actually admitted and bring printouts of what the ACT has posted on its website regarding this particular form and its use. Oh, and pray for a knowledgeable person to be checking and that my two kids aren't stressed out by the admission challenge. I guess the bright side would be that the two of them would be going through it together, so whatever happens, neither can claim that Mom did a better job handling this for their twin. :001_smile: If there are additional posters with experience in this, feel free to add your thoughts and comments! Thanks!

Hi everyone! Long time boardie here, though truthfully not much of a poster. I've gleaned a lot from the Hive's members during our 10 years of homeschooing, so hopefully you BTDT folks can offer me some ACT related assurance. I've got two kids who will be finishing up 9th grade shortly and taking the June 13th ACT. We've never done any standardized testing before, so this is a practice run for them. They've already started prepping, so now I'm just trying to eliminate any hurdle that might trip up their test day. One thing I worry a bit about is the id they have to show when they arrive. They are just 15 so they have no driver's license. We school independently, so they don't have any school id, nor do they have a state id which would cost $30/apiece for them. Right now, I'm planning to use the ACT's student id letter with photo option. I've already got a notary on board, etc. but I'd just like to hear from those of you with kids who used this option. Did they have any trouble the day of the test? Did anyone question whether this form was really a legit ACT form? I ask because I don't know anyone in real life who has used it. While I'd rather not have to spend $60 for state ids, I will if it sounds likely that someone checking ids might not recognize such an id/form. So, I'd like to hear from anyone whose kids used this form successfully to take their testing. If someone's kids had problems, I'd like to hear about that too, as well as what you did when that happened. If it turns out that people generally have had no problem utilizing this option, I'll feel a little easier about it. I'm a worrier by nature, so anything you can share would be helpful. Thanks!

MarkT, would you mind sharing this with me as well? I'm starting this in a month with my two new high schoolers and any and all help would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks! Your initial post made me laugh because we'd just been discussing the notion of doing a knot exhibit if either of the girls decided to take camping as a project next year. They'd both recently become interested in knotmaking after reading the Dangerous Book for Boys this spring so it would put that new interest to use. Love the shark dissection idea, too. Good luck next Saturday!

June was a very LONG month with the girls working to finish up all their projects. However, I think both would agree it paid off. Our 4H fair finished yesterday and for their first year in 4H, both dds were very happy with their results. Pets - DD1 did a comprehensive display on the care of Betta fish. Her twin sister, DD2, did a similar one on the care of her pet chickens. Both received blue ribbons. Entomology - DD1's Gypsy Moth display received a red ribbon. Per the judge, DD2's Common Black Ant display just nudged out DD1 to take the second of only two blues in the class. Drawing/Painting - DD1 exhibited two pieces - a framed/matted pencil drawing of a horse head and an India ink painting of a tree. Both pieces received blue ribbons and Awards of Merit. DD2 also did two pieces - one a framed pencil drawing of a heron which received a blue and an Award of Merit. Her second, an embossment of a cardinal, received a red ribbon. Photography - DD1 did two collections - one of pets, another demonstrating life lessons. Her first received a red; the second got a blue ribbon. DD2 also did two collections - one of her pet chickens, another involving close-ups of nature. Both of DD2's collections received blue ribbons. Poultry- The girls exhibited two of our four family chickens (currently pullets). DD1 received a red for our Silver Laced Wyandotte. DD2 won her class with our Easter Egger. Both girls then did Jr. Showmanship for the first time. DD2 ended up winning Champion Jr. Showman, edging out her sister, DD1, who then took Reserve Champion Showman. Like I said, it turned out to be a great 4H fair for them both. In a week or so, they'll both be participating in our county's 4H archery shoot, also for the first time. I did 4H for ten years myself and have great memories of it. Of course, I was a farm kid, so my take on it is still slightly different than that of my own two kids since we live within the confines of a small town. Regardless, it's a really great activity for homeschoolers.

The 3M Command Strips are working well for us, holding up on our walls, without any problem, our large, laminated maps of the world and the United States.

Love the Subaru. We have two Subaru AWD vehicles - one a wagon. They will get you through snow when many other SUVs are struggling. As for longevity, well, my wagon is over 16 years old and still going strong with approximately 150,000 miles on her. Only car I ever bought new. They are also known as very user friendly vehicles. My husband has done all the work on both of ours for over a decade, from oil changes to timing belts. The mpg on the AWDs will be slightly less than some cars but even my old wagon still gets 20 around town and up to 27/28 on the open road. And safety - just a few months ago my niece walked away, without injury, from a Subaru Outback wagon after it was involved in a head-on crash at highway speed. As for the 5'5" passenger, he should have no problem sitting in the back. Assuming the one you are looking at is mechanically sound, I would say it is a great vehicle for your daughter to drive.

Ann, I was very closely involved in my dad's Alzheimer's/dementia journey, so I have a pretty good sense of what you might be feeling. It was very, very difficult to watch my dad fade out. Some days, it was like adding another preschooler to the mix (I had 2 of them already) and those were some of the times we could actually chuckle about. Other days were just plain harder, emotionally. I talked on more than one occasion with our local chapter of the Alzheimer's Association and they were always very helpful. If you have one near you, it's worthwhile to make the contact. Otherwise, pm me. I'll do my best to answer what questions I can. My dad has since passed, but (ironically), there is very little of the whole experience that I've forgotten. Best wishes to you and your mom.

Praying for his healing:grouphug:

Happy Birthday, Mrs. Wise! Thank you for your books and Susan, too! They've all helped me in more ways than I could ever express. Many, many blessings to you!

:iagree:Wanted to add another thumb's up for both of these as well.

The wines from either Yellow Tail or Alice White (an Australian brand) are very good and are generally less than $10/bottle. I favor the reds from either of them, like their merlots or cabernet/savignon blends, but their whites have also been excellent choices as well, particularly the chardonnays.