Which schools are you interested in? I know someone who went to Winchester and absolutely loved it. I would want to know what they are teaching, what they are using to teach, and how they are teaching. Also, if you are looking at boarding schools, I would want to know the school's policies about bullying, underage drinking, etc.

Regarding sequence, two of our suburb's high schools offer the following tracks if students test in: 7 -- Honors Algebra 1 8 -- Honors Geometry (can be taken in summer) 9 -- Honors Algebra 2 10 -- Honors Pre-Calculus 11 --AP Calculus BC 12 -- Multivariable Calculus/Linear Algebra **AP Statistics (can be taken after Algebra 2)

US Ed vs. Standards Ed.? We use the U.S. edition: A & B textbooks, A & B workbooks, and the answer key. HIG and text or either/neither? I think the HIG could be useful, but I would think that would depend upon your understanding of math. Extra practice books or not? If you think your child will use them at some point -- maybe in summer, during breaks, or weekends -- then I think they're worth having on hand. I'm planning to test my dd sometime this week but by looking over the placement tests, I'm thinking she'll place in 2A just so we can backtrack a bit and learn some foundational information, the Singapore way. I think that's a good idea. Better to have a strong foundation than move ahead too quickly.

6th grader: NEM Rod and Staff, lessons done orally Shakespeare, Folger's Realms of Gold reader, Core Knowledge History and Geography, Core Knowledge Men of Rome, Memoria Press Ecce Romani My son doesn't do all of the above every day. Instead, he'll study a little of each throughout the week. Weekends are usually a little heavier. Summers are heaviest. Also, during the school year, we only have a set schedule for math, but next year we might do the same for Latin. All other subjects are more flexible.

How do you know what to supplement after school? I mostly use three resources: 1. William Bennett's book The Educated Child 2. The Well-Trained Mind 3. Core Knowledge Sequence, content guidelines for grades K-8 by the Core Knowledge Foundation Core Knowledge models best what I would like my son's education to be like. I emphasize their language arts, especially literature, and history/geography. Do you take the ps curriculum into consideration, or do your own thing? Both. I like some of the curriculum and methodology used at my son's school but supplement other areas that seem weak to me. I think reading aloud in school is not so bad, but you might want to choose some novels for your son to study independently. My son had to read a certain number of pages in fifth grade and I found that this amounted to mostly "gobbling" books. I'd rather he understand a few, than merely read by the pound. HTH

My son is in sixth grade but takes math classes at our local high school. We supplement with Singapore/NEM, The Art of Problem Solving and math competitions. So far, so good.

The National Geographic Expeditions Travel Catalog highlights major attractions and a few unusual ones. You could use the catalog to help design your itinerary. To request a free catalog: http://www.nationalgeographicexpeditions.com Also, the Fodor's European message board has excellent advice. Ira is an American who has traveled extensively to France and knows wonderful places to visit and stay. He and others can help answer any questions you might have. (Europeans on the board can also help.) http://www.fodors.com Go. You won't regret it. MBM