That would make sense, but it really makes me uncomfortable that they are so intrusive. So in other words it's like they are using us for information so that their school or district can get more funds?? I still hold that I shouldn't have to fill out the lunch form since my son does not now nor has never eaten the lunches at school, but I still have to fill it out anyway? And why do they need to know the name of my daughter too who doesn't even go to their school?? :confused: Man! I wish I could homeschool my son too. I really don't like any of this. :(

Okay this is really bugging me. Wednesday was my son's first day back to PS and in his backpack in addition to the student code of conduct manual there were 4 forms that I had to fill out front and back and return to the teacher. One was for emergency contact information ( Okay I get that one), one was saying I've received and read the code of conduct book (I get that one too) the backside of which was for allowing my child to be photographed, then there's the one for school lunches which he doesn't even use because he's Autistic and will only eat pizza (but I HAVE to fill it out anyway). I had to put in dh's social security number and his monthly salary, all our phone numbers, address, the names of everyone else in the house is including children even if they don't contribute an income:confused: , and then this last one about race... I will type this out because it seemed all so weird when I was reading it I want you all to be able to read it exactly how it is written on the form. All of the bolding and underlined parts are how it appears on the form I've just changed the color to separate what appears on the form from my own comments..... Every school district in Florida is required to report to the Florida Department of Education each year student data by race and ethnicity categories that are set by the federal government. The Department of Education does not report individual student data back to the federal government but does report the total number of students in various categories in each school. These reports help us keep track of changes in student enrollments and ensure that all students received the educational programs and services to which they are entitled. The federal government recently changed the reporting categories for student data. As a result, you have the opportunity to update the student data for your child. With the new reporting categories, you may now identify your child by ethnic group (either Hispanic/Latino or not Hispanic/Latino) and by one or more racial groups (American Indian/Alaska Native, Asian, Black/African-American, Native Hawaiian/Other Pacific Islander, White). Starting with the 2009-10 school year, all schools in Florida will report student data to the Department of Education using the new categories. Please complete the information below and return it to your child's school within 3 days of the receipt of the code of Student Conduct booklet. For more information about the student data reporting categories for ethnicity and race, please contact your child's school. Student's Name: Grade: Please answer BOTH questions 1 and 2 1. Is your child Hispanic or Latino? (Please mark only one.) No, my child is not Hispanic or Latino. Yes, my child is Hispanic or Latino- A person of Cuban, Mexican, Puerto Rican, South or Central American, or other Spanish culture of origin, regardless of race. 2. What is your child's race? (Please mark all that apply.) American Indian or Alaska Native- A person having origins in any of the original peoples of North and South America (including Central America) and who maintains a tribal affiliation or community attachment. Asian- A person having origins in any of the original peoples of the Far East, southeast Asia, or the Indian subcontinent, e.g. Cambodia, China, India, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Pakistan, the Phillippine Islands, Thailand, and Vietnam. Black or African American- A person having origins in any black racial groups of Africa. Terms such as "Haitian" or "Negro" can be used in addition to "Black or African American." Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander- A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Hawaii, Guam, Samoa, or other Pacific Islands. White- A person having origins in any of the original peoples of Europe, the Middle East or North Africa. What the??? :confused: What in the world does any of this have to do with my son's schooling?? I have always disliked the racial questions on school forms even when the only options were black, white or Indian, but this?? Why in the world do they need this much information about my child (us and our other children who don't even attend this school) in order to "ensure that all students received the educational programs and services to which they are entitled.":confused::confused: What do you all make of this?? Thanks to all who reply. :) Really... thanks... reading the form letter posted here has to be about as much fun as a trip to the dentist so thank you for bearing with it so that I could glean from your thoughts. :) Jennifer

I always have a bottle of rum in my house as a hurricane supply. hehe No joke. My dd thinks that alcohol is for hurricanes only. :p

It looks to me like she was standing on top of some sort of ice cream cart or something and the pole was for her to hold on while the boy pushed the cart. It didn't seem alarming to me, but her shorts bother me more than anything. Why do they have to be so short?? and her dancers too! And what's with them all coming out of that metal trailer??? What's Miley trying to imply?? hehehehe

I think that this teaching stems from these verses in Isaiah as well as the verses from Genesis that chronicle the creation. Isaiah 11:6-9 (New King James Version) 6 “ The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, The leopard shall lie down with the young goat, The calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. 7 The cow and the bear shall graze; Their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. 8 The nursing child shall play by the cobra’s hole, And the weaned child shall put his hand in the viper’s den. 9 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD As the waters cover the sea. My thoughts...I can see how these verses can be interpreted to say, "If this is the way things will be after Christ is ruling and reigning and all things have been restored then it must have been the way it was before the fall." That would make sense to me, but the Bible does not come out and tell us these specific details about the animals in the beginning in such plain language as the Isaiah verses. It would seem logical to me if God did have all animals eating plants in the beginning because that is what they will be doing in the end, and I don't see the build and jaw structure as an obstacle since God can do all things, but I wasn't there in the beginning so I cannot say either way whether they did or didn't, but I know that they will in the end. :) ".... and a little child shall lead them." :)

I don't know if it is because they don't care. I hate to think that you are feeling that way. If your friends are anything like the majority of mine, they probably just don't read your wall and IIRC I think you said in your original post that you gave a 24 hour notice? Maybe they just haven't gotten around to reading it yet?? I'm not trying to defend them if they are bad friends, but just trying to comfort you by saying that it may not be the case. Maybe they just haven't read it? I think the only people who read my wall are my mother and some of my friends from this forum. hehehe My brother, who I hoped I would be able to keep in touch with by joining FB in the first place, doesn't even respond to anything I've ever written on my wall. :rolleyes: Go figure!

I'm in the same boat. I just joined after resisting for years. My brother just moved to NY and I thought it would help us keep in touch. I now own a farm and chat with Rosie. (when the chat actually works that is:p) I don't talk any more often to my family members than I did before, but I do enjoy taking care of my virtual farm. I have no idea what the point of Facebook is either. It doesn't really seem set up to facilitate communication but seems to me to be more of a sounding board where you can just kind of post "announcements" to all of your friends and family at once, but like I said, I'm new there and haven't really figured much out about how it works yet. Other than the farm that is. :) hehehehe

Wow!! That's fantastic!! What an accomplishment!! :) congratulations! :hurray: :party: woo hoo! :)

Wow!! That sounds like a perfect night!! :)

Kudos to you!! That's terrific! :) :hurray: :party: :)

Wow Jean! I wish I had been in your group. It all sounds wonderful! :) I was happy I got to see one just before the sun came up while I was waiting for my son's school bus to come. :) A bright meteor shot right down from the sky. I got so excited! I never thought I would see one since it's so light where I live. :) It was very cool! :)

I'm not wealthy or well educated either, but I do have a strong determination to homeschool my dd. For subjects that I am weak in, I use a heavily scripted curriculum, I rely heavily on the library and I used this book as a guide all through the elementary grades. http://www.amazon.com/Books-Children-Love-Childrens-Literature/dp/1581341989/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1250077934&sr=8-1 It's great for weeding through all of the selections that the library has. I still use it for finding books on specific topics. It's doable but I think it does require determination. If she has that, I don't see why it's not possible barring social services and the other issues that previous posters have mentioned that might be an issue. I wish her well and I pray that God gives you the right words at the right time to minister to her and her family. :) Blessings, Jennifer

OOOH OOOH I saw one! hehehe I didn't expect to see one at all since I'm in the city and with so much light all around from businesses and street lights, plus it was 6am when I went outside to wait for my son's school bus to come, but I kept scanning the sky and I think I saw some fainter ones, but I'm not sure if it was my eyes playing tricks on me or if I actually saw them, but I did see one bright one shoot down from the sky! Very cool! :)

hehehehe That was so funny and very cool! :) I never knew sheep could run that fast! :eek:

Oh my gosh these are too funny!! hehehehehe Two from my youth are Billy Joel's Piano Man... "and he's talking to Davie who fell in the gravy and will probably be there for life." It's supposed to be "and he's talking to Davie who's still in the Navy..." :p and Bonnie Tyler's Total Eclipse of the Heart. "we're living in a Polish shack and givin' off sparks." actual lyrics are "we're living in a powder keg and givin off sparks." I didn't know what a powder keg was back then, but my mom almost died laughing when I sang that song wrong. :p hehe

:grouphug: to everyone here. I'm so very sorry for how you have all been touched by tragedy. :(

**Update** I'm happy to say that in spite of the way the day started, it ended really well. After celebrating with my family, I stayed up late after everyone had gone to bed and spent a wonderful time alone with the Lord. It was really special. Thank you everyone for sharing my special anniversary with me and for your kind comments. :) Blessings, Jennifer

:iagree: with Rosie. I made the mistake of buying a cheap sewing machine from Walmart and it was nothing but headaches every time I used it. I wound up finding an old Singer sewing machine at the Salvation Army Thrift store... one of those solid metal ones that were built like tanks, that thing runs like a dream!!! It's a night and day experience over my Brother sewing machine. :) If I were you, I'd look into a used well made model before buying a cheaper new one. Just my humble 2 cents. :)

Thanks Brindee! :) :grouphug:

Thank you Ms. Rosie! :) :grouphug:

Amen!! He is so merciful!! Thank you sister for sharing also! :grouphug:

Yes it is!! Thank you so much! :)

Thank you Tina. :)

Awesome!! :) :hurray: :party:

Oh I am so sorry to hear this!! God bless him for his bravery and his sacrifice. Thank you so much for sharing with us. I will pray for you and all his family.:grouphug: