Jimmy, being way too cool for school, opted out and slept until 11 and then hung out with his posse all day. He had a basketball game (they lost) but was phased as he was going to a PARTY!! We dropped him at a dark house at 8pm and started to question our parenting sanity. NO adults in site and masses of 8th graders (or should I say 9th graders now?) but, the party only went until 10pm and all was well. There was a dad there, keeping a very low profile and tons of soda and food. All the kids went swimming in their clothes and he came home soaked. A pretty good end to the school year.
Kay decided on Valley Fair (amusement park) and loved every minute. It rained off and on and she thought riding the roller coasters in the rain was WAY more fun than riding them in good weather. She came home hungry, wet and tired and had to rally for gymnastics practice. She was a trooper and we had a nice meal, just the 3 of us because....
Billy had a tour of Target Field and bowling. He said bowling got "pretty intense" and then he was off to a TKD party with his sparring team. They danced and played and did TKD until 10pm. He also came home exhausted but thrilled.
Overall, a pretty good start to the summer.
Ok, now for the serious business - grades...
Jimmy and Kay were crabby that they had final exams up until Thursday. They seriously don't screw around in jr high these days. But, a good reminder and learning for next year. Its not over until its over.
Jimmy - He's a dedicated student and is very achievement oriented. He REALLY wants to do well but also expects it to come easy (the down side of being a smart kid)
French 4 (10th grade class he takes at the high school) - C+ - he's pretty upset by this but he earned it. He stopped doing homework about a month ago in protest and it completely affected his grade. We had MANY talks about this but, he's 14 and stubborn. Hope he learned a lesson (in more than 1 way) It is on his high school transcript, which is why he's pretty upset now.
Geometry (9th grade class) - B+ we are MOST proud of his grade as he had to work his tail off in this class this year. It didn't come easy but he stuck with it, asked for help from the teacher and was persistent. It also goes on his high school transcript.
Band, Global Studies, Phy ED , English, Science (all 8th grade classes) - straight up A's!!! WOO HOOO
Kay - She TOTALLY turned it around 2nd 1/2 of the year. She had a glaring insight in February that "if I study and do my homework, I get good grades" and then she buckled down - Go Kay Go!!
Reading, Health, French, Life Science- A's!!!!
English, Experimental Science, Pre Algebra - B+'s !!!
US Studies - B-
She is (& we are) most proud of Life Science as she was getting an F right before Christmas, she totally nailed it with an A!!! And, in the last week, got her US Studies up from a C+ to B-, considering its her least favorite class, I like the effort!!
Billy - slow and steady as he blows.... this kid has 1 speed. He always does his homework without compliant, doesn't ask for help but we also have no idea how he's actually doing at any given time. These grades were total surprises to us. He did NAIL his end of year standardized test scores. I think there is more going on here than meets the eye....Really proud of his attitude and curiosity about learning
He got all 3's and 4's (3 is performing at level and 4 is performing above level) AND all of his grades went up and he even moved a couples 2's to 3's from mid year. Self assessing, he's best at math and its is favorite. But he also likes science and made huge progress in reading (faster and with more comprehension) Go Billy Go!!
There were also fun awards.
Billy was voted the kid everyone (teachers and students) likes by the teachers
Kay got most creative on her science fair exhibit (she brought in fresh cookies remember)
Jimmy Jimmy Jimmy ... In band, they voted and the votes were counted. None of this is a surprise
Jimmy brought home:
Tallest
Biggest Flirt
Most likely to be a Band Teacher
Most Athletic
Most Unusual Hair
Most Social
Thats a wrap, we are officially parenting a 9th grader, 8th grader and 6th grader. Can anyone say ... pre teens?!
