Tuesday, February 14, 2017

Interim Report

Every two weeks Colin's high school sends out an email Interim Grade Report. This gives the parents and students a chance to track progress during the grading period. Each time the email arrives in my inbox, I hold my breath. Up until Christmas break, Colin was able to maintain above a 4.0 thanks to the heavy load of AP classes which give him a .5 point boost.

The cracks are beginning to show but fortunately nothing serious yet.

The first report of this year he dropped to a 3.56 GPA due mainly to Latin and English classes. This can be chalked up to the rigors of Swim Team and less-than-ideal time-management. Fortunately the swim season is pretty much over for Colin other than a few warm down practices left.

Yesterday the third report of this grading period came in. While Colin has been bit by bit bringing his average up to a 3.89, three teachers made the same disconcerting comment.

Sleeps In Class


This report was forwarded to me by my husband with a note to Colin:

There is nothing which angers a teacher like sleeping in class.  You have 3 teachers complaining!

Time to turn off the gaming,  and getting to bed by midnight.

Dad

 The warning signs we were watching for are starting to appear. Last night Dad warned that he may be turning off the internet at night. I am not sure if this registered with Colin. Currently he is trying to get over a cold. His sleep schedule has not yet changed much. After coming home from school, he falls asleep in the bathroom while getting ready for a shower. He can sleep for several hours before getting showered and having a late night dinner and then retreating to his room. We have not been watching how he spends his time but I have been told recently by Colin that he is not up on school nights gaming. (just on weekends).

The kid does have a lot on his plate. He took the ACTs this Saturday while battling his cold. Having allergies to the dog has not helped. Colin also just started a Math Club at his school with the goal of competing in the American Math Competition. He is hoping this helps his chances in getting into a good college.

To this end, Colin had debated about getting a doctor's note for the extended-time version of the ACT but decided against it. He mentioned trying to get a diagnosis for ADHD. He allusively referenced his sound issues by saying "The original reason" would not work. I was not able to gently prod him into talking about his sound sensitivities but got the impression that this was not the reason for wanting more time. Colin found out that if he chose to take the extended-time test, it would not be noted on his transcripts. His main goal is to get into a more prestigious university than his brothers.

This coming Monday, we will be making our first college visit to such a college that is 2 hours from our home. Should be interesting!

As always.... we are a work-in-progress!