Please help me with these conversations....

[boysmom2]

So, we're 99% sure we'll be hsing this fall (woo hoo!! Thanks to everyone who helped me convince DH!!!!). But now I need to figure out a few last details. One is that my 8yo has been in our school's gifted program. My DH would like for me to call to find out if he will lose his spot in the program if he is hsed for a year. We've tentatively agreed to give it a try for one year. I am pretty confident that we will continue beyond that, but this is what my DH is comfortable with now. So, he is worried that if we decide to send them back to ps, DS1 will not be able to get back into this program. While I think it's very unlikely that we would return to ps, and I think he'd still have a spot (there are only 12 kids in the program right now and there is space for 20 or 25 kids), I need to confirm this for my DH to be comfortable with this. But, I'm not sure how to go about it. I just don't know if it's a good idea to call the school and say "We're planning to hs, but if it doesn't work out..." Maybe that's not a big deal, but maybe it is. What do you think? I'm in WI. HS is pretty unregulated here.

The other converstaion I'm unsure of is with DS2's best friend's mother. DS2 met his best friend last year in preschool. Ever since then, his mother has been going on and on about how they'll be in the same school (though not necessarily the same class - it's a big school) for kindy. I know it's silly that I'm worried about this, but I'm SO non-confrontational it's really stressing me out that I'm going to have to bring this up with her. So, any thoughts?

Thanks!

[mom2ponygirl]

If it were me - big chicken that I am, LOL - I'd call the school and ask if my child were 'gone' next year, would he be able to return to the gifted program the following year without re-qualifying. When pressed about why we would be 'gone', I'd hedge and say, it is too soon to say anything we're waiting to see how family situations work out before making solid plans. We just want to explore our options if leaving and returning becomes necessary. If they agree in principle that returning would be fine, then they shouldn't go back on that just because they find out your family situation is that you decided to try homeschooling. LOL

For the friend's mom, I'd probably have two conversations. One where I mention how you will work very hard to keep up their friendship even if they aren't in the same class - big school and all. The next where I bite the bullet and let her know you are trying homeschooling for a year, but really hope you can still get the boys together.

For what it is worth, my daughter's best friend has always attended school and they've remained good friends from age 6 to 12, despite our peculiar choice not to send our dd to school :-) .

[luv2homeschool]

Why would DS not be in the program anymore? I don't understand what the school is doing. If he tested into the gifted program, don't they have to meet his needs, just as if he qualified for the spec ed program?

ANyhoo, I agree with the above poster about calling the school but not telling them why you would be gone. For all they know you could be taking your family out of the country for a year on a mission or for work.

[boysmom2]

Oooh, I like that! They don't need to know any details. "Gone" should be enough.

As for his friend, you're right that we'd have to make sure they got to see each other anyway, since it's unlikely they'd be in the same class. Framing it that way might help.

Thanks!

[boysmom2]

Originally Posted by luv2homeschool

Why would DS not be in the program anymore? I don't understand what the school is doing. If he tested into the gifted program, don't they have to meet his needs, just as if he qualified for the spec ed program?

ANyhoo, I agree with the above poster about calling the school but not telling them why you would be gone. For all they know you could be taking your family out of the country for a year on a mission or for work.

There are only 20 or 25 spots in the program and when it's full it's full. He was actually wait listed at first, but ultimately made it in because other parents decided not to do it. It's a magnet program for our whole district, so kids who go into it have to transfer schools for 2nd grade. We were lucky that the program happens to be at our neighborhood school, so he didn't have to transfer. So, no, they don't HAVE to meet anyone's needs. They can meet, or try to meet, 25 kids needs (25 kids out of 20+ elementary schools in our district). THis is yet another reason we're hsing this year. This "great" magnet program is still not giving him what he needs and I really don't want my 5yo to spend the next 2 years spinning his wheels like my 8yo did waiting for the gifted program to start, which may or may not have space for him.