Numbers

I was just running some numbers from the DOE's PreK directory.

The totals that I list here are not the number of applications or first choices. They are the total number of choices made on all of the applications. We don't have enough information to know definitively how difficult it is to get a spot in your zoned PreK, but comparing the differences in the various districts is interesting. When you compare the numbers of available PreK seats to the number of Kindergarten seats there is a wide discrepancy in many schools.

3403 applicants for preK seats in District 15 (Carrol Gardens, Cobble Hill, Red Hook, Boerum Hill, Park Slope, Windsor Terrace, Sunset Park to Park Slope South) according to the DOE. This doesn't include the numbers for the Brooklyn New School and the Childrens school which we can safely assume are in the hundreds.

Total number of full time seats available are 743, this number DOES include the New School and the Childrens school.

Total number of part time seats available are 360 part time seats (2.5 hours) which are not popular with the majority of parents who work.

2350 applicants for preK seats in District 20 (Bay Ridge)

Total number of full time seats available are 242

Total number of part time seats available are 576

839 applicants for preK seats in District 13 (Brooklyn Heights, Dumbo, Ft. Greene, Clinton Hill, Western Bed-Stuy)

Total number of full time seats available are 642

Total number of part time seats available are NONE

1003 applicants for preK seats in District 14 (Williamsburg/Greenpoint)

Total number of full time seats available are 588

Total number of part time seats available are 108

Some of the total number of seats and the breakdowns are off because occasionally information for a program is listed as N/A. Not sure why.

Pre-K Registration

This is my report on the Public PreK Information Session
There is a session Wednesday March 4 at 6:30 at Brooklyn Tech HS. All sessions will cover similar material but it is a good forum to get your questions answered.

The directories and applications for Public PreK will be available on Friday, March 6 at your local Elementary School, online and at the District Enrollment Offices. The DOE is holding information sessions all over the city for the next 2 weeks. All the sessions will give the same info. Thank you to Kim Cobb and her great crew for really trying to make this process better and for giving props to the parents who worked so hard over the year to fix the system. After you read this and go to an info session and pour over your directory on Friday, if you have questions, the best way to get them answered is to write: ESEnrollment@schools.nyc.gov While you are at it, say hi to Michael, who will probably be answering your question. You can call 212 374-4948 but it will take much longer. Remember, there are a lot of you and not a lot of them.

I went to the first information session last night and here are the main things that are different from last year.
You can apply for the PreK lottery online.
They have tried to make the application more user friendly.
You can apply to more schools.
There is a new column in the Directory that tells you how many families put each school as 1st choice last year to give you an idea of your chances (it doesn't tell you how many are in-zone families, or how many siblings were accepted) correction: it lists the number of families that applied for the school in round one (no matter what choice that they placed it as) as well as the number of seats in the preK program.
None of the paperwork is going to Pa. this year.

If your child turns 4 in the calendar year 2009 (their 4 year birthday is Jan. 1 to Dec. 31 2009) and you live in NYC, your child is eligible for Public PreK in Sept. 2009. This doesn't mean that there are enough seats to go around.

This is NOT a first come first served process. You have a little time to weigh your choices. The application deadline is April 3. All applications are treated the same whether they are returned March 7 or April 2.

1. You need to get your hands on a Directory. You can pick one up on Friday March 6 at your local PS, find it online or at a DOE office. The application is included in the Directory or online. The Directory includes programs at local Public Schools. These are the schools that you try for in the lottery. It also includes a list of CBO's (Community Based Organizations) You need to go to those programs individually and talk to them about their individual application processes. They are not included in the lottery.

2. You need to know what school zone and District that you live in. The zones are your immediate neighborhood and the District is the larger area. The zones have weird shapes and the school that is closest may not always be your zoned school. It has nothing to do with your zip code. You can find that out by calling 311 and telling the operator your exact street address. (This is easy and fast to do)

3. This process is a lottery, but there are priorities. If you have an older child attending the school you get first priority. To make things complicated (and fair) there is priority within the sibling group (first zoned sibs, then sibs with no zone or no preK at their zoned school, then out of zone in district, etc.) If you are in the zone you get second priority. If you are living outside the zone but inside the District you get third priority. If you live outside the District you have fourth priority. Essentially, if you want the priority you need to place that choice first. Because of the new Kindergarten pre-application process, children who will be attending K in fall 09 will be technically considered sibs in a school. There is a special place to list them on the application because they are not currently in the school.
You can list as many choices as you like, but the likelihood of getting a spot if you live outside the zone of a popular school is small. Keep in mind that PM half day classes are often the least sought after spots even in popular schools. The column in the directory that shows how many families placed a school as a choice and how many actual seats it has will be very telling in making your decision.

4. The application deadline is April 3. It seems like a really good idea to do the online application. They have done a lot to make it user friendly and to help you to avoid mistakes that might be made filling out the paper app. When you send it online they immediately send an email receipt and you can receive the result the week of May 18 as an email and a paper letter. If you want to make changes to your online app. after you have sent it you can log on again, change the info and resubmit it before the deadline. The last one you send is the one that counts. You can list multiple programs in the same school as different choices (eg. "AM" program is one choice, "Full time" is a second choice and "PM" could be a third choice). If you decide to fill out the paper application BE VERY NEAT. NO ABBREVIATIONS IN THE ADDRESS. Double check your code numbers. Mail it in the envelop provided (don't use any fancy envelops or return receipt or Fed Ex). Make copies of your application before you send it. You must wait for your receipt about 3 weeks. The placement decisions will arrive the week of May 18. When you receive your placement bring your child and 2 proofs of address, child's immunization record and Birth Certificate to register at the school according to the instructions you will receive. There will be no waiting lists, but there will be a second round if there are unfilled seats. Placement in a PreK program does not guarantee placement in that school for Kindergarten.

Heh Parents of Twins! Siblings who are the same age (twins, step siblings, foster children etc.) are considered together. There is a special place on the application to indicate that two siblings are filling out two applications at the same time. If one gets a seat the other will get one too as long as there is another seat available. If one gets a seat and the other one doesn't let them know at Enrollment and they will do their best to help. I really believe that they will.

Williamsburg Northside Grows Up

Williamsburg Northside's Director, Amy Warden, just wrote to tell me that the school is going to open a K through 5th grade school called Williamsburg Northside School. in the fall of 09. They will start with a Kindergarten of 20 students. It will be located at 70 Havermeyer St. They are anticipating one class on a grade of 20 students each.

I am touring the raw space with Amy next week and I will blog about all the details then.

Ethical Community Charter School

Hurray! another new school for Brooklyn! I just spoke to Dr. Susan Stengel the Director of the Ethical Community Charter School. Their location should be announced shortly, but since their lottery is coming up soon (the first week in April) you should put in your application now. Registering for their lottery doesn't keep you from any of your other choice schools, it just gives you one more choice, and who knows it may be right around the corner.

They are ultimately going to be K to 12, but next year they will be accepting 60 Kindergarteners and 60 first graders for 3 classes on a grade. Ethics, service and social justice are the principles that will inform the school life. Their educational model is progressive, inquiry and active learning, with an interdisciplinary subject matter. They are dedicated to creating a vital home and school connection with an "open door" policy for parents. Integrated arts and differentiated instruction are part of the school's vision.

The Coop School

Brownstoner brought us great news that the Coop School has a new home. It will be located at 87 Irving Place between Putnam Ave. and Fulton St. in Clinton Hill. I just got done talking with them and I have a few more details.

They are expanding to 5 classrooms, starting age 2 and exiting age 5 in September. They will be able to let in 50-60 families as opposed to 10-15 in their existing space. They also have a space available to rent. The ideal tenant would offer other programs that would benefit the community at large such as an after school, child/family therapy, or regular events.

Park Slope School House and PreK

Thanks to the Park Slope Parents Listserve and Gowanus Lounge for bringing us news of the Park Slope School House (formerly the Berkeley Carroll Child Care Center). There are ongoing tours. Call Natasha Corlette at (718) 768-4873 to schedule a tour. They will stay in their location on 6th St. until they are able to move to their new location, anticipated to be in the South Slope on 5th Ave.

The Director will be Ashley Davis who is the current Director of the Berkeley Carroll Child Care Center. They are hoping to keep all of the teachers and staff of BCCCC in their respective roles at the new school.

For those of you that are looking for a Public PreK program. You should sign the petition for an Early Childhood Center in District 15. There is some talk about the 14th St. Armory as a possible location. I have heard Brad Lander's name associated with interest in this project several times. I would contact him as well as all of the candidates coming up for City Council election if you are feeling strongly about this issue. Contact Jim Brennan's office as well.

Kindergarten Admissions for Families in Brooklyn

In an effort to keep us all on our toes the DOE has announced a new process and timetable for Kindergarten registration. We don’t know exactly how this process will shake out. It is good for parents that the process is standardized and that it is still being handled at the school level. A child who turns 5 by Dec. 31, 2009 and is a resident of NYC at the time of pre-registration is eligible for this process. You can find your zoned school by calling 311 and giving your address.

Families may apply directly to schools beginning on Jan. 12, 2009 and continuing through March 2, 2009. It seems that if you apply in a timely manner within this time frame that you will have an equal chance for placement in the school according to the priorities set below.

You may apply individually to multiple schools. You should make sure to apply to your zoned school as a safety even if you are more interested in another school. It doesn’t appear to adversely affect your chances of getting in, as the process is being handled at the school level rather than centrally. The process and timetable have been standardized but the individual schools will be responsible for administering their own applications.

All students currently enrolled in public preK MUST reapply for Kindergarten. There is no guarantee that they will continue in their current school unless they have sibling or zoning priorities and apply before March 2.

To apply bring proof of your child’s birth, two proofs of residence, and the name, date of birth and school registration number (OSIS) of any sibling who will be attending the school in 09-10 (K-5). This establishes your student’s admissions priority.

Pre-Registration priority:

1. Zoned students with a sibling enrolled in the school in Sept. 2009.

2. Zoned students without a sibling in the school.

3. Unzoned students who have siblings in the school in Sept. 2009 (first to students in the District, then to students outside of the District)

4. Students who are not zoned for the school (prioity to students in the District then to students outside of the District)

If more students apply than there are spaces, a lottery will be held and a waiting list will be created.

The schools will notify families whether or not they have been accepted on March 16. They will have until April 13 to accept the seat and pre-register at school. On April 20 schools can pre-register other students from the waiting list.

Families who haven’t applied or move to the city or a new zone after March 2 can apply to their zoned school although there is no guarantee that they will be admitted. They can be added to the waitlist.

This process is separate from the Gifted and Talented process. The letters about testing dates should be out shortly. Testing begins in January. Notification about whether your child qualifies is sometime in April and placement offers will be in May. Undoubtedly there will be movement by some families who opt for the G&T programs.

Mural art by PS 29 students.

13 is the new 18

My friend, Beth Harpaz has just written a great new book called, "13 is the new 18, and other things my children taught me while I was having a nervous breakdown being their mother".
She is doing a reading at Barnes and Noble in Park Slope on Feb. 5 at 7:30. It is sure to be very funny, judging from her youtube videos.

Parents and kids at my house gathered around the computer laughing at how funny (and true) her commentary was. It did bring up an issue for us. I friended my kids when they got their Facebook pages. We are not unhappy with the things that we occasionally see, but the unintended complication comes from their looking at OUR pages. Our friends' status shows up on our kids' homepages. Beth, the fact that you are addicted to cheese is the funniest thing that my kids extended network has heard in a long time. Apparently, it is SO "park slope mom" - I am addicted to cheese as well. The fact that Beth - someone we know - could youtube a song about her teen's behavior sent a chill around the neighborhood. Don't push your mom too far or she could go public. Good job Beth!

Brooklyn Prospect Charter School

Okay 5th graders, check this out. It is another public middle school option for students who live in District 15.
Brooklyn Prospect Charter School will be choosing students from District 15 in a true lottery (no special provisions made for gender balance or diversity, although they are hoping for it-it should happen organically) They will pick students who live in District 15 (it seems that those of you who live outside the district and go to elementary within the district will probably be out of luck because of priorities set by state regulations for Charter schools) They will start with a 6th grade of 88 students (4 classes of 22) and add a grade each year through 12th grade. There will be a waiting list and that list will probably have some movement. The lottery will take place on April 7 and you will hear about placements in mid April. Signing up for the lottery doesn't impact your choice list for the rest of the district middle schools. This is a separate process. You can sign up for the lottery right now online under the student section.

What this means is that there is another option, outside of the regular middle school process. You can essentially get two local placements in the spring and be able to choose between them, as well as any placements outside the district that you are pursuing.

They will follow the International Baccalaureate program and hope to be certified within 5 years. There is a big emphasis placed on a holistic approach to learning and integrating disiplines. A 30 minute a day Advisory with a faculty mentor will be an important component to help students work on their literacy and study skills. They aspire to provide PE daily. Visual Art will be part of the core curriculum with other artistic disiplines introduced through a partnership with BAM. The Board is recruiting experienced teachers with at least three years experience and Masters Degrees. There is an Executive Director (who lives in the neighborhood) who comes to the job with an impressive track record of teaching as well as working in school administration. He will act as a general manager. The Principal of the Middle School has longtime experience teaching and leading programs as well as being trained in the IB program. The Board of the school is made up of educators and business leaders and will have a parent member.

There will be no uniforms. The calendar will follow the regular DOE schedule with additional afterschool tutoring and a Summer Academy. The language taught will be Spanish. The jury is still out on whether they will have captive lunch or not. Because the program will be academically rigorous, homework will be a factor, but because teachers will work closely together, it shouldn' t be overwhelming. The location is not finalized yet. The location will be made public before students chosen in the lottery will have to accept their seats. The Board is hoping for a location close to BAM to make it easy to participate in their arts programs.

Sign This Now!

This is what Brooklyn is about! Grassroots community activism. Brand new neighbor, Melissa Morgenlander, wants to know if you want a Public PreK Early Childhood Center in the northern part of District 15 (Sunset Park already has the terrific Magnet School for Early Childhood)

I did some very fast numbers based on the Accountability reports from last year. The schools I listed were ones that are not within range of the Magnet School for Early Childhood and they didn't seem to be breaking even on their preK/ K populations. Check out 107, 146, 261 and 321 in particular. As the buildings on 4th Ave. fill up 321 will need it's preK classrooms for K and the population at 124 and 295 will most certainly increase.

PS 10, prek 54 seats, K 87 seats

PS 15, prek 29 seats, K 50 seats

PS 29, prek 54 seats, K 79 seats

PS 39, prek 36 seats, K 61 seats

PS 58, prek 70 seats, K84 seats

PS 107, prek 18 seats, K 84 seats

PS 124, prek 35 seats, K 39 seats

PS 130, prek 52 seats (but none of them is full day) K 83 seats

PS 146, prek 36 seats, K 81 seats

PS 261, prek 36 seats, K 108 seats

PS 295, prek 36 seats, K 52 seats

PS 321, prek 52 seats(but only 18 are full day) K 191 seats

Even if your children are too old for preK, I urge you to take a look at Melissa's petition. Help your neighbors!

http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/ECCforBROOKLYN/

New 6-12 Grade Schools for District 15

New 6-12 school for District 15: Brooklyn Prospect Charter School

A new public charter school is opening to 6th grade students in September 2009 to Community School District 15 students. For fifth grade families, they will be hosting several Student/Family information sessions throughout the district over the next several months. Students will be admitted through lottery. The school will follow an International Baccalaureate Program.

Info Sessions for parents and students:

October 6th and October 27th, 2008

6:00 to 8:00PM,

New York Methodist Hospital's East Pavilion Auditorium in Park Slope

Come and meet the team and learn about this new school. RSVP is required; www.brooklynprospect.org

Additionally the Brooklyn Prospect Team is happy to visit your elementary school. Speak with your parent coordinator or guidance counselor and contact Brooklyn Prospect Charter School for a visit.

But it doesn't stop there!

The "SPEAC School" Sunset Park Education in Action Community School's proposal to open has been favorably reviewed by the DOE but they won't be given full approval until they locate a space. They will be a very intimate 6-12 school that focuses on personal and community wellness, community based projects and interest driven learning.

This school is the little engine that could. Help make this dream a reality and help them find a location or partner. 718-851-3936, info@speaschool.org

All Hail Sunset Park Parents!

The parents in Sunset Park are awesome. I attended a town hall meeting last night in celebration of their 40 year effort (supported by hundreds of parent activists and community organizers, yes!) The auditorium was packed to capacity with standing room spilling out into the halls.

Sunset Park has schools! A brand spanking new state of the art, 1650 seat HS building is going up on 34th St. and 4th Ave. to open Sept. 09. The construction authority was there to give progress reports (not grades.) It is on schedule.

This school that has already chosen it’s Principal, Corrine Vinal (a longtime educator and experienced administrator). It will have three learning communities within the school: Performing and Visual Arts, Health and Human Services, Business and Entrepreneurship. The themes were chosen by the community, as was the currently unprecedented model of having one principal to oversee the school. It is not a screened program. They are focused on college prep and there is priority for Brooklyn students.

8th graders, if you want to place this school on your list of 12, this is how you do it. It sounds weird, but it IS the procedure straight from the DOE. This school will not be listed in the directory. Don’t panic. Fill out your application. Don’t list Sunset Park HS yet. Hand in your registration on or before the appointed day in the fall. File a NEW FORM during the February 2009 application period for new schools. This form overrides the previous form. Rank Sunset Park High School along with your other schools in the order you want them. If you have questions about admission call OSEPO (212) 374-2363. If you have questions about the high school call the Sunset Park Task Force (718) 788-3500.

But wait there is more…for you preschoolers. There is a brand new public Early Childhood Center being built on 4th Ave. and 64th St. (on the 4th Ave. subway line) The first green designed school in Brooklyn. It will house 18 classrooms PreK through 2nd grade. It opens in 2010. This is a trend that local principals endorse. As the Elementary Schools become more crowded and PreK programs lose their spots, it makes more sense to group the PreKs into a centralized site. More on that later.

...heh Park Slope Parents, that sounds like a good idea! What is the Diocese doing with the St. Thomas Aquinas school building on 4th Ave. and 9th St? Would it be enough PreK seats for everybody who wants one, and relieve the overcrowding in all of our Kindergarten classes? You guys need to start making some calls.

Is This Public School Any Good?

This is an essay that I wrote for the new issue of the most excellent blogazine Hipslopemama. Check out the new issue this weekend, and come to the Family Fair they are sponsoring with BAX on Sat. Sept. 27 from 11:30-4:30.

When you google your zoned elementary school, a lot of different sites will pop up; www.greatschools.com, www.insideschools.org, maybe the school’s website or the DOE’s website. Who do you believe and how do you decide whether to trust your darling to a school that gets a 4 out of 10 or a “D” and is considered a “noteworthy” school elsewhere?

Everyone is always asking me how I feel about “Great Schools”. Any information is a valuable resource as long as you really understand what it is telling you. “Great Schools” score is tabulated from the standardized test scores released by the DOE and the State. There needs to be some standard by which to measure a school, but if they live and die by teaching to the test will they give your child the type of quality education that she deserves? We could argue all day about the validity of test scores. The reality is that even a parent that is skeptical of their value has a hard time ignoring them when they are so seemingly irrefutable. Parents that write into the site can also use a star rating system for other aspects of the school’s environment and they can list comments. Sometimes parents are specific enough to give me a picture of the school, and sometimes it is just too vague. In many cases the “Great Schools” rating is low and the parents comments rate the school very high. That is just a good indication that you need to dig deeper.

The DOE (NYC Dept. of Education) has been doing school Progress Reports (the school letter grades) for two years now. You may have already heard the startling news that the highly popular PS 8 in Brooklyn Heights has received an F. Is it a case of the “Emperor’s New Clothes”? Has the wishful thinking of Brooklyn Heights parents clouded their judgment and the DOE is exposing a failing school despite the great press the principal has been getting? The grading system was put in place to help parents easily understand the progress that a school is making as well as help the DOE identify schools that are in trouble. Ever since it was instituted it has been under attack by parents and educators for being a flawed assessment and opaque to parents.

The Progress Reports group the schools into cohorts based on need (how many children get free school lunch and other demographic breakdowns) and uses these groupings to compare schools. There may be a problem in a school like PS 8 that has had a drastic shift in population in the last couple of years. The lower grades with a high population of middle and upper income children are not tested (and the DOE says they were considered when assigning its cohort) but the more challenged upper grades were the ones that were tested for proficiency. So the school is judged against other schools with high populations of school ready, upper income children, but the tests were given to the upper grades which have a much more diverse and challenged population.

The DOE uses three things to judge each school; the environment, the student’s test score performance and the progress made by the most challenged students to progress toward proficiency. The environment score is created by assessing surveys from parents, staff and students. Some experts have questioned the validity of this method as an unbiased measure. The proficiency part of the grade comes from the test scores. The third part, the progress of its most challenged students, counts for over 50% of the school’s grade. One argument made by the DOE is this measure is looking at each individual child’s progress from year to year. The problem is that the tests are on different skills and a different curriculum. It is difficult to charge change in proficiency when the test is on completely different skills. I did great in algebra but not so hot in calculus. I am not going to blame my high school principal for that one. As the weeks wear on we will hear a lot of experts weigh in. I am not being an apologist for PS 8. I just don’t like the letter grade as a helpful guide for parents, period. It seems to be an unbiased measure, but with all the DOE’s good intentions it is just too blunt an instrument for me to use.

Then there are the reviews at www.insideschools.org and Clara Hemphill’s excellent books. I am a completely unabashed supporter of the work that they are doing. The reviews are as objective and well written as a parent could hope for. You have to keep in mind though, that a school will try and put its best foot forward when Insideschools arrives to observe the program. They will undoubtedly be introducing them to the star teachers and highlighting the programs that they are proudest of. This doesn’t’ keep Insideschools from occasionally seeing troubling situations and reporting on them. The fact that there are also comments by students and parents is extremely helpful and often speaks specifically to concerns that prospective families have. Insideschools lists the test scores but within the larger picture of the school as a whole, where they should be.

I wish there were two sets of test scores every year. One set paid for by the DOE and one set paid for by the UFT (United Federation of Teachers). Now there would be some numbers that showed the true range of a school’s ability. Then parents could find the average and have a sense of how the school might really be performing. Finally, after you have scoured the Internet, the DOE and school websites for current reports, scores, reviews and parent opinions, it is your gut feelings about a school that really matter. Do you like what you see, how they treat you and answer your questions? Do you feel welcomed by the parent community as they pick up their children outside school at the end of the day? In a changing neighborhood, even a year can make a difference. The websites sometimes don’t tell the most up to date story of a school in transition. Only you can be the final judge.

My 15 minutes

My husband got his wish. I am the centerfold of a glossy magazine. There isn't a staple through my navel though, just my pithy comments on finding schools in Brooklyn. So run right out to turquoise New York Family-Brooklyn box on the corner and snag your free September issue and check me out.

Specialized HS Testing

8th Grade Parents - are you feeling that nagging sense of impending doom?

Ready to run the gauntlet of high school choice? What doesn't kill you makes you stronger. I am holding High School Search Workshops in Park Slope and Carroll Gardens this fall. They are three fall evenings each to help guide you through the process. Or you can put together your own group of friends and set your own days and I would be happy to meet with you. If you are interested in reserving a spot e-mail me at joyce@nycschoolhelp.com

Whether you really want to send your child to a Specialized HS or not, the test is free. If your child gets a placement to any of the 8 schools including La Guardia she will hear about it a month before the other 85,000 students in the city, and not only that, but she will also hear which of her "1-12" schools have offered her a seat. It is worth the hassle and cost of some test prep and the test, to possibly hear early and have two or three (if she is offered a seat to La Guardia) options. Believe me, when you actually have a Stuyvesant acceptance letter in hand you think twice about all the times you said, "it is not for us".

I have heard many parents feel that the fall only prep is effective. And the best preparation, aside from really understanding the specific test taking strategies of this odd-ball exam is taking practice tests. There are many good private tutors in the neighborhood and Kaplan is everywhere. I just thought I'd let you know about some SHSAT (Specialized High School Aptitude Test) classes through Princeton Review that I just heard of. They are holding the fall sessions on weekend mornings at Berkeley Carroll from Aug. 8 through Oct. 19, and in at their Brooklyn Center in Midwood on weekend afternoons. They also do small group tutoring. (which was a route that we took and found very effective)

I am mentioning Princeton Review in particular because I recently attended a free college information class they held that was extremely helpful and turned our whole college search strategy around for the better. I like their approach very much. Check them out.

Guest Blogging on Hip Slope Mama

I am enjoying the weekend updates on the blogazine Hip Slope Mama, and it isn't just because I am a guest blogger there. Check out my latest post, "Can You Predict What Type of Learner Your Toddler Will Be?"

Teen Treks #5

She's back from Montreal. It was great. She wants to do it again. The rain coat was shredded but other than that everything came home, including the large unread book. She talked a mile a minute about every detail until she hit the couch and instantly fell asleep. She woke up long enough to whisper "pizza" and "pedicure" and then back into dreamland.

We are happy to have our darling girl home again. She can't wait to see her sister. It always amazes us that they have so much to talk to each other about even when they are with each other every minute. So up to Rhode Island this weekend to retrieve the mildewy sleeping bag and soggy twin A.

Teen Treks #4

Twin B was sighted in Burlington Vt. (by a pre-approved, non-stalkerish friend of the family). She is tan, happy and ready to kick our lazy, non bike riding butts when she returns home in 5 days.

No word from Twin B (known as the "good phone contact twin") unlike her sister, "the good house key remembering twin". Together they make one perfect child. The first year at camp all we received were envelops full of stationary that all said, "Sendmunchies.com" Needless to say, we were more than a little put off by the lack of substantive news and declined to order the $40. brownies online. So far there is no word from Rhode Island. Silence is golden and so are the candid photos from bunk1.com

Teen Treks #3

Got the call. Got the rain. But it wasn't as bad as I had imagined. It was a scheduled call, and even though hearing our voices made my daughter emotional, she did squeak out that it was fun before we lost the connection. The postcards are a different story. Because of the snail mail time lag, they were written in the first couple exhausting days, when their tent was flooded out. "...low blood sugar sucks..." I have been on google maps looking at terrain and I am quite jealous of the beautiful scenery they will be traveling through. We are quite proud of her. She said that after the first day she was going to call us to pick her up, but she pushed through it.

We just dropped off "twin A" at sleep away camp and all we had to contend with were memories of "Shark Week" and how to smuggle the rice crispy treats past the counselors.

Teen Treks #2

Day 2, no rain, no call.

After checking the itinerary and studying my online maps I realize that while we visit my uncle on July 4th, we will be 10 miles from my daughter's campground. I cook up several schemes including leaving mystery cookies at the Ranger's Station. My husband suggests that we just drive by and wave, but don't stop. My other daughter wisely convinces us that this is all too "stalkerish".

Disaster averted, dignity maintained, just barely managing to be a good parent.