Can someone help me figure out this enrollment mess?
So, I’ve got some questions about these dual-track programs.
Basically, my kid is trying to apply for the general track along with the parallel arts program. The catch is, if he applies to them as parallel tracks, he HAS to actually get accepted into both schools to secure his spot; if he doesn't make the cut for one, he loses out on both.
Now here’s the thing: the application portal gives us six total slots to choose from.
He needs to list his top choice—his primary Elementary School + High School combo. Then his second choice, then his third. To play it safe and ensure he at least gets into the Elementary School if he fails the High School entrance exam for any reason, the official Enrollment brochure actually recommends applying to those same schools again, but just for the standard track without the parallel arts program. That way, instead of wasting slots 4, 5, and 6 on random other schools, he can just repeat his first three choices without the extra arts component. That’s exactly how they show the example in the guide.
But the system won't let him click it! As soon as he tries to select the same school again, the system just gives him the option to delete it from the list entirely.
Honestly, we are losing our minds here. We've been dealing with nothing but headaches since the very first click on this site. First, he couldn't even log in with his account. Then on Saturday, the whole thing just froze up—he couldn't even change the priority order, probably because every kid in the country was trying to log in at once, which I guess makes sense, but still. And now this.
We tried calling technical support, but it's useless; the line just rings and rings for half an hour before cutting you off with a message saying to just send an email. So, we sent the email. The deadline for these arts programs is tomorrow at noon.
Does anyone know if we're doing something wrong? Is there some specific trick to being able to list the same school twice—once with the parallel program and once without?
mellowskipper said:Just grab a light therapy lamp. Look, it’s not exactly cheap, but if it actually works, you don't really have any other options, right?
But how are we supposed to know if it even does anything?
And did they ever reach a verdict on whether LP is an autoimmune disease or not, or are they still just sitting on their hands?
So, I just saw my dermatologist and honestly? Total waste of time. They offered absolutely zero solutions. All they could tell me is that I might see some spontaneous clearing over the next few years, but then again, expect it to flare right back up. Like, thanks for nothing, right? Now I’m stuck playing phone tag and waiting for appointments with other specialists. Does anyone here have actual recommendations for doctors who actually know what they're doing when it comes to this specific condition? Please, help a person out.
The steroid creams haven't done squat, and since it's covering such a huge part of my body, there's only so much you can rub on before it becomes a mess. And from what I've been reading online, it looks like phototherapy isn't even an option available in most clinics around here.
Has anyone actually dealt with this? Is there any kind of approach that actually helps even a little bit? What should I be eating—or more importantly, avoiding? Should I be running food intolerance tests, soaking up the sun, or staying completely in the shade? Does applying heavy, greasy ointments help, or should I be looking into physical exfoliants? Seriously, anything at all.
Right now, it's hit all four of my limbs and it's starting to spread across my torso too.
Has anyone here actually dealt with Lichen planus before?
Like, how do you even manage this thing? What kind of treatments actually work, and more importantly, what are the absolute biggest no-nos I should stay away from?
When you say you wouldn't fund it—what does that even mean, really? The only way to actually stop funding something is to completely cut off any kind of allowance. Because if it’s coming out of their pocket money, you’re basically footing the bill. I’m honestly hoping I don't find myself in that position anytime soon, because I still remember my generation being full of smokers—and yeah, I was one of them. Looking back, it probably would have been better if we’d actually had some cash for cigarettes instead of being broke. My husband and I haven't touched a cigarette in ages, way before we even had kids, and honestly, nobody in our immediate circle smokes anymore. I don't see it among their friends either, but... man, you can never be too sure, right? One night out, one new person, a little bit of bad influence, a sudden urge to indulge, and suddenly everything flips and heads in the wrong direction...
I was giving you my two cents based on the info I had at the time—which was basically, "this little girl was sent to a post-COVID clinic because she’s been running a fever for ages," followed by a consultation with an immunologist. I was simply outlining what needs to be done for someone dealing with prolonged fever and the specific lab results you laid out.
Now that the kid isn't even running a fever anymore, it's pretty obvious my answer to your question would look totally different today.
But we still have to deal with one glaring issue: the whole ANA testing thing. If the girl wasn't even febrile when she saw that immunologist, then why on earth was that test ordered in the first place? It's common knowledge that ANA can come back positive, even with high titers, months after a bout with COVID-19, or even after other infections like those causing mononucleosis syndrome. But you don't just go hunting for ANA in all those cases. You only pull that trigger if there's actual suspicion of systemic connective tissue diseases—think Lupus, related disorders, or autoimmune liver issues—plus a few other rare exceptions. In almost any other scenario, that test adds zero value to a diagnosis or prognosis, and frankly, it's unjustifiable. I honestly don't get the logic behind the immunologist requesting it.
So now that the results are in and they're abnormal, the doctor decided to draw a conclusion that seems perfectly logical just looking at her history of COVID-19. Which brings me back to my point: what role did the ANA actually play here? Why was it requested, and how did it specifically help that doctor reach their conclusion? I’d love to hear an actual answer to that.
Second off, I really can't wrap my head around the failure to act on the fact that "abdominal pains are still present and worse with movement." Seriously? The child is having stomach pains and nobody thought to order an abdominal ultrasound?! I truly cannot fathom that lack of follow-through.
Since things seem to be settling down and resolving on their own, maybe all those tests I mentioned before aren't strictly necessary, but in my book, if there's still abdominal pain, you should at least be doing an abdominal ultrasound.
Blood cultures probably don't make sense anymore. However, I still think a serum protein electrophoresis, a urine albumin/creatinine ratio, checking stool for occult blood three times, calprotectin, and an abdominal ultrasound are worth doing if that belly is still hurting—though, realistically, I'd base that call on a physical exam and clinical intuition.
Thank you so much. I suppose the decision to run those tests was influenced by the fact that she still had a fever during the initial exam, but in the 5 or 6 weeks we've been waiting for results, her temperature has stabilized to somewhere between 98.2 and 99.0°F. Based on your advice, we'll follow up with our family doctor to get those tests you recommended moving forward.
I mean, I honestly have no clue why, because when you look at the school's list of requirements, it clearly says medical diploma medicinework blah blah blah... but it’ll probably turn out everyone at the school is just on vacation anyway, so we can check it then.
Yeah, exactly, it’s for high school enrollment. Thanks, but honestly, I haven't been able to get anyone at the school to pick up the phone all week, so I'm just stuck wondering if any random Occupational Medicine Clinic will do or if I need to find some specific one. I really want to just knock this out while we're on break so I don't end up wasting another day of school dealing with it later, plus I really don't wanna drop 300 bucks on something only to find out the school won't even accept the paperwork from that clinic.😬
Hey guys, quick question—does anyone know where I can go in Cleveland to get an occupational medicine checkup done? Is it just a bunch of private clinics around there, or is there actually a public option?
What do you mean there weren't any fruit yogurts? Are you kidding me? I swear my entire childhood was basically defined by that specific, sickly sweet smell wafting through the hallways during school snack time
if the kid is still running a fever, I’d say you definitely need all those tests we talked about. It's a different story if the fever has already broken.
If you can't get those specific labs done where you are, you should probably just book an appointment at the pediatric rheumatology clinic over at Children's Hospital in Chicago.
Thank you so much. Instead of going through the usual follow-up with the immunologist, I actually found a report online on a health portal that was issued for my daughter.
The thing is, this report—aside from being handed out without any actual communication or a proper physical exam—is completely different from what you suggested. So, how do I even handle this? What’s the move here? Should I take this report and go looking for a second opinion at Children's Hospital in Chicago? She currently has an active referral for the post-COVID clinic in Miami, so I have no clue if I can even use another referral to see a specialist at a different institution. And who am I even supposed to talk to once I get to the hospital in Chicago? My girl isn't running a fever every single day anymore; sometimes her temp is totally fine, sometimes it hits 98.6, and other times it spikes higher. But that abdominal pain? It hasn't gone away, and it seems to flare up even more when she's moving around. Also, what's the deal with sports? She trains three times a week, plus she's pretty consistent with her PE classes back at school.
That kind of mindset is just something parents pass down to their kids, you know? Once it's in there, it’s basically set in stone, and there isn't much we can do to change it. Even though I went to a prep school myself, honestly, it makes me pretty happy that none of those elite academies are even on my kid's radar right now. If he decides later on that he really wants to push further after finishing his regular schooling, he can always jump into higher ed whenever he feels like it—it's not like he's forced into it. In our house, there's zero pressure from the AFL-CIO types or anyone else to chase some specific degree; if he actually wants to go for it, we aren't going to be the ones standing in his way. (And if he ends up having a total change of heart at the very last second... 🤣)
Susan James said:They usually go through aptitude, interest, and personality tests, which take about an hour to ninety minutes. Then there's an interview with a psychologist (with just the kid in the room). Parents aren't officially interviewed, though they often push to share their thoughts, and people do listen to them. However, the final decision shouldn't be swayed by what the parents want.
The findings and opinions from any specialist following the child definitely matter, mainly because certain recommendations can act as contraindications—if someone expresses a specific preference, it might be immediately crossed off the list if it's not a good fit. For some kids, it really does narrow down their options to just a handful of schools, so it makes sense to give them extra credit for enrollment or set aside those three reserved spots that schools hold specifically for students who don't have many other places to go.
Those kids should be called in. You can also request testing on your own.
Or this
I had absolutely no clue the FBI was even involved, but it’s pretty wild to me that their closest branch is all the way out in San Antonio. 😲 Honestly, when you're dealing with an organization tied to the IRS—you know, an actual government agency—shouldn't you expect this kind of info to be accessible to every single student? It's actually making me a little heated right now. Kids living in California, along the Coast, up in Appalachia, or down in Florida are basically being left out in the cold.
So, how is a kid even supposed to sign themselves up? Do they have to trek down to an IRS office or find some psychologist, or what's the deal? Because at the Elementary School, that's not an option. They just tell you that the orientation is strictly limited to certain programs.
I honestly don't know if it works like it does back at the big state universities—where they kind of set the bar or the requirements around January, and then we’re all just left in the dark about what the actual enrollment numbers will look like. We basically just have to sit around and stare at last year's interest levels and try to guess how this current crop of students is going to shake out, all while trying to figure out if any of the recent administrative policy changes from the school board actually impacted the outcome.
mellowskipper said:A friend of mine mentioned that her kid’s seventh-grade class is supposed to have some kind of presentation in June regarding high school enrollment and admissions—basically a walkthrough of the different options. My daughter claims they haven't heard a single word about it yet. I suppose I'm wondering if this is just something handled by their specific principal—who is quite proactive, I guess—or if it's being organized at the district level. Does anyone happen to have any insight on this? Back before the pandemic hit, we used to have those middle school career fairs and dedicated open house days for the various high schools. It would be nice to see those brought back now that everything is finally back to normal.
Around here, professional guidance is basically only for kids aiming for AP tracks or specialized vocational paths; there’s absolutely nothing for the kids who don't fit into those specific boxes, kind of like my eighth grader. Back in seventh grade, he actually went up to his teacher to ask for info on high schools, and he was basically told, "You'll have plenty of time for that in eighth grade." And then suddenly, out of nowhere, for the last two weeks, people from different schools have been dropping by for presentations. And it’s not even just the schools you'd expect to see. 😁 They get a couple of teachers, maybe a counselor, and a few students who graduated from that same Elementary School showing up to give the pitch. It’s actually not bad; it really opened my son's eyes to some majors he had just glanced over on the list, especially now that he hears there are scholarships, transfer options, and extracurriculars that actually interest him alongside the coursework...
Honestly, I am just counting down the days until he clicks through all this and the whole ordeal is over, so I can finally free up some mental bandwidth to deal with my sixth grader, who is way less academically driven and currently stuck in a massive state of indecision. 😬
I’d suggest running some extra tests just to be safe: anti-dsDNA, anti-SS-A, CH50, LAC, beta-2-GPI, IgM and IgG anticardiolipin antibodies, ANCA, serum protein electrophoresis, urine albumin/creatinine ratio, CK, PV, APTV, fibrinogen, D-dimers, bilirubin, Na, K, Cl, Ca, Mg, P, a peripheral blood smear, three stool tests for occult bleeding and calprotectin, an abdominal ultrasound, chest X-ray, and an echocardiogram. Combine those with what you've already done, and then maybe some more depending on how the symptoms play out. Also, check serology for EBV, CMV, bartonella, and a QuantiFERON test.
Thanks so much! That list you suggested seems pretty massive to me. We’re still stuck waiting for even a chance to actually sit down with an immunologist, so we’ll just have to see what happens. Given how much ground you're covering with these tests, do you think there are specific things we should prioritize or really push for if needed? Unfortunately, our experience here in the States is that doctors tend to take a much more "minimalist" approach to situations like this. If we hit a wall, could you recommend a place where we might actually get this kind of thorough workup? It doesn't matter if it's in Washington, D.C.; pretty much all of our other kid's doctors are based in Washington, D.C. anyway.
Sarah Hall53 said:Back in eighth grade, I was absolutely dead set on going to this specialized language academy... except it wasn't even in my town, it was in this other, distant city that was a total nightmare to get to. 28 miles First, it was a thirty-minute trek on foot just to reach the station, then you had to deal with a forty-minute bus or train ride. My dad basically told me, "Sure, you can go, but first you're going to help me out with some stuff." He ended up signing me up for these winter workshops at a school right near the language academy—just to give me a taste of what serious commuting actually feels like. I finished all four days of the workshop, but honestly? I called it quits on the language academy by the second day. 🤣
Honestly, hats off to her dad for that move. 👍 Hats off!
If I recall correctly, there’s an Opatija High School around here too. Then "back in our day" just becomes the easiest excuse to use, right? And the Salesian school isn't exactly new either; they already had students enrolled back when I was still hitting the halls of high school.
I don't really know anything about them, to be honest. I have this whole emotional connection to my old school, so I can't say for sure if it actually turned out as great for everyone else as it did for me, but since most of my old classmates seem to have made it big in life, I guess they didn't exactly fail to push them to the next level. The local community college totally caught me off guard, though; my son told me that at the info session yesterday, they mentioned their entry requirements are actually pretty low, like you could get in with just 75 points, whereas I always assumed the pool of straight-A students was way more competitive than that. That Salesian school has always been kind of uninspiring to me, mostly because it feels like they aren't really focused on anything spiritual. The music program has a general direction, I suppose, but personally, I think the natural sciences are way too underrepresented—it almost feels more like a liberal arts academy to me. As for this last one, I don't think it even lasts that long.
But look, I graduated back in '99, so I'm only just now getting reacquainted with how all these enrollment options work.
Anyway, I ended up enrolling in my school mainly because the other two choices were way too far from home, and my family wasn't exactly supportive of my plans to go somewhere else since my aunt thinks she's such a genius... Oh, right. Back in '95, I was completely in the dark about the school selection process because my parents refused to buy the local papers, so all I knew was that there were these three high schools available—including the one I wanted in Santa Barbara and that business school I absolutely hated.
The US Army school is basically a music academy that offers a general high school track with extra music classes thrown in, and that other one—I’m pretty sure they cut the name short, I can't quite recall which one—it's some kind of graphic arts and science hybrid that only takes a math-focused group of students once every generation.
