Posts by Drew Hughes10

Daniel Chase13 said:😁

I don't think so—mostly because we already have plenty of alternatives available in high schools. In fact, about 82% of students in American high schools choose religious studies as their elective, while only 18% opt for an Ethics course instead.

So, if you look at what's actually happening on the ground, there isn't really any fear surrounding religious education in our schools. Honestly, I’m all for introducing more diverse elective options.

Can you provide a source for those percentages?

At my local high school, the split between religious studies and ethics is roughly 50:50—though ethics seems to be gaining ground.

Yes, I see it now. This one works—MM submitted the request and the e-Wallet hit my inbox within seconds. Hopefully, the process for the suburbs will be just as smooth.

Check your local city or municipal website.

In my neck of the woods (Cleveland), the application for an automatic pass is right there on the city's site. I’ve tried it myself—it works.

There is plenty to cover.

First and foremost—the academics.
Students at this school generally transition into high school without a hitch because they arrive from their local Elementary School with an incredibly solid foundation. The faculty is a mixed bag, of course—ranging from good to excellent—but I can honestly say none of my children ever had a "bad" teacher.

The school really pushes excellence and puts a lot of energy into working with Gifted Student Day participants. I have to give credit to the teachers there; I know some of them take on that extra work without any additional pay.
Sixth Street has always had students placing in national competitions, particularly in the STEM fields. The administration takes immense pride in every single win.
It’s truly priceless when your daughter, while still in 7th grade at her Elementary School, already knows what she wants to major in—all because a teacher recognized her spark and nurtured it.

The fact that they focus so much on gifted kids is even more impressive considering how much the campus accommodates students with special needs—like those using wheelchairs—so the diversity of the student body is quite significant.

Second, let's talk communication. The principal comes from a tech background, and the school website is actually quite robust.

http://sixthstreet-middle.us-school.edu/

Beyond that, if you ever need a face-to-face meeting, we’ve never had an issue getting hold of a teacher or the principal.

Third, the extracurricular scene at Sixth Street is massive. Home Economics, Junior Techies, Junior Coders, Junior Physicists, the Astronomy Club, Debate, Book Club, Creative Arts, Hiking, Orienteering, Choir, and the school band...
They basically try to facilitate just about every interest imaginable.

On top of all that, the kids experience so much throughout the year.
"Wellness Week" has been a staple for years—a full week of cooking and life-skills competitions (it reminds me of the time my kid spent an entire Sunday afternoon hammering nails into a board just to prep for a competition).
"My 6 Minutes"—a radio segment prepared and broadcast by different classes during recess.
Gifted Student Day—where the kids essentially swap roles with the teachers for a day.
And then there’s "Tea with the Principal," where students can bring suggestions or complaints directly to the head of the school. The principal actually listens and follows through.

They also organize sports days for families, bike rides, and even pet days.
You can see some of this here:
http://sixthstreet-middle.us-school.edu/news (listed on the left side)

Finally, there are those small gestures that brighten your day—like when the custodian fixes a flat tire on your bike so you can get home, or when a member of the custodial staff makes you tea when you're feeling sick, cleans you up without a word of complaint, and keeps an eye on you until your parents arrive.

Why do I think it’s good for the teachers, too? Because based on what my kids tell me, the classroom atmosphere is great. They joke around and laugh a lot, but they also get the work done.

Of course, nothing is perfect. It never is. But looking at the big picture, my personal take is that Sixth Street is a truly excellent school.

Susan James said:I actually really like
this
!
Quincy:

Classes for all students from first through eighth grade will be organized into four blocks: the first runs from September 3rd to October 26th (39 school days), the second from November 5th to December 21st (35 days), the third from January 14th to March 21st (49 days), and the fourth from March 25th to June 14th (52 school days).

Quincy:

They’re introducing a new block scheduling system for subjects. For example, fifth graders in the first and third terms will take geography, art, music, and computer science, but they won't have science, shop class, or history until the second and fourth terms. This approach actually lightens their workload by three or four subjects depending on the week.

My kids' old elementary school—they’re in high school now.

Every year, there's a massive surge in enrollment; they generally don't take transfers from outside the district, so I know families who specifically bought homes in that neighborhood just to get their kids into sixth grade.

It's a solid school. Good for the students, the parents, and—if I had to guess—the teachers too.

Hannah Allen5 said:I’ve honestly never heard a word about that before. Is this some kind of new thing I'm totally out of the loop on? 😁

Former Rockies resident.

Right now, silicone watches are all the rage with kids (at least here in the States). It’s a pretty safe bet—and they don't break the bank, either.

Fak made exactly one mistake.

He really should have made his exit before he won anything at all.

brighttiger41 said:Haha, whenever people start bringing up alcohol around me, I just tell them I’m on antibiotics—if they’re being particularly pushy, that is. 🤣

To folks from the rural South, that wouldn't mean a thing. They’d just shrug and tell you, "Don't worry about it. A single shot of bourbon will fix you right up." They'd still be offering you a drink.

True, women tend to offer food. My mother-in-law—bless her heart—insists this is the ultimate sign of politeness and that any decent homemaker should act accordingly.

Men, on the other hand, are constantly pushing drinks on you ("Grab a beer? Come on, just one. Don't be difficult. Just have one..."). Honestly, they can be just as exhausting.

Following our dermatologist's advice, we applied Protopic to our child's hands. It provided some relief—briefly—but the patches resurfaced within just a few weeks.
We spent three years battling atopic dermatitis, cycling through nearly every cream and bath soak imaginable, yet nothing seemed to stick.
On our pediatrician's recommendation, we traveled to see a specialist in Cleveland. The consultation ran about $50. We walked away with prescriptions for two custom creams, which we picked up at a pharmacy in Cleveland (totaling roughly $40). Though the packaging noted a 30-day shelf life, the doctor assured us they could be used as needed for at least six months—provided we kept them refrigerated. After applying them to her hands for about four or five days, the dermatitis cleared up completely. Over the following year, she had a few flare-ups; we applied the cream two or three times each time, and it worked perfectly every single time. In total, we only went through about 20% of the supply over that whole year.
Since the original expiration date had passed—and because the label specified a customized cream system—we asked our local pharmacy if they could compound it here to save us the trip back to Cleveland. They had no problem doing it. We didn't need a massive batch, so they made a small amount for us; one cream cost $60, while the other was $13.