every mom wants to be an all-powerful wizard
I find that changing the color schemes of my different sites, High School College Success!, E.S. Ivy, and Mom Behind the Curtain, and having a another color for my test sites, helps keep me from getting confused. (Notice I said “helps.” Let’s face it. WordPress development is confusing, even the famous “Five-minute install” that’s only five minutes if you’re already a trained software developer. End of rant.)
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When I first started writing tutorials I tried to make images for each, and every, click.
It.
Was.
Extremely.
Slow.
I could make videos. But I prefer using written tutorials myself and I refer back to my own tutorials. Also, webpages and user interfaces often change over time, even though the commands and command sequences you use might stay the same.
So that the writing the tutorials will only take hours – instead of hours and hours – I came up with a shorthand to record my directions; it’s the same shorthand I use for myself in my own notes. Since you don’t live inside my head, I decided I better explain myself….
National Merit Scholarship Program has released the 2016 PSAT qualifying scores.**
UPDATE 9/25/2017 New information on National Merit Semifinalist 2018 Cutoff Qualifying PSAT Scores.
(UPDATE: SEE NEW POST DECEMBER 2016 FOR 2018 GRADUATES)
The National Merit cutoff score for Texas has gone even higher this graduating year – 2016. The SemiFinalist cutoff score for Texas is 220. The race is getting ever tighter and it’s debatable how relevant it is when qualifying scores represent such a small different between abilities. But there are quite a few excellent schools who use National Merit qualifications to give out excellent academic scholarships, so it makes sense to pay attention to the PSAT. In any case, studying for the PSAT won’t be a total waste, since it does help prepare you to take the SAT later. (It’s original purpose, as in “Preliminary” SAT.)
From our son’s experience, here are my tips on preparing for the PSAT and SAT. Our son achieved a score high enough to be a National Merit Semifinalist. We are very proud of all his hard work (and thankful for a little luck.) But also, in case you haven’t heard yet, the PSAT and SAT are changing, with the PSAT taken in fall 2015 already reflecting the changes.
Here are the 2016 National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalist Selection Index Qualifying Scores by state from the National Merit Scholarship Program Guide September 2015. Students who make this cut-off will need to submit a “confirming” SAT score (see my guide to best study aids) along with their application for the next stage of the competition in October.
** UPDATE 1/7/2016** The scores below are from the 2014 PSAT test. Qualifying scores were released in 2015 for 2016 graduating seniors. The PSAT scores released today for the newly designed 2015 PSAT, the National Merit Qualifying test for graduating Seniors in 2017, are on a different scale than in past years. I’m working on a post on how to interpret 2015 PSAT scores. And I’ve now complete a post about how to predict which 2015 PSAT scores might qualify for National Merit Semifinalist.
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It’s Force Friday and you know what that means?
Reading!
What? No, really. With the upcoming release of Star Wars 7, the Force Awakens, a new line of upper middle grade novels is being released! And it’s a great thing for boys and reading. Talk to any elementary school librarian, and they’ll tell you that the Star Wars section is always popular with the boys….
Are you dreading betting back into the school year routine? Consider why you, or your child, has packed the schedule so full. I take a look at the realities of the benefits of busy school schedules, AP and IB classes, and activities on college admissions, sports scholarships, and academic scholarships on my post today over on the blog, High School, College, Success. Read more at highschoolcollegesuccess.com.
Back to school is now in full swing! If you haven’t already started, your kids have probably at least picked up their schedules. Or they might be frantically trying to finish their summer projects. In the last week, I’ve heard so many parents mention that they’re dreading the start of the school year. I think the parents might even be dreading it more than the kids!
Are you dreading the school year busyness? (Yes, I looked it up. That’s really a word. “Business” doesn’t mean the same thing that it used to, and so now there is also “busyness.”) Are you dreading the calendar running your life? The hours of homework? The school activities with early morning and late night practice? The lack of sleep?
It might be time to take a good look at why your kids, or you, have signed up for all the activities and advanced classes that are taking up all your time and then some….
Last night I got to see Brene Brown when she spoke in Austin to promote her book Rising Strong!
Brene Brown has a new book coming out tomorrow! You can order of Braving the Wilderness from Amazon!
Her talk was organized by our amazing local independent bookstore, Book People. The event was sold out!
Even so, Brene managed to make the talk so personal. She embodies the ability to Embrace the Gifts of Imperfection as she practices Daring Greatly in what she is willing to reveal to a wide audience.
Through her willingness to be vulnerable, we all learn.
From the publisher: Social scientist Brené Brown has ignited a global conversation on courage, vulnerability, shame, and worthiness. Her pioneering work uncovered a profound truth: Vulnerability—the willingness to show up and be seen with no guarantee of outcome—is the only path to more love, belonging, creativity, and joy. But living a brave life is not always easy: We are, inevitably, going to stumble and fall.
It is the rise from falling that Brown takes as her subject in Rising Strong. As a grounded theory researcher, Brown has listened as a range of people—from leaders in Fortune 500 companies and the military to artists, couples in long-term relationships, teachers, and parents—shared their stories of being brave, falling, and getting back up. She asked herself, What do these people with strong and loving relationships, leaders nurturing creativity, artists pushing innovation, and clergy walking with people through faith and mystery have in common? The answer was clear: They recognize the power of emotion and they’re not afraid to lean in to discomfort.
Walking into our stories of hurt can feel dangerous. But the process of regaining our footing in the midst of struggle is where our courage is tested and our values are forged. Our stories of struggle can be big ones, like the loss of a job or the end of a relationship, or smaller ones, like a conflict with a friend or colleague. Regardless of magnitude or circumstance, the rising strong process is the same: We reckon with our emotions and get curious about what we’re feeling; we rumble with our stories until we get to a place of truth; and we live this process, every day, until it becomes a practice and creates nothing short of a revolution in our lives. Rising strong after a fall is how we cultivate wholeheartedness. It’s the process, Brown writes, that teaches us the most about who we are.
The new Star Wars movie, Episode 7, is coming out December 18th! Will your family be ready when the Force Awakens?
Our family has a few Star Wars fans, as you can tell from some of our photos over the years. For Halloween the kids were Jedi Knights, Luke Skywalker, and Princess Leia more than once. (The girls wore a Princess Leia costume I made in high school. Yes, we had to tape up the hem and make some other adjustments. I’m not that short.) There was even a three-dimensional R2-D2 birthday cake.
So you’d think we’d all be ready for the new movie. But while our son was eager to watch the Star Wars live action movies…
For those of you with teens, I have a post on my other site, High School, College, Success!, about the new format of the 2015 PSAT. If you haven’t heard, the SAT is changing in 2016, and the 2015 PSAT will reflect the changes this October. You can read more over at highschoolcollegesuccess.com.
The SAT and PSAT are changing. While the College Board has studied and analyzed it, who really knows how it will affect scores. The first change will be this fall, with the PSAT in October 2015 being in the new format. These changes are supposed to reflect changes to the 2016 SAT. My daughter got a chance to try out the new format with the official PSAT Practice Test #1 (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) from the College Board….