Wednesday 1/14/09

After Jessica turned her alarm off this morning and I turned it back on and tried to wake her again, then Steve went up for his turn to try to get her up and found her sitting up on the side of the bed. Success! She made it up at 6:30a.m. or so, and to her 8:00 standardized Algebra 2 test.

As it turned out, they put all four or five of the 504 Plan students in a room together. The test was a 3 hour test lasting until 11:00, but when she came out at 11:20, she said she still had 8 problems and they were all told to come back after lunch to finish. That is one of her provisions in the 504 Plan - that she's allowed double time on tests if needed. I was glad they remembered and allowed the extra time.

She then went to her other two classes, and made it through the day. A full school day! The first one since last spring. Her last class of the day, History, did have a substitute that said they weren't going to do anything, so Jessica finished her other homework and took a nap in class. I'm sure that little nap helped her make it through her big day too. Thanks to the subsitute!

So, that horseback ride that was put off on Monday became her victory ride today. In celebration of finishing Algebra 2 and the standardized End of Course test, I took her to the stables. She was still feeling good enough. Unfortunately that victory ride turned into a tumble, as Mia (our horse) bucked Jessica off and flat on her back. I don't know enough about horses, but the stable owner suggested that it's because she doesn't get enough playtime with us or worked enough. So, Jessica and Mia ended up getting about a 45 minute lesson out of the deal, which ended in a calm ride around the arena.

It was a full day, and we were so thankful that Jessica was feeling well enough to handle it all. It's a relief to have it behind her.

Tuesday 1/13/09

Jessica went to her 2 afternoon classes today, and sent me a text message between classes saying "I'm tired." Unfortunately I saw the message too late, so she made it through the rest of the school day.

Tonight, she took her online Algebra 2 semester exam, making a 94%! She's finished the course! It started on 10/9/08 with a couple of weeks off during her tonsillectomy, so it's been a crash course. And it's finally over!

Tomorrow is the standardized 3 hour End of Course test that starts at 8:00a.m. It's a required test, and the school didn't accept our request for provisions for later in the day. It will be a full day for her, but she will be happy to have it behind her. We're hoping we can even wake her up that early. So, it's early to bed...

Thursday 12/18/08

Jessica started out tired and not feeling too well this morning (including a sore throat), and once even felt like her legs were tightening up. She and my dad studied Algebra for a little while before time for her last interim test. Seeing how she was feeling, I wished we could reschedule the test, but instead she drug herself there. She was shuffling her feet as we left. But she did decent on the test, and we amended her 504 Plan while we were there to allow her to try to go back to school for half a day next semester.

When I picked Matthew up from school, he was feeling much better, and as the day went on, Jessica's energy perked up some. This was especially good, because we had plans for the night. My wonderful kids surprised Steve and I a few days ago with an early Christmas present - tickets to see the Radio City Rockettes Christmas Spectacular. The four of us went. We were dropped off at the door, and Jessica held up ok. It was a wonderful performance and a very nice evening.

Thursday 11/13/08

We met with the 504 Plan Coordinators today. The online history class just wasn't working. The main problem is that there wasn't much meat in the text (including the use of cartoons) but the test questions were so detailed that the answers could not be found. So, no more history. We'll start over next semester. In the meantime, she'll finish Algebra II. We talked about next semester and what to take, how many classes to try, and whether in the classroom or as a homebound student. As the Coordinator said, at this rate, it'll take her at least an additional 2 years to graduate high school. It's a tough decision, as we don't know what she'll be able to do. And Jessica was "wondering if school could get any worse" (because she's getting so far behind)! And she is sick of Algebra II. (Though, she's got a 94% in there!) I know she is frustrated with it, and so are we. We're struggling with the decisions of what to do. Do we homeschool now? Are we qualified enough?

Jessica had to take another interim assessment test in Algebra while we were at the school, and she did pretty good considering she hasn't gotten to that material yet.

Jessica was happy that she "got to have some fun tonight" by going to art class. Thanks Nana!

Monday 9/29/08

Jessica had a sore throat today and a little bit of a headache, but she was up and made it to school for yearbook pictures, but that was all.

Steve and I met with the 504 Plan coordinators to amend her plan. Since she just can't make it through a full school week and has missed 14 days so far, she is going to do the rest of the semester as a homebound student. They've got a new program where she can do classes online, so she will be their first online student. Hopefully doing the online classes homebound will take some of the pressure off and let her rest and recuperate better. It was a hard decision, but she was ready. She's tired and doesn't like missing classes, getting behind, and missing out on the instruction. One of the 504 Plan coordinators was one of her teachers a year ago in the fall 2007 semester, and she saw her this morning at school when Jessica went to get her picture taken. This teacher said she looked frail - in that she didn't have the bounce in her step like she used to. We want that, and so much more, back for her!

Wednesday 8/27/08 - 504 Plan

Steve & I had a meeting today with the school administrators to discuss a 504 Plan (an accommodation plan backed by federal law) for Jessica. And it went well! They were so nice! They basically said, without hesitation, that she was eligible for the 504 Plan. It's a legal document and the teachers get a copy, so that should help us. We got included: extra parent-excused absences (15 instead of 4), that absences won't count against her grade (because the Algebra teacher had in her rules that 5% of the grade was based on attendance and participation), extra time for work, and that she can dictate her homework to me to type if needed (because of the trouble with the History homework last week). We can meet again anytime and change it. They were flexible and so understanding. I'm so relieved!

Jessica's tired tonight, but made it through both classes for 3 days this week!