Washingtonians

[Ogress]

Quote:
Explain to the flat lander please. Avalanche Control, do they stop traffic, cause an avalanche, clean it up and make everyone wait? That could take hours. Don't they detour the traffic?

You post this at 4:25 why would they do this during rush hour?




Edit - added a question.

Yup, but they can't really detour traffic over the I-90 pass. I'm in the last town before the pass, and when they do avalanche cotrol, the semi's fill the truck stop, overflow yards and the sides of I-90 for miles. Sometimes the pass will close for days, and the tucks will be backed up for a mile or more past my house toward Seattle, and I am 4 miles from the truck stop!

 

[Ogress]

Quote:
Explain to the flat lander please. Avalanche Control, do they stop traffic, cause an avalanche, clean it up and make everyone wait? That could take hours. Don't they detour the traffic?

You post this at 4:25 why would they do this during rush hour?





Edit - added a question.

Yes, they stop traffic and make everyone wait. Yes, It takes hours. It is a mountain pass so there is no detour. I've only been over the passes a few times and not in winter but I would suspect that there is no real 'Rush hour' since most people usually work on the side they live on. I also don't know what makes them decide it's time to do it but when it needs done it better get done! I think they try to let people know as far ahead as possible so you postpone your trip a few hours. Maybe wanted to get it done before the Thanksgiving rush! I'm sure others know more details about it than me.

North Bend is full of families where one parent works in Seattle and the other works in Cle-Elum. Also kids living in Hyak up at the pass and the county line get a choice of attending school here in the Snoqualmie school district or in Easton in the Cle Elum district. Schools are better on this side so the district sends a schoolbus up to the pass. It is only 19 miles from here.

I kept Olivia home from school on Monday due to snow. It was snowing heavily when we were waiting at the stop. Apparently Alex's bus which come at 6:40 had a lot of trouble making it down the hill and to the school and it arrived very late so we got a phone call while we were waiting that they were not sending buses up our hill. School was still in session because everyone below 700 feet had rain, not snow. I have Singapore math books, and Myth Busters science books full of at-home experiments that we do when I keep the kids home due to the snow or ice.

 

[hallerlake]

So, Stumpfarmer, did the kids make it over the pass?

 

[anniesmom]

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He's thinking - is that a Flower?

He does need a name. Any thoughts?

 

[Ogress]

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The middle school does this and it is a lifesaver! Alex never was more than 2 weeks behind (we'd catch him up whenever the teachers posted, some are better than others at posting). The elementary school does not do this. Luckily it is the last year of elementary school. No desks is a big help too - the lockers at the middle school are too narrow to even hang a backpack in, (good to hang a coat in, not much else). So, as long as Alex did not leave his papers in the classroom (which he does far too often), we will usually be able to find them at the bottom of his pack. For all my griping, Alex has become much more responsible. We did not hover over him this year as we did last, and though his grades slipped some and he skipped assignments, in many ways he is becoming more responsible. HW is not a daily battle anymore; several times a week, but no longer daily. He is also voluntarily working more around the house. Olivia, however, is now worse than Alex ever was, and she does not have Autism as an excuse! Maybe it is jealousy or lack of attention compared to her brother. She does not think it is fair that his IEP allows for dictation. I pretty much leave her on her own unless she asks for help, and she almost never does. She does not like to show me her work because I circle and make her correct all her spelling errors and make her re-write sloppy work even if it is correct.

Alex gets some assignments modified. He scores well in social studies when I study with him and drill him, but he can't do the writing in the workbook, and even when we do them by dictation, the workbook pages don't help him. Alex is a very visual learner. He reads the text out loud to me, and I write a summary as he reads and embelish it with drawings. The teacher yesterday asked how we study because Alex knows the material very well. Then he told me that since Alex has no work book pages turned in, he will need to turn in all the notes and drawings we have done in order to get credit for homework. I was not expecting this. I write on any old paper I find - backs of letters, old homework assignments, packing lists.... I also do stuff on there that is probably not appropriate but will help remember things. Alex needed to remember that King John was forced to sign the Magna Carta, he did not sign it because he was a nice guy who wanted to give people more rights. So whenever I wrote down King John, Alex would add "the Jack Ass" so he could remember he was a Jerk. We drew a man in the stocks to show how he treated people, and since people seldom bathed then, we drew flies buzzing around him. And Alex added garbage and other waste to the streets because that is how people got rid of their garbage and rats running around to remember the bubonic plague, and a bleeding guy with leaches over him and a Dr. holding and astrological chart to remember how medicine was practiced. I had not kept all the pages - most I shredded after the tests and they are now lining the chicken nest boxes, but I did still have the notes and drawings for the last 2 chapters. Next trimester he has to learn about the rise of Islam. That is a subject I never studied in school.

LWSD has an accelerated program where the kids are challenged and they are with kids just like them.
There is another private program in Bellevue.
Most of them will not sit still. LOL.

Drawback of a tiny school district - the schools here only have a gifted program for 4th and 5th grade and it is only a 3 hr per week pull-out program that neither of my kids qualified for because the kids not only need to be gifted, but self motivated. Alex could not do it due to his IEP allowing dictation (the teacher was a real snot when he was initially accepted and then saw Alex had an IEP. I did not fight to keep him in because with a such an uppity B#$(@ of a teacher like her, I fgured the program would do more harm thatn good). Olivia is just too disorganized. I heard that Issaquah public schools has a class just for kids like Alex - gifted but with disabilities. Our Middle School does not ave a gifted program at all, or at least they like to say that all kids are treated the same, but in fact they do. They have classes that run at different paces, so Alex is currently taking Algebra in 7th grade, and it is normally taught in 9th grade. They still have to do State Standards math, so they teach that as well. He is also in what I would consider to be a remedial writing class. They don't call it that. Last year they put all the kids with writing difficulties in one class. This year they broke it up and put the kids who just don't care in one class and high functioning kids with dyslexia in another. Alex is the only autistic kid in the writing class; but he likes this class much better than the class last year because all the kids in his current class want to learn, they just have difficulties. The class is taught with many more graphic organizers than a standard writing class. I'm happy with the middle school.

 

[anniesmom]

Quote:
Explain to the flat lander please. Avalanche Control, do they stop traffic, cause an avalanche, clean it up and make everyone wait? That could take hours. Don't they detour the traffic?

You post this at 4:25 why would they do this during rush hour?

Edit - added a question.

We've had a devil of a lot of rain/snow recently and they cause avalanches on purpose (with explosives) before things get too heavy on the slopes over the freeway. It's much better that way than all that snow coming down on cars when IT wants to and killing people. It's something that just happens in the winter when there is bad weather. As others have said - there is no (easy) detour. You could drive all the way down to the river and go back up the other side but that would probably take a lot longer than waiting.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

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I bet they gave you the "bird"...didn't they?

Sorry it had to be said.

 

[Chicken Rustler]

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Yes they do but it is not easy to describe. It is mostly in the bark and the shade of grey the wood is.

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Lets start with CLEAN the flue. Then yes a good hot fire daily wll help. Also to reduce build up make sure that you only burn well seasoned wood. Seasoned wood by WA law is wood that has been cut AND split for a min of 90 days. It really needs longer to be real good. Also try to maintain an internal flue temp of 300-500*F. I am really curious about the size of your stove and the settings, based on the burn time you report.
Hope this is a little help. feel free to ask any more questions. I don't know all the answers but am willing to share what little I do know.

 

[hallerlake]

Quote:
LWSD has an accelerated program where the kids are challenged and they are with kids just like them.
There is another private program in Bellevue.
Most of them will not sit still. LOL.

Drawback of a tiny school district - the schools here only have a gifted program for 4th and 5th grade and it is only a 3 hr per week pull-out program that neither of my kids qualified for because the kids not only need to be gifted, but self motivated. Alex could not do it due to his IEP allowing dictation (the teacher was a real snot when he was initially accepted and then saw Alex had an IEP. I did not fight to keep him in because with a such an uppity B#$(@ of a teacher like her, I fgured the program would do more harm thatn good). Olivia is just too disorganized. I heard that Issaquah public schools has a class just for kids like Alex - gifted but with disabilities. Our Middle School does not ave a gifted program at all, or at least they like to say that all kids are treated the same, but in fact they do. They have classes that run at different paces, so Alex is currently taking Algebra in 7th grade, and it is normally taught in 9th grade. They still have to do State Standards math, so they teach that as well. He is also in what I would consider to be a remedial writing class. They don't call it that. Last year they put all the kids with writing difficulties in one class. This year they broke it up and put the kids who just don't care in one class and high functioning kids with dyslexia in another. Alex is the only autistic kid in the writing class; but he likes this class much better than the class last year because all the kids in his current class want to learn, they just have difficulties. The class is taught with many more graphic organizers than a standard writing class. I'm happy with the middle school.

Is it better or worse to be bright when one has a disability? Would they be caught sooner if kids weren't able to pass for normal by virtue of being bright? Or is better to bright so one can compensate?

I need more coffee.

 

[4cats3kids1hubby2many]

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What was the incentive? I've tried both positive and negative without much luck with either. Now I'm using Girlscout activities since she seems to enjoy them.

My 10 yo DD was showing signs of "laziness" and handwriting was horrendous. Could not get her spelling list home.
Well, a friend is tutoring another girl in Math and I asked if she would also tutor DD.
DD is doing great - it is not MOM or DAD trying to help (mind you we are idiots).
DD is also starting to push herself. The mom that is tutoring my DD along with her own daughter...really pushes her girls. I don't know how she does it...but she is great. Her kids both excel. My DD is suddenly using nicer penmenship. She got 100% on her latest spelling test.

She had finally brought home the spelling list...we studied. I decided to use $$$$ as incentive. I know (and kind of agree) that don't like to pay for good grades....but my thought is also....this is my DD job...I want her to do well...so I will pay her if she does well. I gave her $5 for 100% on the spelling test...and she wanted this stuffed animal ....so I slipped in a couple extra bucks because she had such nice penmenship on it. I am hoping that this will keep urging her foreward.

Trust me....Any ideas are welcome.