2012年8月23日

HP給好康

上回在HP網站有一台原價$699的桌上型電腦賣$120, 還可以完全客製化加東加西的, 我剛好家裡有一台先生從公司拿回來被公司淘汰的電腦一直重灌失敗, (原本是Win XP Professional, 家裡只有舊的XP Home), 就下單試試是不是真的買的到, 因為討論版上都說雖有確認訂單,但是不具信心.

我倒是滿懷期待, 因為我從來沒買過桌上型電腦, 很幸運一直有汰換下來的可以用, 加上我先生向來喜歡自己從硬軟體全部自己組裝, 現在我用的就是他自己裝的, 跟我兒子年紀差不多大, 還是很棒, 我可是非常小心不亂下載的.  如果新電腦之真的$120, 那比買motherboard還划算.

接了確認訂單後一週, 訂單還是被取消了, 原來應該是線上即時省$120, 而不是訂價$120.  但是HP給了$200禮券, 買什麼都行.  那最便宜的桌上型是$370,. 減掉$200是$170, 也不錯啦.  新的電腦很輕, 外子說power supply是外接不是內建, 就是說電源像是筆記本電腦電源一樣.

新電腦想要拿來做video editing用, 以前的家庭錄影DV帶轉成DVD後, DVD也有保存的問題.所以要好好研究一下.


2012年8月21日

School May Not Enroll Redshirting or Holding Back Kindergarteners

I  let my fall birthday child wait a year to go to kindergarten (cutoff day Nov 1 this year), what I didn't expect was when it was time to enroll her to kindergarten, our school district would not allow her to go to kindergarten, but put her in first grade instead, based on her age.  "You can talk to the principle", the staff at district enrollment center said.

So I did talk to the principle.  Our principle said she could not do so upon parent's request, but she could let my child take the kindergarten assessment test 1 week before school started. 

Here's what kindergarten assessment showed-- My girl recognized all upper and lower case alphabets, numbers 1-20, sounds of letters, simple sight words and colors, which she learned all that in pre-K.
"She did really well, now we have to give her the kindergarten exit assessment."

The kinder assessment tested more on reading and comprehension, which my daughter did well, (credit to Leapfrog Tag system),but she could not write a simple paragraph consists of 3 sentences, which was part of kindergarten curriculum at our school.  
I am not surprised, I knew she didn't do much writing in pre-K.
 
"I am sorry, your daughter has to go to first grade."
"Many first graders never attend kindergarten, and her teacher will work with her on her writing."  

I got this answer 5 days before school began. My choice is to send her to first grade or a private kindergarten. 

When I was looking up the information on line, it seemed that Chicago public school would not allow redshirting the kindergartners.  My advice to parents who are considering delaying kindergarten enrollment: check with your school district first.  Although there is a minimal age requirement to enroll, but your child might be "too old to go to kindergarten." 
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Here's more info from California Department of Education
Do parents have the right to hold back their child in kindergarten even if the child has met the school's criteria, and does the school have to agree?
Under EC sections 48010 and 48011, a child who has been admitted to kindergarten in a private or public school in California or any other state and who has completed one year in that school shall be admitted to the first grade of an elementary school unless the parent or guardian and the school agree that the child should continue in kindergarten (for not more than an additional school year).