The applications have all been filled out. The essays on why each school should pick my son have been crafted and submitted. It’s the time of year when parents and students are keeping a close eye on the mailbox.

They’re on the lookout for those coveted thick acceptance envelopes and those dreaded thin rejection letters.

Sure, graduating high school seniors are out there looking for the mailman, too, but the families in my circle of friends are scanning for envelopes in their own familiar handwriting.

Hawaii public schools are sending out geographic exception responses for next year.

Like all other parenting experiences, there is a learning curve to this process. When my older son was kindergarten ready, we applied to two elementary schools, falsely confident that he’d get into both.

When the first letter came back and said he was No. 82 on the waitlist, I got nervous. Like so many other families with two working parents who commute from the suburbs, we were desperate to secure our child a spot in a school not too far from our workplace or from his grandparents’ homes, where he would be spending his afternoons.

I did not expect it would be so difficult to swap districts. Then I talked to friends and heard about families that had applied to a dozen schools or more. I felt foolish having put all my proverbial eggs in two baskets.

We got lucky that year and secured a desk for him at the other school.

Since then, I learned that applying for a geographic exception in Hawaii is not that different from applying for colleges. You have one or two top-tier choices, a few back-up schools and at least one safety pick.

Of course, the first letter to arrive came from his last-choice school.

And then comes debate. … Do we turn it down, or do we accept to have the assurance of a spot? We waited out the 10-day response deadline, but no other self-addressed stamped envelopes arrived. Reluctantly, we let that opportunity slip away.

Next comes the doubt. … When no other envelopes arrived for weeks, I started to worry and wonder if we could still go back and beg for a position. When you drive an hour across town each morning, having your kids in the same school district is not just a convenience, it’s essential.

Then a sigh of relief. … Another envelope thick with registration forms arrived as one of his first-choice schools came through. My son is registered in a strong academic school (my criteria) with a good baseball team (his deciding factor).

The G.E. dance is over for this year.

We’ve been through this process with our two boys a total of four times now, which means two more rounds to go.

And then it’s time for college applications.

“She Speaks” is a weekly column by the women writers of the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. Reach Donica Kaneshiro at dkaneshiro@staradvertiser.com.