Thread 25 - Covid Cohort - Christmas Trees, No Omicron Please!

Well done for Winchester, Exquisitely. Lovely place to study.

A friend of mine’s daughter, who has ADHD and ASD had an offer from De Montfort of 112 points, which has been reduced to 48 points.
She also got an offer from Birmingham City Uni of 112, plus £1000 if she attains or betters those grades, because of her SEN.

DD’s uni coordinator mentioned to her that she would probably get reduced offers because of her ADHD, but I was doubtful, until my friend told me about her DD’s. I can’t see anything on any of her uni choices websites about the possibility, so it will be interesting to see what happens.

@singingstones you have set me off coughing again laughing at your slippers and bone china post. I buy my own slippers and bone china teacups .

I've asked for a set of silver stacking rings, a thermal mug (my old one made everything taste of plastic) and I have a wishlist of books on Amazon.

The posthumous John le Carre, latest Deborah Levy, I sent several links for earrings. There’s a current style with big coloured stones that I really like. And a lay flat makeup bag.

What is everyone wanting for Christmas? DH is pestering me for ideas but I'm struggling to think of anything. So far I have come up with new slippers and a bone China teacup and saucer but now I feel about 80.

@EquisitelyDecorated Congratulations on the offer!

I've promised DS I won't ask him to check emails until school goes back. He's not one for sharing logins.

We've had a nice day after a late start. Dragged DS shopping for him to buy for his grandparents and dad but it was ok at the retail park and we only had to queue one person in the supermarket. Then we decorated the tree. Starting to feel a little Christmassy but work this week is going to be chaotic. Roll on Christmas Eve.

So now that DS's form has finally gone - how does track work? There is a hub on UCAS where I can view his application and see how many have replied, is that track or is track something different?

It's 104 points, which is equivalent to BCC, which is equivalent to his predicted A level / BTECs. And yes, it is one of his favourites.

Great news on the Winchester offer ED
Love crazy DD's take on online school cramping her style
DS fell apart really during the last lockdown, so I am really hoping they can be in school even just a bit. It was a worrying time. Not wishing ill on other years because they all need school for different reasons but if Y13 and Y11 could have at least some face to face that would be very helpful.

Ooh well done on the offer @ExquisitelyDecorated! Is that one of his favourites?

I was just asking dd how she feels about the possibility of online school. She said she’d rather not as there’s some people that she wouldn’t talk to much online and it would ruin the equilibrium she’s just reached in her friendship group. Typical of dd, everything is about friends/socialising, not the education bit! She’d be fine if exams were cancelled though.

I’ve been feeling they’ll definitely be cancelled for a while now. I kind of hope not - especially for ds who still needs time to improve. But what will be will be.

We’d love schools starting at 10 in our house. We have to leave the house at 7.25 and it’s awful in Dec/Jan/Feb. That was the one good thing about last year’s lockdown!

Great news Singingstones. @ExquisitelyDecorated are you willing to share the details?

I have the logins too, I set this email up for DS when he first had a phone and needed an address to manage his giffgaff account so I put the email on my phone. I have also got the UCAS one as he needed help with getting all his qualifications in (BTECs are complicated) and needed to do it mid-week when he was away in boarding.

And he got an email from track today and his first offer came in on Friday, from Winchester. He is feeling quietly chuffed.

I got lucky really - his tutor texted me asking for his login (she has fiddled about with his PS ) and giving it to me to pass on was slightly less bad than texting her with it himself.
I'm glad I can be across any developments without needing to keep asking the poor child to check his emails, especially as there probably won't be any news until January now.

There's no way either of my older 2 ds's would let me have log in details for anything.

I have his UCAS login, Also
Good for both of us tbf, as every time I was asking him to check if it had gone off yet, he would sigh and tell me to calm down. CALM DOWN?? Honestly.
Anyway this way I can check for updates to my heart's content and he can concentrate on Xbox revising for A levels.

Dd feels the same, time in school stolen from her. Does anyone have any theories about what will happen? I’m inclined to think the government, exam boards, universities etc will be desperate for exams to go ahead regardless because of the dc not ever having sat external exams.

@cariadambyth yes, DS will be devastated if he can't go back to school at the start of term, as he was for both previous closures, he loves his school and feels his time there is being stolen from him. DD (y11) less so but has her mocks due the second week back and won't want to do them online.

Yay to the UCAS submission, singing!
Now onto nagging your DS to check his emails every 5 minutes…

Our school does one set of mocks, immediately after Christmas. With all the current news and uncertainty, it’s hard to keep DD and DS motivated to revise for mocks, when the worry is that they will be back to on-line learning.
I’m currently sat with DS, trying to push him through GCSE physics revision…and failing miserably - he just can’t seem to feel any sense of the reality of impending assessments.

You’re absolutely right, the uncertainty is really tough. Dd would much rather be in school and do exams. She keeps saying ‘You’re a teacher, what do you think will happen?’, my answer is that part time year 1 teachers are not renowned for their inside info about year 13. It’s so hard for them all.

Yep stressy about not doing exams here too. Part of the problem is the not knowing.

Yes cariad, mine are both fretting about it. Both would much much prefer to be in school and to have proper exams. I am not holding out much hope though.

Good to hear of the flurry of ucas submissions.
Is anyone else’s dc panicking about whether they’ll be learning from home after Christmas and whether they’ll be sitting exams in the summer? Dd is getting herself really worked up about it and it’s hard to watch as I have nothing constructive to say because nobody knows. School made them all empty their lockers on Friday ‘just in case’.

Just catching up, glad to hear your DH will be on his way home soon Also.

Our own little Christmas miracle is that DS's UCAS form has finally been submitted

Now I can start worrying about offers, then exams/CAGs, and then final grades. Good to be moving through the stages of Y13 worries though.

Plus Covid of course, we are supposed to be seeing family including two 80+ yr olds and a new baby between Christmas and new year. I'm not holding my breath.

Oh great news @HibiscusIsland