Anyone with a year 7 starting today?

At our year 7 evening we were told the first friends are often "lifeboat friends" - ones they cling onto for dear life but don't actually end up with

minesawine :( I hope your ds is much happier on Monday and things come together for him.

DD started on Tuesday and has loved it. I was worried about her as she is dyspraxic so wondered how much she would lose and about friendships and teachers not giving her time to complete tasks etc. Well, the first day she managed to miss the bus home (bizzey, not as bad as what you faced but it is terrifying isn't it all this!), she didn't manage to get her bus pass most of the week as she couldn't find the office and has been late for 3 lessons due to not being able to find them. Bit concerned as although this week they are let off for that next week they will not be (they have been very sternly told they will get detention if late) but she takes longer than most dc to process and keep such information so may well keep getting lost a while.

The SN department have been great though and offered lots of support so I think she will be fine, apparently all her teachers have been given a concise list of ways they need to help her. I'm relieved.

We will see what comes of this week - I wonder how many of the first friends they make remain good friends? DD seems besotted with a group of 3 girls she has been 'hanging out with' all week. She went up with some of her primary class but no close friends so it's been new for her.

Hope all dcs get on well next week.

We Ds has had to cover his jotters. We He used old lining paper that had been lying about in the garage.

It must be over 30 years since I had to cover a jotter but it comes back to you. I made him watch so he can do it himself next year.

He's decorated them with appropriate pictures that reflect both the subject and his interests (eg the Tour de France logo on his French jotter) with the exception of RE where he felt he knew the teacher well enough to play a joke on her and got us to colour-copy the front and back of his RE jotter before it was covered then stuck the copies onto the lining paper so that it didn't look like it had been covered! She was indeed caught out!

My daughter's french teacher suggested they get a plastic folder to put their book in for protection. My daughter's maths book is already covered in grease stains - she didn't have time to eat all her crisps at breaktime so folded the top over and put them in her bag, hence a bag of loose crips and everything covered in grease.

As for homework, she's only had to do a colour collage and decorate her french book with things like the flag, map of country, Effel Tower, french words or whatever they can think of. Last year I know a lot of homework came out on the first Monday after starting, so we will see!

Minesawine, hope things improve next week. If it helps to know at all DD got sent home 'ill' after registration of the third trial day they did in the summer. She's had 3 days so far this term and after a dodgy day 2, things are a lot better and she came out (late as couldn't find the exit !) pretty happy yesterday and making new friends. I'd definitely have a word with the school.

. No sticky back plastic here requests so far but 4 lots of homework to be done this weekend. It all seems very serious as she's year 9 and there's GCSE options to be faced later this year. Still not totally sure I like the three tier system, very different to what I'm used to and am finding getting to grips with three schools over their school years a fair bit.

My DS come home with 'homework' to cover English and History book with sticky back plastic , well I sent him off to tidy his bedroom whilst I tackled the covering - can you imagine the carnage letting lose a 11year old with sticky back plastic ! - there was enough as there was

EdithWeston ...I agree the plastic stuff needs to come with a H&S warning....HAIR must be covered with a catering hair net !!!!!.....one of mine is stuck inside his History book !!!!

The sticky backed plastic homeworks are the very devil!

DS had his first rugby lesson yesterday and is now happily ambushing his father at odd places round the house, making for a lively morning here.

minesawine, if your son still has concerns on Monday, it might be worth dropping a note to the teacher and asking for any extra support they are able to give. My daughter's new school made it clear at new Y7 parents evening, that we are to contact the tutor in the first instance, but Head of Y7 and the Pastoral support staff were also on hand to help deal with any new school stresses. They said it's better to deal with problems early and get them settled in, so don't be afraid to get in touch, that's part of their job.

Oh minesawine. Your poor DS. Hopefully the break over the weekend will help. Have the school any suggestions? Are they trying to help him?

Bizzey - oh my god! Hopefully a lesson learned by your DS!

Mine had a good first day on Thursday. Came home high as a kite and talking non stop. Is buddy to a new boy but reckons the buddy system is rubbish as although the boy is in his house, he is not in his form group so he had to abandon him. He ended up looking after 3 new boys including one Italian boy who is in his house AND form so it would have made mo sense to have him buddy him.

His form teacher from last year is now a housemaster for year 7 although not the house DS is in. I bumped into him at pick up and he told me he is keeping an eye on him and he seems ok. Doesn't want a repeat of having to come to the house last year to take DS to school after 2 days school refusal!

The whole year group went camping last night so don't know how day two went. They were given a list of what they needed to take and warned not to bring any fancy wheeled bags or cases. I saw one poor boy arriving with a pull along suitcase. Not sure how he was going to manage that!

Another first for us this year will be Saturday school. Not applicable today because of the camping but from next week. We are both dreading it all although I am told we will get used to it! But I don't want to!

minesawine ..it has to get better ! ..as i said earlier my one forgot to get off the bus and it took him another 15/20 mins to realise something was "wrong"!!!....(and he has been placed in the top set !)

I think they are all going to have a LONG lie in tommow....and ME !
I suppose it is 10x worse than our first day at work/office/new job ...

My DS is normally quite confident and very bright. He find the school very big and confusing and is feeling too shy to make new friends. This is very out of character, but I know things will get better (they have to!!)

Minesasawine- I am so sorry your Ds is so distressed.Is there anything in particular bothering him or is he just generally feeling overwhelmed.

Another good day for DD (phew!).So that's 3 good and 1 bad.I'm feeling a bit happier now.We sent her to grammar school because we were concerned about the acadmics, but actually all that pales into insignificance next to the social side doesn't it!

minesawine....how awful for and your ds...how is he now ?? Did he say why he was upset ?

Oh, goodness minesawine.

Is this what he's like? Will he settle quite soon? What is it that is freaking him out?

My DS had an equally bad 2nd day at school today. The school called me to say he was crying and very upset. They asked whether I wanted to send him home and I said no he has to get on with it. I felt like the worse mum in the world but I know it would be worse if I let him come home.

I am worried about Monday, especially as he has his CAT's. The school have been great.

Catwoo : Can you access the school's pupil newsletter online so you can point out things that are happening in school over lunch and after school?

Better day yesterday.DD found a nicer group of girls to hang wit and they must have listened to my moan on MN because there were auditions at lunchtime for her house play, so she did that.

DS has lost his tie already and today forgot his PE kit. It was only because I'd looked at his timetable that I remembered he needed it so being a kind mother I dropped it off at reception for him....no idea if it will have got to him though!

Cross about the tie, hopefully he will get it back, I melted it a bit carefully ironed his name label on it too!

Rymans have got free next day delivery at the moment and have both sticky back plastic (1m, 5m or 25m rolls) and ready made exercise book covers (69p).

DIY shops have sticky back plastic too..

1st major catastrophy this morning ....ds didnt get off the bus to get his 2nd bus and ended up miles away from where he should have been !!!!

Lots of phone calls and I managed to get him on correct bus and told him to stay on till end where it terminates and I met him and drove him to school after having dropped his younger brothers at primary at 8.30 in the offfice !!!

Ds's school were fantastic though....I had rung them and told them he was going to be late.....and why and when I got there they just bolstered him up saying well done for getting back from where he was ....and stuff.....I did quietly whisper to them that he was a bit shaken up by the whole thing !!

And it wont be an official late ...they are allowed some teething props in the 1st week ....phew !!!secretary took him to his class....as he didn't know where it was !!!!

VAGA ....I think a bit harsh as well....surely a very "severe and serious " warning would have worked ....mine would have wet his pants

I got plastic stuff in smiths ....and you need more than you think...I bought 2 small rolls and need to buy more.

Interesting comments re homework.....ds doesn't have any "games" and thing in his bedroom and in yr6 didn't mind doing h/w up there. He has 2 younger brothers whos only h/w this week has been reading for 20 mins and so would be too distracting for him as they play on x-box or computer.

He gets easily distracted and forgets what he is suppose to be doing (hence the bus proberly!) We have gone through together what he has to do and when he is sure ,he just gets on and does it..but we do agree on a break time whether it is in minutes or ..when you get to Q 5 or 6 have a rest .

2 warnings is OK, imo.

It surprises me how many DC seem unable to actually shut up, as in not talk! At 11! I have a good friend who has a DS in Y5 now and I always inwardly cringe when she expostulates, at length about how the primary school just 'doesn't get' her DS as he is constantly in low grade trouble for 'low grade' talking, fidgeting, disrupting others to try and get a reaction from them, etc etc. She really sees it as a failing of the school to not try new and innovative ways to 'engage him' so he won't 'get bored' thus feel the need to act the fool.... I sense detentions lie ahead in secondary for him!

One of DD's classmates has had after school detention already. When the teacher says 'no talking' he means it! She had 2 warnings. Rest of class are suddenly much more focused!