Just waved my Sixth Former off to school!

DD1 started at new sixth form last week. We had some worries about changing from her otherwise excellent school but the earlier starts and fuller days and newness seem to have made her grow up suddenly and she is now much more independent.

I don't know if that is then a or a for me though but she is definitely pleased with moving on.

We had great success using saltwater soaks and manuka honey on three infected ingrowing toenails. In fact, the latest was mine, just a month back, on holiday. We didn't actually need ABs for any of them, though in one case the doctor gave us a prescription just in case. The manuka just 'eats' the infection, it seems.

Relieved it's not just my son! I suppose it's not surprising, really.

DS was foul last night so obviously shattered as well I think the double maths and double further maths lessons were to blame. He said that everyone just lies around the common room in free periods looking tired!

DD1 was shattered this morning, however that's not surprising since she didn't get home till 11pm last night - the school chamber choir were singing evensong at a cathedral some 2 hours distant from the school (and the school is an hour away from us). They got back to school at 10pm. Poor thing!

The volume of work she has had from school so far doesn't seem to be phasing her though - but I think they are 'easing them in'. Or maybe she was just right in the subjects she picked - we were all 'loads of work!' and she was all 'not really! This is what I'm good at, it doesn't feel like work!'. We shall see.

My son is still very tired. I think it's a result of the long, long break between the end of GCSEs and the start of this term and having to get used to the long school days again (out of the house at 7.30am and often not home until 6-7pm in the evenings). He had these silly sleep habits over the holidays, involving getting up at lunchtime and staying up until the early hours. We did warn him that it would be hard to readjust and he should start getting used to normal hours again, but he knew better. He is very tetchy and not his usual self at all.

I wish I could stop him watching videos on his laptop in between studying at nights. I know he needs a break from time to time but I think he is just constantly distracting himself.

But he now says he wants to stick with his original AS level choices, so that is something.

no we are in Hertfordshire but it was very similar to the Devon charity.

web Are you in Devon?

oh dear cory that was unlucky hope your DD is ok now.

Apparently DS spent most of friday morning in a road safety conference for new drivers with sixth formers from other local schools. He decided to tell me about it this afternoon and it was so full on that some people left the hall in tears.

It was something similar to the advice here www.learn-2-live.org.uk/ I was a bit about not knowing anything about it beforehand but DS seemed to take on board the messages.

DS is loving it so far. I never imagined he'd get this far when he was first diagnosed as having AS, I'm very proud of him.

Oh no, cory. Glad it's not worse, though.

Oh dear, we've already had our first day off here: dd fell through a trap door during the evening performance of her show and injured her knee; had to spend Friday getting hold of a doctor. Thankfully nothing worse than a sprain; she is bandaged up and rearing to go again on Monday. She won't have missed any teaching as they had a two day induction; she'll just be the one who doesn't know where anything is or how anything works. Thankfully, she knows some of the people in her class already and has been texting them.

dd2 started weds. did not enjoy it
but by the weekend she is enjoying, apart from history which is boring

she should consider changing now is that right?
she did consider philosophy but at the college in town the teacher was quite convincing but at her chosen sixth form, teacher less cool, as was subject.
which put her off.

That's impressive, roisin; he sounds really ambitious and focused!

That is reassuring, Ohtowin.

ds1 started on Wed: he's tired, but he's always tired at the start of terms whilst he adjusts back into routine.

He's got loads of homework, but seems to be making good use of the few frees he has to get some done. He's doing 5 subjects initially, so he needs to be organised and busy!

DD1 started 6th Form on Tuesday, lessons and homework started on Wednesday. Getting the correct, business smart with a jacket/blazer clothes this summer has been a bit of a trauma, but she has a good start now and will keep adding more.

DN started school YR this week, he looks so small and cute, remember DD at that stage is it really 12 years ago?

Horsemad DS tells me off every time I refer to his 6th form as "school" he calls it "college" even though it is at the same school he was at before, where he had some of his lessons in the 6th form block and he now has some of his lessons in the main school building. They are a 5 minute walk away from each other though.
DS is also enjoying the freedom of going in to very small 'town' to buy lunch. Apparently as part of their induction the Yr 13s told them that the Burger Van in on the town carpark on a Thursday as it is market day, and the Chinese Take-away opens at lunchtime on a Friday and does a good Chow-Mein. Have told him I'll give him £3 a day for lunch - any more than that and he pays put of his own money.

Abra1d I think swapping is quite common in the 1st couple of weeks. Think they have up til 20th to change at DSs school. One of his friends has already swapped History for Physics, and DS has changed Maths groups after discovering his group had to do Statistics whilst the other group were doing mechanics (his preferred option).

No uniform guidelines here. DS just wearing jeans/chinos but am finding my washing load increased already from school uniform days

I think he chose it, Philosophy, not really understanding what it might be like. They do not do it at GCSE, so no real way of telling. There are two teachers, though, and he hasn't yet had a lesson with the second. Perhaps his teaching style will reignite enthusiasm. Otherwise, as you say, best to change sooner rather than later.

cory

Well done to your dd, she sounds determined, good luck to her.

Abra1d If he's absolutely certain he wants to swap, then it has to be better to do it sooner, rather than later. But he can't have had many lessons yet. Why did he choose this particular subject in the 1st place and not the other?
DS started in the sixth form on Wednesday. DD is just one year above him, so she thinks it's very funny seeing him in sixth form uniform and being allowed in the same common room!