GCSE Summer 2020 - Thread 11 Carry on Corona Cohort - Starting New Terms and Settings

@AnneOfCleavage sorry to hear about friendship drama.
In Yr 11 my dd BFF since age 2 dumped her (and their group) for a popular crowd. It was heartbreaking to see my dd so upset.

So proud of how my dd has now dealt with it. Moved on to a new 6th form and made new friends.
BFF now wants to be involved again DD keeping her at arms length.

We had similar last year. DD not invited to get togethers and then told 'not everyone can get invited to everything', but time and again it was DD who wasn't invited. She always included everyone in the friendship group when she had people over, even the ones she wasn't particularly close to.

Luckily word spread at how she was being treated and a couple of other girls approached her to ask her to hang out with them this year instead. Also luckily her 'best friend' (ahem) went to a different school so the dynamic has suddenly changed. DD has been surprised, as she hadn't realised who the instigator of it all was until her 'BF' had left.

It's so shit, I hope things get better for your DD @AnneOfCleavage

AnneofCleavage, why are some girls SO unkind? Your poor DD - bff sounds toxic (jealousy?). At least some of the others can see what she’s doing.
DD has a similar situation with her old school friendship group last week. One of the girls hosted a pizza night at her house and used the school move as an excuse not to invite DD. So petty.

Esther can see why it came as the positive came as a surprise,

Pasanda that is hard going dealing with that. It is hard for the new university starters and the 6th form sounds shambolic which makes a difficult time even harder.

Anne that really sucks, am so sorry 💐

@AnneOfCleavage Sorry to hear about the friendship issue - that girl sounds very toxic. Hopefully your DD can drift quietly into a new friendship group.

@pasanda that sounds like chaos!

Anne - I so hate girl friendship dramas. You would think by 6th form it would be better. I have dt's in yr8 and it's hell! I hope it gets sorted soon.

Organisation still shit at dd's new 6th form college. No mention of maths gcse timetable, no acknowledgement of dyslexic stuff and 30 turned up to her sociology class today. There are 40 doing the class and it should be 20 one week, 20 the next due to online learning/Covid. She was told that 10 will be moved to next weeks lesson. I am NOT going to be taking dd to the station (10 min drive), paying £9 for a return ticket and then picking her up again for 3 single sociology lessons in her supposed online week, purely because they've cocked up. Furthermore, the teacher said she would email them by 5pm tonight to let them know who it would affect along with some work to be done by tomorrow because 'some of you have borderline results so will be under review over the next few weeks' . ie dd.
Is there an email....no. So dd now stressed (again) she's missed an email and that she won't be with the one friend she's made. She knew no one moving to this college.

Oh and ds19 is off to uni on Sunday and really not excited AT ALL about the prospect of online freshers week and the rest...
Not a happy household atm.

Lovely to hear your DD is enjoying her new school Piccolo Love the social caterpillar turning into social butterfly.

So sorry about your DS Esther and Fools having to isolate with possible symptoms. This time last year we'd be shrugging off snotty colds and mild sore throats but now we're on high alert.

On another level Covid is being shitty to DD by some classmates using the "only 6 allowed to socialise" rule to leave out DD and another friend. Her supposed best friend has invited out 5 of them to a noodle bar (DD fave food) but not invited her. A lad who was invited was horrified DD was not invited knowing she is supposedly the bff and told her to take his place which DD declined but so appreciated. This also happened in the summer hols. We have been thinking for a while this girl is toxic and DD is finally realising it too. So hurtful. She missed her birthday get together as the bff booked a meal on a day she knows DD has an after school volunteering commitment. She now has two new hanger ons now who lap up every word so DD is steering towards others but it's such a small 6th form that normally all hang out as one class at lunch and breaks.

So sorry to hear of the positive test @estherfrewen and of your DS’s struggles @FoolsAssassin.

The whole situation (re the inevitable colds and coughs and testing) just feels like a ticking time bomb. I too would be so much happier if we were in a situation where we could quickly test and get results back. So many snotty colds and sore throats at this time of year and you feel like whatever you do is wrong!

and to all the strugglers.

On a happier note @Alsoplayspiccolo lovely to hear that your DD is so settled. Sounds like the move was a good one!

@FoolsAssassin - no quite a low area but lots of elderly. Fairly rural. Hope your family feel better soon and the tests are negative.

Thanks. I doubt we’ve got it, just the school bug doing the rounds. Test coming and would be very surprised if positive. I think being under the weather has made settling harder for DS and think good chance we will see an improvement when he goes back.

Are you in an area where the numbers are higher Estherfrewen? Good things are clicking into place as they are supposed to.

Am not going to comment on the testing as trying to be nice and chilled.

Swimming all over it now so that is good. Track and trace rang today. DS working upstairs so hopefully on the mend

Agree totally Piggy. with the virus on the rise, this would be a good time to plan and execute a nationwide random testing analysis (and then again in x weeks) across schools. Even it were only 100 or whatever the number in each school across different age groups, collate and analyse, then at least there would be less guessing by HM Gov and more fact based in assurance across this community, especially if they are the inadvertent spreaders.

I know I maybe being simplistic but the bragging of future testing capacity is just nonsense, when there is an opportunity to gather and use data effectively, given that students have been off for last 6 months so the community mix was different in high viral period. Strategy is such a failing right now.

YR9 DD had a sore throat and streaming nose last week but no temperature/cough/loss of taste/smell so no test. I kept her off school for 2 days regardless since I wouldn't thank any sneezing child going in. There's lots of colds and sniffles going round and it's obviously concerning because testing criteria/capacity is missing so many cases. Just waiting for the inevitable.... we've just received through the post the invitation to participate in the ONS study for the next 12 mths which we're going to do.

Fools sorry to hear of boarding ds, now you with possible Covid?

And Esther your Ds positive test.

If HM Gov sorted out testing we would all be so much more at ease : if in doubt , test, should be the mantra! Everyone would feel so much safer...

The fact that our anecdotal thread of winter related symptoms show how varied the virus (or not) presents in younger people. When DH had virus in April, DD had 3 days of headaches. Have no idea if this was CV or not, so you are not alone Seeline in doubt.

Without ability to test and turnaround results quickly containment is impossible.

That surprises me too @estherfrewen, my DD has been swimming again for about 6 weeks now and we haven't had a case yet (low incidence area) but I would expect a rapid response. We are keeping ours in squad bubbles. I'm a poolside chaperone, we are stepping up the enforcement of social distancing now.

Oh dear - DD has gone back to school today after 3 days of headache and sore throat. No other symptoms so just thought it was a start-of-term bug. None of 'the' symptoms so didn't get tested. Hope it was just a bug.... As far as I know there have been no positives at her school, and she hasn't really met with anyone else.

Oh gosh @estherfrewen sorry to hear about the positive test. I know a young man who had a test when he came back from holiday as it was required. He had a mild sore throat that he put down to drinking too much...test came back positive. He says he didn't feel sick enough to be off with it at any time it was so mild. Hope your DS has it mildly as well.

@EasilyDeleted - yes he has been back to swimming on a much reduced programme. Swum Saturday morning. We told club straightaway yesterday - was the first job - but no email has come out about it which is a bit concerning. I’ve emailed the parents I’m in touch with but am surprised club hasn’t issued something.

Hope you are OK fools. Take care of yourselves all who are a bit under the weather. My friend who was asymptomatic does now feel quite unwell.

Sorry to hear that Estherfrewen and hopes he makes a speedy recovery.

We’re now in isolation as I have significantly reduced smell and taste I realised last night. DS has been having live streamed lessons and going ok so far.

Positive test in Year 9 at DD’s school. The whole year were at home today while they identified the girl’s close contacts and deep cleaned their area. Close contacts are now isolating for 14 days, while the others are back in. Teachers will be live streaming lessons to the class in front of them and the girls at home. Not easy!

I guess it's entirely possible to have a cold and Covid at the same time. I hope the rest of you don't get it Esther and the self isolation is manageable. Your DS swims doesn't he? Had his club started back up?

@estherfrewen: oh no :-( Is your ds OK to keep on top of work and well enough to manage? Are you guys home working anyway?

Dd (Y10) has cold symptoms at the moment and I keep wondering if we ought to get her tested: resisting so far as the snot says no covid!