For school staff

[OpheliasCrayon]

I just wanted to write a quick note to everyone - it's been discussed widely over the half term and I wanted to wish everyone well since we're all going back tomorrow.

I'm sure that this is going to be a hard half term for us all, and I'm sure that however we are all having a load of mixed feelings about going back to school in yet another national lockdown...

I want to say good luck everyone and I hope for as many good times as we can get between now and Christmas.

Don't forget be kind to yourselves, plenty of tea and cake and whatever self care things are important to each of you!

Teaching threads always do become a bit of a bun fight on here, but at the root of it all, we are all just doing what we do best which is teaching and caring for the children we have in our classes.

I am ECV but I've chosen not to shield and I'm happy with my choice and I feel ok in school, but I do have multiple chronic illnesses (which cause me enough stress at work when without a pandemic!!), so even though I'm not overly worried I do genuinely feel for and understand those of you who are. I think we all know it's extremely difficult in a school setting and so, please look after yourself If you are vulnerable - don't be afraid to speak up to SMT if you think something is wrong. Maybe nothing will / can be changed but I think we should all remember that we do have a right to say if things don't feel right for us.

to everyone!!!!

[OpheliasCrayon]

@stayingaliveisawayoflife

I'm primary but have always hated glitter. I do do sequins instead! It feels very strange going back to the unknown. We will still have windows open and just wrap up as warm as possible. I did buy some new thermals for this year.

We also have zoom parents evenings coming up which I am dreading as I am
not convinced the tech will stand up to all of us doing it at the same time!

Sequins... Interesting choice. Do you use them like glitter or do the chn stick them down one by one to make a pattern?

[middleager]

Good luck everybody.

I wish this Government had funded schools, had prepared, developed a strategy, had provided protection, equipment, resources, people, buildings. Even now, nothing.

[starrynight19]

Yes good luck to all school staff as that is literally all we have right now

[caringcarer]

I posted this on another thread but not all teachers saw it. Morrisons are offering all teachers 10 percent off shopping in store from early November until Xmas. Just take school photo ID to chechout. Just a shout out in case teachers were unaware. Thanks for continuing to do your job in horrific circumstances.

[Flagsfiend]

I'm secondary so no glitter, and anyway we are currently experiencing a great glue shortage so couldn't stick it down anyway hopefully the glue shortage will be solved quicker than the pandemic...

Thanks for the good wishes all. Not looking forward to finding out our positives count tomorrow although lack of half term phone call makes me hopeful that none of my students have tested positive over half term.

[Kitcat122]

Glitter all the way got me 😂😂. Good luck everyone and stay safe xxx

[WhoWants2Know]

I would like to conduct an experiment in which I cover a random child from head to toe in glitter before sending them off to school, and see how many people have glitter on them by the end of the day.

Schools are safe, so no one else will have sparkles, will they?

[mrshoho]

Good luck everyone. Hope we all stay well and sane! Thanks for this thread

[UncomfortableSilence]

Good luck all! I'm non teaching, I do the Finance in a large secondary so will spend the next 7 weeks trying to work out how the fuck we pay for all the arrangements we have put in place to keep our school community safe, but I love my job, my colleagues and the kids and am looking forward to doing my bit, I'm more worried about DD1 who is Y11 and coming to the end of SI as she was a close contact, I've never seen her so stressed

[lockedownloretta]

I am actually so glad that we are not closing. Getting up and going to work everyday and spending the day with such gorgeous, funny kids keeps me sane!
I work in y3 and the children are a brilliant antidote to all the doom and gloom.
I love glitter by the way.
Very lucky to be part of a lovely, friendly team.

Just remember
All shall be well, and all shall be well, and all manner of thing shall be well. '

[Lavenderseas]

Thank you 😊 what a lovely thread.

[WitchesBritchesPumpkinPants]

Maybe the glitter can be used as a guide to how well the classrooms are getting cleaned?

Y11's definitely need glitter. We ALL need glitter

[MrsHamlet]

I really don't need glitter. I'm still recovering from finding glitter on the floor in my classroom last term. When I find out who was responsible, I'm going to make them do all my marking for the rest of the year.
Stickers, I can get behind.

[lockedownloretta]

my y13 REALLY needs glitter

[Chosennone]

Please keep your windows open! No matter what! I have invested in lots of layers so I can take on and off. The kids should be able to layer up or wear coats. Our Head is very insistent on this and added it to the Hands, Face, Space slogan in school.
Also I really query the necessity for ' 'Learning Walks' in the current climate. I'm,, d actually speak to my union about it. The nuts and bolts if teaching kids, assessing who needs catch up, safeguarding and pastoral care should be the priorities at the moment.
Good luck, look after each other and yourselves. Don't be afraid to dial things down and whatever you do keep 2 m away from as many contacts as you can.

[Sunflowers246]

Good luck and thank you!

[lockedownloretta]

we have to have windows and doors open all the time. The side effect of this is the amount of noise!
Noise from the playground, noise from every other class, the corridors etc

[stayingaliveisawayoflife]

Ok here is my confession. I have small sequins which can be used to sprinkle, I have large sequins with different themes e.g snowflakes for winter, hearts for Mother's Day etc. Then I also have sticky gems which can also be used for different purposes and are very sought after by the children. I also have sparkly sticky tape.

Oh and there is never a glue shortage in my classroom as I have a secret stash in my cupboard that I buy at the beginning of every year!

[GrumblyMumblyisnotJumbly]

Grateful parent here. Thank you teachers and school staff for all that you do

Hope it’s ok to say on this positive thread that I think the Government are saying schools are ‘open’ in the full knowledge that many many bubbles are already burst and will continue to. One of my dc at primary school has to self isolate this week (tier1)and I know lots of others at other schools also isolating. Will be interesting to see what % of children do end up homeschooling at least some of this term. I do hope for everyone involved that spread is minimal, as contacts out of school will be minimal hopefully it will help reduce cases. Wishing you all well.

[lockedownloretta]

stayingalive-i;ve just been on the baker ross website putting sequins in my basket-ready for christmas. But then i remembered that the children are not allowed to take things home from school so will wait and see what pans out.

[Matildatoldsuchdreadfullies]

Our school banned glitter, but then u-turned, and said we could use up old glitter. Every time I open another cupboard I find another stash of the stuff. We’ll still sparkle in 2050

[stayingaliveisawayoflife]

@lockedownloretta we are allowed to send stuff home because only the child has touched it. We are not allowed things in from different homes.

[Flagsfiend]

@stayalive the glue shortage problem is due to bubbles. I don't have a classroom due to covid and I'm not allowed to move resources between year groups. The resources in the rooms keep disappearing and now it has run out

[lockedownloretta]

we just have a blanket nothing comes in, nothing goes home policy

[Ignoringequally]

@lockedownloretta

we just have a blanket nothing comes in, nothing goes home policy

Wish we had this, instead of the numerous pieces of ‘art’ mine come home with every day