GCSE '18s (19) - New Beginnings?

[whistl]

Following on from the GCSE 2018 threads as our DC enter year 12.
This the first thread in our new home in further education

Yes same here about flushing out the non committed- I think that's what the Oct exams are about. I think the intention is that it will weed out those that either didn't understand or didn't revise.....it's all seems so 'harsh' after 6 weeks.

But hey ho, her school seems to have very high expectations of them which is probably for the best - so long as they don't keel over with stress

Whistl yes she has a perfectly good desk in her room. We made that a priority when we set up both girls' rooms right from primary. But both of them have found their own alternatives with the sole objective of being constantly under my feet

Brainmelt so glad to hear DS is enjoying 6th form! DS is enjoying wearing his own clothes and doing the subjects he chose. Maths is hard but doable! Today he had 2 free lessons so could sit down and just work through his maths and he's going to chip away at the rest of the homework each evening.

Great to hear loose ! I'm sure Maths is a toughie. The other day DS was packing his bag for the first day, held the calculator he's had for five years in his hands, looked at it and said... Well, this is a goodbye!

DS's train was cancelled this morning so he was flapping. I dropped him at a different station on my way to work but it meant leaving the house 20 mins earlier, hair looking like a birds nest and tea not drunk. Sat in car park at work with hairbrush, travel cup (!!) and my book, which was quite relaxing.

He has 4h20 for each of his three subject every week, plus 1h5 enrichment activity plus 1h5 EPQ lesson plus a tutorial session.

They've been advised on about 5h per week per subject of independent study (inc homework). He has 10h of 'frees' per week so I think an hour a day at home will be ok to start with. He seems so confident and switched on about it all!! It's lovely

DS's train was cancelled this morning

Terf, that's what I am dreading for DS. Not so much one train cancelled but the whole company on strike.

So nice to see most dc seem to be excited and enjoying the start of sixth form. There will be blips I’m sure but hopefully we can help them through.

Good day for DS3. They all have to do some sort of 'sport' on Wednesday afternoons. DS is so unsporty! He put down the fitness suite as his choice because team sports are an absolute anathema. Unfortunately the fitness suite was oversubscribed and he got put into 'ultimate frisbee' instead! Apparently ultimate frisbee is 'a lot of fun!' Have we found his sport at last?

That's great. DD has a friend who did that at Uni initially just to try something different which would get her out and she loved it - played all through uni. Wish DS had something like that - tho he is down for gym and running this year which is an improvement on rugby (or in reality standing on the side of a rugby pitch for a term)

DH and I have spent all our lives playing and watching sport. How did we end up with three non sporty children. And they are into music and drama which we are useless at. I had been looking forward to watching matches but it wasn't to be. The concerts/plays have been an unexpected bonus though and very enjoyable instead.

DS2 had ultimate frisbee as his PE option in Y11. Many universities now have an ultimate frisbee club.

I can remember some sort of frisbee course at Essex uni when I visited in 1984. It does sound rather fun.

Anyone else's DC also doing the Young Enterprise Company Programme where they put a team together, set up a company and any profit goes to charity?
....Looks fun and very valuable but this is over and above all the rest of the work - almost hoping they won't be given the investment (sort of Dragons Den) given the zillion other things they are supposed to be doing!!!
Only just found out about this one because she is sitting next to me putting together a PowerPoint presentation

Brainmelt I'm with your DS on that!

DD has to help in younger classes as "enrichment" once a week. They get to choose their subjects so she is helping in RE as its her favourite subject. She's going bowling with some new friends on Saturday night. For my reclusive child this is progress!

I'm going back to School From Hell tomorrow for an invigilators meeting. Can't wait

DS has the option for YE but decided he was doing too many other things. DD2 did it in year 11 and it was good - she loved it. And I think it’s one of those things you can put as much or as little time in to as you choose. Though like most things it can be a bit group dependent on how much they enjoy it and how well it goes. Good experience though as they had to do things like marketing, business plan, finances and opening bank accounts etc

So glad she’s enjoying it Jufus - deserves it after surviving sfh

Thanks Oratory its such a breath of fresh air after SFH. Everything about new school is better. DD is so much more relaxed.

It's really interesting seeing how all our children are responding to their new environments, most of which they chose themselves - probably the first time most of them have had that level of responsibility of choice! Of course there's always the safety net of parents stepping in but I'm loving watching him navigate the new paths and rules alone and hearing him explain it all to me so I know he properly understands. It's like this is finally his time, after years of being the serious old-before-his-time nerd who no one really understood

That’s lovely Terf. I think DS is also enjoying taking responsibility for day to day stuff he s had a lot of help with before now.

Lovely to hear of DC being settled and enjoying sixth form. I just had a conversation with DD about dropping a 4th A level, she needs to know she has our permission to drop if it is too much for her, we want her to have a work life balance. I thought she would leap at dropping Eng Lit, as she wasn't enjoying it at all last week, but this week she is loving it! Her social life took off over the summer, I'm keen for her to have some down time, but also the drive to work hard. Her laptop died tonight so looks like an early Christmas present is in order!

It's not DD related, but I'm delighted to report that I've won 2 doubles matches so far this week. It's the first ttime I've been brave enough to play in a league.

Meanwhile DD has upgraded the calculator and bought an ever more ridiculously priced one for £65. For goodness sake! She says it does all sorts of things, so I suggested that it showed her how to empty the dishwasher and push the Hoover around ocassionally.

DH had to go to a conference in London today. He broke his journey on the way back so that he could give DD a lift home from the station, but considerately travelled in a different carriage to avoid cramping her style!

Bought DD one of those whizzy calculators last Christmas, it made it out of the packet for the first time yesterday.

She shared details of her maths lesson last night, it was a logic problem which she admitted she struggled with. On a positive note, she worked out how to do it when she got home. I’m worried that she seems to be struggling already. I know it’s early days, but if she has frees in the morning she is spending them in bed dozing. She goes to bed at 11pm or later. She will not listen to us suggesting that she could go to bed earlier. I was hoping college would mean she grew up a bit.

Twin I think shock at A levels is common. Often they seem to go backwards before regrouping and getting it and steadily improving grades.

There are some real "mathlete" DC on this thread who are likely to do a maths degree (good) who will be relishing the step up but lots of people don't at first.

My school hating DD is happy at college

We've had to make a packing checklist as her organisational issues have not disappeared (of course) but she is loving the content of her course and is happy .