Year 12 #1 - GCSEs are sooo last year!

[bpisok]

New thread to see us through to Christmas?

Thanks guys. We try our best to make the best of the situation and we had/have a lot of nice people in our life, who help us to settle down, help my children with school work and so on.

Sostenueto The charity work sounds fab. I think volunteering is always a great thing.

DS think he may got enough points for a gold certificate, but he's not sure.
He didn't get his results yet.

We have got DS2's SMC result.

He got 98, so he didn't get through to the first stage of the Olympiad, but he will get a gold certificate.

98 is a great score!

The school has offered to put him forward for BM01 as a discretionary entry, but I'm not sure. It might be better for him to sit the Kangaroo instead.

Wonders! That's great.

Wow has corrected itself to Wonders!

Well done thefirst! Fantastic result!

DS hasn't mentioned finding out the results yet and he was quite cross with himself after it, so I think I'll wait until he mentions it!

TheFirst do you know the award system for BMO1 and kangaroo? Is it still possible to get some sort of certificate for getting about 20%% in the Olympiad and a merit for being in the top 75% on the kangaroo?

If there isn't the lowish Olympiad certificate, then it would be better to get the kangaroo merit because the alternative is a certificate that just says "kangaroo or Olympiad" qualification.

IF DS got every answer he wrote down right, then he'll scrape into the Olympiad but I think he'd prefer kangaroo than end up with the either/or certificate. But the chances of 100% aren't high.

According to the website, if he takes part in the kangaroo, he might be eligible for a merit (top 25%) and otherwise would get a participation certificate. He had a brief look at last year's kangaroo questions, and said he thinks he's be able to do some of them.

If he enters BM01 as a discretionary candidate, he could potentially get a distinction (top 25%) but otherwise would get nothing, as he didn't qualify for that round on marks. He did score a merit last year in the IMO, but only just. He had a look at last year's BM01 questions and says he doesn't think he'd be able to do any of them.

Summary: he would prefer to enter the kangaroo.

Great score TheFirst. Well done to your DS.

Turns out DS did do it. No result yet but I don’t think he’ll be troubling the Olympiad or the Kangaroo

DS made the Olympiad last year but didn't get the merit (or whatever the first level was called). So, he got a certificate that noted he had qualified for either the Kangaroo or the Olympiad.

He was disappointed because he thought Olympiad qualification was better than the Kangaroo merits he'd had previously, but obviously UKMT don't agree. As a result, I think DS is hoping for the Kangaroo today as he will only have scraped BMO1 qualification, if he gets it at all.

Off-topic, but I just saw the JL/ Elton John Christmas advert. I am ashamed to say that it made me cry! I'm not even sure why.

I guess for me having an autistic son who has discovered music and the piano in a big way which has had such a positive effect on his self esteem and also dh having an ex student who was sponsored through music college by Sir Elton made me feel a little emotional.

It was something to do with giving them opportunities, watching some of them work out and then fly the next and go on to have a good life.

With you on the JL ad. It is such a beautiful song, but they have actually used it before with Ellie Holding when they JL first started to take off.

thefirst great score! I only know because of the conversation, I have no idea of what BMO1 is and to me a kangaroo is still a cute marsupial.

Sorry, Brainmelt, and everyone else whose DC is not doing maths. I know it is hardly fascinating stuff for most posters on this thread.
I'm only interested in it, because, until DS started in the sixth form, the UKMT tests were the only time he was being challenged.

Please whistl no, everything is interesting in this thread! Fortunately we don't need to serve the "common interest" here and instead feel free to share whatever concerns our children (sorry, young adults...)

whistl it made me cry too. Because the little boy at the end looked like DS1 who was obsessed with pianos from before he even turned two years old, and has been smitten with his piano ever since he first got one.

Well DS2 is on a roll now!
There's a team maths competition at school and the Y12 team member can't make it, so DS2 has been invited to step in as reserve. His year group has some strong mathematicians, so DS2 has never been asked before.

I don't actually know which competition it is. I don't think it's the UKMT senior team challenge (the local heat has finished and the regionals aren't until February). Is it Hans Woyda season?

What type of school does your Ds go to, TheFirst?

Last time I specified what type of school he attends, it ended up in a debate. And the time before.

So I'll just say that he attends a state school which has provision to meet his additional needs.

Had no idea about the maths either brainmelt (dd s managing bronze/silver certificates is the best we got too) but ageee it’s fascinating and adding to my education as is the music talk. I really enjoy it when the thread veers off onto something I know nothing about.

Off to watch the July advert now - the m&s one was decidedly dull and also a bit thoughtless

John Lewis not July (tho could do with a July advert now)

Dd is delighted with her bronze. She just texted me. She was one of only 5 to get a medal in her year (V large SFC but it was optional to all except FM students)

Well done to everyone