Thread 27 Covid Cohort Snow or Like Spring? Let's Do This Thing!

[OrangeCinnamonCocktail]

This is a thread for supporting all young people post GCSEs 2020, regardless of their educational setting. It is respectfully requested that all are supportive and helpful to each other. If you want to start a debate, e.g state vs private, please don't within this thread. Please also be sensitive when responding to threads about grades.

Some of us have been here since first thread back in yr10, some will be new. Everyone has been friendly and helpful in the past. Everyone is welcome. It is hoped this will continue.

Our DS/DD may go down various paths (such as employment, apprenticeships, higher ed) We have decided for anyone interested they will most likely find us within the Further Ed board.

previous thread found here

Thanks @OrangeCinnamonCocktail for new thread and @singingstones for the lovely list update!

Good news here as my DS1 (at b’ham) has just found out he has got his first choice uni for his year abroad next year. He’s off to California! He was so delighted and excited when he phoned to tell me… I honestly haven’t heard him so animated since pre-covid. I’m so pleased for him.

Good for him Delphigirl, my brother and his family are dotted all across the state, loads for young people to do!

Woohoo @Delphigirl 🏄! It has been lovely watching my Y2 university student unfurl and discover what university life is supposed to be like when not dominated by Covid, great to hear yours is excited and engaged too.

That’s exactly it @Monkey2001 - he is really unfurling after the tension and frustration of the last few years! So glad your Yr 2 is too.
@ealingwestmum - where is your brother? DS is going to one of the claremont colleges, so just outside LA. Frankly I am jealous at the thought of the weather and lifestyle he will be experiencing…!

Niece is in Newport Beach, bro in Palm Springs, DD has friends at Pomona and UCLA from swimming. They are having a ball!

Ooh excellent to know! He will be at pitzer 👍

Oh, California! Sunshine!

I know piggy. The temptation to take a sabbatical and rent a beach house at Malibu for the year would be overwhelming if it weren’t also impossible 😁

So sorry to hear your news @Piggywaspushed I hope your ds is ok too.

@Delphigirl California sounds amazing!

Ooh @Delphigirl great news , has you DS made his decision about Dalhousie yet? I saw it was one of the partner Unis for Southampton and wondered if it was because of the Oceanography link?

I have some lovely little news from Dd. She emailed her former GCSE Music teacher the other day for a reference and told her what she was up too /where she was applying. She has now been invited to the school trust 'get into teaching' day and then to spend an afternoon shadowing in the Music dept ! It is particularly nice as when covid hit she lost her link a bit with the school..everyone goes off to college here. She didn't go back to the school until results day. Was particularly embedded in the Music dept as singer with the house band.

She is maturing before my eyes ...when telling the story to DH she used the phrase 'Miss Xxxx reached out to me' ...

Congrats @Delphigirl - California sounds amazing.

@OrangeCinnamonCocktail - Aw - that's lovely.

Revision question if nobody minds - do your schools advise on how much exam revision to do? DD gets none, and it's frustrating her. She's asked, but they never give a straight answer just a 'do what you think it right'. Which is as helpful as a chocolate teapot!

Wow Delphi that sounds amazing.

Orange how lovely for your DD.

Wheresthebeach think our school is the same - to do what you think. Not helpful at all. DD has always needed guidance for that sort of thing and in lower school when preparing for GCSEs some teachers put on study sessions 1/2 hr before school started and DD used to attend them all. She was often the only one there so they prob thought it wasn't worth it.

Thank you for the new thread Orange and the updated list Singing.

So sorry to hear about the loss of DS's fellow student Piggy. Such a terrible tragedy.

Orange - that's lovely about DD's old school. I left school for college to do my A levels too, schools here did still have 6th forms then, not like now, but had no further contact with any of the school staff apart from through my mum whose job meant she went into the school at times. Teachers were so much more distant then, I would never have dreamed of writing to one of them or whatever but it's easier to keep in touch now with email. That reminds me, DS had a teacher at primary school who did more to change the trajectory of his life (in a good way) than anyone, I must contact her again this summer, I bump into her occasionally and she likes to hear updates. Might get DS to do it directly thinking about it.

@Wheresthebeach maybe the problem is that the right answer will vary. At parents evening the PE teachers said DS should be doing practice longer questions and they would mark them - but because linear exams only started in 2018/2019 there are very few past papers around. Maths have linked a load of resources and I suppose a diligent student would look at what was available and plan to go as much as possible. There will be people on YouTube who talk about how they revised to achieve their grades - some were mentioned in one of the last 2 threads.

Apparently at DDs revision session earlier this week the teacher asked how much work they thought they should be doing over Easter and one of the kids suggested 5-6 hours a day and the teacher said that sounded about right!

DD is trying to start revision for mocks after half term, but is still getting so much homework it's nearly impossible. She's losing half a day today due to prefect duties for 11+ entrance interviews. She's not happy.

Still on a plus point for her - she's going to her first party tonight! She's a friendly girl, with friends who she will go out with during the day, but somehow never gets invited to parties, so am really pleased for her.

Exam timetable has just appeared, not too bad at all. Am sure it will have been said on here, Exam board contingency day is 29th June apparently.

Ds is at a party tonight too. Dh is away, I thought I'd have to do the midnight collection of the group from a community centre 12 miles away, I've never been there before so was worried about finding it. So I said I'd do drop off and collection so I can find where it is. But another mum is collecting now. Phew. That's his second party this year. He'd not been to any before that. Another parent collected last time....so it'll definitely be our turn next time. I'm glad they are getting back to having parties again.

@fruitygal - We are white board lovers here too. DD has one in her bedroom and we have a big one in our office. In fact it's currently displying the Krebs cycle DD had drawn when revising it recently. She used it to talk me through it (it helsp with revision)... The office one is approx 1200 x 600mm apparently according to DH (I have NO Idea re sizes).

I need to go back and catch up later but just getting ready to go to hockey.

We had DDs report and mock results yesterday.
Biology B, PE B, Pyschology A. DD thought she hadn't done so well in Biology so was pleased. PE was expected B as she missed out a massive chunk of the paper as didn't notice it until too late (hopefully lesson learnt there, apparently it was folder over so DD unfolded it and saw a line which said end of exam but it wasn't (hence why it was folder over)... didn't notice until far too late so she missed lots of marks. Very useful advice on what she needs to work on for all subjects.

I did catch the news from @@Piggywaspushed. Really sorry to read that, it must be such a hard time for some, so much pressure coming from everywhere.

Congrats on any offers recently. I will enjoy reading back later tonight - so much has been happening it seems.

I'm not sure schools can give guidance about how much revision to do as people are all so different. Ds, despite his attention issues and the fact he can't concentrate for more than half an hour, does seem to take in facts very quickly - thankfully! Dd needs much longer. I guess they need to give themselves time to cover all the content - however long that takes!

Glad the parties are back for you dc. Dd has been partying a lot since the last lockdown ended last March! Ds has been quite envious; he's pretty sociable, does things like cinema and eating out, but no parties as yet. But he's just got an invite for one in a couple of weeks! Dd reliably tells me that there will be alcohol involved which is worrying me a bit as ds is only 15 I hope he can be sensible...

DS was at a party last night and overdid it - we were woken at 1am by his friends bringing him home
He's fine today apart from being in trouble with his girlfriend, bless him. He was up and out early to take a box of chocolates to the host, he walked an hour there and back. I am half sympathetic, a quarter disapproving and a quarter amused

@singingstones I hope Ds doesn't come home worse for wear. They have to pay for drinks. The drinks were expensive last time, so he won't drink much.

He was supposed to be at another 18th tonight but has decided it might be best to give that one a miss

@Delphigirl California! Total envy. Have a friend in SF so have had a few amazing holidays.

@OrangeCinnamonCocktail How lovely of the teacher and nice for your DD to know she is held in high esteem.

DS school not given time suggestions for revision but emphasised quiet environment and use of a timetable. DS hasn't and won't do a timetable and likes his phone at hand... all a bit exasperating but I am biting m tongue.