DS1 is going on a residential trip - advice from primary teachers please

[roisin]

I want to send a thank you to the staff involved: preferably during the trip itself.

Should I:
a) Send £20 to buy a round of drinks or something? (They're staying at a YHA, so there isn't really a bar though?)
b) Send some chocolates or flowers?
c) Something else?

Bottle(s) of wine?

or some chocolates

Bottle of wine and chocs (wine for the ones desperately needing it by then, and chocs for the poor unfortunate teacher who has to remain sober on 'duty'.

What a nice parent you are

Nice biscuits or box of chocs. No to the wine - only on their return.

Chocs, do staff actually drink on duty? I couldn't.

But on a residential you are "on duty" 24 hrs a day for the duration of the trip.
Once the kids are asleep in bed, I don't think it's unreasonable to have a drink.

We drank last year on school trip to Germany Not heavily - but with meals and so on.
You're probably right though, I don't think the staff will on this trip.

We've decided to make up a box of bits - fudge, sweets, and other treats and send it up to await their arrival.

I was thinking more in terms of I tend to get ill/hungover off not very much
and if I had to be up in the middle of the night [ugh]

Haven't done any as its quite difficult with leaving my kids for a week but am doing a 1 night expedition soon (camping!)

Nosy Question do you get paid o/t when you go away? we still just get 5 1/2 hour pay a day same as in normal school day.

I don't get paid any o/t - leave 10 pm Sunday night and return 1 am Saturday morning, on duty 24/7, but get paid for normal 32.5 hr week.

But it is voluntary, I don't have to go. It is actually viewed as a privilege, and though of course it impacts on family life, it is actually a privilege. It was one of my highlights of the year last year. I would much rather go on a week's trip on the last full week of term, than be in doing the cover for the people who are on the trip! Unfortunately it will always clash with ds1's birthday, but he seems cool about it.

Last year I slept for about 24 hrs when we got back, but this year I've promised to take ds1 and mates out for a special birthday meal then trip to see HP5 at the cinema on the day we get back

I want to try and inveigle my way onto the French trip for a change next year.

Do you get any free time?

TBH our staff don't really get a choice, my job-share certainly doesn't 'cos if she didn't go our 1:1 can't go.

No, we don't really get any free-time as such. It's a pretty frenetic/action-packed week, and the teenagers don't really want/need any more sleep than we do

We take every opportunity to sit around in cafes and relax when the students go off to do a bit of shopping, or whatever; and it is usually quite relaxing on the coach. But we are basically 'on call' for 24 hrs a day.

We take 11-13 yr-olds, so they are still quite 'needy' in many ways in terms of supervision, but don't require much sleep. So by the time they are all down and settled we are straight to bed too.

DH went on the residential trip with DS1 in Y6 and alcohol was definitely consumed

I imagine a round of drinks would be more welcome than chocs.

"No, we don't really get any free-time as such. It's a pretty frenetic/action-packed week, and the teenagers don't really want/need any more sleep than we do "

Yeah thats what we would have too.

"We take every opportunity to sit around in cafes and relax when the students go off to do a bit of shopping, or whatever"

but ours would have to be escorted too

(not saying your kids are easier btw its just a different situation , at least ours aren't starting fights /trying to sneak out/smoke/drink etc!)

Yes, we are taking a lad this year who will need escorting everywhere; it's a bit of an experiment and I'm not sure how it will go. But rather than giving that (heavy) responsibility 24/7 to one person, we are going to share it and see how it goes.

Don't envy you doing it it another country though!
Just adding the extra language in would do me!

We used to do a French 'exchange' (they came to us for a week, the next year we went to them) but it stopped a couple of years ago.

My degree's in German - that's one of the reasons I get to go.

That and the fact that I don't mind clearing up vomit when someone's been travelsick

Don't do very well with sick , someone was sick in assembly today and I was green apparantly ( standing at the front I can see everything and everyone could see me!)