New Year 7s - how are they getting on

[Madmog]

One week into their new school, how are out new Year 7s getting on?

They seem to be moving my daughter onto the next level workwise which is good as she got very little out of last year (she's fairly bright and there's only so much they can do with them). She's only had two lots of homework, but we know there's lots to come.

She was really excited last week, this week the novelty has warn off - she was threatened with detention if she's late for French next time - unfortunately it's a massive comp with 1500 plus pupils, the map they've been given isn't 100% correct and she's not one for running off down corridors like her friends have been doing and keeping up with them, so I think she's a little worried - she is a hard worker, fairly well behaved, with a good set of friends so has never had to worry about being in trouble. Her friend was also threatened with detention for forgetting her french book, so she's a little worried as well.

On the positive side, she's got her four best friends in her tutor group and has already made friends with a girl in another tutor group who she's been meeting regularly and texting.

Thanks verona......never heard of it !!

DS has got "Cider with Rosie"...Laurie Lee...

Asking really because of H/W tonight ....bit of a long one so I will try and bullet it and be brief.....
5 characters in a story " The Bridge"
Woman,husband,soilder,boatman,lover

--Husband goes away for 3 months

--Woman gets a lover over the bridge

--Coming home from lover soilder says she cannot cross bridge..she will be shot

--Asks boatman to take her

--Yes but will cost $100

--Goes back to lover and askes for money

--Lover said no

--Goes back to bridge .... crosses and ...gets shot!

Who is to blame for woman getting shot ????

Couldn't really care .....but my point is I felt very uncomfortable with ds talking about lover ?...I did ask if he knew what a lover was and he (gave me the look) and said ...Eastenders IS on at 7.30 you know !!!!

Then when I kept using "HE" for the lover he said ...it could be a SHE!!!

Wasn't expecting this yet ???(he does know about gays btw...and I am very open and honest about people of the same sex loving each other)..I think it is the lover bit i was most shocked about ????

Am I being soft/daft/stupid/innocent ??????

Agree that seems a bit odd Bizzey. Being nosey I googled and came across the story on this: www.personalityquiz.net/relational/whodidit.htm
What's that all about??

Thanks Verona ..I looked it up (!!!) I hope it is just being used in a debeting way ...and not to find out if sex is one of their strong persnality traits !!!!!!!!!

Three weeks in and my DD is loving secondary school although she has had a few hiccups:
Lost phone, found 2 days later,
left french homework down the side of the sofa,
left PE kit in library, found next day,
lost a jumper, not found,
got the end time wrong after running club, and got into a flap about it .
But on the other hand:
She has got to grips with early mornings,
the 3 mile journey to school,
homework every night,
checking planner,
sorting PE kit etc.
I am really proud of her.

My 2 are continuing to love it too, again hiccups
Bullying - sorted very swiftly by school
Lost locker keys- found at a mates
Lost French homework- left in locker
No guitar or drum lessons- sorted(left off lists)
Planner left at home- mum to rescue
PE kit left at home - mum again
DS1 Almost missed bus home, saved by DS2
Lost science book- teacher had it.
Battle over homework, looks like I am winning that one at last!
I know it seems a lot, but that's a list for the both of them! Lol

phlebas - go there and sit there till someone realises that you are not going to go away and tell them that there are issues to be discussed and sorted out. Don't take no for an answer and keep going at them till you get the answers you want!! If they are obstructive - get around the obstruction - it's your child not theirs and they are there to serve you and your child - so go get the best service possible!! As far as communication goes my DC was at her senior school (1200 pupils) and she had to be absent for surgery etc. As soon as the surgery was completed and we got home the phone was ringing and it was the head asking how said DC was and if everything had gone well etc and if we wanted any support for anything we just had to ask. Then the head of year rang and then the tutor!! They kept ringing to check how things were going and were brilliant all the way through. They also looked after my other DC's who were in the school at the same time. Brilliant communication!! It's not difficult!!

TOSN get into the school and sort this one out - full stop!! No child should be humiliated in any way!!

Hmm - just come back to this - thanks to the people who were sympathetic and cross on our behalf! To be honest dd was upset at the time for getting a Code in her planner, and I do think it was wrong to give her one when there's no policy saying you must always have all your PE kit with you, not just swimming. However she's alright now (and really, since I gave her a note to excuse her from swimming, what did I expect - of course she was going to have to sit and watch, and of course it would be a bit embarrassing)

I think the teacher was being a ratbag and it annoyed me and upset dd, but she is, after all, going to have this teacher for a good while, and at least another time we'll know . I can't think what I'd want to achieve other than making her sorry, and I can't think what good that would do.

I've just got back from the school as well. Problem with 1 twin utterly humiliating his brother on a power point presentation about his family. I had seen the original PPP, and it was ok, a couple of slightly embarrasing photos of us all, but no biggy, but, unbeknown to us, DS2 had added a page of other much more humiliating photoss with captions, and then shown it to the bus queue this morning, and he and his mates were really humiliating DS1, who got so upset, he got off the bus and walked home! I had to go and pick him up, and took him into school, and wanted to speak to DS2's form tutor, but got the head of year instead, I explained the situation, embarrassed I could not control my own son from being a shit to his twin brother, and luckily, she has twins herself and was quite understanding. She is going to have a talk to DS2 about family values. I did say DS1 was no angel, but this morning was beyond the pale. The phone will be confiscated as well!

bubby64...Ifeel for you and ds1....Is this normal for them or was ds2 on a bit of "impress my friends " moment ?

At least if school are going to talk to him before you he will realise he was out of order to upset his brother on purpose and publicly .

Hope you have a good evening with them .

Origional....teacher was the BIGGEST rat bag ever !!!

I know, but she's not going anywhere, is she, and neither do I want dd to be thought of by her as the one with the bloody mother complaining at this early stage!

Hi bizzy, they fight and make up 5 times a day on a normal basis, and they are both in different forms with new classmates, so yes, it was an "impress my friends moment" that went beyond the "norm", as it was involving public humiliation. I am wondering now if I did the wrong thing, but I don't think I would have got DS1 into school if I hadnt done it IFSWIM. HofYr also said she would have a word with both Ds's as to why they feel the need to fight like this, we try to give individual attention, for instance, DH was playing football with DS1 whilst I let DS2 bake a cake yesterday (their choice) but, because we tend to do most things as a family, and they do the same clubs, they dont really get that much individual "me" time with both parents at the same time, but how many families with more than 1 child do?

Ah bubby..don't blame yourself for it ....how did "the chats" go??

how long are they in the queque for lunch? 30 mins at my nieces school and then they all got into trouble for not been dressed for pe in time, straight after lunch!! why cant they stagger them?

Hi bizzy - Talk went ok, he has apologised to his brother, and seems a bit subdued this evening. He had downloaded the extra page to his 'phone, but not onto the flash drive he was going to show in the lesson, that still had the presentation I have viewed at home, and so only people he showed the 'phone to could see the extra pictures, and not the whole class. He was threatened with a week of lunchtime detention and told in no uncertain terms this unbrotherly behaviour would not be tolerated. In retrospect, I do think DS1 might have over-reacted a bit, but having viewed the offending page, I can see why he was upset.
lighthouse - in regards to lunch, my two have already found they do not have time to eat their lunch indoors, and, until todays rainy weather, used to eat their packed lunches outside in the courtyard where there are less time constaints.

bubby...as hard as it must have been to have school involved I think it was good...I know I could scroll back but I am too lazy but wasn't one of yours involved in a bullying incident ?...Hopefully ds2 has realised his mistake and how "serious it was" for his db feelings ?

I have no experince of twins but my 3 ds's have 3yrs and 2 months between1&3(yep there is another little babba in the middle !) but my "family dynamics"/routine/rhythm seems to be messed up as well and it is taking all of us different ways to adjust ....We miss ds1 in the car in the morning ....ds2 now seems to think he is "big man "in the car and allowed to boss little bro (even though he never did before ?)...well not as much !!!

Maybe ...they just need to spread their wings from each other ...but are not sure how to do it .

We are all on a learning curve through the next few weeks (roll on 1/2 term !)
and I am sure they will work things out ...but good that school is with you .

lighthouse mine does a "pre- bookable "meal to get in quick ....pizza a nd drink everyday !!! . I did ask if there were no proper meals to order (chicken,veg,potatoes) ..pizza was a proper meal he said????

Pizza is off the menu in our house now (what am I going to do on a friday !!??)

Re the lunch break, at DDs school the Y7 finish 10 minutes early till Xmas so they are first in the queue

DD has CATs this week, came home yesterday a little anxious as she had only just found out.
Not sure if they do them in class or have to go to the hall for a proper exam type format. I know they are useful, but it seems that she is just starting to feel confident around the school and the routines and now they throw in something else new!

yes, cheese toastie and chips anyone? every day? Mind you, can talk I had chips and beans every day for the three years I was there.

It is a pain but at least she has joined two lunchtime clubs I hope its not a ploy to stay indoors and they have grab bags for that. No mention of any assessments yet but then its like getting blood out of a stone hearing anything about it. She did tell me it takes an hour to walk home though. She has already found two people to walk with, which is nice.

Hi bizzy yes, you are right, you would think after being bullied himself, he wouldnt do it to his brother!
Much better day today, both goth themselves ready for school, went to luch clubs (DS1 drama, DS2 Badminton), both got a merit for work done, and I came home to find them out of uniform, doing homework, and DS1 made me a cup of tea, and we had DS2's exotic fruit salad made in food tec for tea!
I sat here thinking"are these really my kids, or is some other "me" in a parallel universe tearing her hair out and wondering what has turned her little angels into little devils!"