Year 11 GCSE support thread 6 - exams and proms

[HSMMaCM]

Good luck to those still taking exams.

Hi everyone.

Last exam today at 1.30pm -Latin.

It was an odd day yesterday. DD wasn't sure what to do with herself. She did some weeding , napped, watched you tube Vloggers. DS mooned around as if he would give his left testicle to be able to do some weeding, but sadly, a dead poet had ensnared him to slavery!

Really sorry for all those DC who are still ploughing on.

Oddboots my DD has also had that sprung on her and went in yesterday and said she's going in today (but wasn't up when I left) which probably accounts in part for her vile manner with me atm. Sorry for your loss too

MrsB how stressful. Apparently there have been more than a few latest at DDs school...

DS still in bed, suspect he will be for some time!

Blimey MrsBennet glad he made it in time!
In fact an emotional new thread, love and hugs to all x

We finished agggges ago - last Friday - feels like a different life - and had a lovely evening of family celebrations with an art show at school followed by a great curry at local restaurant.
dd has prom night a week tomorrow (Friday)
Also DofE awards ceremony (for her bronze) next Wednesday
Did some charity shop shopping in town yesterday and then met me in park cafe afterwards. All very nice and she thinks she might do some volunteering in one of the shops before doing NCS in August.
Also we're going away on a group hosteling trip with friends to the Lakes at end of July which I'm looking forward to - hopefully taking DNeice with us
And dd and I have a day trip to Manchester coming up for the Uni of Salford Open Day at beginning of July
Might also fit in a visit to the DGP's near London and maybe go to the Summer Exhibition which I'm sure dd would enjoy - possibly a couple of London museums too whilst they're not quite as busy as during regular school hols

for Oddboots and SugarPlum

MrsBennet I bet you both could have done without that adrenaline rush.

Word that would have been some sacrifice.

DD said that there were only 6 of them at the optional revision session before the graphics paper despite the whole cohort showing as signed in at school and then one student didn't turn up for the exam but was waiting for them at the end

I remember finishing my O levels and buggering off on a trip round Ireland in a minibus with a dozen other 16 year olds and a so-called sensible adult. It was a tour of many, many pubs youth hostels that culminated in a pilgrimage to Knock which was probably the reason my parents allowed me to go. If only they knew about the rest of the shenanigans - which is why my DDs haven't done anything similar.

Oh Mrs B thank goodness you live a 10 min run from school! Bless him even thinking about his shower.

odd boots and sugarplum, We're out the other side of all that now, it's so hard.

I've been following this and the low achievers thread, it's been a stressful time but has been helped by these threads, thanks all.

Congrats to those that have finished!!

to those going through emotional times

DS has got to wait till Monday to finish (DT). Then he only has to go to school 1 more time to get his results. No prom, no party - seems like his is the only school not having anything?!

MrsBennett - your story sent shudders down my spine - glad he made it to the exam! Enough to turn your hair snowy white.

Oddboots & SugarPlum - sorry to hear about your Grandma and Mum.

DD dressed up in her prom things. So grown up now (apart from the fact she is really petite).

Good luck for those last exams. What a marathon. You are right Horsemad, it wasn't as long winded last year and two years ago with my older two. It has been stretched out to the point of being ridiculous.

MrsB

Reminds me of DS1 a few months ago. I was at work and I got a call from DS1 in floods during the mocks saying he should be at school (12 miles away) as his course work wasn't up to date and he should be in the catch up session.

Cut a long story short some of his mates were in the session and thought they would play him up by ringing him up after and asking where he was telling him he was on the list. He wasn't.

This time tomorrow it will all be over for us (well, by 10.30 I think). He went in for physics revision this morning but has now gone out to meet friends. How odd that he suddenly has the energy to walk 25 minutes to the bus stop and go out. I did offer him a lift but he said he fancied the walk

thunderbird - my DD's school doesn't have an official prom for yr 11s, that happens in the sixth form. Some of them have organised an unofficial one but she and her pals aren't interested in going.

Signing on to new thread. Knee deep in physics revision here. I've been testing her, I can't believe how much she has had to learn ( across all her subjects). I'm sure it was more than I did for o levels, but then again I was a lazy so and so.

Penultimate exam over, just Further Maths to go and all exams will be completed!
Next Wednesday is the prom, we have already been out and bought a nice blue suit and I have to admit to shedding a few tears when I saw ds all dressed up in it.
Next Thursday is his visit to Sixth Form College. He is looking forward to the move but not to having to get up and catch a bus at 7:40am. At the moment he has a 10 minute stroll to school.

That's it! We're done.
Latin poetry went 'reasonably to quite well'.

DS is overjoyed to be at the end of a 6 week exam marathon! And I've just called head of sixth to check when the mocks are for AS as DH is trying to book some tickets to the football online.

Sorry to hear about your mum SugarPlumTree, I hope the journey has gone well, I've heard very good things about care homes in Thailand.

Thank you to everyone else who has made lovely comments.

Oh goodness MrsBennetsEldest, what a stress!

bigTillyMint I was reading on SchoolsWeek that nationally the number of entries has rocketed. DS did half of his today and seems to have got enough for Distinction* in Word and Powerpoint - he has the other half tomorrow. Scary to think that is is thought of as the same level as a GCSE if it can be done in two lessons! I guess they are using computers all the time though (or at least ds is, I'm guessing othrs are the same).

dingit - ITA, it seems like a lot more to me, and the fact that some of it is coursework and CA just means there's more over a longer time.

DH has found a few O-level papers online from about 1975 (maths, physics and chemistry), and DD is going to have a go at them next week - this is entirely voluntary on her part, she's curious to know what the standard was for us (we did ours in 77). Obviously the maths will need anything to do with logs redacting, but it'll be interesting to see what she makes of both the content and type of question. Either she'll look at us with new respect or else mild contempt that we only did 8 or 9 subjects.

Errol , do report back!

Thank you everyone, you're all very kind. Oddboots I hope she likes it over there, she has been desperate to go for ages but not well enough before. Been a military operation having 12 days to organise longhaul trip for not very mobile elderly lady with Dementia. She's currently travelling with a Nurse and they're on their way to Airport as a night flight and won't arrive until about Lunch time tomorrow.

MrsB what a nightmare but huge relief he made it.

Errol will be interesting to see what she makes of it.

AuntPetunia DD going to Japan early July, realised that is coming round pretty fast ..

sugar yeah Japan is 5 weeks away, which is frightening. How are you organising money for dd when there? That's my biggest worry, don't want to give him a load of yen to loose.

Apparently leavers service was boring other pupils report much sobbing but not ds, just lots of talking etc. He's done a 3 hr stint of physics with the teaCher and has now gone the beach.

Came home to find DS1's bedroom clean and tidy, with a bin bag full of GCSE revision notes etc.

The only thing on his desk was the 6th form application which I'd signed for him at the beginning of May, but he obviously hasn't handed in. . This may explain the lack of correspondence from 6th form.

SugarPlum, I somehow missed that in the madness that was last night, and this thread seems to be moving very fast. Hope she has a good journey and that the change is a positive one for her. How are you feeling now?

AuntP and SugarPlum, exciting Japan times!

Oddboots, DD says she has finished hers now - probably took a day in total! She is still pissed off though, as they apparently have to get signed out by all their teachers, she lost (though I think it is found now) her fob and can't get hold of Senior teacher who is supposed to be signing the form too....

I'm on the other side with a morose lethargic DD.She finished last week and her friends mostly finished today.She has cheered herself up by sale shopping for smart sixth form clothes.Dorothy Perkins,Next and Clark's seem to be popular.Where can you buy reasonable inexpensive washable jackets though?
At her friends house tonight,make up,hair and nails tomorrow in preparation for their Prom.Then she needs to be sucked into her dress

DS1 has been morose again today. It's getting me down a bit. He's not 16 yet but I want him to look for a job. Friends that are already 16 report there are no jobs anyway apparently.

His bedroom still full of books and revision notes.

canny H&M have some nice blazers. Though I don't know if they're washable.

DD has been buying boots online as apparently they're the must have sixth form footwear