Year 7 Starters

[pippistrelle]

The new uniform is all ready, pens and pencils bought, as many of the practicalities that I can deal with now have been dealt with. So, just a few days to go. Daughter is getting nervous and, to be completely frank, I am a bit too. Not because I don't think she'll be fine but because, well, change can be daunting.

Anyone else at that stage too? Or, if you're already past this phase, how long did it take until you all settled in to a new routine?

(Couldn't spot any other general Year 7 threads, but apologies if there are any others already.)

My daughter misses her old friends and the ease and familiarity she knew at her primary school, and she got a bit emotional after talking to an old friend on the phone last night. She's also been getting more and more tired as the week's gone on.

So, when she complained of stomach pains this morning, of course, I jollied her along, and packed her off on the train. School called me an hour later, and asked me to come and pick her up. She looked ashen when I arrived. And I'm officially a Bad Mother.

Oh dear. I think that's happened to most of us at some time pippistrelle. You weren't to know, especially with all the emotion and exhaustion there's been around this week.

Hope your dd feels better soon.

Oh Pippistrelle, we've all done that! Usually a bit of calpol, a hug and a 'you'll be alright when you get there' cures all Ills!

DTs have joined an after school club tonight (not sure what yet, they said 'it's in the gym', no idea what that might mean. Still waiting for them to get back!
And Yy to the tiredness. I haven't had any complaints about an 830 bedtime from DT1 this week! DT2 OTOH is a different story.

Ds2 practically fell in the front door, stuffed his snack down and went to bed!

Turns out they didn't actually do PE today. Apparently they didn't even get changed because they just talked through the whole lesson. Don't know what about yet. I assume Mr Snorey Head will fill me in over the weekend.

I'm having a bit of a 'mare with ParentMail now. I have two connected accounts, one for dd's primary and one for ds1's secondary. Ds2's school doesn't use it. Today I have received several emails from dd's school addressed to ds2. I assume they've just deleted the wrong pupil's account, but I am only getting Junior School info now and dd is still in the Infants.

The other day the primary school sent a request to amend my account. When I logged in they just wanted to change my name from the full/long version to a shortened version only family and close friends use. I didn't initiate it and have no idea why after 10 years they thought they should do this, but approved it, as it really doesn't matter either way.

Also, I'm not getting any mail at all for ds1. Now I'm wondering what on earth is going on with my accounts and have had to contact ParentMail support to try and untangle the mess.

Between that and all the lunch/menu prices being out of date for ds2's school on ParentPay, I am starting to yearn for the old days of bags full of letters coming home everyday!

Well done you lot! What an exhausting week!!

Tip - get bags ready by front door by 4pm Sunday while everyone's still awake enough to check nothing is forgotten. Prepare for collywobbles Sunday night/Monday morning - the next week stretching ahead seems long... pippi really don't worry it's very very easily done and better she is in the habit of thinking that even if you feel a bit rough you go to school as it will probably all be fine by the time you get there. Hope she feels better soon.

Thanks, moose, Redcrayons, and Iguana. She seems pretty much back to normal today, and is talking about signing up for netball next week so all looking positive.

I have to say that one positive thing about having to pick her up is that the staff I dealt with were all lovely, so it filled me with confidence about them seeing pupils as individuals, and also understanding that this is a lot of upheaval, and knackering for them. (As I'm sure it is annually for teachers and support staff too!)

pippi I did that within the first few days of infant school - didn't want DD to learn that she could get a day off by claiming illness. When they called me to get her she was asleep in the quiet corner, her lips having recently turned back to pink from blue. Mind you, she did subsequently have an exemplary attendance record, so maybe all for the best ...

Ds has a lot of homework and is currently moaning that the maths is something he hasn't done before
I'm worried IT will knock his confidence
Plus his voice is all croaky , luckily not doing much today except homework

i am starting to yearn for the old days of bags full of letters coming home everyday! me too!
It's going to be an adjustment for me not knowing everything!

Ds has been asleep all day. Well, he got up for breakfast at 10.30, then went back to bed.

We're having a quiet weekend. Deliberately didn't plan anything and ds looked like this when I told him it's fine for him to sleep for as long as he needs to.

He's planning to print the images for his books later today and we'll have a book covering production line tomorrow. He only has two other pieces of homework, one of which is drawing, which is quite keen to do.

Pippi glad dd is feeling better and has something to look forward to at school next week.

Ds hasn't joined any clubs yet, because only the sports ones are up and running - and that's not really his forte. The head of year has challenged them all to join at least two clubs in the first half term, but ds is waiting for the computer related ones and chess to open.

DS1 is still sleeping at normal time and waking up at 6am (also normal). What's up with him? But not much homework yet. His primary was very hot on homework so hopefully with a little bit more organisation he will be fine.

No clubs yet. I want him to join ONE sports thing. That would be good enough...

Dd has spent 4 hours on her art homework so far -good job it's the only subject she's actually had homework in!

DD has had more homework that I expected, certainly more than I remember DS1 having at his school when he started Year 7 two years ago.

But she is far more thorough and methodical with it than he ever was.

She has been really tired this week, but says she is enjoying it. She has worked out the girls in form who are not so nice, and seems to be developing new friendships with girls who are like her.

She has discovered a love of science! And a dislike of Geography and Maths.

She has tests Monday and Tuesday but has no idea what they are for - I'm assuming CAT's as they are due more tests in October before half term.

So far so good - but it's still very early days.

Well, DS1 certainly hit theground running - 8 pieces of homework for the weekend, all set on Friday and most due on Monday. One of them only appeared on showmyhomework this morning.

He ploughed through them, and they were all okay (no book covering!) but I think French tests are going to be a headache. His spelling is bad enough in English...

DS & another lad did the max number of laps in a timed 12 minute run. I only found out because DD sniffed out this information (she's very sporty & she & mates are competitive over their little brothers).

I don't think DS is in a high academic group because he's not got much homework, yet. Good job. Supporting the tiny amount of homework he has had is already exhausting me. Think we'll both be resigned to him being in daily detentions soon.

Well-

Ds had a shaky start to secondary school, I posted about it in another thread. We suspect ASD & he had issues in a couple of subjects & was told off for being late to class when he got lost/distracted & he was finding the work very hard.

However a 6th former (granddaughter of a friend) persuaded him to audition for the whole school production of Oliver. We thought it might be good for him especially as the school values taking part in extra curricular stuff. Hed point blank refused to take part in his junior school show & dropped out of the singing group so I didn't hold out much hope.

He's only gone and got the part of Oliver & today willingly went to school today on a Sunday to rehearse.

In order to do this he completed all his homework by yesterday (getting him to do homework is like pulled my teeth ususlly). To say I'm chuffed is an understatement.

Meeting with the SENCO on Tuesday to discuss how he's getting on & what she's going to note on his record.

balletgirlmum that's great news. It will boost him in so many ways.

Emochild ds spent two hours on his graphics homework today and still hasn't finished.

One piece of homework was to done with access to the necessary information on the schools online learning portal, but we couldn't find anything there, other than the instruction to do the homework. Fortunately, it's not due for a few more days and was set by a teacher who happens to also be his Form Tutor. She's lovely, so he's said he will ask her about it in the morning.

Book covering ended up being a mammoth effort, with our printer being extremely temperamental. We still have two more to do that we haven't been able to print images for, but aren't needed this week and there are two teachers who've told them to leave it, as they will be set book covering as homework this week. Only had a crease in the sticky-backed-plastic on the first book and seem to have my technique down-pat now. Still think sbp is the work of the devil though.

balletgirlmum, poor lad with such a difficult start to the term. I have a ds who has ASD and he found the Y7 transition really hard, despite having a full statement and going to a 'supposedly' ASD friendly, small, independent.

Well done him for being brave enough to go to the audition and get the main part - how fantastic. I hope that gives him a really big confidence boost

Good luck with the SENCO meeting.

Covering just the front of one A5 notebook took about 3 hours. I don't think I can take any more!!

How utterly fantastic for your DS, balletGM :).

I ended up doing the book covering. Ds's fine motor skills wern't up to it & he got in a tangle.

Well frankly as the lead in his school production after just one week, covering his books is the least you could do! I hope he is creating a list of menial tasks for you to complete and insisting on having a red carpet installed at home so he can practise his walk, ready for future star-studded Oscar nomination events! Well done him.

Ds freaked out a bit this morning
We were packing his bag and he thought he'd forgotten a piece of homework which he hadnt
He just seems little still to me , I helped him tie his shoe laces as he says he can't get them right enough , he's hypermobile
I still feel anxious about him and relieved when he comes home happy

Lilac it's taken ds2 until now to learn how to tie his shoe laces for the same reason. He struggles with getting them tight enough as well, but is starting to get the hang of tightening the cross-over bits once he has the shoes on, which helps.

This morning was the first time he hasn't stopped and looked back just before he passes out of sight on the way to school. He was ready half an hour early, so I sat with him and we had a chat.

He said he hasn't got any worries about school at the moment, his only concern is getting into the swing of homework. I think the two week timetable is making that more complicated to plan for, as it's something I'm not used to either. My general advice is to do it the day you're set it, then it's done and out of the way, but he was sooo tired last week that I didn't make him and now he has a little catching up to do, albeit with pieces that aren't due until next week. Hoping it will get better as both staff and pupils get back into the swing of things.