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.)

Re coats, ds1 wouldn't use his locker last year and became a coat refuser because his coat was too bulky. This year I've bought him a Super lightweight puffy coat that squishes really well. It's by Columbia, they come up skinny though, no good for more broad shouldered ds2. Ds2 has got a packaway puffa coat from lands end. I don't love it but it will fit in his bag!

Ds2's list of lost stuff is getting longer; watch, trainers and now a water bottle

DD is struggling with French. She says that most of the class studied it in primary school (she did Spanish) so she already felt behind by the end of the first lesson. It doesn't help that she is not a natural linguist.

They're all at the same stage by about the fourth lesson. Tell her not to worry.

I can well believe that about French - DD 'did' French at primary, to the extent she can reel off lists of stationery, colours and clothing, but looks at me blankly if I ask her her name, or offer her gateau.

I learned something today - if you attempt to dry a wet blazer (rain still beaded on the fabric) with a tissue, once the blazer is dry you realise there's tissue fluff all over the black fabric. Fortunately as a cat-owning household we have lint rollers galore, but I won't be doing that again. I didn't know what was wrong with the blazer at first, argh ...

Our blazer is made of nuclear waste (OK - polyester) and will dry itself if you hang it up. A child, on the other hand ...

I'm finding I'm focussing so much on all the things dd needs to remember to take to secondary school each day and getting things done for the right day that I'm forgetting to think about what my Year 4 dd needs for primary school. Need to focus on that too now!

We very nearly had tears this morning. He's dreading PE. What he didn't tell me last week was that he spoke to his PE teacher about his JHS and the teacher made a sarky remark, then moved on without responding to the things ds told him he can/can't do. Unfortunately he seems to have the teacher whose first love is Rugby, which is the main sport ds isn't allowed to do. Fortunately for ds, they aren't starting that yet, as said PE teacher is currently on crutches, having injured himself playing that very sport.

Didn't help that he was already sore before walking to school this morning. I've give him some pain-relief. Now have to hope he doesn't overdo it because he doesn't feel the point where he should stop and he doesn't want to get into trouble for not trying hard enough.

They were also told it's an instant detention for anyone that isn't changed and out of the changing rooms within five minutes. He's a bit slow getting changed, due to bendy fingers making buttons awkward etc and he's convinced he's going to get a detention today as a result. I told him that if he did, not to worry, it's just staying at school a little longer and nothing to get upset about.

He seemed to have calmed down by the time he left, but he looked so unhappy. I've ordered his favourite treat with the shopping delivery today, so I hope that will cheer him up, although he has Art last lesson and he's really looking forward to that.

Still haven't heard from the school re his care plan, so will have to follow that up, as he can't go on not having pain relief available there if he needs it. It will also give me a chance to reinforce that PE staff need to be fully informed and understand ds' limitations.

Ds said he finds French overwhelming too. They only just started it in upper juniors and barely did any really. You could pay for extra classes, but having paid for my other ds to attend those for three years and still not be able to say hello and tell me his name in French, I haven't done it for the other two.

They have set times in the lesson when they are only allowed to speak French and he was surprised to find you 'even have to write the date in French'. I told him immersion in the language is the best way to learn and it will really help, especially as he gets more used to it. He likes his French teacher too, which I'm sure is a big plus.

Poor thing. I don't like the sound of the rugby teacher and his sarcastic comment. I hope you get some joy from the school re the care plan very soon.

Poor DS moosemama

DD has HMS and has told her PE teacher - with DD the risk is not her over doing it, but that she will use it as a reason not to do things. Physical activity is not her favourite thing.

DD thought she had tests yesterday and today, but they didn't do them yesterday so now i am .

She also managed to lose her whole PE kit somehow. So has been sent into school today to look for it.

He's such a sensible lad, he won't try to get out of sport, because he knows staying relatively fit is the only thing that will help support his joints. He's not keen on sport, but will take part without complaining or trying to get out of it.

He gets so ridiculously tired on PE days and the following day though. I have it myself, so can understand what he's is going through, but I think most people have no idea how badly HMS/JHS can affect children and schools generally know nothing about it at all. It doesn't help that he's not as bendy as some children he knows that are hypermobile, but don't have HMS/JHS. Of course teachers see those, super-bendy kids participating and sometimes excelling at sport and don't understand why a child that's less bendy can't do the same, so assume they're just whinging or trying to avoid PE.

We also had problems when he was involved in a high-speed collision (running headlong into another child, who happened to be the county track star) in the playground last year. First aider said he was ok, but he had a small cut that wouldn't stop bleeding, so we had to take him to minor injuries to get it glued. He didn't seem right to me, but the first-aider insisted he'd been fully checked over and it was just the small puncture wound, where a screw from his glasses embedded in his temple. Whilst we were at the hospital they discovered that, due to his loose neck joints he actually had both whiplash and concussion! He ended up with several days off school and they were gobsmacked when I explained why he was off.

The best thing we've found sport-wise for him is actually pilates. My mum very kindly paid for some private 1:1 sessions the year he was diagnosed and it made a massive difference, but sadly it's not something he'll do on his own and we can't afford continued lessons.

Well, it seems the PE lesson itself was ok, but ds2's phone disappeared from the valuables tray, which was in the PE staff office. He went back at lunch and it was still missing, so teacher told him to come back at the end of the day, but the teacher wasn't there, so he spoke to another teacher, who checked the tray and there was still no sign of his phone.

I called and spoke to his PE teacher, who said they still have a phone left over, so hopefully someone just grabbed the wrong one and shoved it in their bag or blazer without looking and will bring it back tomorrow. If not, ds's half of Y7 will be kept back after assembly and he will be speaking to them all about it.

Ds2 said there were actually two phones left, one completely different to his model and one the same, but older, with a smashed screen - and pink.

Can't really see that ds's phone would be useful to anyone else, as it's pin-locked, so hopefully it's a genuine mistake and it will all be sorted out first thing tomorrow. He needs a phone, as he has to call someone if he's too sore to walk home.

What a pain moose. Really hope he finds it. Not sure what dd does with her phone when she does PE. I'll have to ask her.

Thanks carla.

He's been surprisingly calm about it, especially since it contains quite a few games that he'll lose progress on and the numbers of friends from primary that don't go to his new school. Think he's hoping it will turn up in the morning and if it doesn't he'll be upset tomorrow evening.

Annoyingly, some pupils insisted their phones were safer zipped into compartments in bags or blazer pockets and none of those went missing.

carlajones
I've also got a year 4 girl and was when she said she'd handed in her homework today : I'd no clue what it was she'd done it all my herself!

Ds is hypermobile and despite being bendy has trouble tying laces , doing buttons , he's not good at sport and gets upset when he's never picked for any teams
He did get a merit today so is pleased about that
He had a piece of homework come back and there was a lot of red pen : much stricter than primary school
Eg teacher finding it hard to read his handwriting , he didn't answer all the questions , he's got to do it again
I told him it's helpful criticism but I can see he's a bit down about it
It was a piece he did alone & we didn't check it , should we have ?!

Oh moose poor ds

Lilac I think ds2 is going to have similar on his first piece of homework. I did point out that his handwriting didn't look great from what I'd seen of it, but I didn't check it. I'm not sure he's done enough either. I think to some extent they do need to learn by doing it and receiving the feedback, be it good or bad.

It's bound to upset ds2 if/when he gets red pen criticism, but he won't appreciate me micro-managing every piece of homework either, so he'll have to learn to deal with it.

Aw, poor neglected Year 4s. Never mind, attention can be lavished on them once their older siblings are settled in.

Hope the missing PE kit and missing phone turn up soon.

I wouldn't worry about not having checked the homework, Lilac. He probably learned more from doing it entirely himself than if you had checked and made some suggestions. (Although he might ask for some help on the next couple of pieces for that teacher!)

Thanks everyone yes rationally I know you're right !

I think we're just had our first day that she's really positive about. Good classes, but she also went to Choir at lunchtime, and Netball after school. Got herself home on the train, and let herself in as I was out. It was only ten minutes until I was back but, nonetheless, I think she impressed herself.

I'll be redundant soon.

pippistrelle well done to your dd. Great to hear she's had such a positive day.

I'd be interested to hear other people's thoughts about this:

DS2 has started secondary school with a friend from primary in his form. I know the boy and his family quite well. Both boys do quite well academically, but the other boy's mum is very driven about it IYSWIM. e.g. even for completely insignificant, long-forgotten class tests at primary, she always spent an hour or two with her son making sure that he'd revised fully and testing him.

Yesterday, I saw the text messages on DS's phone. His friend has been off sick for two days and has been bombarding him with texts (about 10 texts). In essence, what they ask is can DS give an overview subject by subject of everything the other by has missed, can he take and send photos of every page of his workbooks, can he say what homework has been set and can he confirm that he's seen the messages since he hasn't replied?

Actually DS2 hadn't seen them because he'd left his phone at home, but when I pointed them out to him, he shrugged and said he'd only answer the homework question.

Both boys are of similar ability, so the chances are that they will be in the same sets for the next few years.

I haven't spoken to DS about it, but I think he's right not to do what the other boy is asking because it will set a precedent. Help yes, but a page by page analysis - no.

I'd be interested to hear what others think though?

I think it's reasonable to describe what was covered in class (which topic) and give details of any homework that was set. If they were given a worksheet to complete then I would scan/photograph the blank worksheet if they haven't completed it yet. DS2 has just done this for a friend who was off for 2 days for a religious holiday.

So he was asked about Maths, his reply was "Classwork: recurring decimals. Homework: exercise 2D."

The other boy's mum told me once that she got her other older son (when he was in Y7) to write up his notes each night about what he'd learned that day, subject by subject.

To be honest, neither of my children do anything like this, although I can see it is a good habit to have eventually - but by eventually I am thinking probably when its lecture notes at university.

So, I think that's what the other boy is expecting to receive, as well as the photographs etc.

I didn't tell the other mother that my older son (same age as her's) doesn't do this. She wasn't asking what my family does - more assuming it would be the same - and it didn't feel appropriate to say that they don't really do anything extra.

The other boy's mum told me once that she got her other older son (when he was in Y7) to write up his notes each night about what he'd learned that day, subject by subject.

Even my Y11 doesn't do this.