Starting secondary support thread 2

[PenguinPandas]

Support thread continued.

Apologies for deleted posts, someone told me on another thread I should get posts with identifying details about DD withdrawn as Daily Mail might come after me. Which sounded quite terrifying esp as my Mum reads it. I also thought threads auto-deleted after 90 days but they don't.

I think you maybe a different Sassy to drunk snowman, that was SassyAssassin if you aren't her you won't have a clue what I am on about.

Sorry for your rubbish week Witchend At least its half term and hopefully GCSEs are over now.

Not that Sassy, no - more sparkly.

I think only threads in chat are deleted after 90 days.
We are off to Cornwall for our half term with a few books to revise for the Y7 exams. DS will be in a different form after half term, H o Y agreed a move, am hoping it works out.

I think they've stopped deleting chat after 90 days too.

Having a peaceful weekend now. Hope everyone has a good half term. Ds is doing theatre for two days, so that should keep him out from dd1's revision. And I'm looking forward to having Monday off!

Backpacks ... what backpacks do your DS in secondary students use?

DD just has a black Nike rucksack.

Hope you have a lovely time in Cornwall Taswama and great about move.

Glad you are having a good weekend now Witchend and enjoy Monday off.

Just been for day out with DH and DS (DD went out with friends as parents are out of fashion). Went on boat to see seals which was lovely though I did get rather soaked and it did rain a fair bit, then had fish and chips by the sea and went to a lavender farm shop. Have hired a sports boat for Wed afternoon - will have to look up weather forecast.

Mine both have plain rucksacks. Dd has one with lots of pockets and ds has a canvass one that he throws everything in together. No names, but it's worth making sure they're not plain black or they're hard to pick out in a hurry. I write their names across the top in permanent marker.

Found the dreaded nits in ds' hair last night. He doesn't often get them, but when he does they have a huge following-he says they're planning a disco.
I went in to check on him before I went to bed and he was constantly scratching. Went to look and there they all were, so I got him up for treatment. Hopefully they've been dealt with as he needs his hair cutting this week.
The rest of us now feel very itchy!

Hope you all enjoy the peaceful week.

DD has a Hype backpack, it's a tad on the small side for all that she needs to carry tbh, not helped by her not wanting to use a locker at school.

Hope the nits have gone Witchend and your DS enjoyed the theatre.

DD didn't want to accept private school offer so we declined, relieved as we couldn't really afford it.

Went on lovely boat trip driving electric boat on Wed, DS was very happy as lots of ducks and swans he could feed and was really pretty with thatched cottages and beautiful green countryside. DS was talking of living on a boat and inviting friends on a boat.

Both kids have an enrichment week next week so no usual lessons. DDs educational trip is to Thorpe Park which sure will be good fun but not so sure of educational content.

Nits gone (I hope).

Dd2's "educational trip" this year is also to Thorpe Park. Only thing is I've had to warn the head of year that there is potential for huge upset. Dd2 has one arm. Thorpe Park has decided that if you are missing your arm you are not allowed of 25% of the rides. And no, you aren't given any money off, nor do you qualify for an exit pass.

It's not because the ride is unsafe. It's because if the ride gets stuck they have to climb down a ladder (wearing a harness) and apparently you can't climb down a ladder with one hand. I can assure anyone who is reading that dd2 would be the best and most confident in our family at climbing down a ladder.
Not only that, but if you have limited mobility, they ask you if you think you can manage that, and if you say you can. that's fine. One the same day that a friend of hers was pulled off the ride and told she couldn't ride, there was an article from someone who had gone with someone with limited mobility and blind who went on the same ride.

It's pure and simple discrimination, if you have any doubt look at for someone who would also be refused because he "can't" climb down a ladder.

Congrats on being nit free Witchend Sorry to hear about Thorpe Park.

DS had a murder mystery day today which he described as underwhelming. Apparently no-one was murdered, just 3 CDs stolen. Only 3 suspects. DS most unimpressed, no murder and very little mystery.

DD had an army training day which sounded like bootcamp, first hour included 1km run, 50 push ups and 50 sit ups, all in 10 minutes then she had to carry a 20kg weight by herself round lap of school field, one of her group was being silly so that had to go under 50 people.

Tomorrow they both have a day of Indian dance and cooking, DS has exactly the same day on Wednesday. Can tell this week will be fun

:D Sounds like a bit of a waste of time.
The army training day sounds a bit too much. We had cadets at school and it was much more about initiative tests, orienteering and things like that. I (and I suspect a good proportion of people) would have loathed what you describe.
Mind you, dd2 would have managed to get out of it after they'd said 1km run I'm sure :D She's an expert in not doing such things.

Had an interesting conversation with one of ds' teachers today. Don't really want to put details on her, but let's say my respect for the head of his year, which was low, has now sunk further. I said approximately (in a polite tactful way) as much to the teacher and he didn't disagree.

The week of fun continued today. DS was home in 30 minutes and DD had 1.5 hours Indian dance, 1.5 hours Indian cooking, 1.5 hours Indian art then 1.5 hours of performing your Indian dance with whole year watching. DS has this day tomorrow. Good luck to school with that. DD has Thorpe Park in rain.

Sorry to hear you had problems at school Witchend Still at least its nearly a new school year, we have Head of House so you get same person whole time. One is fine, one isn't though school let DD and I talk to another staff member.

Unfortunately the head of year stays with them all the way up too.
I'd like to think she'll learn, but I suspect it's a mixture of pig-headiness and laziness.

I think ds would not be impressed with dance and art; he likes cooking.

Shame HoY stays Witchend

DS had Indian day today, he survived the day at school but suspect it did not go well. I asked how did your dance go and got it didn't as I refused to do it. How did the cooking go? He replied I just mixed two ingredients and stopped. Well how did the art go? I drew 2 pictures. I said that's good. Not really said DS they were rubbish so I binned them. Music day tomorrow, can't wait.

DD has been at Thorpe Park today, awaiting her home any minute. She was saying she wished it was a normal week. So does DS. Still 3 days down, 2 more "fun days" to go. Will be glad when all this fun is over. grin

Thought will cheer DS up and get a takeaway. 3 hours later after 10 payment attempts finally got one via DHs card. Just spoken to bank as they had blocked my card as my spending apparently follows a common fraud pattern. It was hiring a boat, Sainsbury's, annual travel insurance and ordering a takeaway. [Confused]

DS lasted to 9.05am on music day and school refused on Friday which was PE day.

This week went off huffing and puffing on Monday for reasons best known to himself but came back cheerful enough. Today was fine until science decided to give him a detention for not doing homework (said he logged on but nothing there) and she made him stay behind 15 minutes. This meant he couldn't sit his UKMT JMC Kangaroo paper. He and other kids tried to explain and were told to shut up or would get longer detention. He had been looking forward to comp for months and was completely distraught - DH had to go to school and carry him out. I looked up and they can sit it within next few days but he won't get a certificate it says unless school burns down or similar. I told him burning down the school for a Kangaroo certificate seems a bit extreme but he said it could be worth it if you get a real Kangaroo.

DD had better day and did the Olympiad which she said went fine.

That's dreadful. I'd be furious, but doubly so with your ds' issues. I won't advocate burning down the school, but that really is disgraceful behaviour from the teacher.

Ds is counting down the days until next week when he gets a week off to perform. He is happy. Dd2 has mocks that week and is Not Happy At All at the unfairness of it.

Thanks Witchend I was furious especially as I explained as politely and calmly as I could to maths teacher what had happened and asked him if DS could sit it later. Maths teacher gets DS and says you deliberately didn't sit the Maths paper did you and so DS comes home crying as he has been wanting to do that paper for months but science teacher said he had detention. Then Deputy Head sent him home when could have sat it later. Today we had Ed Pscych who raised it with them and they told her DS should have understood the detention was optional and ignored teacher and gone to Kangaroo. The Ed Psych told school they must communicate better and that they caused this issue.

Glad your DS has a week off. Hard on your DD if she has mocks but it will switch round at some point. DD has started singing lessons and now singing all round the house.

@DobbinsVeil how are you? Update us when you get chance.

DD finally got moved to top set French - think Head got involved - and had first lesson and she beat all of them in every test. She is desperate for Olympiad score - she wouldn't practice as no-one else she knew was in it and I said you will be bothered after. Think she's messaged about 20 people about it and told me I had to set up a MN thread on it. Did find 1 other but really she will have to wait for results back. The paper is on there but I haven't got a clue.

DS seems happier in his new form. End of year exams have been ongoing for a couple of weeks, with the final ones next week.
Have convinced DS he doesn’t need to do any more maths or science (which he loves) and should do English and German.

I think I'd ask if detentions are option at your school, what's the point in them as no one would do them

Ds said he's had the best last lesson the last two days. Apparently he had maths. A maths test. He said he completed in 15 minutes and spent the remaining 45 minutes gazing out of the window. Have told him if he had that amount to spare he should be getting 100%. He says not his fault if the teacher didn't make the questions clear enough...

Last rehearsal for his show tomorrow. He's winding his sisters up by singing "only one day next week". He leaves at 6:45 tomorrow morning. Yuck.

Glad your DS is happier now Taswama

The kids were giggling a lot at the idea of optional detentions and the idea you could just walk out

Hope the show goes well Witchend

Hope you all had a good weekend. We went on a steam train for Father's Day and went to May Bumps garden party on Saturday. DS said he loved it there and asked what extra things you can do at university - I went through lots and he said he would do debating and drama And not much sport as there would be lots of people better than him and that wouldn't make him happy.

School also said we should give DS packed lunches as he doesn't eat at school. Thought that's odd his card shows he eats unless he's upset and has always refused packed lunch. Quizzed him and he often eats at break to avoid queues and has bacon sandwich. He also tells me he is boycotting apples due to 'unreasonable school apple inflation' as school apple prices have risen from 35p to 40p whilst apples have halved in size. Another 'school rip-off'. He has discovered oranges have been miscoded as ketchup and only cost 10p so has shifted to those though says they are small.

DD had 3 chapters of a book to read as homework so we had all 3 chapters on audio this morning as its due in today.

DS got sent home again yesterday and is now banned from all science practicals. Still only 5 weeks to go. Also got a lovely long apology e-mail from the science teacher re maths competition.

Went out last nice for fireworks punting which was nice but sillily late.

How are all at the end of the year now?
Ds finished today and is very pleased to say that he will not be the smallest in the year any more.
He also knows quite well a couple of the girls who will be starting year 7 and says "no more peace"