GCSEs 2019 Support thread 3

[myrtleWilson]

Welcome all - just went to post on thread 2 and saw it was at 999 so quickly did this

steppemum I'm just nosing into this thread to say DD1 has a tux from Zara for her prom. Black with shiny lapels and a stripe down the side of the matching trousers. They seem to have done that tux in both a black and a white version this season.

We've had to have it altered for a better fit and it now looks absolutely stunning, it fits like a glove to her shape. The tailor was surprised by the high quality of the material. My point is that if you're lucky enough, as we were, to find a good tailor, I'm confident that anything could be altered to fit.

Would she wear something like these trousers Steppe - the danger I can see with high waisted is that you look more matador than tux - but matador could be a good look too...
www.topshop.com/en/tsuk/product/clothing-427/trousers-leggings-4075710/black-high-waisted-side-split-trousers-by-club-l-london-8009810?geoip=noredirect&cmpid=ppc_pla_UK_ip&utm_medium=cpc&tsrc=vdna&istCompanyId=38aa0d7f-6514-4cb3-bbdc-df0d32d48b7f&istFeedId=a21748eb-2fe6-47b2-bb85-98b6bd5b1f3f&istItemId=witxqparq&istBid=tztx&gclid=Cj0KCQjwocPnBRDFARIsAJJcf97fKHUb_XWNSKd7IG_itfsU7_kw0pGbQJdF9GMXr58FIEMqONBCK5waAjvKEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

Re leavers hoodies, ours weren't nearly as expensive as £25 - more like £15 DS said (apparently there was an earlybird special that meant you could get them for £14).

DS also said that the boy who organised the leaver's hoodies lined up a sponsor to make sure that those who couldn't afford them could have them anyway (it had nothing to do with the school - except that they put faces of a whole bunch of teachers on the front of it ....). I don't know the details of the arrangements, as we can and did pay, but we are aware that there are a fair few families in the school for whom a £15 hoodie is not affordable.

Oh, no prom here.

Oh, that's great about the hoodies binkom

I feel its expensive too but as he isn't going to prom I didn't feel I could complain! 😁

As we are all friendly 😁 I was wondering if any of you are doing exam results gifts?

Ds1 has worked very hard and whatever results he gets we are very proud of him.

Thinking of some cash....

We don’t have Leavers Hoodies- they only have them in year 13.

Still no progress on Prom Suit here - my hopes were raised when ds’s girlfriend said she’d sort him out - they even had a tape measure!! Anyway it turned out to be so boring they decided to do Biology revision instead?!?

Exam gifts - we live in Bucks so 100% selective. Anyway when they did the 11+ we went away for a long weekend immediately after (11+ was Thursday). Ds chose Cheddar Gorge but dd chanced her luck and we went to Paris. The deal was they got the gift for effort not for results. GCSES I’m adopting the same policy - I’ve bought him some gig tickets he wanted and will provide spending money/ tent etc for Reading (his Reading tix was his Christmas present). What’s anyone else doing?

Dd is planning not to go to Prom. (Our of 3 DC only one will have gone, and only one made the end of Primary BBQ either, a different one to Prom).
Not much revision here, but DD did go into school for a session today.

Ds1 would want cash :)
This time last year we went to Belfast for 3 days and did the game of thrones filming locations tour.
Was awesome! :)
He and dh and ds2 usually go for a boys trip in the summer. Not sure where they are going yet though. Munich I think.

This time last year we went to Belfast for 3 days and did the game of thrones filming locations tour.

Ooooh that sounds fab - I’m afraid I’ve never watched GoT but ds and dh are obsessed huge fans!

Munich is a great city to visit.

Oh, I'd go again tomorrow kitty
There are 2 tours...north and south.
We did the northern Antrim coast one.
Was fabulous.
Admittedly, the weather was very kind to us!

On gifts, DS1 has had old phones of mine or low priced androids up to know so I am trying to screw himself up to getting him his first own iPhone for gcse effort. So horribly expensive but I know that the classic "everyone else has one" pleas are true (in fact most of my 13 year old's friends have them - the world is mad) so think I will nite the bullet.

But yes, gift in June for hard work, not results

Yes I think last day of exams we will give him somd cash - it's the day after his b day too! :)

Just catching up... myrtle, that sounds incredibly hard but fwiw I agree you are doing the right thing re dd. Sending good wishes.

Had another dream last night that ds flunked everything; gawd what is wrong with me? We had a chat on Thursday night about the amount of revision he was wasn't doing but it stayed 'lighthearted' as MN would say... I just gently pointed out (cough, cough) that it would be daft to waste these few short days and how much he could end up regretting it come August of his grades weren't quite as he hoped.

Got home from work yesterday and he told me that he wasn't going out with his mates after all today and he was going to work for 'a couple of hours' instead. I consider that a victory of sorts . He's still off to a friend's house later to watch Liverpool v Spurs so I think a couple of hours work isn't too much to ask really!

No hoodies or proms here. Just keeping fingers crossed for the right results for 6th-form college. Ironically, dp has just been offered a job at ds's current school so, as one leaves, another joins! That will be very odd, seeing it from the 'other side'.

DD and I are going away last week of June as a treat, though as she's hardly revised I'm not quite sure it's a reward. She doesn't seem to be in a good place mentally though, I'm quite worried about her, she feels really bad about herself for not revising though she can't seem to make herself do it so some time away I think will help. She also has no appetite for sixth form or anything else. Don't know whether this is just a result of GCSE pressure or something more enduring.

myrtle very sorry to hear about your sister. Cancer is a bastard.

And to everyone else who has added stress from health/work issues it is shit dealing with that and exam stress.

Ds1 has ordered a hoodie but only £12 here. I am wondering how they are going to fit everyone's name on, I have only had experience of the primary school leavers hoodie.

Ds is not going to prom, he is introvert so it's his idea of hell. I don't think he'll change his mind either. None of his friends are going.

Re revision sessions in school over the holidays they are too broad for Ds who knows his weaknesses so would prefer to spend 2 hours at home addressing that.

He is up, breakfasted and showered and ready to start revision at 9am every day. He has never had an issue getting up in the mornings, he isn't attached to his phone, prefers a good nights sleep!

We are currently wading through Elizabethans, and then tomorrow History around us which is a local historical house. His exam board is OCR.

He is predicted high grades so has been working at this for a year, chipping away at it. Hopefully it will all pay off.

School organised our hoodies, £15, and the girls had a poll to choose the colour. They all wore them in on the first day of exams. Slight cock up though, one girls name on twice, and one girl left off.... they are getting her a special replacement.

DD in garden getting some Vitamin D and reading through History and Class Civ.

I can't go in the sun. On antibiotics which give you sun sensitivity. I was bitten by a tick on Thursday, and local protocol is now to give 10 days of preventative antibiotics for Lyme. Long old story, but DH caught Lyme last year, and we had a year of hell. Wouldn't have thought about it before, but now has become a real issue locally. One of DD's classmates had it too, and because it was not diagnosed for a year, she has had an awful time.

Just a thought..... was it Pointy whose DD had pain and fatigue? I can't find the post. Have you thought about Lyme??

Ds is revising eng lang atm.

History later, I believe.

Ds2 is off to a party this afternoon and I'm off out with my sister for a shopping trip.

I can't wait to see this £25 hoodie! Maybe its gilded?? 🤣

DD's hoodies seem to be on the higher cost end at £22, they are going to have to fit a lot names on them as it is a big school. There are a crazy number of colour choices so DD has spent ages trying to make up her mind, she thinks she will go with Peppermint!

We have booked for DD and me to go see her favourite musical the day before results day, that's the reward she wanted and I think it will be a needed distraction.

Just noticed this thread is nearly full, we talk a lot! I agree with those who say it is a nice support, I'm trying to cut down on my MN time as I have some exams of my own to study for but I will keep on this thread.

Regarding effort/grade gifts we've never really done them. Small rewards but nothing significant. My Ds cannot believe how much effort Dd is putting in - compared to him at the same time.
Ds1 is a huge computer gamer - he has not long ago spent eye-watering amounts on a whole new set up, building his pc and replacing all the other bits. So his 'old' stupidly high spec pc etc he built is back in the boxes 'awaiting selling' .
Unbeknown to Dd2 - he has booked the day off June 14th ( her last exam) , he's setting it all up for her while in exam, he's gifting it all to her for her efforts. Then picking her up to bring her home & surprise her.
She's going to be over the moon , I'm touched by his generosity.

onaroll your ds sounds an amazing brother, what a kind thing to do.

That’s lovely onaroll.
Ds was a very reluctant reviser so we gave him cash incentives for targets reached, with the intention to motivate him & then reward effort. Put it this way it could have been a lot more expensive for us so every cloud
Dd has worked really hard & brought the cash subject up the other day. Her horse already costs us a lot of money & we’re not really in a position to offer her the same deal. It feels a bit unfair however she knows knows the horse is a privilege that will be lost if she’s not working.
I have however taken advantage of the first opportunity in years of a cheaper outside school hol & booked a large but basic villa & am taking dd, ds & some of their friends once exams are over.

I've made a new thread, btw

Thank you Taco
Readyforsunshine that sounds perfect. I also wanted to take advantage of a cheaper in term holiday but I can't , the unjoys of working in Education 🙄