Corona Cohort’s Year 12 adventures

[FoolsAssassin]

We’ve made it into year 12 and rapidly approaching the end of the first half term .

Lots of challenges we could never imagined as we started the year but we’re all keeping on keeping on and this thread is for anyone who would like to jump on board to share the rather unusual journey this is turning out to be.

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End of the first week of half term break here, and national lockdown started at 6pm (Wales), so neither DC is back in school until the 9th November - the week before will be back to online classes.

We've had a horrible week. DH (orchestral musician) was offered work for next week, the first since March, but of course that's now been cancelled because of lockdown, and we had to have our beloved dog put to sleep today, after finding out on Monday that she had cancer. Because of Covid, we couldn't be with her at the end - we had to the her up outside the surgery and leave her for them to take her in, while we sat in the car. 😢

Piccolo, that is such sad news about your dog; that must have been absolutely awful. And your DH must be so disappointed on the work front; it seems to be never ending for musicians

Thank you @Monkey2001; Edinburgh is definitely on her shortlist. I will encourage her to consider Glasgow too. She’ll probably give St Andrew’s a pass due to geography and size, favours cities more. The front runner course favourite (so far) is run by both Trinity Dublin and Columbia - they offer a 4 year dual BA course split across both locations that ticks many of her boxes like languages, culture, history etc, but lots of hoops to jump and unknowns still on 2022 (fees, election outcome for starters). Still early days though thankfully.

Aw Piccolo . They are family.

@Monkey2001
If ‘she were me’ I’d be definitely adding St A into the mix- because, to me, it makes sense!
However, despite previously having found daily return train tickets for less than £40 - given we are already ‘oop north’ - DD flatly refused to entertain the notion because, in her words ‘ she doesn’t want to be stuck somewhere with no social life’
It’s early days, though and I’m ‘working on it’
Trinity College Dublin appeals to her ( party city?) but despite my research I haven’t been able to establish if entrance in 2022 would still be covered by SLC.

@Alsoplayspiccolo what an awful week, so sorry to hear that

Oh Piccolo, I am so sorry 💐

@Alsoplayspiccolo
Run free, little lass

@Alsoplayspiccolo,really sorry to hear that. Must have been so hard for you all. I am sure the vet and nurses would have been even more loving to your dog on your behalf.

@icanbewhatiwant - psychology counts as a 2nd science in most of the unis (even Durham etc) so I am sure she will get some offers, (although not scotland or most of london), and then it's just a case of if the better ones do actually offer when they have candidates with Chem, physics or maths. We will see. Nothing DD can do about it except to try to get 3 x A, plus core maths and and EPQ.

DD did some revision yesterday for a Biology test she has when she goes back (that sounds good, going back, been off since 1st Oct)..
And it went well.. The Revision Cards I had bought worked really well, I could actually test her with proper questions. Although it turns out I can't pronounce most of them properly! I felt about 5 yrs old stumbling over the words! Didn't help that I obviously need a new perscription for my reading glasses (my excuse and I'm sticking to it) :-) It was just nice not having the book passed to me and told ask me some questions and not having a clue what to ask!
Was also useful that some of the information on the cards wasn't in her book. Although at times she did say she didn't need to know that.

Off to watch her play hockey today. I haven't been out of the house for ages and haven't been able to go to watch hockey for about a month so I'm really looking forward to it (it's like going out out)...

Fingers crossed for some nice weather next week so we can all enjoy half term.

It’s great when you support a plan and it doesn’t back fire Heifer, good luck on that biology test on her return...and enjoy the hockey today. Getting out is a big thing when it’s been taken away for so long...

@Heifer yes the psychology is good. Ds1 didn't do that either. He did the core maths though. He hated every minute of it. It seemed near enough the whole class wanted to drop it. But school wouldn't let them, apparently previous year most dropped out too, so they put a stop to it. Not a bad idea, I'm sure the extra maths helped.

Ds bought home his progress report. They've not done any tests this term so far. Report says attainment is the grade they will get if they continue to work the way they are now. Then the target is the grade they are capable of achieving based on gcse results. Both attainment and target are showing as B's. Ds says they can't know that as they've not done any tests. He says he will get better grades than that. So we will see. Ds seems quite positive.

Interesting to read about psychology.
Ds's finished for 1/2 Term yesterday.

All good here. Only 2 cases in Ds1 & Ds2 's secondary. And the bubble that was asked to isolate was tiny. No other year groups affected.

All other secondary's round here similar.

So I think we've done well so far to make it to October 1/2 Term. I'm just glad they've been in school, in lessons. I doubt we'll make it to Christmas, though.

Ds1 has had a superb report, good attitude, current grade D or C, predicted A.

I'm well pleased.

Heifer are you out-out? In your carpet slippers? aka Micky Flanagan?

@Heifer
Can I ask which A Level Revision Cards you have bought/recommend? Might have a look for Physics ones for DS.

Me too. Any recommendations for revision cards for business, sociology, psychology, appreciated.

I mean, how are you supposed to know? Which ones to buy?

I bought these ones (bought GCSE ones previously and worked well)
A level Biology Revision Cards

Also bought
How to get an A in Biology

How to get an A in Psychology

But they got put straight into the cuboard for now as DD said she hasn't learnt enough yet.

Love the going out out video - I've got my own new version.
Bra on means poping out (to put bins out), lippy on means going out (shops), Mascara on means going out out :-)

thanks @ealingwestmum. looking forward to it

Enjoy your hockey event, Heifer, and well done to everyone whose dc got the half term grades they wanted

Dd hasn't had half term grades, or any kind of feedback at all so far

I did have my doubts about her going to this sixth form, but I know she wouldn't have been happy at the much better one her sister has applied to, so I'll just have to cross my fingers that it will work out

She's got essay questions to write and submit electronically over the half term, so I'm hoping some feedback is in the offing soon

@Alsoplayspiccolo so sorry to hear about your dog and the very sad way it had to end.

@Alsoplayspiccolo sad news. We lost one of our labs. back in February also to cancer. It happened so quickly. She was only 9 the vets put her to sleep in the back of the car, but with previous dogs we've had it done at home. Obviously not an option with covid ☹️Pets are family members aren't they.

@Alsoplayspiccolo so sorry hope next week treats you kinder

Re revision aids - I work at a school & CGP is one of the most popular companies that do these. We order directly from them but you can also get their products from Amazon.

Collins do Snap Revision Guides for many GCSE topics, not sure if they have A Level ones too.

Another company we use a lot, especially for Business Studies (and I think Psychology) is Tutor2U. I’m not sure if they only sell to schools but worth a look.

@Decorhate yes we have some packs of those revision cards for gcse. They look a good idea...only thing is they are sitting in a drawer unopened as we didn't need them with no exams. I just looked and there are a few A level packs.