Thread 14? Corona Cohort Yr 12 2021 - 'Vaccinations and Eliminations'

[orangecinnamon]

Just place marking for the New Thread!

@Zandathepanda glad to hear it worked for your DD. Hopefully it will play out in the same way here.

DS is dead keen to get back, he’s really missed the interaction but I have no doubt he will be struggling to get up on time.

We have received the testing timetable so I’ll be driving one or other of the DSs in almost every day next week, and hanging around for the results, it’s a pain to be honest, I have work to do! At least I work for myself, can’t imagine many employers would be happy for their staff to be running out every day!

Good news on dropping the 4th subject seeline

DD also really keen to get back mainly to be with her friends despite the extra mask wearing and testing. Only a week till she goes back.

I think ds is looking forward to going back. But he's been getting up at 9am for 9.10 start. So having a 15 min walk for 8.25am bus will be a shock to the system.

Thursday will be a trip out when ds goes for his covid test. Apart from dog walks I've not really been anywhere for ages. Ds hasn't either. So it'll be an exciting trip out!

Another one not looking forwards to the early starts, but is keen to see people again. He has not done badly as he has been seeing a few friends, but a more normal life will feel good.

@piggywaspushed can I take this off topic with a request for advice about International Relations? I think your DS1 is doing IR, a friend's DS has an offer for IR at Liverpool John Moores, but is concerned that it may not be well run there. Not sure why he is worried, but wondered whether you have any pearls of wisdom. He was unlucky - did not work for his mocks last year because he had a main part in school play in March, planned to put in the work for the exams, but obviously didn't do the exams. His school was very tight on sticking to previous year grade profile, so he got BCC, although teachers said he was heading for ABB.

My two aren't looking forward to early starts either, they are rolling out of bed and onto their laptops at the moment. It won't make much difference to me, I leave for work at 8 which is when they leave too, main difference is going to be making sure they're away on time instead of just knocking on their doors to tell them I'm going.

Dd managed from asleep to breakfast to dressed to in-front-of-computer-lesson today in 9 minutes today. She’s got it perfected just in time to go back

Ahh, loving all the low-energy dc on here: my two both seem to have really embraced the idea that they have not long left to hibernate and are making the most of it. I'm trying not to suddenly try and over-compensate and get them making revision notes and uni spreadsheets ;-)

One of mine (y12 DS) is climbing the walls - desperately needs to get back. Y10 DD would be happy for remote learning to just carry on.

DS has had LOTs of work the last couple of weeks but it's slowing down ATM, I think the teachers have wanted to get ahead a bit because next week is going to be far from normal.

Huge cheer from DD’s bedroom last night. Reason? “I’ve just written the 5000th word of my EPQ!”

And what was the 5000th word, we asked?

“Unmotivated”

Hi monkey. DS1 does indeed do IR. I read recently that it is a growing subject so not sure why it wouldn't run either. That's an odd thing to think so I wonder where he gets that from?

IR was the bit of his degree DS was keen to do (he does IR and politics) but he doesn't like it. I think he finds it a bit facile or something. He doesn't like essays or working at all but he definitely hated the mock UN simulations they did where he had to 'be' Morocco. A flaw in current A Levels is that many don't have coursework so students leave unable to do anything other than a timed memory test style essay. he has found that a big leap and I don't think his uni teaches them how to research/reference etc. Massively important for IR and politics! He also calls it 'word salad'

One of my plans for my year 13 now as we have more or less finished the spec is to teach referencing and google skills!

DS off for his first LFT at 6pm. Fun fun fun.

Thanks @Piggywaspushed. He was not worried that would not run at all, just worried that it was not run well. Sounds like everyone should do an EPQ for those research and referencing skills. Will pass your comments on.

I finally got round to calling DS's old school to ask about exam certificates and they said we could collect them any time. Don't know when they would have told me!

I think some schools do EPQ better than others. Our school definitely does not teach research or referencing skills!

I thought it was odd that DS's school was doing all three LFTs before on site lessons begin on 15th. DS found out today that all schools in our Borough have been directed to do this and not begin F2F lessons til all the tests are done because numbers are still quite high.

We don’t have GCSE certificates yet either.
The school emailed in November to ask the students to collect them on a particular day in December then we went into tier 3 and it was cancelled.
Haven’t heard anything about them since!
Thing is DS2 is still there (yr10) so could easily just bring them home

No GCSE certificates either. Starting to think they don’t exist. If anyone has them, and has older children’s to compare, do they look the same? I suppose no employer will forget the year!

@Fiddlersgreen DD collected her GCSE certificates from ‘old school’ last autumn
She was given the choice to collect in person or have them posted out- could you email the exams officer and ask if your DS1s could be posted out?
DD was miffed that the certificates were per board and not per subject and had as such had ‘ less than’ she was expecting
I can remember seeing them but now need to ask where she’s put them...

Certificates look the same as usual. You always got a separate certificate for each board, even in my day! Our school has a policy not to post them because the replacement cost is so high if they get lost. The school receptionist met me at the door with the certificates when I buzzed in.

Our school has a policy not to post them too. I asked if they could use the left over dinner money that they put towards Dd "prom" account (without my permission) and they refused. They've also refused to let anyone collect as they would rather have a special collection day. I'm a bit miffed at it all tbh. Exam boards said certificates should be passed on without delay.

No GCSE certificates here either. Found out by chance that they have been at the old school since November.

Not allowed to collect until schools reopen.

DS (still at the same school) got his certificates in November, they had a masked-up presentation by the headteacher.

DD is going on for her 1st test today at 4pm. Given she had Covid at the end of November I'm pretty confident it will be ok. I just have a lingering fear that there's some residual Covid that might get picked up - is that possible? It's about 95 days and they say not to take a test within 90 days.

Both mine got their GCSEs and A level certificates through the post in November - different schools.

Taking DD in for her first test in about an hour. Hopefully negative and then she can start back on Monday.

DD got given hers to bring home in December (same school) which reminds me I still haven't take a photocopy of them...

I did however remember to remind DD to try on her school shoes and wear them in again (many blisters in Sept) must remember to find the Compeed before Monday.

@Fiddlersgreen my oldest was at university and couldn't collect his A level certificates. They wouldn't give them to ds2 (year 10 at the time) without a written letter from ds1.

I'm taking ds2 for his lateral flow test later. It's like an exciting trip out. Work have not asked me back due to covid. So I've not been out anywhere, apart from local dog walks, ds hasn't been anywhere either. Ds has no lessons today so he will sleep until lunchtime. They are doing the tests alphabetically, ds is in the last group at 1.45-2.15pm.