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Secondary education

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Original poster

Year 7 Spring Term ....

503 replies

MaryAnnSingleton · 02/01/2009 21:52

our thread, part two - all ready for the new term !! ds goes back on Tuesday...

OP posts:
bellavita · 11/03/2009 17:23

roisin - might have to put your rules into practice in this house...

MAS - yep, pinny is about right . Black trousers, black shirt and reddie coloured pinny.

The food we serve is along the lines of Potted Shrimps, Moules, Queenies, Risotto and loads more to start,

Lobster, Seabass, Halibut, Duck, Haddock, Steak Pie for main, and loads more with posh sauces - eg sauce vierge.

All deserts are homemade, Cherry & Almond Tart, Lemon Posset, Rum and Raisin Cheesecake, Treacle Tart and lots more.

MargaretMountford · 11/03/2009 19:19

sounds yummy !! treacle tart is what I long for...
parent consultation all done - 2 teachers were ill and another we tried to book was full up,but the geography teacher made room for us and that was glowing ! everything else fine,except that in art he is slow to get started so consequently doesn't finish stuff- apparently art is after PE and ds is always the last in because it takes him a while to get organised there and then in the art room he finds the bustle a bit intimidating...I know what he's capable of and it shows in his homework,but he needs to sharpen up in class and in the other 2 subjects we saw,maths and science - he needs to ask and answer questions and not be so quiet. So I guess it was ok - think this is a pattern with ds,he needs to gradually build his confidence. He scowled most of the time (except when talking to the teachers)

bellavita · 12/03/2009 09:22

Well that to me sounds like a good parents consultation, shame that the two teachers were ill. Did you get to see his form tutor?

Funny you should mention scowling

DS1 hates art.. he really struggles with fine motor skills, but having said that, he is an absolute whizz on the guitar hero and playing his own guitar, with him though it takes time for things to "click" into place, once they are there then they are there iykwim. Whereas DS2, he is a different kettle of fish altogether - at 3 years old there was no way he was going to ride a bike with stabilisers, he took them off and that was it. Same with swimming lessons, he was going to swim without the arm bands whether the teacher liked it or not. I was watching through the glass screen, one minute he had them on and the next they had disappeared, but the teacher was helping another child at that very minute, gosh did she have a shock when he launched himself into the water..

MargaretMountford · 12/03/2009 12:40

how funny it is that brothers can be so different - my own middle brother was a daredevil child,climbing naked up scaffolding as a little boy, wandering off whenever he could.my youngest brother much more careful and circumspect. I am something in between I think !
We didn't see his tutor as that was a couple of weeks ago, only ds didn't want me to go along in the end (parents are invited to attend on pupil review day but generally don't go !!)

magentadreamer · 13/03/2009 08:39

Glad the parents evening went well MAS. DD is off today as they have a training day. she's been given another Science project to do and bless her is panicing that she won't be able to get another good mark. I've told her as long as she does her best and puts some effort in then she'll be fine.The instruction leaflet does give indicators as to how to get the various levels. I'm still convinced that the aliens took her in September as Dd last year would have informed me of the project the night before it was due in!

Bellavitia your DS has great taste in music, I get dance music blaring out here! Mind you DD does moan about my music too.

Now fingers crossed the builders turn up and fit my new front door!

Polgara2 · 13/03/2009 12:24

Haven't heard anything about parents evening yet so not sure when ours will be. Am currently trying to get the school to issue dd1 with a login and password for the VLE website which the head of school is convinced they all have but is obviously wrong! Unless he stood over every ICT lesson I don't see how he could make such a sweeping statement really but there you go! DD1 is looking forward to starting food tech next week and I am looking forward to eating it (assuming it is edible of course ).

bellavita · 13/03/2009 16:39

DS1 loved food tech Polgara and the things he made were surprisingly quite nice

Good luck with the next science project magenta!

roisin · 13/03/2009 17:33

Hey Polgara - that's great. ds1 is currently doing food tech and is doing fine.

My tip would be to invest in a large clip-lock container so that nothing can get spilled on the journey home!

We should be getting scones tomorrow. (They've been told to bring in margarine [bleurgghh..] I would love to send in butter, but I know I shouldn't.)

Great news with parents evening Margaretmountford - sound promising.

roisin · 13/03/2009 17:34

ds1 has just brought home an "assessment profile" = mini report and it's very pleasing.

He even got "5* commitment" grade for PE, which he loathes, [arf]

We had a parents evening in December, then there's another one in July. Nothing at this time of year. Maybe it's the same at your school polgara?

bellavita · 13/03/2009 17:55

I second the large clip-lock container roisin - a godsend!

Hmmm warm scones, jam and cream...

MargaretMountford · 13/03/2009 21:44

I third a clip lock container (after the fruit salad leakage incident)

Polgara2 · 16/03/2009 12:21

Oh right so the biscuit tin I was saving for the purpose won't suffice then? Don't want any spillages will go and look at clip-lock containers - are they expensive?

We did have a parents afternoon sometime last year Roisin so maybe you are right and we will have another one in the summer. Mind you it was only to see her form tutor who was supposed to have gathered any info from her other teachers but she didn't have very much to say (despite running very late!).

roisin · 16/03/2009 15:47

ds1 is making scones today and had to take in some milk (I can't remember how much, but not much).

I decided the safest way was for him to take in a sealed 1pt carton. I told him to drink the surplus milk, or give it to a friend to drink, or donate to a teacher for the coffee for the week, but not to put it in his box to bring home.

What's the betting it will be in his clip lock container, with the lid not screwed on firmly, and soggy scones floating around in a pool of milk ...?!

I find out in 25 mins!

(He also had to take in an egg today, so it was quite a challenge.)

roisin · 16/03/2009 15:49

When I was at school (independent) we didn't have to bring in ingredients: they were just provided. It was a lot more like a 'real' kitchen - with a container of flour for you to weigh out the required quantity, etc.

We had to take it in turns to go and do the shopping in the village for the 'home economics' teacher. This was in the days before 'best before dates' and our school had an account with these scary dark and dingy shop, with immensely tall dark and dusty shelves. A bit like 'open all hours'. I used to be terrified when I was picked to go shopping!

magentadreamer · 16/03/2009 15:58

Polagra I bought DD's clip lock container in a "Pound shop" so wasn't that expensive and saved fruit salad being found on her Maths book! DD is doing textiles this term and making a bag - she's had fun designing the pattern for the front and has taken in extra material for it. The main material was supplied by School.

MargaretMountford · 16/03/2009 16:24

think my clip-lock thing came from Sainsbury's...
ds has been making juggling balls in DT - and very nice they are too,if you don't mind little bits of the rice filling here and there

bellavita · 16/03/2009 16:33

roisin - with the egg, what we did is put it in a lidded pot with his flour, so it was sort of "secure". I save all sorts of small plastic pots with lids and they really came in handy for ingredients.

With regards to the milk, I bought a beaker with a screw top lid from Sainsburys which worked really well, he also used this for apple juice to go with his fruit salad and for the mixture for his pasta salad to be tossed in.

magenta - think DS is doing a cushion or something or other in tech although he has not asked me for any material as yet.... cue Wed morning at 7.55am..

Can DS juggle then MAS?

roisin · 16/03/2009 16:49

mmmm... scones were scrummy. Well, they were when we'd smothered them in butter, jam and cream anyway!

They hadn't risen well and were rather flat
But they tasted fine.

Polgara2 · 16/03/2009 16:53

I am so glad you are all doing this first and I can learn from your mistakes experiences .

Right am off to see how dd1's project on Shiva is coming along, if dd2 has managed to rinse ALL the shampoo off her hair and how much kitchen I currently have had installed!

MargaretMountford · 16/03/2009 16:54

ahh,well done roisin's ds !
bellavita - you must be joking - ds can barely catch an ordinary ball - he is very uncoordinated

bellavita · 16/03/2009 16:55

at Polgara

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 16/03/2009 21:40

DD1 started food tech last week. Fruit salad! Is this a national first food tech recipe thing? She came home with what looked more like fruit punch, with the fruit floating forlornly on about six inches of apple juice. She makes much nicer fruit salads at home.
She had a netball tournament today. First thing I knew about it was when the school phoned at lunchtime to say she had asked if I could bring her PE kit in as she had netball after school. So I went up and dropped it in reception, expecting that it was normal practice and she would be home about 4.30/5.00pm. At 6pm I was beginning to pace about so I phoned her friend's mum to see if she knew where she was. Oh, I don't think they'll be back for ages, it's a knockout tournament with a lot of other schools....
At 6.30 she arrived back. It seems the tournament was in the next town and they went in a coach.
Oh yes, did I forgot to tell you?, she said.
I kind of miss primary school where you had letters home and things to sign and all that.

Polgara2 · 17/03/2009 10:02

Oh LGP I miss that too! It's terrible not knowing anything - and I just HAVE to know things . Tbh that's one of the reasons I joined the PTA but it kinda isn't working out like that, it's hard work getting to know anything from there either .

MargaretMountford · 17/03/2009 11:12

I've sort of got used to the not knowing bit now,which is not as bad as I imagined,fortunately ds is quite good at remembering stuff/organising himself and I take more of a back seat,instead of interfering and fussing !!

MargaretMountford · 17/03/2009 11:21

not that any of you are fussing and interfering I'm sure - I am just a bit of a control freak and in a way it's been a relief to 'let go' a little

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