Year 7 Summer Term !

[MargaretMountford]

Here is a brand new thread for the new term !

Yes you can download straight to the computer...they're great little things - ds has made loads of films,usually of him 'presenting' or 'performing' or else he films me driving if we're on car journeys - we have many miles of motorway recorded ... on the computer he edits them and puts on a soundtrack and credits - great fun !

I'd definetly get one for your DD LGP. My DD has a very cheapo one which she loves making movies on. Our managerie are often found to be the stars of her movies!

Do any of you go through your dc's books when they aren't around?

DS1 is just soooo untidy - is it a boy thing? because I know when I was at school, I took pride in my work. There are a few comments from teachers - "keep things tidy", "underline", "why isn't this finished"

If I tried to look at his things when he was here he would go into a strop.

yes I do and yes,it's untidy !! what irritates me too is that the book covers are all crumpled and any loose worksheets/papers are just shoved in anyhow and not folded or put into the plastic folders I've provided - gah !!!!
underlining is never done with a ruler !

Phew MM - what a relief . DS1's lose papers are just shoved anywhere too!

Do you just let him get on with it then or try and guide him? Because the minute I open my mouth to DS1 I am met with the devil...

I am a list, colours, different piles in priority order type of gal and have a difficulty understanding why others can't be like that

Just had a phonecall from a mum with a DS in Yr7 that did not go to our primary (he lives in another village) - she understands the boys have been talking about getting together and can DS1 go over to them. I am dropping him off on Sat morning

I look through ds1's books when he's there. Often when we're having a chat after school about how the day's been.

If he has loose sheets in his books, I pass him a glue stick and get him to stick them in there and then (if they need sticking in).

His presentation (ie handwriting) is not very tidy, and never will be, but he does his best.

He had a good day today - phew! Yesterday he seemed to lurch from one crisis to another. He loathes PE, and yesterday said the best thing about the day was PE

DD did her first PE today since she hurt her knee. Unfortunately it's now swollen again so back to the Doctors in the morning. I've a feeling that the doctor will refer her to either physio or a bone man. DD hasn't done PE for the last couple of weeks and has been in her words "a bit bored" watching the others so I'm wondering if I could suggest to school that she went to the library -they have a librarian on duty and DD isn't the kind of child who'd not go and just roam around the school causing mayhem IYSWIM. I was thinking if she went to the library she could do homework/read/practice her German on the website she uses or do maths on mymaths or something similar. She's naffed off to say the least as she really wants to be able to do PE and more importantly to her be able to start her riding lessons again plus she wants to do a strret dance class at the community centre. So anyhows are the school likely to agree to this or is poor DD going to spend 3 lessons a week watching the others hve fun?

roisin - I have a feeling that DS thinks I am going to criticise his work and that's why he has a thing about me looking through his books . Aww bless your ds with the lurching from one crisis to another.

Your poor dd magenta - hope the knee gets sorted soon.

yes, hope knee is better soon - poor dd
I do try to put things in folders when I find them crumpled in the bottom of his bag,or get him to glue stuff in, but he gets very hufty...I guess he'll learn if the teachers complain and tell him off for scruffy work.It pains me as I cannot bear things not to be orderly and done neatly.
Hope ds has fun with 'new' friend bellavita - am pleased too that my ds is getting texts from boy he knows - socialising is coming along !
hope things improve for your ds roisin

argh ! a completely crumpled and torn worksheet retrieved today which I binned !

Go MM!

Oops! I once binned DD's homework when she was in yr6 as I thought it was just a tatty bit of paper!

DD had me in stitches tonight -she gets very animated when telling me stuff about school. Apparently one of the other girls made some snidey comment about DD's shiny sleek straightened hair ( took me aggggggggggges to do it!) so DD offered to buy this girls Mum a loo brush to stop her using X's hair as one! DD is normally a polite child who would have retorted "and your point is?" or something similar and walked away but since getting her hair done on friday appears to have become a bit of a girlie! and you don't diss a girls hair!

magenta !!

We have parents evening on the 19th DD has managed to so far get 3 appointments - one at 5.10pm one at 6.50pm and one at 7.20pm I think we might be popping home for a cuppa at this rate. I told DD we really needed to see her Maths, English, Science, MFL, History and Geog teachers. DD wants us to see the ICT and DT teachers as they'll say nice things about her apparently and out of her 3 appointments two of them are ICT and DT. I'd like to meet her Music/Drama teacher only to see if he's really as awful as DD makes out -she has me in stitches recalling what Mr Drama-music has done today! If anything she's become a very good comic recounting tales of his lessons.

DD has to go for an Xray on Monday luckly the Xray dept has an open door policy for Xrays from GP's so she can go after school.

DS brought a letter home on Friday asking for £36 for two school day trips.

One is to a theme park and the other is to The Deep Aquarium. Both in the last week of term in July.

I hope you manage to get some more appointments to fill your time magenta!

How many trips have your dss done this year?

At the school I work at there are endless trips/special workshops all the time. Often just into the locality, but still.... There is also a 3 day residential for yr7s in June and an optional French trip. We also have Key Days which often involve outside agencies coming in and doing 'exciting and fun' things. Some of these are heavily subsidised, so parents don't have to fork out all the time.

At ds1's school there's been hardly anything. No residential trips this year. He has done a few things holidays/weekends/evenings with Boys Singers. Once he went to the next town for a science/rocket talk. The "Key Days" at his school (6 this year) have been run pretty much entirely by the regular school staff.

Now my question is, to what extent do all these 'extra' things really contribute to their education? Or how much they enjoy school? I know they take up an enormous amount of staff time to plan and organise, but I sometimes question their true value.

DS has done a geography field trip to Manchester and an RE trip to the church local to the school, there have been no others.

I suppose roisin that it helps the students enjoy the subjects more?

ds off to Cabinet War Rooms this week,postponed from the snowy weather and a day trip to France coming up in June

DS had loads of trips in yr 7, cost me an absolute fortune. He went to

Induction Day
Warwick Castle
Science museum
Paper factory
Overnight trip to German Markets
Day trip to France
Theatre trip to Lord of the Rings.

Not so bad this year but we have said no to a week trip to France.

We have just got the starter pack for DD to start in September, so will have it all again next year.

DD has been to the Science Musuem in Manchester and a local trip to a musuem in town for Geography/History. She is going to Alton Towers in a fortnight for the annual praise trip her school do.

Next year knee permitting she'd love to go on the school ski trip.

DD had one trip to see a musical in London before Christmas, was supposed to be having another day trip at the end of this term but it seems to have been changed into an optional weekend at an activity centre... which will be more expensive of course.

I am bracing myself for when the trips abroad start!

DD has been on a trip to Plymouth Aquarium and will be going to the Bristol science museum in July. She missed out on a history trip because there were limited places and she 'forgot' to hand the form in early enough. There is a residential week in July at a PGL centre, but she won't be going as she has had three residentials in Yr 4, 5 &6 and has to wait until Y9 now so we can afford to let her younger siblings have the same opportunities with the primary school residentials.

Can I ask how long other DC's parents evening are? DD's is next week the day after her report is issued. They are holding it from 5pm till 7.30pm. The bookable slots are every ten minutes but that allows a five minute changing over time. I've counted that up to be 12 slots from 5-7pm and 3 from 7pm till the last bookable slot at 7.20pm so 15 slots in all per teacher. I didn't expect to see all her teachers but would have liked to have seen her Science, Geography, History, MFL and especially her English teacher - they are all fully booked up.

DD's evening isn't until mid-June. I don't know when we get the chance to book appointments. I will want to see as many as possible - she won't want me to see any .
She was on cloud nine today as she got an A* for her art homework.