Year 7 Summer Term !

[MargaretMountford]

Here is a brand new thread for the new term !

Well done to both

Yay, well done LGP's dd and roisin's ds

My dd got a bronze too! Her ex-best friend (long story) got a silver but dd was able to trump that by getting a 6A in their tests versus ex-BF's 6B [petty emoticon]

Yes it's interesting about single-sex schools. Where we are there is still an all-boys and all-girls state school - used to be grammar schools before they got rid of the grammar system in our area I think. They used to be very over-subscribed but since the mixed schools have improved drastically they are less popular now and the mixed school is impossible to get into...

Yea for GrapefruitMoon's DD!
I showed DD the Junior Maths Challenge website and she noticed that if her friend had got one more point she would have got Bronze too (they read the marks out in class). She wasn't sure whether to tell her or not.

DD has now realised that we are not THE most embarrassing parents in the school. That honour has gone to the parent of a classmate who phoned the school and complained that their child had not been picked for the house athletics team and insisted that they were chosen. DD was .

OMG!I just can't imagine ringing DD's school and demanding she be put on the athletics team. DD would disown me and beg for foster care! But at least now you know what to say if your DD won't do something....

!

My dd doesn't even want us to come and watch some play she has a minor part in - she would be most at that!

How does your dd know this happened? Did the pupil tell her or a teacher?

Aww... bless. Ds1's history teacher thanked him today for cheering him up. It was late at night and he was marking a huge pile of history essays, feeling very tired and rather fed up. ds1's was right at the end and he said it was superb writing and made his day.

Roisin - the girl told her. DD was even more that she seemed quite proud of it.

Well done to your DS and his history essay. It must be great, as a teacher, when you find a pupil has done a really good piece of work.

school report today - seems fine but nearly every teacher has commented on his shyness/quietness/lack of confidence which really does seem to prevent him from shining in class - I know he has loads of ideas etc but he just can't push himself forwards - obviously something to work on. Hoping that his singing lessons will boost his confidence anyway. I sometimes want to say 'look here - he is funny and clever and can sing and draws fantastic things at home ! ' because he is so reticent to do any of that at school - gah !
Good for roisin's ds1 !!

Report here today too - luckily she has plenty of improvement needed with her handwriting and presentation so she has something left to work at!

Apparently she told her PE teacher she doesn't do any extra-curricular activities - so it is obviously someone else's child we have been ferrying around to swimming and dance classes

DD was called up by one of her teachers during class on Thursday and told they wanted to move her to a different teaching group as there were too many in her current group (32) and that she could choose a friend to go with her. She had to choose on the spot and then her friend was asked and had to decide on the spot too.
I'm not terribly happy about the way it was handled and am considering having a chat with her head of house (her tutor is on sick leave) as DD is rather upset about having to move groups.

When you say a different teaching group was it just for that one particular lesson or for all lessons? I do think its a bit off asking a child to make that choice and especially when it was done without your DD being able to think about it. I'd have thought with it being nesr to the end of term they could have carried on with the numbers then next year swapped children over. Hope the Head of year comes up with a good reason as to why the move was needed and handled in such a way.

LGP - I would not be happy with that at all. The least they could have done was to send a letter home advising of their plans so at least your dd could be warned of what would be happening. Also, as magenta says, tis only 3 weeks till the end of term, surely the regrouping could have been done when they went back in September?

Teaching group is for all lessons except for those where they are set by ability - Maths, Science and MFL. The change is for next year - normally children are put in teaching groups at the beginning of year seven and stay in the same group throughout their time at the school.
What I am cross about is that she was told she had a choice of whether to move, but had to make the decision on the spot. Now she is unhappy because she feels she made the wrong decision under pressure.

Can you check out my thread here?

Summer concert tonight and DD remembered to get me a ticket! It will be lovely to hear her (she is in the choir) - I am not looking forward to hearing the head rabbitting on for hours in a stifling hall though.

ours was yesterday and it was fab..ds sang in his choir..very hot and sticky in the sports hall though..

hope the school hall wasn't too hot and sticky this evening for your LGP

DD came home today with her yr8 timetable - they will be following it from Monday. Dd's school have now decided to stream the DC's from yr8 onwards and set within the streams for Maths, Science and English. One of the major changes in my eyes is the going from 6 x 50 minutes lessons a day to 5 x 1hour lessons. Humanities seems to have drawn the short straw. DD used to have 2 Geog and History and will now only have one of each a week! DD loves Geog and has even in the last term with a new teacher muttered about History being rather good. On a plus side at least now lessons in the non setted subjects can be pitched at the right level for all pupils. And hopefully her English teacher this time around might actually shock horror mark some of her homework!

Bugger I should preview! You not your

Just back - it didn't finish till after 10 and boy was it hot in there! DD will be shattered tomorrow.
Back in tomorrow morning for her house awards ceremony...
Your DD's new timetable sounds interesting Magenta. I hope it works out well - the setting should make a difference.
DD was called out of class yesterday after I spoke to her head of house and told that she didn't HAVE to move teaching groups, it was her choice, so she and her friend got together at school today and have written a (very polite) letter to say that they would rather not. I wonder what will happen now.

That's good news LGP.

Magentadreamer - your school is organised to have timetabling and class lists sorted completely so that they can trial them straight away!

I still don't know exactly what settting/streaming happens for ds1 next year. Though interestingly he has had more challenge/differentiation this year - in complete mixed ability classes - than ever before!

Also in one subject only - Maths - they have a 'high aptitude' class, and this is the one where he gets a bit of hassle from some other students. So I am a bit about him spending more class time with "the brighter" students next year.

Have just asked Ds about his new timetable, he has said it will start in September when they go back.

Have just had a letter about the last day of term. Every year, the school do a 10 mile walk (weather permitting) . I am not sure I can think of doing anything worse on the last day... but he might enjoy it.